Diary of a Network Geek

It’s been said that every writer creates the world in their fiction, even if it’s not science-fiction, for their characters to explore.
Photographers can do the same thing.

I’ve always been a fan of science-fiction and fantasy in all its forms.  I remember as a kid seeing Star Wars in the movie theater and being completely captivated.  And, of course, like most geeks of my generation, I played Dungeons and Dragons and other table-top role-playing games.  Games that were born from the…
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Sadly, not my own.

It’s no secret that I love science-fiction and fantasy.  In fact, once upon a time, I used to write it.  Quite a bit of it, actually.  In fact, at one time, I was writing at what might be considered a professional level.  At least, I would have been published, if the magazine I submitted to hadn’t folded a few days after they received my story.  But, then life intervened and I more or less stopped writing.  All of which is to say, when I tell you, gentle readers, that I’ve found some good science-fiction or fantasy, especially in the short-story format, I have some idea what I’m talking about.

So, since you took the time to read that, you have the time to read these two short stories by some relatively new authors.
First, there’s the ultimate solution to spammers, which I know a number of my regular system admin users wouldn’t mind implementing, Press Enter To Execute.  It’s near-future science-fiction, which, frankly, is getter rarer and rarer as Moore’s Law speeds up our entire world.
Then, in the fantasy category, there’s The Cartographer Wasps and the Anarchist Bees, which is a story from the perspective of some very interesting and complicated social insects.

Neither of these are particularly long, but they’re both worth taking the time to read.
Besides, it’s Friday and you really can’t have anything better to do, especially if you’re reading my blog already.
Y’all have a great weekend!

Don’t have time to read the classics?

Hey, I hear you!  I mean, really, who does?  But, at the same time, I feel like I should read some of the business classics, like [amazon_link id=”1612930298″ target=”_blank” ]Think and Grow Rich[/amazon_link] or [amazon_link id=”4770028016″ target=”_blank” ]The Book of Five Rings[/amazon_link] or[amazon_link id=”0486272745″ target=”_blank” ] The Prince[/amazon_link].  (Okay, actually, I have read those and in their full print format, but that’s just an example.)  Well, for those of us short on time, but long on business ambition, there’s Smarter Comics; graphic novels of popular or important NON-fiction books!  Naturally, they have all the books I just mentioned but they have many more, as well!  Modern classics like The Long Tail and The 80/20 Principle and How To Master the Art of Selling!  There are more titles on the way, but, hey, we read slow in the modern age, so you can work your way through the ones that are available now while the rest are getting printed, right?

No, seriously, these look like fun and I’m tempted to get the Long Tail.  I’m told it’s a classic and, while I understand the principle, I’ve never actually read it.
Well, maybe someone will buy it for me for Christmas!

I can think of nothing more appropriate for a Friday the Thirteenth post.

Are you a fan of H.P. Lovecraft?
When I was in Junior High, I found H.P. Lovecraft and read him all the way through High School and even college.  But, because I found him when most people are getting sex ed for the first time, when our bodies are going through enormous, almost supernatural changes, I found this short film, via Boing Boing, called “Late Bloomer” quite funny.  Be warned, it may not be entirely safe for work, depending on your workplace and their standards, but it’s worth watching!

So, happy Friday the 13th!  Enjoy the video and have a very lucky day!

This may cost me readers.

But, honestly, I think that’s okay.
I’ve never been shy about criticizing aspects of internationalism that I don’t like, like off-shoring call-center jobs.  But, on the other hand, I’m also not shy about reminding people that extremists give us a skewed view of a larger population.  I know there are people in the United States right now that think every Arab or Muslim is bad.  I disagree.  I think those people who claim to believe that they are all evil are simply ignorant of the rich and diverse culture that exists outside of their own small neighborhood.  I hope before those of my readers that may think that there is no such thing as a good Arab, or Muslim, follows the link I’m about to share and reads a little of what they find there before writing me off.

Some time ago, through various other blogs, I came across a link to Apex magazine’s 18th on-line issue.  The Arab/Muslim Issue.
I have to admit, I was intrigued.  For one thing, I don’t think I’ve read any recent fiction by anyone from that culture.  For another, Apex specializes in fantasy and science-fiction.
This is some brilliant work.
Go read “The Green Book” by Amal El-Mohtar, a story about a book possessed of a spirit that corrupts her reader.
Or, try “50 Fatwas for the Virtuous Vampire” by Pamela K. Taylor about a Muslim vampire trying to follow the Law of the Koran and stay pure.
Or, my favorite, “The Faithful Soldier, Prompted” by Saladin Ahmed about a soldier who’s combat implants talk to him with the voice of God Himself, perhaps.
There are more, but these three stories were masterful looks at a culture most of us don’t see.  They see myths reinterpreted in ways we may not have considered, or a future which may be all too possible.

Really, I joke around a lot on wasting time on a Friday, but these stories aren’t a waste of your time, I promise.
Go and read them.  Then think.
Thanks.

