Walter Jon Williams's Blog, page 189

Improvisation

What happens when a classical violinist is interrupted by a ringtone?
Inspiration.  If you're lucky.

Reviews Too Late: Three Kingdoms

I found myself in a strange relationship with this movie.  It's a Korean film based on the classic Chinese historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms by Luo Guanzhong, and though I haven't read the book, I've played the video game.  Koei's classic MS-DOS-based game was one of my favorites from the 1980s, and not only have I played it multiple times, I've played all the characters in this movie.  Sometimes I got the feeling that Andy Lau was playing me.(A version of the game is still...

Where's My Personal Billionaire?

It occurs to me that yesterday's South Carolina primary signaled a paradigm shift in American politics.  In order to run for office, you no longer have to please the electorate.  You only have to please one person.Your personal billionaire.Newt Gingrich, the ethically-challenged former Speaker of the House, had been written off after his fourth-place finish in the New Hampshire primary.  But then his personal billionaire, Sheldon Adelson,wrote a $5 million check to a "super-PAC" supporting...

Gōng Xǐ Fā Cái!

Happy Year 4710, the Year of the Water Dragon!
(Now where's my red envelope?)

 

Workshops (With Me In Them)

If you're beginning your writing career, or if you'd like to begin your writing career, there are any number of fine workshops that might help you on your way.Only two of these, however, have me in them.  (And you want me in your workshop, you really do.) One of these is Taos Toolbox, a workshop that I created.  This year I'll be teaching with Nancy Kress (who is sublime) and special lecturer Daniel Abraham (whose sublimity may be open to question, but who is really, really smart).  The...

"Better Read That Contract, Mister I-Wanna-Be-In-The-iBooks Store"

Apple has just released its long-awaited iBooks Author, its application to convert a text file into an ebook suitable for sale in the iBooks Store.But, according to our friends at venomous porridge, you should read your End-User License Agreement (EULA) very carefully before you download the application, because Apple demands control over what you do with your ebook after you've created it.Except that you can't read the EULA,  because it's part of the app itself— you can't read it before you ...

Farewell Johnny

The Godfather of Rhythm and Blues, Johnny Otis, died today at the age of ninety.  The long, joyful ride of the Johnny Otis Show has finally come to an end.Johnny Otis was the son of Greek immigrants, but his wholehearted adoption of black culture and music led a lot of fans (including me) to think he was black.  He not only recorded a lot of classic R&B, he discovered Etta James and Jackie Wilson, produced Big Mama Thornton's version of "Hound Dog," and recorded with Mel Walker and Little...

Brief Interruption

This page will be shut down on Wednesday, January 18, as a protest against forthcoming SOPA/PIPA legislation, which would severely affect the ability of the Internet to do what it does best: serve as the greatest force for free speech, liberty, and cooperation in the history of the world.*How would this work?  Here's what would happen to popular site Boing Boing, in the words of Cory Doctorow:[I]n order to link to a URL on LiveJournal or WordPress or Twitter or Blogspot, we'd have to first c...

Rule Four

 

Sometime back, I posted My Three Laws, in which I posit laws of the universe which I seem to have been the first to discover, or at least to articulate.
I think I've just come up with a fourth.
Williams' Law #4: The Internet will never love you.
Discuss.

What Should I Be Reading?

Lately I've been reading some Worthy Novels.  You know the kind: they're well-written, have well-developed characters, and situations that ought to be interesting but somehow aren't.  There isn't anything wrong with these books: they just aren't very exciting. Somewhere along the line the author took a turn into Plodsville.  Finishing them felt more like a duty than a pleasure (which may have been the case for the author as well).I'm lookin' for some excitement in my fiction.  Please advise.N...