Archive for August, 2009
We Need Healthcare Reform Now
As a futurist, I’m often asked what I think we should focus on. I typically say health care, education, broadband, and saving the world (ecology/alternate energy and lifestyle).
We have a good chance at one of them right now. We can do health care better for millions of Americans. We can help our businesses, our global [...]
3D Printing: Are we moving into a design economy?
My latest futurismic column explores 3D printing. I’m convinced this is a wild card technology. That is, most people don’t actually see it coming, or understand its potential to change our world. Yet the current uses and capabilities are growing exponentially. If “fabbing” (as some aficionados call it) grows as fast as PC capability grew, and the [...]
In which the SF Signal Mind Meld includes me on Smart SF Movies
And I get to learn a lot from the things others have to offer. I have a career in tech, an avocation as a writer, a calling as a futurist, and a family. So I had to pull some smart sf out of my memory banks from a time in my life when I had [...]
Into a new breach: My work on an iphone app
Steampunk Tales #2 is out, and contains a story by me, and a lot of stories by other writers, too. For $1.99, it’s a good deal. As far as I know, “Speaker for the Mayans” is the first story of mine that’s been available in the iphone apps store.
Better yet, it’s set in one of [...]
Reading Recommendation: Eyes Like Stars
Lisa Matchev’s debut novel, Eyes Like Stars: Theatre Illuminata, Act I, is just lovely. I finished it before Worldcon, and meant to blog it on my way to Montreal. And after Montreal, I’ve been working on a new website and thoroughly distracted. So sorry for the delayed reaction.
Eyes Like Stars is a clever fantasy with [...]
Reading Recommendation: Green, by Jay Lake
This was my worldcon reading book, the one I stayed up for a bit even after stumbling in late to read, and finished on the flight home. I liked it a lot. Green is ambitious, with a grand scale story that follows Lake’s protagonist from an early age to a very mature, dangerous young woman. While [...]
World-con Midcon Report
It’s Sunday morning, and I am still working on recovering from a very small taste of a yellowish drink called absinthe. A small amount left me slightly fuzzy-heading for panel on philosophy which (luckily) had some very capable members. On the other hand, it’s possible my fuzzy head was caused by the limerick panel I moderated at 10:00 PM. [...]
Montreal Day Three: The Beginning
Anticipation badges are everywhere. I have mine now, although there was no pro material available so I still have to hunt down my name card and whatever else.
We spent the day bicycling to give my ankle a rest – and did in my thighs with 26 kilometers. On the way we rode by these buildings that we [...]
Montreal, a day closer to Anticipation
First, some observations:
The people in Montreal have been VERY friendly. That said, I wouldn’t want to cross any of them. Montreal seems to be full of capable,independent, strong people. I would like them at my back, but never angry with me.
Going through Old Town feels a bit like a miniature version of Paris, all the [...]
Montreal, Pre-Anticipation
I’ll try to post some every day. My friend Gisele Peterson from Florida met me here yesterday afternoon. We have a roughly thirty-year-old habit of indulging ourselves by meeting in various places neither of us live. We decided to renew that lovely habit with this year’s Montreal Worldcon.
Here we are at the botannical gardens. Maybe [...]
