Below are the 20 most recent journal entries recorded in skzbrust's LiveJournal:

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Sunday, May 11th, 2008
4:45 pm	Auctioning off Jhegaala bound galley So, after I was convinced that reviewers putting bound galleys up for sale wasn’t the dastardly act I’d thought it was (thanks, Patrick), the next obvious step was to do it myself.  The ebay auction can be found here. (Originally posted at Words Words Words by skzb. Please leave any comments there.)
Friday, May 9th, 2008
6:51 pm	Personality, Perception, and Political Prognosis I’ve been re-reading Trotsky’s three volume History of the Russian Revolution. In chapter IV and chapter VI he gets into the personality of the Czar and the Czarina in a discussion of how much of the personality of a leader is accidental, and how much is determined by circumstances: in particular, the circumstances of the leader of a class doomed to extinction. In this context, he makes some comparisons of the traits of Czar Nicholas II, Louis XVI, and Charles I, as well as of their respective wives. The similarities are striking. No doubt, those who consider personality to be supra-historical will conclude that it was exactly these “accidental” characteristics that caused the fall of the monarchy in each case; I’ll leave that for the discussion, or for someone else. What I want to mention are some of the specifics. In brief: A complete disconnection from their subjects, a general apathy, a tendency to surround themselves by mediocirty combined with a contempt for anyone competent. In all three cases, there are reports of light-mindedness, and indecision; of being easily swayed by those mediocrates (I just made that word up) with whom they associated. “Tranquility and ‘gaiety’ in difficult moments…deprived of imagination and creative force…envious hostility toward everything gifted and significant…lacking firmness of character…a passive, patient, but vindictive treachery…” And in the case of all three wives, an even deeper isolation from the masses, and a love of the trappings of power. “…scorned the people, could not endure the thought of concessions…” Okay, so, here’s the thing: We aren’t going to know until the exposes begin to appear after his presidency is over, but insofar as we can know, do these things strike anyone as familiar? No, Bush’s wife never said, “Let them eat cake,”* but his mother made an awfully similar sounding comment about the Louisiana refugees in Texas after Katrina. Look at some of the hints of Bush’s personality that leak out occasionally, and tell me if they don’t seem terribly familiar. *Yes, I know Marie Antoinette never actually said that. The point is, the story spread because in every-one’s perception at the time, saying that was exactly in character for her. (Originally posted at Words Words Words by skzb. Please leave any comments there.)
2:07 pm	Free-for-all #3 It was either this or a long post on the materialist interpretation of human personality as related to the leaders of classes doomed to extinction.  Aren’t you glad it’s this? (Originally posted at Words Words Words by skzb. Please leave any comments there.)
12:15 am	Prejudice, thy name is Steve He was big, looked to be between 45-50, had a typical Texas drawl and a rodeo belt buckle.  He was in Reesa’s store buying a tatoo for his wife, and I was hanging around and keeping Reesa company.  He looked at me as I walked in and said, “Do I know you from somewhere?”  “Can’t think where,” I said.  “You look familiar.  Are you an actor?”  “No, but I’m told I look a bit like Alan Rickman.”  “Maybe that’s it.”  He didn’t seem convinced. I didn’t ask if he read sf, or read at all.  He just wasn’t the type. After about half an hour, I got really disgusted with myself for believing there was a “type” who read, and thinking that a Texas drawl and a rodeo belt buckle meant he didn’t read.  I went back out.  “Uh, do you read?”  “All the time.”  “Science fiction and fantasy?”  “Mostly science fiction.  I thrive on it.”  “Oh.  Uh, I’m sorry.  You may have been me on the back cover a book.”  “Oh yeah?  What have you written.”  “Jhereg?”  “No.”  “To Reign in Hell?”  “No.”  “Dzur?”  “Damn!  You wrote Dzur?  I’ve got that!  It’s on my stack…” So, yeah, anyway, I apologized for prejudging him, and he was very gracious about it, and we talked about favorite writers for a while.  Cool guy, Texas drawl and rodeo belt buckle and all. Let this be a lesson to me. (Originally posted at Words Words Words by skzb. Please leave any comments there.)
