If it can’t be expressed in figures, it is not science; it is opinion. Robert A. Heinlein – The Notebook of Lazarus Long _________ I’ve had my nose rubbed in science a lot lately, probably because it’s been on my mind. I know you’ve had patterns like that happen to you, too. You’re thinking about […]
The Immoveable Object and The Irresistible Force Read More »
Today is the birthdate of Mary Josephine Ray, who was born on May 17 in 1895 and died in 2010, at the age of 114. At the time of her death, she was the oldest person in the United States. Aging is a condition about which most of us live in denial. We’d rather not
Supercentenarians, Age and Immortality Read More »
Don’t try to educate people who aren’t listening. The world is full of fools who believe they know everything, and besides, you could be wrong. Listen more than you talk, and you might hear something interesting. And you’ll be able to figure out if you’re listening to a fool, or not, if you’re listening, not
Damned Fools with Big Mouths Read More »
Moving parts in rubbing contact require lubrication to avoid excessive wear. Honorifics and formal politeness provide lubrication where people rub together. Often the very young, the untraveled, the naive, the unsophisticated deplore these formalities as “empty,” “meaningless,” or “dishonest,” and scorn to use them. No matter how “pure” their motives, they thereby throw sand into
The Use of Lubricant Read More »
…and do you really care? That’s a question I’ve been mulling over the last week or so. I read an article in a fiction-writing how-to book a while ago, and they emphasized the need for specificity when writing descriptions. The example they used was The trees were green. They suggested that a better way to
Is it an Uzi or a Timberwolf? Read More »
What are the facts? Again and again and again-what are the facts? Shun wishful thinking, ignore divine revelation, forget what “the stars foretell,” avoid opinion, care not what the neighbors think, never mind the unguessable “verdict of history”–what are the facts, and to how many decimal places? You pilot always into an unknown future; facts
Care Not What the Neighbors Think Read More »
If you’re a regular reader of my blog, I’m sure you’ve figured out by now that I’m just a little bit in awe of science fiction writer Robert A. Heinlein – for a variety of reasons, including the fact that he’s one of a microscopic collection of authors who can make me cry. Heinlein had
This was going to be a simple Mash post, but it ended up I had so much to say about AuthorEarnings.com, I turned it into a dedicated post just on the tornado that is ripping through the publishing world. A few weeks ago, super-sonically successful indie author Hugh Howey (author of Wool, amongst others) launched a
The Shot Heard Around the Publishing World Read More »
While short hair for men is the fashion right now in the early half of the twenty-first century, I can’t help but bewail the diminishing numbers of heroes with long hair. When did it stop being sexy? In Romanceland, heroes throughout history and into the realms of the paranormal have enjoyed long locks for decades.
Where Did All The Long-Haired Heroes Go? Read More »
The United States’ Constitution, that guarantees certain civil liberties, fascinates me from an historical and outsider’s perspective. In particular, the Constitution grants “freedom from slavery and forced labour”. I imagine many people glide right over that statement, barely giving a thought to how powerful a shield it really is. Canada has a Canadian Charter of
Slave Labour. It’s Not Just For The History Books. Read More »