Decoding the Future

Jay Lake Interview

2009-09-16T20:00:00.000-07:00

I delivered a car for Toyota today to Chico, and I listened to the latest I Should be Writing on the way. The episode included several interviews from Mur's Worldcon experience, but I was particularly touched by Jay Lake's interview.

I've never met Jay, but he was very gracious in lending a helping hand to Adventures in Scifi Publishing last summer when we ran our Keys to Publishing contest, and we follow each other Twitter. In the interview, Jay discussed his prolific production. Specifically, he pointed out that everyone is a consumer, to some degree, but few are producers.

Being a producer, a creator, is a choice. It was really something I needed to hear. He reminded me that I can choose how to spend my time. Being a producer means sacrificing other things in life, and it's up to me to decide what is most important.

You inspired me today, Jay. You said exactly the right thing in exactly the right way, and I'm grateful. Thank you.

Any aspiring writer out there must listen to this interview. You'll enjoy it.

The License

2009-09-16T19:55:00.001-07:00

A New Me

2009-09-13T19:24:00.000-07:00

This week I am starting a 12 week physical fitness program. Truth be told, it's a lifestyle change, but it begins with a twelve week program to get me moving in the right direction. I have a fitness coach and everything.

Professional trainer and fitness competitor Sandra Wickham will be putting me through the paces as best she can from long distance. In the end, it is truly up to me to stay true to my diet (which allows me to eat a lot of food!) and to stay faithful to my exercise regime.

I used to run and workout regularly, but two years as a stay-at-home dad has made me, well, a little soft around the middle, shall we say. Yes, we did take "before" pictures, but I will only post them when I have the "after" pictures. I've been easing into the routine since Thursday, but tomorrow will really be my full immersion.

Wish me well!

Saving Freedom, by Senator Jim DeMint

2009-09-09T18:34:00.000-07:00

It is hard to deny that America has been marching into Socialism for the last seventy years. The federal government is the now the nations biggest debtor, lender, health care provider, insurer, and service provider. Through regulation and federal bureaucracy, there are few businesses untouched by federal control. The states that gave birth to the federal government are now slaves to it, and with more than 52% of Americans receiving a significant portion of their income from the federal government, one must wonder how "free" our free market actually is.

Saving Freedom, a book of political philosophy by Senator Jim Demint, is divided into three sections, and I will briefly address them each.

Part 1 - The Rise and Fall of Freedom in America - This section is a bit slow, but I understand that Senator DeMint is setting the stage for the arguments to be presented in the latter sections. Still, outside of some interesting personal stories (like him being threatened by George W. Bush if DeMint didn't follow the party line), the opening section of Saving Freedom adds little new to the conservative debate.

If you are just beginning your exploration of conservative philosophy, you may find lots of useful information here, but I found little that I didn't already know and understand.

Part 2 - Principles and Institutions of Freedom - Here is where the meat begins. DeMint explores the failures of big government, highlighting how government mandates and interference have caused economic dislocation for decades (problems that are always blamed on the private sector, problems that give big government politicians an excuse for yet more big government).

He also provides a fascinating discuss on the difference between separation of Church and State versus separation of God and State. I particularly like his history of Christianity and how Biblical philosophy provided the soil for western democracy to grow: personal accountability, capitalism, voluntary service, the pursuit to improve oneself, family values, a stable law grounded in a moral order, and the sanctity of the individual are all beliefs of Judeo-Christian thought. The Founders understood this quite well, and while they opposed a state-sponsored religion, they highly valued a government controlled by a religious people. I'll provide some quotes to support this claim below.

DeMint doesn't want the U.S. government to give Christianity preference over any religion, but he does warn against a society that tells God to go away, and the difficulties of preserving America's civil society in such a climate. This is a complicated issue, and DeMint breaks it down with eloquence. Worth the read, whether you agree with him or not.

Part 3 - Action Plans - The final section of the book is the shortest, and serves two functions: 1. It is a call to action. Americans must decide every day that liberty is worth fighting for. The so-called silent majority has been silent too long. They must rise up, get involved, and demand the sanctity of their Constitution. 2. It shows "freedom solutions" to solving the woes of healthcare reform, social security, medicare/medicaid, unsustainable debt, tax reform, and education. These proposals are on the House floor (HR 6110) as I type this, so when the media and the Democrats claim that Republicans offer no alternatives, thereby creating a false option that we must adopt their Statist policies or watch American society crumble, remember they are lying.

