A Bland and Deadly Courtesy

Personality, Perception, and Political Prognosis

2008-05-10T00:51:36Z

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.)

Free-for-all #3

2008-05-09T20:07:05Z

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.)

Prejudice, thy name is Steve

2008-05-09T06:15:22Z

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.)

Investment Opportunity (no, really)

2008-05-03T21:01:29Z

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.)

Greetings…

2008-05-01T20:02:18Z

…to everyone on this day of international working class solidarity.

(Originally posted at Words Words Words by skzb. Please leave any comments there.)

RIP Albert Hofmann (1906-2008)

2008-04-30T05:22:52Z

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.)

Okay, okay, I get it–now tell me anyway

2008-04-26T18:33:55Z

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.)

Question for Libertarians

2008-04-24T16:58:42Z

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.)

Vat me, baby!

2008-04-18T22:41:08Z

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.)

Little Brother by Cory Doctorow

2008-04-18T16:05:32Z

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.)

Obama’s Mistake

2008-04-17T08:07:51Z

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.)

Kit’s poem, “a 24th-century reflection on emptiness”

2008-04-15T01:07:47Z

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.)

A thought

2008-04-09T10:01:29Z

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.)

Cats Laughing

2008-04-06T23:02:47Z

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.)

Fourth Street Fantasy Convention

2008-04-02T03:56:20Z

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.)

Speaking of RPGs… for (for old school) Mage fans

2008-04-01T07:43:12Z

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.)

Random stuff, and gaming

2008-03-31T04:52:17Z

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.)

Um…

2008-03-30T21:31:10Z

“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.)

How to have difficult conversations

2008-03-27T20:26:09Z

“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.)

Aggiecon

2008-03-27T19:58:29Z

Kit, Reesa, and I will be at Aggiecon here in College Station for much of this Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

(Originally posted at Words Words Words by skzb. Please leave any comments there.)

On “message,” “theme,” and Stuff Like That

2008-03-23T23:55:25Z

When I’m working on a story, there is usually some background idea I’m investigating; what some might call a theme, although I don’t entirely understand that word. In practice, it means that at some point in the process–usually pretty early–I discover that I’m using the story as a means to work out or explore some problem that I don’t understand but find interesting. Whether anyone else ever figures out my subject is beside the point: it makes the process more fun.

So, here’s the thing: from time to time, I hear references from other writers about “introducing” a theme or some over-riding subject, and I hear it spoken of as if it were a separate process from the creation of the story. That’s what mystifies me. How can you, on the one hand, create a story, and on the other play with broader ideas, as if they were independent of each other? Isn’t the whole flow and working out of the story an expression of whatever theme is being explored?

I’m not expecting an answer to this. It’s just a thing that has been on my mind for a number of years and I just figured out how to say it.

(Originally posted at Words Words Words by skzb. Please leave any comments there.)

Comment of the Day

2008-03-23T08:13:33Z

“If you can’t dance with my brain, what do you think you can do with my body?” — Reesa Brown.

(Originally posted at Words Words Words by skzb. Please leave any comments there.)

RIP Arthur C Clarke

2008-03-19T00:14:40Z

A friend just informed me about the death of Arthur C. Clarke. I’m sad to hear we’ve lost another grandmaster of SF. I still remember laying in bed in the basement of my grandmother’s vacation house one summer, ignoring my family’s entreaties to go to the beach or interact with them so that I could finish Childhood’s End. Even more I remember how shaken I was when I finished; the book has stayed with me ever since. Reading that book truly drove home to me the power of SF; I think it helped me really understand what these books can do to a reader.

And I just found The Nine Billion Names of God online, for your enjoyment.

(Originally posted at Words Words Words by kit. Please leave any comments there.)

Kit reviews Indigara by Tanith Lee

2008-03-18T23:35:06Z

My review of Tanith Lee’s Indigara has been published on the SF Site. It’s one of the most negative reviews I’ve ever written, which was a little weird for me. I’ve enjoyed some of Lee’s work but this one was way short of the mark. I hope those who read my review will look for one of her other books, even if it leads them to skip this one.

(Originally posted at Words Words Words by kit. Please leave any comments there.)

Omegacon: Poor organization and good hearts

2008-03-17T05:17:37Z

They started out by leaving me standing in the airport for an hour and a half. Eventually, I gave up on them and took a shuttle (after calling Reesa to find out what hotel I was supposed to be at). Then they didn’t have a room ready. Then they did have a room, but it was at another hotel. I was warned that the walk between the main hotel and the one I was staying at–two and a half blocks–was through a rather bad part of Birmingham and I should be careful after dark, but that’s okay, because they had no arrangements for transportation. I could eat if I could make it back to my hotel and charge a meal to my room, other than that, well, see above about lack of transportation. My experience was, let us say, not unique.

That’s one side of the story. On the other side, there was Nathan, and Paige, and Chris, and Josh, and Adam, all of whom worked their asses off to make up for the various screw-ups. There was a seemingly endless supply of friendly, intelligent people to talk to (Ben and Rene especially stand out). The panels were, for the most part, lively and engagingly. And I was taken out for some of the best barbecue I’ve ever had by the Ladies of Tor–perhaps the high point of the weekend. And there was jamming with Steve Hickman–a blast.

In the airport on the way home I was sitting in a back corner of the bar (a smoking permitted bar! Civilization is not dead!) and met a couple of musicians. Is that a drum? Yes. African? North African. Can it be tuned? Yes–see these lugs? Do you play it with your fingers? Yes, sometimes–here, like this, see? And like this? And then you can do this….and I stopped and got a round of applause from everyone in the bar. Hee hee. That was nifty.

I’d hate to guarantee it, but I have the feeling that, by next year, Omegacon will have ironed out most of the bugs and be ready to put on a good convention. As for this year, well, there was some fun, and I’m very glad to be home.

(Originally posted at Words Words Words by skzb. Please leave any comments there.)