John C. Wright's Blog, page 203

Something Better than a Vacuum Against Which to React

A reader asks: A few years ago, you posted a link to an article talking about early speculations into the impossibility of space travel (something about how, in the vacuum of space, there will be no air to react against or some such). I've tried to locate it, and seem to have been unable to. Do you recall what it was? Thanks!

A: Yes. Here is the article I wrote: http://johncwright.livejournal.com/2008/07/16/ Full text is below.

* * *
I heard this story on Paul Harvey, and was so bemused, th...

You know you have made it as an SF Writer when...

I just got a Christmas card from Lydia van Vogt, widow of grandmaster A.E. van Vogt, who was wishing me (and herself) good royalties for NULL-A CONTINUUM.

Now, I am not sure this is a milestone in my attempted SF writing career, or in my attempted human being career, when I have been trying to produce some human sympathy and kindness from my chilly Vulcan heart, but I should like to think the second is more significant than the first. My hope is that my impersonating it, it will slowly yet une...

Peter Watts Legal Fund

Sf writer David Nickle writes of Peter Watts' beating and arrest, and asks for friends, fans, and colleagues to help. I am not a friend, but I am a fan and colleague, and I certainly think the man needs the best legal representation he can afford.

I am disabling comments for this post, because I expect some readers will be tempted to speculate about the guilt or innocence of the parties involved, and I regard such speculation as unseemly. If you want to express sympathy, the most pragmatic wa...

"But for Wales?"

Reprinted from KGBMan's blog. Comments below are his. I am merely sharing the bad news:

15 Catholic Senators voted against the Nelson amendment.

Washington D.C., Dec 11, 2009 / 06:29 am (CNA).- A total of fifteen self-described Catholic Senators voted to table the Nelson-Hatch-Casey Amendment, which would have significantly restricted abortion funding from the Senate health care bill.

The Amendment failed by a 54-45 vote on Tuesday. It was co-sponsored by Democrats Sen. Ben Nelson of Nebraska a...

Latest Wright's Writing Post

My beautiful and talented wife has another entry in her bounteous supply of advice and tips to writers and would-be writers.

http://arhyalon.livejournal.com/94453.html

One advantage of being married to a authoress / editrix is that when I am out of ideas for my novel (which is frequently) she is fruitful with ideas to make up the defect.

She speaks here of what she called the "two strings technique" which is, in every character have a personality trait that goes against the grain of all his ot...

Klavan on the Culture -- of Pharisees

An interview with Andrew Klavan I found very interesting: http://frontpagemag.com/2009/12/10/andrew-klavan-my-way-into-and-out-of-the-left-by-jamie-glazov/

I noted with particular interest this exchange:

Klavan: If I were still capable of being appalled by them, I’d be appalled, but as it is… well, I don’t know how you shrug in print but picture me shrugging. So desperate are they to display their tolerance, to claim virtue and open-mindedness for themselves, so secretly ashamed and...

Where do I sign up?

On my wife's friend's list, someone wrote:

"My aunt believes that Twilight is a conspiracy of the Catholics to stop girls from having sex before they're married. Those were her exact words. I swear on a stack of Atlas Shruggeds."
My comment: the world is in sad shape when any portrayal of self-control,even of vampires wanting not to kill humans and drink their blood, is regarded with suspicion.

Hey! I'm Catholic. Why did you hold a conspiracy without inviting me? How can I join? I have my secre...

Smart Pop!

Some of my nonfiction essays may soon be available at http://www.smartpopbooks.com/essay/511/

* May the Midichlorians Be With You from STAR WARS ON TRIAL
* Heroes of Darkness and Light from BATMAN UNAUTHORIZED
* Just Shove Him in the Engine from FINDING SERENITY
* 'Twas Beauty Killed the Beast from KING KONG IS BACK

I also sold an essay about Wonder Woman to this publisher, but they are delaying publication until (if ever) the upcoming Wonder Woman movie (the one not being written by Joss Whedan...

CLOCKWORK PHOENIX 3

When I announced that I had sold a short story, someone guessed the editor and the anthology correctly, so there is no point in keeping it secret longer.

Here is the tentative line-up

"Tomorrow Is Saint Valentine's Day," Tori Truslow
"Lucyna's Gaze," Gregory Frost
"Crow Voodoo," Georgina Bruce
"Lineage," Kenneth Schneyer
"Eyes of Carven Emerald," Shweta Narayan
"Hell Friend," Gemma Files
"Your Name is Eve," Michael M. Jones
"Dragons of America," Stacey Hirons
"The Gospel of Nachash," Marie Brennan
"Bra...

Explitive Deleted

I think people use swearwords more these days in part because we are a cruder, most blasphemous, uglier-soul people than our forefathers.

On the other hand, some things that happen these days cannot but provoke exclamations related to copulation, divinities, and the evacuation of the bowels, and the other things we hold sacred.

This is the national debt of the United States. twelve TRILLION and climbing. This is more debt than all previous debt in history combined.

When I posted this debt clock ...