The biggest fault of the book is that DeMint doesn't explore these options in more detail. It would be dry to do so, but I would have liked it. He does offer a link to the American Road Map, so you can read the proposals yourself.

All in all, Jim DeMint has written a fairly solid book about political philosophy, and that's what this debate is all about: philosophy. Do you believe in liberty grounded in a stable law, or do you believe in centralized power. Which system provides opportunity for all? Which system encourages hard work, self-determination, community involvement, personal responsibility, compassion, family values, competition, and caring for those in need?

Saving Freedom, while not as good as Mark Levin's Liberty and Tyranny, asks some tough questions and doesn't shy away from tough answers. Whether you read this book or not, I hope you explore these issues and ground your beliefs in history, study, and philosophy. The only thing hanging in the balance is your country.

Now, Jim DeMint provides some great quotes throughout the book. Here are some of my favorite:

The smallest minority on earth is the individual. Those who deny individual rights cannot claim to be defenders of minorities.
-- Ayn Rand

Let it simply be asked where is the security for property, for reputation, for life, if the sense of religious obligation deserts the oaths, which are the instruments of investigation in Courts of Justice? And lets us with caution indulge the supposition that morality can be maintained without religion. Whatever may be conceded to the influence of refined education on the minds of peculiar structure, reason and experience both forbid us to expect that National morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle.
-- President George Washington

Without God, there could be no American from of Government, nor an American way of life. Recognition of the Supreme Being is the first, the most basic, expression of Americanism.
-- President Dwight Eisenhower

We have no government armed with powers capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion. Avarice, ambition, revenge, or gallantry would break the strongest cords of our Constitution as a whale goes through a net. Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.
-- President John Adams.

From George Washington to Abraham Lincoln, Eisenhower, and beyond, the sense of the sovereignty of God above history ahs been a recurring theme in American self-understanding, a genuine point of consensus despite obvious dissent.
-- Os Guinness

And can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are the gift of God? That they are not to be violated but with his wrath? Indeed I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just: that his justice cannot sleep for ever.
-- President Thomas Jefferson

Government is not the solution to our problem; government is the problem
-- President Ronald Reagan

Liberty has never come from the government. Liberty has always come from the subjects of government. This history of liberty is the history of resistance.
-- President Woodrow Wilson

Political leaders in capitalist countries who cheer the collapse of socialism in other countries continue to favor socialist solutions in their own. They know the words, but they have not learned the tune.
-- Milton and Rose Friedman

We have progressively abandoned that freedom in economic affairs without which the personal and political freedom has never existed in the past. Although we had been warned. . . that socialism means slavery, we have steadily moved in the direction of socialism. And now that we have seen a new form of slavery arise before our eyes, we have so completely forgotten the warning that it scarcely occurs to us that the two things may be connected.
-- Friedrich Hayek

The inherent vice of capitalism is the unequal sharing of blessings; the inherent virtue of socialism is the equal sharing of miseries.
-- Winston Churchill

Loss of freedom seldom happens overnight. Oppression doesn't stand on the doorstep with toothbrush, moustache, and swastika armband - it creeps up insidiously. . . . step by step, and all of a sudden the unfortunate citizen realizes that it is gone.
-- Baron Geoffrey Lane

Remember, democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts and murders itself. there never was a democracy yet that did not commit suicide.
-- President John Adams

The argument for collectivism, for government doing something, is simple. Anybody can understand it. "If there's something wrong, pass a law. If somebody is in trouble, get Mr. X to help them out." the argument for voluntary cooperation, for a free market, is not nearly so simple. Is says, "You know, if you allow people to cooperate voluntarily and don't interview with them, indirectly, through the operation of the market, they will improve matters more than you can improve it directly by appointing somebody." That's a subtle argument, and it's hard for people to understand. Moreover, people think that when you argue that way you're arguing for selfishness, for greed. That's utter nonsense.
-- Milton Friedman

Why Do Some Libs Hate Profit

2009-09-07T12:53:00.000-07:00

Let's look at the average American life, shall we.

