Archive for the 'Politics' Category

If Money and Resources Follow Attention…..

There was a meme flitting around Twitter this that included a link to an article on Technium about money following attention.  The article is worth reading, by the way, even though it was posted last year.  The main thing it says that if you get attention, then you are likely to get money.  A similar [...]

I’m Thrilled: We’re On Track!

Every once in a while, the me-in-my-futurist-hat decides to check in on current actions to see if they’ll lead to a good future.  I have to say I’m quite pleased.  Shortly after Obama was elected, I blogged about how it felt like I was, once again, living in the America I grew up in.  That [...]

Weekend Report: Norwescon, #Amazonfail, and Stories

I spent the weekend at Norwescon.  It was a lovely con.  I also, finally and slowly (hit me on the head as a slow learner) understood why there have been so many alternate history sf stories set in the 1800’s in my magazines of late.  Having decided to look up and look around, I think [...]

Smart Power

Last week, I listened to energy futurist Jesse Berst talk.  He spoke primarily of the smart grid.  This post is not a recap of his speech per se, but certainly he gave me new ways to think about energy and some of that gift is what I’ll write about.  If you get a chance to [...]

On Terrorism

I’m not very happy to be addressing Terrorism on Thanksgiving.  But I spent part of yesterday near the Internet and TV, watching the horrible events in Mumbai.   I’d like to reflect a little on the way the Clinton administration handled terrorism vs. the way we’ve handled it under Bush.  What I’ve got to say is [...]

Energy Economics

This post is a result of post-panel musings from Orycon 30, the Oregon Science Fiction convention I just attended.  I was actually on two panels discussing energy futures – What Happens if the Oil Runs Out? and Alternative Energies.
Often a discussion gets you thinking about something you already know.  There was some discussion of the supply [...]

I’m Back Home

It feels like I’ve gone through some m-brane universe back to an America I’m familiar with.  I know this long uncomfortable time isn’t even over until January 20th.  But still, today I don’t feel like a foreigner in my own country.  I really like that.
I grew up believing in elections.  Not only that the right [...]

Hurray for the Elements of Change

I’m pleased with the price of gas.  Change is already happening.  Our Mayor came back from a climate conference where one speaker said the measured particulates in the air are already slightly lower since gas went up.  He said people cheered.  Elementary economics:  Price changes behavior.
Global warming warning signs are coming faster and harder than [...]

Musing on Alan Greenspan’s book, The Age of Turbulence

Alan Greenspan has much in common with many of my favorite classic science fiction writers. Heinlein, Niven, and others claim Libertarian leanings, and so does Greenspan. They are also all pretty smart people that really want to understand the world.
Greenspan’s book is pretty close to a key about how some parts of the [...]

A Little Follow Up

From my last few blogs …
From the September 11th vigil, and relating to future vigils…the Citizens on the Lake for Peace website. Nicely done.
Second…I really think good engineers might save the world some day. Part of that could be because my dad is one, and he saved me a few times…but aside from [...]

Publications

A recent short story of mine is “My Father’s Singularity,” which came out in ClarkesWorld Issue #45

The story is available to read online, to purchase for Kindle, or as a podcast.

Wings of Creation by Brenda Cooper

Reading the Wind cover image

“The sequel to The Silver Ship and the Sea (2007) and Reading the Wind (2008) is intense and increasingly complex. Cooper continues to limn interpersonal relationships in considerable depth, including this time those of some individual fliers. Happily, the ending suggests yet another episode to come.” - Booklist

Available now from Tor Books in hardcover, on the Kindle, and on ibooks.

Reading the Wind by Brenda Cooper

Reading the Wind cover image

Audio promo:

“Brenda Cooper’s newest novel is a feast of character and concept. She depicts the devastation of war on microcosmic and macrocosmic levels, and even more so, the driving motives of young men and women caught in deadly conflict. Cooper is a master explorer of the interaction of society and individuals. She probes the psychology of her genetically enhanced characters with both rare depth and fidelity to scientific plausibility. Moral conundrums drive the plot in this unforgettable narrative. Don’t miss this compelling work by a major new talent.”
- Mary A. Turzillo, An Old-Fashioned Martian Girl.

“Brenda Cooper tells a tale of a powerful brother and sister in a fight for their lives, offering insights along the way into the nature of courage and the hunger for community that burns in every human being. This is a lively book, full of colorful images and a memorable cast of human and animal characters, a worthy successor to The Silver Ship and the Sea.”
- Louise Marley

Available in July, 2008, from Tor Books.

The Silver Ship and the Sea by Brenda Cooper

Silver Ship and the Sea cover image

Audio promo:

“The first solo novel by Larry Niven’s Building Harlequin’s Moon (2005) coauthor portrays the thoroughly
convincing human colonial society on Fremont, a dangerous planet rife with vicious predators, frequent earthquakes,
and falling meteors….Distinctive characterizations, well-limned interrelationships, and the
vividly realized Fremont contribute to an exciting coming-of-age story with a strong message about the evils of prejudice.”
- Sally Estes, Copyright American Library Association.

Mass Market Paperback, July 2008.
Included by Booklist as a “Best Adult Book for Young Adults.”

Building Harlequin’s Moon by Brenda Cooper and Larry Niven

Building Harlequin's Moon cover image

“Fans of both hard and softer, psychological SF will welcome veteran Niven and newcome Cooper’s well-written tale of a 60,000 year layover in space, in which physical challenges of world building are matched by the social challenges of collaboration among disparate groups.” – Publisher’s Weekly

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