I don’t like to do political rant, but I’m going to anyway. <rant> Here’s my opinion. I’ve been struggling to understand what is going on in Westminster these days. Obviously plain old little old me doesn’t have an inside view, … Continue reading →
I’ve been lending money through KIva, a non-profit microFinance organisation, since 2012. Every month I’d lend money in $25 chunks to people around the world with limited or no access to other ways of borrowing. This month my total loans … Continue reading →
A few of us were talking about books we had enjoyed this year as recommendation for Christmas. Here are a few of mine. Hannah Green and Her Unfeasibly Mundane Existence, Michael Marshall Smith I loved MMS’s early work and his … Continue reading →
It occurred to me that the one great challenge of world-building is that you are, in fact, building a world. What to put in? What to leave out? I’ve recently been reading The Anatomy of Story: 22 Steps to becoming … Continue reading →
I love Jack Vance’s stories for their wit and imagination, and for his accomplished use of language. I’m not alone, he’s inspired a devoted readership*, significant critical praise, and some writers mimic his distinctive style. Vance vividly describes worlds, cities, … Continue reading →
This first screenshot says it all. That’s it. Brilliant. Job done. The weather for the past few weeks has been perfect for solar power – non-stop sunshine except for an overcast afternoon or so. Those clouds didn’t have much impact … Continue reading →
There is a Way to Live Forever is an excellent title, and this new collection from Terry Grimwood contains some very good stories too. Sharp, controlled, concise stories, always with a human edge to the horrors. I particularly liked “The … Continue reading →
I discovered the Aristasians yesterday, via a friend who is far more knowledgeable about things esoteric than me. Even they were surprised to never have heard of them before. According to the History of Aristasia in Telluria, the Aristasians originally … Continue reading →
Writers all over the world talk about Imposter Syndrome*, that feeling your success is undeserved and that one day the world will collectively blink, take a good long look at you and realise you are some kind of fraud. It’s … Continue reading →
The brilliant Science for Fiction event curated by Dr. David Clements at Imperial College London is back! Where else can you spend a day and a half with friendly NASA scientists, and university researchers and professors talking about their work – … Continue reading →