You live in a home or an apartment, maybe a dormitory. You have a bed, furniture, fresh running water, electricity, clean clothes, nice shoes, a cell phone, a TV, a computer, a kitchen full of food.

You wake to an alarm clock at the hour of your choosing. You take a hot shower. Modify your appearance with makeups and perfumes and deoderants. You climb into your car and drive to your favorite coffee shop for a mocha, maybe a vanilla cappuccino.

Who made all of these things you use every day? Why were they made? For what reason?

You go to the grocery store and buy whatever you want, choosing from a vast supply of fresh fruit, vegetables, fish, poultry, meats, diary, and breads. You buy a bottle of wine and stop at the video store to rent the newest scifi flick.

You go to work and hopefully apply yourself. In exchange you are awarded a paycheck. If you don't like your job, you can look for another. You are not forced into an occupation. If you do like your job you can work extra hard, put in some overtime, and be reward with more money, a better salary, new challenges, and thereby increase your quality of life. Or, you decide to start your own business, to build a legacy you can pass to your children, one they in turn will pass to theirs.

What makes this possible?

You go home at night, tired. So you utilize a marvelous device called a microwave to warm you dinner. You watch cable TV, drink your wine, put your dishes in a dishwasher, put your dirty clothes in a washing machine, which enables you to spend time playing with your children, reading a book, or enjoying an evening walk.

Profit. All of these things are readily available, and the average American has them all, because of profit.

And yet, so many of us seem to hate profit, to believe that evil CEOs are the source of all suffering. That if not for Pharmaceutical companies, everyone would enjoy free health care. That if not for Starbucks, coffee would only cost ten cents a cup. That if not for Fortune 500 companies, there would be no homelessness or want.

Don't get me wrong. There are terrible, greedy CEOs out there. Humans are humans. There are terrible greedy people at every level of society, it's just not politically expedient for the media or the politicians to vilify greedy fast food employees. A greedy CEO - that's front page news, and rightfully so, but lets be honest about this.

Why have so many diseases been defeated in this country? Because of the government? No, because of a profit-driven company who spent millions developing a vaccine.

Why do Americans have such amazing survival rates for cancer and heart attacks? Because of the government? No, because of doctors, nurses, and drug companies who spent countless hours and dollars developing better technologies, better prescriptions, and better techniques. And, yes, they make a profit. Why have Americans won 29 of the last 30 Noble Prizes for Medicine? Because of the government? No, because they are part of a system that despite massive government interference still encourages innovation and imaginative exploration.

I don't see people hating John Kerry for making tens of millions in his public life. I don't see people hating Barak Obama for making 3.5 million dollars last year and only giving 6 percent to charity. I don't see people hating Al Gore for making over 100 million dollars from his global warming proselytizing. I don't care if he makes this money, but do you think he's not motivated by profit?

So, if you hate profit, if you think the private sector is source of our woes, look around your own home and marvel at the wonders. And if you ever find yourself in possession of a million dollars, I trust you'll give most of it away. After all, that would be profit.

Losing Interest

2009-09-06T07:52:00.000-07:00

Is anyone else losing interest in science fiction television?

Since Battlestar Galactica and Stargate Atlantis wrapped and Terminator: The Sara Connor Chronicles cancelled, my desire for spec fic television has waned. It may partly be to my dissatisfaction with some recent genre shows. I could never get into Fringe. Eureka has become a silly soap opera (I love him, but he doesn't me. I love her, but she doesn't love me.), and Warehouse 13 had its moments, but it feels too much like flotsam riding Eureka's success. Legend of the Seeker never worked for me, and Chuck is a lot of fun, but if I miss it, no biggie.

Stargate: Universe and Caprica are upcoming, and Flash Forward may be interested, but it just seems like scifi has hit a lull.

Or maybe I have.

I'm reading a lot of nonfiction these days, and with the NFL kicking off next week, much of my TV time will be spoken for, but are there spec fic shows out there that have you excited?

A Long Journey

2009-09-05T09:59:00.000-07:00

Finally, yesterday my real estate license was issued by the state of California. Here's a brief history of my journey.

