Walter Jon Williams's Blog, page 216

A Bare Bodkin

I had a recent email from the Romanian translators of The Praxis. It seems that "Sula" is a very rude word in Romanian--- the literal meaning is "bodkin," but the slang meaning is something else again. So my heroine's Romanian name is now Caroline Sylla. This is fine with me. When I offend foreigners, I want to do it deliberately, not by accident.

The Folklore of Pasta

It occurs to me that pasta seems to be the foodstuff with more folklore and superstition attached to it than any other. My mom, for example, always poured oil into the pasta water in order to keep the pasta from sticking together. It also kept the water from boiling over. When the pasta was cooked, she'd rinse it in hot water in a colander, "to wash off the extra starch." (I think it was

Mystery Plane (3)

Okay, the last Mystery Plane was identified after a mere 32 minutes. Let's see if this one does better.What is this aircraft? And why is it not what you might think?

Mystery Plane (2)

The last time I was at an air museum, I posted a picture of a mysterious aircraft and challenged you all to solve the puzzle. Diana Rowland came up with the solution in, like, twelve seconds, but now that I've been to the Museum of Flight I hope to do better.What is this aircraft? And no, it's not the one you probably think it is.

Back from Seattle

So I'm back from Seattle, having had a wonderful time with any number of old friends. And having finally met Ursula K. Leguin, and actually been on a panel with her, as opposed to just looking at her from across the room as she's mobbed by admirers, which I gather happens to her more or less all the time.The first place we stopped was the Museum of Flight, which is right next to Boeing Field. In

Away to Seattle

I'm leaving for Seattle to help with the induction of Roger Zelazny into the Science Fiction Hall of Fame, which will take place on Saturday. I'll be doing a panel on science fiction on Saturday morning at 10:00, followed by a signing at 11:00. Both will be at the Courtyard Seattle Lake Union hotel, and will be followed by the Locus Awards.Come join me if you're in the area.

News from the Mideast

A note on Turkish soft power: I posted a couple years ago about the Turkish telenovela Noor, which turned out to be a huge hit once it was translated into Arabic and marketed in the Arab world. Arab women were stunned and fascinated by the male hero, who openly loved and supported his wife, allegedly a new idea in those parts. The fictional hero was cited as a co-respondent in divorce cases by

Post Toolbox

I am still a bit rocky from the two weeks of Taos Toolbox, and remain very much sleep-deprived. I came down from the comfortable temperatures of the mountains to the 100-degree heat of the Middle Rio Grande Valley, so all I've wanted to do is cower under the air conditioner and sleep.Not that my schedule permits this, of course.But what a terrific workshop we had! For two weeks the participants

Ursoid Invasion

So here I am at the lodge in Taos Ski Valley and it's nine-fifteen at night and I've just been told that there is a bear in the building.Stay tuned.

Ra Ra

Finnish orc-rock band Turisas, winner of the Eurovision contest for 2006, display their dexterity on "Rasputin." Dig that frenzied Finnish dancing!Rah. Rah.