Walter Jon Williams's Blog, page 81
February 26, 2018
“Searching For Plob Day Smores”
Back in the Sixties, I’m sure it seemed plausible to Arthur Clarke that by 2001, we’d have HAL 9000. Instead, by 2017, we got Alexa.
February 24, 2018
Sorry, Canada
February 21, 2018
Samurai Hat
Over the weekend I went to Boskone, which was such a pleasant scene that I spent no time whatsoever thinking of ways to amuse anyone other than myself. And then I flew back and was ill by the time I got home. (Note to self, and to the rest of you: don’t ever order the chicken tikka masala in the Dallas airport.) While I get over the megrims, please enjoy this excellent samurai video, narrated by a guy in a stupid hat.
February 14, 2018
Boskone
I will be spending the weekend in Boston, attending their excellent science fiction convention, Boskone. Since the convention is a very fine one, and it’s a large regional convention that is still about books, I urge those of you who can be there to attend. Here’s my schedule, for anyone who would care to connect with me. Reading by Walter Jon Williams Format: Reading
16 Feb 2018, Friday 16:30 – 17:00, Griffin (Westin)
Walter Jon Williams
Class Structure in SF and Fantasy
Format: Panel...
February 13, 2018
Carnival Time!
It’s Mardi Gras, Y’all! And to celebrate, here’s Kermit Ruffins from his Jam in the Van series, with “Drop Me Off in New Orleans.” And to top it off, just cuz I like the video, here’s “When I Die, You Better Second Line” from the series Treme. It starts a bit funereal, but doesn’t stay that way for long.
February 12, 2018
Lords of All Media
Having wrapped its Joker tentacles around the world of mass media, Wild Cards is even more out there than it’s been up till now. Pinterest! Twitter! Google! Instagram! Facebook! Wherever you hang out, Wild Cards will be there. Here be the links: Wild Cards Official Web Site: http://www.wildcardsworld.com/ https://www.facebook.com/WildCardsWorld/ http://www.instagram.com/wildcardsworld https://www.pinterest.com/WildCardsWorld/ http://www.twitter.com/wildcardsseries https://plus.google.com...
February 9, 2018
One Way Authors Think
The publisher got around to sending me my contributor’s copy of The Book of Swords, nearly four months after the rest of you had probably got yours. I’ve been reading it, and after I noticed how damn good an anthology it was, with a double helping of very talented authors like Ken Liu and CJ Cherryh and Scott Lynch and Elizabeth Bear and Daniel Abraham and George RR Martin, I noticed something else, which was that many of the stories had certain commonalities. Which tells you a certain way...
February 8, 2018
Recommended
So Quillifer has made it to the Locus 2017 Recommended Reading List. Congratulations to meeeeee! And of course to the other authors who made the list. Seriously, there’s a lot of good reading there.
February 6, 2018
Tesla Gets Heavy
I watched live this afternoon as SpaceX launched the Falcon Heavy, featuring 28 rockets strapped together, the payload of a Tesla roadster complete with a Star Man, and the words “DON’T PANIC” in large, friendly letters right on the dash. (Really appreciated that last bit.) The videography is pretty amazing, because they just stuck cameras all over that sucker. I think the sight of the two strap-on boosters coming to a simultaneous landing at Canaveral AFB caused a synapse crash. I had to...
February 3, 2018
The Toolbox Awaits
There are still places left in Taos Toolbox, the master class for writers of science fiction and fantasy. This year’s workshop takes place June 17-30, 2018, in Angel Fire, New Mexico, and will be taught by Nancy Kress and Walter Jon Williams, with special guests Carrie Vaughn, E.M. Tippetts, and George R.R. Martin. We have a proven record of helping attendees sell their work, so if you’re serious about making professional sales, and if you feel you can thrive in a workshop environment, this...