1. To get a real estate license in California, I had to take three college level courses from home, completing online quizzes, essay questions, and review tests for each book. That took me just over three months to complete (covering nearly 1,200 pages). Keep in mind, I was also packing my house and moving 500 miles during this time. After I completed all three courses, I took a 150 question test, which I thankfully passed on my first attempt. I was ready for the state examine.

2. I mailed the necessary paperwork to the DRE to be cleared to sign up for a test date, but that process took 8 weeks! This was a frustrating time. I was ready to go, and unemployed, but I was enslaved to the machinations of a burdensome and broke state government. Had a private company been entrusted with clearing examinees, I have no doubt the wait would have been shorter.

During this time I applied for at least fifty jobs, but my limited availability combined with high unemployment resulted in zero offers. Not even an interview. Finally, I realized that my father's Toyota dealership was in need of drivers, and they hired me to deliver cars to customers and other California dealerships. I've spent thousands of miles on the road in the last few months, but the income was just enough to helps us get by without pillaging our savings.

Finally, I was cleared to sign up for a test date, which was three weeks out. I would take my test August 11th.

3. I went into serious cram mode the second week of July, and while I had a good grasp on certain aspects of the real estate business, there were just as many laws that I struggled to comprehend. Knowing that I needed to pass the test on my first attempt, I signed up for a weekend review course in San Jose courtesy of the Chamberlain Real Estate School. The weekend was amazing, and the opportunity to study with a real estate professional clarified most of my confusion.

I took the test on August 11th and passed!

4. Now, September 5th, nearly a month after passing the examine, being investigated by the Department of Justice, and submitting yet more paperwork and fees, I finally have my license. This week I'll be starting at the West Roseville office of Northern California's leading real estate team, Lyon Real Estate. Located in a beautiful new building and armed with the best technology available, I'll have significant support and resources to draw upon.

It's been a long journey up to this point. I've struggled with the long waits, but in the frustration God has challenged me to rely on Him rather than my own endeavors. It was a valuable lesson, and I'll certainly need that faith as I embark in a commission-based field in a down market. God is good, and the journey continues.

Some Fun With Obamacare

2009-09-01T09:27:00.000-07:00

The phone rings and the lady of the house answers.

"Hello?"

"Mrs. Sanders, please."

"Speaking."

"Mrs. Sanders, this is Dr. Jones at St. Agnes Laboratory. When your husband's doctor sent his specimen to the lab last week, a specimen from another Mr. Sanders arrived as well. We are now uncertain which one belongs to your husband. Frankly, either way the results are not too good."

"What do you mean?" Mrs. Sanders asks nervously.

"Well, one of the specimens tested positive for Alzheimer's and the other one tested positive for HIV. We can't tell which is which."

"That's dreadful! Can you do the test again?" questioned Mrs. Sanders.

"Normally we can, but the new health care system will only pay for these expensive tests just one time."

"Well, what am I supposed to do now?"

"The folks at OBAMACARE recommend that you drop your husband off somewhere in the middle of town. If he finds his way home, don't sleep with him."

What do Conservatives Believe

2009-08-30T11:30:00.001-07:00

Since I've become convinced that Conservatism is the most equitable and liberty-driven of political philosophies, I've had some interesting discussions with friends and acquaintances about what Conservatives actually believe. I've had people tell me that only rich, old white men are Conservatives. One told me that the Republicans have never, ever cared about the elderly, ever. The liberal media calls Conservatives racists and Nazis (thank you, Pelosi - but remember that the National Socialist Party was of the far-left, not the right), and President Obama himself has dismissed Conservatives as simple folk who cling to their guns and their God. Would that be the same God named in the Declaration of Independence? You know, the Creator who gives us our natural rights that no government has the right to take away.

Anyway, I have found, for those moderates and liberals who really care about intellectual honesty and really care about what many Conservatives believe, that Mark Levin's fabulous book Liberty and Tyranny is the perfect primer for introducing Conservative philosophy, clarifying what many of us believe. Conservatism is rich in scope, and not all Conservatives share the same values. With an emphasis on individual freedom, this is to be expected, but it's also why Conservatives fail to amass the power of the Left, who pursue an agreed upon agenda with Borg-like efficiency.

