Category Archives: Writing Journal

Every time an act of 4th generation warfare hits the news, I think of Adam Roberts science fiction novel New Model Army. A book that is almost 15 years old now. It predicted much with great accuracy. But England was never the likely epicenter for decentralized warfare. America is. Looking at the social media responsesContinue reading “A 4th Generation Civil War”

Bullsh*ters have always loved grand visions. Immortality is a good example. How many gallons of snake oil have been sold with promises of eternal youth. Or as cures for all ills. Bullsh*ters gravitate to grand visions because we as humans love them. We want to believe we can transcend earthly limitations and reach the heavensContinue reading “Technobullsh*t”

HOLLYWOOD, CA –  In a move sure to thrill fans of endlessly explained lore and on-the-nose dialogue, Legendary Entertainment today debuted “Dune: Exposition,” a new streaming series set to obliterate any lingering shred of subtlety in Frank Herbert’s sci-fi epic. “We heard the fans loud and clear,” said showrunner Baron Harkonnen the Third (no relation).Continue reading “Dune: Exposition launches its Jihad Against Subtext”

The most Important act of critique is on the stories you most love. I like this comment on The Culture of Iain M Banks because it gets to the heart of why. I love the Culture, but I’ve spent the last year, while researching and making the video essay, trying to destroy it. To seeContinue reading “Mind as Demiurge”

Modern propaganda wanted to make you believe something that may or may not have been true. Soviet propaganda, for instance, wanted you to believe in a communist utopia. Postmodern propaganda wants you to believe nothing. It wants you to believe only that there is nothing to believe. Postmodern propaganda isn’t trying to recruit you toContinue reading “Postmodern Propoganda”

Legendary Polish science fiction writer said of American science fiction that it was “…a literary form that claims to be a mythology of technological civilization while in fact it is simply bad writing tacked together with wooden dialogue.” In his essay Looking Down on Science Fiction:  A Novelist’s Choice for the World’s Worst Writing. AndContinue reading “Nazi Kitsch”

Some years ago I gave up playing games. I occasionally backslide and start playing online chess again. I think The Player of Games by Iain M Banks is a big part of why. It’s my favourite novel in The Culture series. I’ve read it many times and will hopefully read it many more. The bookContinue reading “Are games EVIL?!!”

We are in a Seldon Crisis. A pivotal moment of transition, from one stage of civilisation to another. A transition we can make better…or worse…by learning from history. Isaac Asimov crafted a powerful metaphor for exactly the situation we are in with Hari Seldon and Psychohistory. So it’s great that a big budget tv showContinue reading “We are in a Seldon Crisis”