Saturday, May 3rd, 2008
3:01 pm	Investment Opportunity (no, really) This is the slow time–I’m waiting on a royalty check, and the on-publication money for Gigolo, and the bankruptcy to be resolved.  Meanwhile, Reesa’s store is going through the slow months while the college is out.  This produces what capitalists call a “cash-flow problem.” So, we’re looking for someone who wants to invest 10 to 15k in her business, to make up for the slow months and to prepare for the store’s 10th Anniversary sales and specials.  The loan repayments would start this time next year; in exchange for the delay, she’s offering a good interest rate.  If this is going to happen, it needs to happen pretty fast (before my car gets repossessed, for example).  For those who care, I’ll add that not having my car repossessed and having a roof over my head will result in the current project (Iorich, or, Your Itch) being finished rather, ah, sooner than otherwise. If you think you might be able and willing to make this investment, write to me (see my web site for email address) or the address on the store site for more details. (Originally posted at Words Words Words by skzb. Please leave any comments there.)
Thursday, May 1st, 2008
2:02 pm	Greetings… …to everyone on this day of international working class solidarity. (Originally posted at Words Words Words by skzb. Please leave any comments there.)
Tuesday, April 29th, 2008
11:22 pm	RIP Albert Hofmann (1906-2008) On April 29 (coincidentally my 30th birthday), Albert Hofmann died at 102, his age a testament to the preservative action of LSD on the human body. I want to take a moment to honor him for his contribution to humanity (including one of the most famous bicycle rides ever). If you are unfamiliar with this great psychedelic pioneer, perhaps you’d like to read more about him? Happily for psychonauts, much of his writing is available online, including his classic book LSD: My Problem Child. He will be missed here on earth, but the great teacher he gave us lives on. Image via Erowid (Originally posted at Words Words Words by kit. Please leave any comments there.)
Saturday, April 26th, 2008
12:33 pm	Okay, okay, I get it–now tell me anyway Argh! I just found probably the twentieth writing advice site in recent reading that states, in plain unambiguous language, “don’t write a story with a cast of thousands”. These sites may vary on nearly every other advice point, but on this one maxim they all seem firmly in agreement. Fine, I hear that. But when you already do have an ensemble cast story, then what? I want to see the lists of writing tips and suggestions for how to pull off the great ideas, forward-moving plot, *and* metric ton of characters as well as, oh, say, Kim Stanley Robinson. Or John Crowley’s Little, Big. Or Steven Brust’s Khaavren Romances. Or heck, what about Dumas? Tolstoy? Dostoyevsky? (You’re welcome to add your own.) So don’t tell me I shouldn’t do it, unless you’re also going to explain why, since I can see examples of it in any bookstore I peruse. And when you’re finished telling me why I shouldn’t, then tell me how to hit it home anyway. (Originally posted at Words Words Words by reesa. Please leave any comments there.)
Thursday, April 24th, 2008
10:58 am	Question for Libertarians Note the capital “L.” I mean those who support the Libertarian Party, or Randites, or “Rational Anarchists” ala Heinlein, or, as Patrick says, those who want to sell the streets and privatize meat inspection. This isn’t an effort at argument (though no doubt one will ensue), but a request for information. I’m wondering what the canonical answer is to the charge that without state control, nothing would prevent child labor, and similar abuses. It’s an obvious enough question that I’m sure it’s come up. If someone could run it down for me I’d appreciate it. Thanks. (Originally posted at Words Words Words by skzb. Please leave any comments there.)
