The incorrigible Will Buckingham here literally de-bullshits the increasingly bullshitty idea of being a professional anything, and in particular a professional writer. Not because it’s bad to be a professional, but because our entire idea of what professional means has become corrupted away from it’s true meaning, to profess a commitment to a skill… *Continue reading “Being a professional writer is…kind of bullshit”
Author Archives: Damien Walter
On not being a hack
There is a story that the young Plato, being gifted with an excellent intellect, wrote a play to submit for the Athenian Dionysia. Taking it to submit before the judges, he found Socrates meditating upon the steps of the theatre. Having been told the play was good by friends and family, Plato was only tooContinue reading “On not being a hack”
Why Ello’s $450,000 in funding is a really, really good thing
Ello is the hip young social network that this week seemed to cross the threshold, from one of many, to the single most serious contender for Next Big Thing in the social online world. It has picked up an unknown but significant number of new users, many of them power user migrating from Twitter. And,Continue reading “Why Ello’s $450,000 in funding is a really, really good thing”
Ello – why is everyone moving to this half built social network?
Trust me, this post really is about Ello, it just needs a little context. The world appears to be complicated. But really it isn’t. oh sure there are 7 billion people crowded on to this relatively tiny lump of orbital debris we call a planet, divided into some 196 states and some 2,896 major cities, operatingContinue reading “Ello – why is everyone moving to this half built social network?”
Why we’re all reading young adult fiction
It’s an easy win for a book critic. Harry Potter, then Hunger Games, and now Divergent have dominated not just book publishing but popular culture for more than two decades. So after telling adult readers they should be ashamed to read children’s books, all Ruth Graham had to do was sit back and watch theContinue reading “Why we’re all reading young adult fiction”
Star Trek in beautiful widescreen
I love these widescreen images from the original Star Trek by Nick Acosta. Much of what made the show work was it’s excellent set design and lighting, shown here to superb effect. Star Trek in Cinerama – Nick Acosta.
19 British Superheroes Who Are Innately Better Than Their American Counterparts
Superheroes are an American thing, right? WRONG! The isles of Albion have been producing heroes with magic weapons and superpowers for centuries. But who are the greatest British superheroes of them all? Read more @ Buzzfeed.
The New New Space Opera
Science fiction is not a genre. The most successful literary tradition of the 20th century is as impossible to neatly categorise as the alien life forms it sometimes imagines. But “sci-fi” does contain genres. The rigorous scientific speculation of Hard SF. The techno-cynicism of Cyberpunk, or its halfwit cousin Steampunk. The pulp fictions of PlanetaryContinue reading “The New New Space Opera”
What is the relationship between artists and depression?
The skilled and thoughtful William Gosline returns for a second guest post. The news of Robin Williams’ suicide has sparked an ongoing conversation about depression and mental ill-health among artists and other creatives. In a nuanced post Gosline reaches beyond the simple correlation between creativity and depression, to reflect on the real and complex relationship betweenContinue reading “What is the relationship between artists and depression?”
21 Of The Best British Sci-Fi Writers You’ve Probably Never Heard Of
The World Science Fiction Convention touches down in London this week, bringing together fans of sci-fi, fantasy and horror novels from all over the world. LonCon3 is the first time this fete of the fantastic has visited the UK since 2006 when the 63rd worldcon hit Glasgow. Here are the top 21 sci-fi and fantasyContinue reading “21 Of The Best British Sci-Fi Writers You’ve Probably Never Heard Of”
Horror – just not scary any more
Whereas Victorian writers could rely on repressed sexuality to generate unease, today’s horror and fantasy novels put sex on the front cover. But the best new examples of the genre still bring up the things we don’t like to talk about. When Bram Stoker penned Dracula in 1897, Eastern Europe was still remote for mostContinue reading “Horror – just not scary any more”
Digital nomads are a 21st century counter culture
Slouching Toward Nimmanhaemin Digital nomads are a 21st century counterculture. The choices they make today will shape how we live and work tomorrow. Words and pictures by Damien Walter The global network enables us to react to the world as a whole” Marshall McLuhan, Understanding Media The center was not holding. But that was aContinue reading “Digital nomads are a 21st century counter culture”
Damien Walter 