Mark Levin has made the final chapter of his book available for free. So download it, read it, think about it, don't make any assumptions before hand, and do yourself a favor by buying the book and reading it cover to cover. At just 200 pages, the book is concise, to-the-point, powerful, and will challenge Democrats, Republicans, and everyone in between.

Letter From Michelle Bachmann

2009-08-28T08:22:00.000-07:00

I got this letter from Congressman Michelle Bachmann this morning, and it illustrates, yet again, that most Americans want real, free market reform of our health care system, not control by government fiat. Strong, principled conservatives are so rare in politics that it would be a shame for Bachmann to ever lose re-election, but as a supporter of term limits, I can't support her forever! Still, I'm grateful that someone is in Washington fighting for liberty.

Health care is too, expensive. I don't hear anyone arguing against that, but why is destroying the health care that 88% of American's benefit from the best solution? It's not.

Conservatives want tort reform, federalism, portable policies that can cross state-lines, tax credits, expanded Health Savings Accounts, and more. The government has removed so many free market forces from health care that the "free market" has no impact on health care costs. This is a problem created by government, and once again the politicians tell us they can fix the problem if we only give them more power, and surrender more of our liberty.

Can we trust the same politicians that have bankrupted Social Insecurity and Medicare? Can we trust the same politicians that forced on us a Medicaid system that now consumes 1/5 of every state's budget? Will it really be different this time? Can Obama deliver Utopia? Is the government the answer to all our problems?

I don't see any proof. Do you?

Yesterday was an amazing day for me. A real testament to the power that you, the people, have. And, a wonderful experience in the blessings of the Great American Experiment!

I was out and about in Minnesota talking to the people about health care. I was joined by my good friend and colleague, Dr. Michael Burgess, Republican Representative from Texas, who is not only a physician but also a member of one of the committees drafting the health care legislation. He's been a great voice for freedom and the free market and he really helped answer people's questions about the bills that are making their way through the Congress.

Let me tell you, at each event yesterday, while there was some support for President Obama's government-run reforms, I got an overwhelming sense that people are just plain tired of Washington's government-knows-best attitude.

Yesterday's first public meeting on health care reform brought small business owners from a good stretch of my district together at a multi-chamber lunch and discussion.

You've heard me say it before: America's small businesses are the engine of our economy; the job creators and prosperity builders. And, that's why it's truly puzzling to me that the Democrats' health reform would punish them with penalties and taxes that will force them to choose between providing jobs or providing government-set health coverage.

My second public meeting was a good old-fashioned townhall. We had more than 600 people in attendance. We filled the auditorium and the overflow room we'd set up. It was a fantastic opportunity to share with these citizens the Republican alternatives that the media just aren't talking about: Health Savings Accounts, Association Health Plans, tort reform, tax code changes, insurance reforms, my very own Health Care Freedom of Choice Act, and more.

Finally, after the townhall, I headed over to the Minnesota State Fair, where a great discussion developed, turning into an impromptu townhall meeting!

People are fired up about this issue...and well they should be! Americans enjoy the very best quality health care in the world. We need to pass reform to make it more affordable and more accessible, but we need to preserve the doctor-patient relationship and we need to expand consumer choice.

You can make a difference! Make sure your Congress knows how you feel.

God bless and thank you for your support.

Sincerely,

Congresswoman Michele Bachmann

DVD Vending Machines

2009-08-27T08:54:00.000-07:00

Redbox and other DVD vending machines may account for 30% of all DVD rentals by the end of 2010 according to this article on Slice of Scifi. Some studio execs bemoan that the cheap $1 price devalues their product, and they want deals that wouldn't allow Redbox to carry a movie until it had already been on the market a predetermined amount of time.

I'm fine with that, and I think most consumers who use Redbox will be, too. Movies are movies. They don't change, and they don't get better or worse after time. Indeed, since I stopped going to the movies and canceled my Netflix subscription, I have not only saved lots of money, but I've gained new appreciation for really good films. And there are far too few of them.

If studio execs want to worry about devalued stock, maybe they should concentrate first on creating quality, original films. No more mindlessness. No more sequels. No more remakes. Allow writers and directors to pursue their visions, and get your fingers out of the creative pie. If you can't trust the director to make a quality film, don't hire him/her in the first place!