No, this is not a surreal, drug-induced alternate reality.

No, seriously, back in the late 60’s, before the term “graphic novel” had even been coined, William S. Burroughs worked with artist Malcolm McNeill to make the experimental Ah, Pook Is Here.  It was a multi-year collaboration that flashed briefly on the literary scene of the time, then disappeared.  However, Fantagraphics has plans to resurrect this lost treasure as a two volume set.

I’m not familiar with the artist, though there are some samples at that link above, and the book itself seems to be yet another of Burroughs’ experiments.  In fact, the article describes it as an extension of the “cut-up method” that Burroughs is famous for and liked so well.  Personally, I think it’s just interesting as a piece of history.  Alan Moore may have all the pretensions he cares to about his graphic novel work, but he can’t possibly hold a candle to this genius.

Anyway, it’s Friday, so take a mental health break and go read about this crazy experiment that was well before its time.

Right, who didn’t want to be a superhero when they were a kid?

Whether it was Batman or Superman or Spiderman or, yes, even Wonder Woman, surely, anyone my age and younger wanted to be some kind of superhero when they were a kid.  Those costumed crusaders inspired us all, to some level, as kids, didn’t they?  Well, apparently, some of us never grew up because, yes, there are still people dressing up in costumes trying to inspire people.  In this case, it’s the Real Life Superhero Project.

They all have different motivations, but they all share some common ideals and, of course, they all have costumes.  The site says it started as a gallery and has become a much larger project.  From it’s tone, it seems like they’re almost trying to be a Justice League or Avengers kind of team, though maybe not so organized or unified in their fight against crime.  Not sure if they’re gaining popularity since Kick-Ass was made into a film or not, but I wonder how they’d do fighting, you know, actual crime and actual criminals.

Well, I’m not going to start hatin’ on a Friday, so, go check it out for yourself and see if you think they’re for “real” or not.

I have a strange relationship with the written word.

Okay, for anyone who’s been to my house and seen the sheer volume of books and magazines that “decorate” the walls, tables, chairs and floors, well, let’s just say that this is a bit of an understatement.  I have thrown out one book, that I can remember, ever.  Just one.  And, that was a Tony Robbins book!  It takes something monumental for me to sort through my pile of “keeper” magazines to find things that I realistically want to keep and read or save for long-term reference and get rid of the rest.  Truly, I revere the written, and more specifically the printed, word.  Oddly, I haven’t been reading that much lately, even though I still can’t get rid of old books, even my ex-wife’s books which hold no interest for me.

Ironically, that strange reverence for books and story, in particular, makes it hard for me to write.  At least, to write something other than my blog.  The blog is easy, because there aren’t any rules, to speak of, and any story is incidental.  Okay, I’ll grant that my writing for the blog wasn’t always very good.  I mean, eight years ago, I was pretty stiff and stilted and, well, mostly, boring.  Maybe I ranted a little more than I do now but I don’t think too many people were particularly motivated by my screeds.
Writing an actual story, real or fictional, is a whole different thing, though.  My goal with the blog was, originally, far, far different from what it’s become.  Honestly, I originally just wanted to have a way to regularly use all the right industry buzz words to maximize my search engine optimization.  But, along the way, something happened and my blog changed along with my writing.  But, it’s easy because I don’t think of all the things I should be doing.  I just sit down and write whatever crazy thing comes to mind.  In my mind, it just doesn’t matter much, so the writing flows out naturally, and, most days, almost effortlessly.  So, why can’t I do that with my fiction?

Well, the bottom line is, I don’t know.  Somehow, I get all caught up with how I used to write fiction, so effortlessly and still at a semi-professional level.  But, that was fifteen years ago.  Really, it’s been almost fifteen years since I wrote often enough to be at anything close to that level.  Foolishly, I want to be able to pick right up where I left off fifteen years ago, before my main career really got started and before I got married and divorced and before…  Yes, before the cancer.  All those things changed me, changed how I see the world, my life, my writing.  Somehow, it made everything more important and left less room for mediocrity.  And, somehow, it made everything I wrote less…  Less beautiful, less brilliant, less true.  The blank page, the empty screen, has become my enemy, a battlefield for the purity of my soul.  I know, a bit melodramatic, but still true.  At least, true enough to make my fiction taste less like marzipan fantasy dipped in chocolate fudge and more like ashes with a side of bitter, unrealized dreams.
So, how to change that…  I don’t know.  I honestly don’t know.  Why do you think I bought a camera?

Stay tuned.  Later this week, a review of Tropic Thunder and those music sites and stuff I’ve been promising.  Oh, and in a week or so, I’ll have a guest post on another blog.  More on that as it unfolds.

Simple.

Follow these eight rules from IO9. No, really, just follow their Eight Unstoppable Rules for Writing Killer Short Stories.

Now, ‘scuse me while I go write something.