Michael W. Lucas's Blog, page 9

54: Immediately After This Book Escapes

I’m buried in final corrections for Run Your Own Mail Server so here’s a snippet from that.

You must be comfortable acquiring and managing TLS and the associated X.509 certificates. Email did not always require TLS, but certificate prices have plunged to zero so TLS is fairly standard. This book uses Let’s Encrypt certificates maintained by ACME, and presumes you can do the same. If your organization insists on purchasing expensive certificates and maintaining them by hand, you are welcome to do...

Why My Web Store Uses Bookfunnel

A few years ago I switched from delivering books via WordPress downloads to Bookfunnel. Now and then, folks ask why. “Because it reduces my pain without escalating yours” is trite, but true. Here’s the full explanation.

When I first opened tiltedwindmillpress.com, I provided files at obfuscated filenames. By the third direct sale, someone had shared the link to eleven thousand of their closest friends. Pirating my books is a jerk move, but pirating them off my own server is downright insulting.

...

53: Working with Delta

I’m working on the last FreeBSD Journal “Letters” column to appear in Dear Abyss. I’ll launch the Kickstarter after the column appears.

Once upon a time there was this person who vexed me so badly, I had to write a book just to complain about them. (Not why I wrote the book, nor why I griped about them therein.) My fierce vituperation was so all-encompassing, they not only changed their name but their gender so they could attempt to rebuild something from the ruins of their reputation. (Totally ...

RYOMS back from copyedit, preorder time running out

Yesterday, the copyedits on Run Your Own Mail Server returned. This means that today I’ll be setting up a Discord and integrating into my Patronizer systems to replace the Video Hangout level, writing the next column for the FreeBSD Journal and, coincidentally, the last column for Dear Abyss. I asked Simon Travaglia if he’d be interested in doing a foreword but he sensibly declined, so I guess I better write something to introduce that travesty. (I’m open on suggestions for people to approach, m...

52: The Second Time, With A Knife

Hello. Welcome to Sixty Seconds of WIP. I’m Michael Warren Lucas. Today is (11 June 2024). I’m in the last week of my anthology submission binge, working on a new Rats’ Man’s Lackey tale, but it’s going to trad pub so I can’t share tidbits. The Rats’ Man’s Lackey tales could be described as “Jason Bourne living in Supernatural Witness Protection.” Here’s a snippet from the first one, The Rats’ Man’s Lackey and the Half Gallon of Christmas Miracle.

Getting from my attic room to the boss’ sanctu...

Online Talk on Email, 10 July 2024

The folks at NYCBUG persuaded me to give a talk on email this Wednesday night. It’s free to the world, but you must RSVP at the link.

June’s Jitterbug Sausage

(This post went to Patronizers at the beginning of June, and the public at the beginning of July.)

“The deck is clear, projects are ready to go, I’m ready to WRITE!”

One lovely Friday night in May, She Who Must Be Obeyed finished teaching for the summer. The following Sunday, at five AM, she broke her leg.

You look alarmed, so I’ll say now: she will fully recover.

The next couple weeks were a blur. The third week, where she could take care of herself enough that I could do some work, are also a ...

51: Soviet Texas

I’m working on a new Aidan Redding story, but can’t share any of it yet. Contract terms, y’know. I can say it’s a Class D universe tale, however, which I haven’t done before. I needed to skim some of Aidan’s earlier adventures, so here’s a snippet from Drinking Heavy Water.

The engulfing darkness made every sound more obvious. Chevy’s breath wasn’t loud, but I could tell it was deep and thorough. “Your President wants to stop selling tritium to Texas. We need that energy. If I can stop this, I m...

New FreeBSD Journal issue out, with my Letters column

The “We Get Letters” column of the FreeBSD Journal is my opportunity to subtweet the Sysadmin Discourse of the Day. There’s far more than one Discourse between issues but let’s be real, most of the discourse isn’t worthy of discussion.

Anyway, I talk configuration management in the newest issue. My column appears first in the magazine, which I’m certain means something. Probably that the editor has been kidnapped and he’s asking his friends to rescue him, but that specifically excludes me so it’...

The new Fantasy Steampunk Storybundle, with orcs!

There’s a brand new Fantasy Steampunk bundle, available only for another 11 days. It’s not only a really good deal, but it features the Prohibition Orcs novel Frozen Talons in the lowest tier!

This bundle is full of great stuff. Gleason, Pope, and Carriger and titans of steampunk. I read Kilgore and Sawyer quite regularly. Rusch’s magnificent Fey series is early steampunk. The other authors and editors, well, given by the company they’re in, I have high expectations for them all.

I’m gonna be e...