Friday, April 18th, 2008
4:41 pm	Vat me, baby! So I was reading the latest article I’ve found in the “vat-grown meat” debate, (found over at the excellent Futurismic blog) and I just can’t keep quiet on the subject any longer. The article discusses a proposed solution to future meat protein production and consumption that involves, instead of growing meat in vats in labs–which is apparently an icky concept to some–that we genetically create “more efficient organisms that generate muscle tissue with the properties we want” by “genetically paring away the less commercially viable bits, like the brain”. Most of you are probably having an atavistic reaction to the visualization of this concept every bit as icky as some people find vat meat, but no worries, the words will still be here for you to read when you recover. For the few left now who are less easily squicked and interested in the argument, read on. All due respect to the scientist writing the proposal, but they are obviously not familiar with animal science or the production end of meat theory. The very first counter-argument that leaps to mind–to rebut the idea that brainless grazing cattle are superior either physically or psychologically to meat grown in a lab tube–involves the ratio of pounds consumed per pound of gain. One would hope that the scientists would work on improving that ratio while they’re busy deprogramming the brain stem, but I don’t see anyone in these articles even giving a nod to the issue. Put simply, a cow takes 6-8 pounds of feed, on average, to put on one “commercially viable” pound of muscle tissue. (Pigs 4-6:1, Turkey 2-4:1, Catfish 1.1:1 are other examples I recall, hopefully correctly, from my classes a decade ago.) The brain is an energy-draining organ, so sure, removing the brain is bound to improve the ratio to some extent. But on the levels that we need to be considering if we are to achieve long-term, sustainable, non-scarcity food production, it seems to me that the brainless cow model overeats quickly. Scientists are much more likely to be able to engineer a catfish-level efficiency of pounds consumed vs. pounds gained with a variety of tissue type and texture if they can control the systems directly in the lab. A lab set-up could easily have one industrial-sized set of heart and lungs and other maintenance systems keeping large numbers of meat-vats (10?25?50? more?) churning out hundreds of pounds of consumable muscle tissue on a regular time schedule. Though vat meat is in the beginning stages of development now, and the most differentiated tissue available to date resembles the consistency of ground chuck, other research is being directed toward developing the ability to grow specific cuts of meat in quantity in the lab. The potential resources saved by removing the animal from the meat production process add up to large quantities quickly. Vat-grown meat isn’t icky, squicky, or gross; it’s energy efficient, ethical, and ecologically friendly. Sure, the next couple of generations will have their “real meat” superiority complex, and there will exist for some time to come a specialty market for “organically grown meat” at specialty prices. But for everyday tastiness, convenience, and responsible social footprint issues, well vat me, baby! I’ll take my burger as a vurger no problem. (Originally posted at Words Words Words by reesa. Please leave any comments there.)
10:05 am	Little Brother by Cory Doctorow It’s a YA about techno-geek kids saving the world. Afterword by Bruce Schneier. It will be out from Tor in less than a fortnight. Buy it, read it, love it. (Originally posted at Words Words Words by skzb. Please leave any comments there.)
Thursday, April 17th, 2008
2:07 am	Obama’s Mistake There is an episode of “The West Wing,” I think from season 3, where there’s an exchange something like this: “Why is this such a big deal?” “Because it’s the classic Washington mistake: he accidentally told the truth.” No, I am certainly no supporter of Obama. But I think the WSWS analysis that I linked to on the sidebar is spot on–he’s in trouble because a little piece of truth accidentally slipped out. This does nothing to raise my opinion of him, but the flap created by it is certainly another confirmation of what we all knew about US politics. There are probably more conclusions one could draw from this. Call this thread an invitation for anyone who feels like drawing conclusions. (Originally posted at Words Words Words by skzb. Please leave any comments there.)
Monday, April 14th, 2008
7:07 pm	Kit’s poem, “a 24th-century reflection on emptiness” My poem, “a 24th-century reflection on emptiness” has been published by Aberrant Dreams in their webzine. It’s great to see my poem online at such a nifty publication. Our friend Marissa Lingen was also published by AD in January. (Originally posted at Words Words Words by kit. Please leave any comments there.)
Wednesday, April 9th, 2008
4:01 am	A thought If President Bush has sunk lower than others, it is only because he is being stood on by giants. (Originally posted at Words Words Words by skzb. Please leave any comments there.)
Sunday, April 6th, 2008
5:02 pm	Cats Laughing Will Shetterly has been putting some old Cats Laughing tunes online.  I miss that band the way you miss a lover you’ve never gotten over.  I’ve been listening to the downloads, and I’m agreeably disappointed to find that my drumming didn’t suck as much as I thought it did at the time.  Emma and Lojo sing like, well, like really good singers. (Originally posted at Words Words Words by skzb. Please leave any comments there.)