A Letter From Congressman Hunter

2009-08-27T08:34:00.000-07:00

Today I received a letter from Congressman Duncan Hunter of San Diego, a man I voted for in the last election. He speaks here about health care (which needs to be reformed, just not with a government takeover), border security (which also has a direct impact on health care), and the anti-stimulus act. He says he was against the anti-stimulus, but then talks about ways he wants to use the money.

I know he's in a tough position. As a Conservative who was against the bailouts and stimulus, he is now forced to use the money. We've seen what's happened to some governors who initially took a stand against the money, and Obama forcing the money on the states was a complete violation of the Constitution. Still, Mr. Hunter best beware publicly boasting about "shovel ready" projects and how he's going to help San Diego via stimulus. It smells of hypocrisy.

Congress has been debating many issues this year, ranging from health care reform, border security to water shortage issues. As your representative in Congress, it is an honor to serve you and I wanted to take a moment to update you on these matters and ask that you keep me informed of your views on issues of importance to you.

Health care reform is a conversation we continue to have in our homes and in Washington. During a recent teletown hall, many of you expressed your concern with the speed with which Congress was moving forward with health care legislation and the establishment of a government-run system. While everyone expressed their concern that we do need to reform our health care delivery system, many questioned if the plan being considered by Congress is the best way to go. Like many of you, I do not feel a government run option is the solution, not only because of the cost, but also because this approach limits choice for consumers and the availability of quality care for those who need it most.

Given the broad-range of questions raised by many in Congress, health care reform legislation will not be considered until September. We have also been given assurances that the legislation will be made available 72 hours prior to the vote so that not only those of us in Congress, but the American people too will have a chance to review this legislation as well. On my website, under Quicklinks, a copy of the current House bill is available for your review and this link will be updated with new versions of the legislation as they become available.

On a different topic, the tragic shooting and death of Border Patrol Agent Robert Rosas underscores the fact that violence along the Southwest border remains a significant problem and one that we must address. As you may know, the area in Campo where agent Rosas was killed has no contiguous fencing. Fencing is essential to our border enforcement efforts to decrease the amount of illegal immigrants entering our country and make it more difficult for the traffickers to operate along the border region. It is for this reason that I have introduced the Unlawful Border Entry and Prevention Act, which would allow Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano to build an additional 350 miles of fencing along the U.S.-Mexico border. This legislation has bipartisan support and I will be working hard to ensure its passage.

There has also been a lot of discussion back here in Washington regarding the water situation in California. Not only are we dealing with the third consecutive year of major drought conditions, but we are now forced to rely on less water because a federal judge determined that the habitat needs of an endangered fish were more important than the water needs of millions of Southern Californians. I am concerned about the failure of Congress to act on California's water crisis, which has unfairly disadvantaged the people of San Diego. On several different occasions, solutions have been offered in Congress seeking to return the Delta pumps to normal operations. This action would allow transfers to take place and additional drinking water to be provided to San Diego. Unfortunately, these measures have not passed but I will continue fighting to see that San Diegans are not held hostage to unnecessary government bureaucracy and overzealous regulators.

Another issue of concern is the economy. While I did not support passage of the federal stimulus package for a variety of reasons, I do recognize that this law provides funding opportunities for our region. I have been supportive of several local projects that are candidates for this funding including, the construction of a pedestrian bridge for Shoal Creek Elementary School in Poway, the building of a new health care facility in Ramona and continued federal funding for some of our local highways and infrastructure. These projects are "shovel ready" and will provide several immediate benefits to the community, including jobs. However, given the necessity for long-term relief in place of short-term solutions, we must continue looking for sensible ways to get our economy back on track.

Finally, with California's unemployment rate over 11% and many San Diegans looking for work, I am hosting a Community Job Fair. Area business will be represented and individuals will have the opportunity to speak with representatives from these companies to discuss job opportunities or career changes. The event will be held on September 2, 2009, from 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM at the Ronald Reagan Community Center in El Cajon. Please visit my website or contact my district office at 619-448-5201 for additional information.

