Walter Jon Williams's Blog, page 205

Fear the Boom and Bust

Big news from the World of Economics!  Friedrich August Hayek and John Maynard Keynes face off in a smokin' rap battle!

(It's good, but it would be better if someone in this project actually knew how to pronounce "Keynes.")

The Crazy Train

I was sorta hoping that the death of Osama bin Laden might nudge a few people back to sanity, but it isn't happening.I mean, I expected the 9/11 Truthers to claim that Osama didn't do it and isn't really dead, because they've been on the Crazy Train for some time.   But even the usual crazies are still crazy.Just trolling around online during a Monday.  Here's what I found.The ultra-orthodox Jewish Di Tzeilung airbrushed Hillary Clinton and Director of Counterterrorism Audrey Tomason from...

Another Step Closer to the Robot Apocalypse

Boeing's new "autonomous fighter-sized aircraft," the Phantom Ray, has had its first successful test flight.The Phantom Ray is no mere drone with looks inspired by, say, Hardwired, it's an "unmanned airborne system" intended to complete its missions without a human at the controls.  Just tell it what you want it to do, hit the Go button, and watch your enemies evaporate as the onboard AI takes over.Rumors that all input relating to GPS coordinates are translated by the AI as "exterminate all ...

Iranian Politics Explained

If you've ever wondered why Iranian politics are so strange, perhaps the answer is now at hand.  It seems that the president's inner circle has been relying for advice on "djinn, fairies, and demons."We have this on no less an authority that Ayatollah Khamenei, Iran's Supreme Leader, whose spat with President Ahmadinejad's court has now reached metaphysical proportions.The current problem began a couple weeks ago when Ahmadinejad fired his intelligence minister.  Khamenei ordered him...

Hard Landing

Endeavor is having its electronics checked, the astronauts are home in Houston, and the earliest possible launch day is May 8.I tried to get my airline tickets changed to tomorrow, but all flights were fully booked, so we're flying home on Tuesday.  After which we will improvise.We've learned that NASA is very good at making us wait.On the other hand, we're enjoying life at an excellent beach resort with the ocean right there, in an interesting part of the world with a lot of history and...

On the Beach . . .

We are spending the weekend in St. Augustine, the USA's oldest European settlement.  (As a resident of the state with Acoma in it, I am resolutely unimpressed.)We arrived in late afternoon, and then had to deal at length with a mixup in reservations (not our fault), so all I've seen so far is the fort, which as a European star fort is rather rare on this continent.  (Ticonderoga's still there.  Any others left standing?)Dinner was at a local hangout called the Conch.  Tiki bar, Hawaiian...

Freefall

The shuttle launch was scrubbed due to an electrical problem, so now either it'll be Monday or it won't.  So either we'll hang around till then or not.  And that's where we're at now, until we learn something different.  Or not.Here's the most coherent description of the problem I've found so far:"If there's a thermostat that's failed such that it might have an open circuit in it, not necessarily a short circuit but just an open, that would open up to ground," he said."These things are...

Endeavor Awaits . . .

Endeavor is waiting down at Launch Pad 39A.Waiting for me, among a few other people.I'll be viewing the launch from the VIP area, as a guest of Col. Mike Fincke, with whom I had a brief conversation three years ago when he was commanding the International Space Station.  This year Colonel Fincke will be on board Endeavor as a mission specialist, where he will get to do no less than three spacewalks!President Obama and his entire family will also be attending, along with Rep. Gabrielle...

It's 2011, Writers! Do You Know Where Your Toolbox Is?

There are still a few seats left at Taos Toolbox, the master class for writers of science fiction and fantasy.  This year's instructors are Nancy Kress and Walter Jon Williams, along with special lecturer Jack Skillingstead.
(Last year a Toolbox grad won a Hugo award.  You want to win a Hugo Award, don'tcha?  Just whisperin' here . . . )

Interviewed Again

Friend of the blog Tom Chandler interviews me over at The Writer Underground.For those of you who are tired of reading my interviews,  let me cut to the chase:What I need is a claque. I need people not to suggest, but to insist that everyone read my books. Whenever someone's talking about a book he liked, I need someone to say, "Well, that book's okay, but you really need to read Walter Jon Williams!" I need skywriters to write WALTER JON WILLIAMS IS AWESOME in the sky above every...