Tuesday, April 1st, 2008
9:56 pm	Fourth Street Fantasy Convention For those unfamiliar with it, the Fourth Street Fantasy Convention is a fairly small convention that ran during the 80s. It’s oriented toward, well, how to read and write better. Or, put another way, it’s a convention of people who like to read, write, and edit good books, and want there to be more good books to read, write, and edit. We’re bringing it back. I’m heading up the programming. My approach to programming is: What are some questions I want to hear smart people argue about so I can learn stuff from it. A few of the panel topics this year are: “Pushing buttons for fun and profit;” “Stealing from the mainstream and doing it better;” “What the hell IS ’structure,’ anyway?” Stuff like that. Our Guest of Honor is Elizabeth Bear. The dates are June 20-22, 2008. The place is Minneapolis. For more information, check here. If this sounds like your kind of thing, we’d love to see you there. If you’re interested in being on a panel, let me know via my email address, which you can find on my web site. (Originally posted at Words Words Words by skzb. Please leave any comments there.)
1:43 am	Speaking of RPGs… for (for old school) Mage fans I figured I’d use my soapbox here to try to dispose of some digital property I no longer want. I adore Mage: the Ascension, the old World of Darkness roleplaying game from White Wolf. A number of years ago I registered dreamspeakers.net, which I used for the gaming stuff I was posting online. I don’t plan to use it anymore, and it expires in a couple days. I’m ethically opposed to letting domains get snapped up by squatters though, so I don’t want to just let it go. If there’s anyone out there who has a (preferably gaming-related) use for this domain and is willing to pay the $10 or so annually to keep it alive, then let me know. (Originally posted at Words Words Words by kit. Please leave any comments there.)
Sunday, March 30th, 2008
10:52 pm	Random stuff, and gaming I didn’t make it to any of Aggiecon as I devoted myself to catching up on work. I enjoyed hearing about the convention from Reesa and Steve, and last night Reesa and I took in the con’s Rocky Horror Picture Show performance, which was quite enjoyable. Rocky was particularly well played by a handsome and extremely unshy young man. I was actually a ‘virgin’ but we got there late (just in time for Timewarp) and so I wasn’t able to get properly devirginized. Next time… I’ve heard a rumor that the whole cast was ‘banned’ from doing RHPS ever again for Aggiecon, due to some extremely juvenile behavior on the part of the con director. Given some other weirdness this year I might give it a bit of weight. I hope it’s not true, they were enthusiastic and sexy. Lately I’ve been playing a lot of Mabinogi, a relatively new MMORPG which just came out of beta testing in the English speaking world (it has already been quite successful in Asia). The game is free to download and play. but you can pay real world money for extras. So far I am really enjoying it and using it to catwax with abandon. Do any of you play? I would not mind some lower level characters to party with. My character Caspar (on the Mari server) is level 18 (about halfway to 19). I’ve been training myself mostly in Archery with a little regular melee on the side. I’ve got a couple more book reviews ready to go, and some others in the works. I’ll keep you posted… (Originally posted at Words Words Words by kit. Please leave any comments there.)
3:31 pm	Um… “In his lifetime, he suffered from unreality, as do so many Englishmen; once dead, he is not even the ghost he was then.” — Jorge Luis Vorges, “Tlön,Uqbar, Orbis Tercius” Can someone please tell me what this means? (Originally posted at Words Words Words by skzb. Please leave any comments there.)
Thursday, March 27th, 2008
2:26 pm	How to have difficult conversations “General, we haven’t located the SAM battery in that area yet.” “What’s your point?” “Until we find it, the air strike seems risky. Perhaps the general would wish to postpone it?” “Why would you say that?” “Well, without knowing where–” “No, I mean, why would you say it? Are you trying to hurt me? I spend the last 48 hours putting together a plan, and now it means nothing? How am I supposed to feel about that?” “I hear you saying that my suggestion devalued your work.” “And I hear you saying that my feelings mean nothing to you.” “General, I think you know that isn’t true.” “Maybe, but it seems that way. Obviously, you believe my work was useless. You should at least say so.” “Due respect, General, but you shouldn’t tell me what I think.” “Okay, that was out of line. I apologize. But it still seems obvious that you care more about these F-18s than you do about whether I’m hurt. How am I supposed to feel about that from my own chief of staff?” “Yes, sir, we need to talk about that. I understand you were hurt, and I’m not OK with that. ” “Thank you for acknowledging that.” “It’s important to me that you know I don’t think this reflects on your worth as a human being . . . .” (Originally posted at Words Words Words by skzb. Please leave any comments there.)