Again, I just wanted to take this opportunity to let you know of some issues of concern and ask that you let me know how you feel on matters affecting our nation and community. If you would like to contact me, please go to my website and sign up for my e-newsletter and specific updates on topics of interest to you. In addition, if you sign up for my e-newsletter, you will be invited to participate in my video townhalls. I look forward to hearing from you.

Epic Fail

2009-08-26T20:48:00.000-07:00

Tonight I had the opportunity to speak with the 4 winners of this year's L. Rob Hubbard's Writers and Illustrators of the Future. We had a great conversation, but for the second time in my last 5 interviews, my iRiver failed to record the audio. I pressed record, saw the numbers scrolling, but instead of recording it was playing an old interview in memory.

And, yes, I'm 100% sure I pushed the right button. I've done this a hundred times, literally! More than a hundred!

It's very frustrating, not to mention embarrassing, but hopefully I'll have a chance to redo the interview this weekend. The one positive is that I'll be more polished since the first interview will serve as rehearsal, but, man this is a bummer.

I wonder if other podcasters have had this issue with iRivers. It might be time to replace the recorder, which has served me well since October 2006 and only cost me 40 bucks. Sadly, with the DRE working with typical government efficiency, I still have not been allowed to start work, and even 40 bucks is a big deal right now.

Hang in there, little guy. We have more interviews to do yet. I hope.

Passed Real Estate Exam

2009-08-14T08:48:00.000-07:00

As I announced on Twitter yesterday, I have passed the California Real Estate Exam. This means that in a few weeks I'll be able to start working as a real estate agent. Exciting times, and I can't wait to get started.

Yesterday I dropped by the local Supercuts for a trim, and I asked the hair dresser what she had to do in order to get her license to cut hair. I don't know about other states, but the government regulates hair dressers here in C.A. (I wonder how many millions we spend on that!), and she had to accumulate 1,600 hours of experiences while taking multiple classes to get her license in . . . cutting hair!

Now, there is nothing worse then a bad haircut. I've had them, but they grow out in a few weeks. Well, for the men anyway. Still, a haircut hardly seems like an endeavor worthy of taxpayer dollars.

Not only that, but she actually had to work harder to get her license than I did for mine! I started this journey last February. I had to take 3 college level courses and pass an exam. Now, I'm an agent, and I'll be helping people purchase the most expensive asset they'll ever acquire. This girl had to work for 12 months so she could cut hair!

Is it just me, or does this sound ridiculous? Is there anything the government doesn't regulate? (Real Estate is a nationalized industry. It's just controlled through regulation.) Is there anything they don't want to control? And then they blame private sector activity, calling us greedy or wasteful, when the economy slumps. Meanwhile, they rob Social Insecurity and Medicare to the tune of 57 trillion dollars, pass bogus anti-stimulus packages that reward their constituents and political cohorts, and promise a utopia they can never delivery. All they need is a little more money. All they need to do is punish those evil rich people. Just vote for them. They'll give you free health care, they'll end poverty, they'll make everyone equal! (cheers and applause surrounded by cries of "Yes, we can.")

The Statist is everywhere, you see. Even in your hair.

Obama Vs. Obama

2009-08-08T19:10:00.000-07:00

New Death Dress Pictures

2009-07-27T10:57:00.000-07:00

I have been wrapped from principle photography, but I still got in the new daily's!

Communists Praise Obama Again

2009-07-27T09:58:00.000-07:00

Yet more evidence that Obama is a Marxist! Don't call him that, Shaun. Why would you do that?

During the election I saw both the heads of the American Socialist and Communist party do live interviews, and both praised a candidate like Barak Obama. They said we would finally have a President who would fight the socialist/communist agenda and transform American society.

That was all I needed. I knew right then that, even though I disliked the McCain/Palin ticket, I would be compelled to vote for them in order to keep a Marxist like Obama out of the White House.

Well, too few Americas saw those interviews, but Sam Webb, Chair for the Communist Party USA, is saying it again. Obama is rapidly taking us into socialism. We are already so deep, having taken 80 years to get here, that it will take us another 80 years to turn it around, if we can at all. Read his words. Vote Conservative in 2010, and vote against anyone who voted for TARP, Stimulus, or Omnibus.

Can Democrats Sleep Around?

2009-07-27T08:59:00.000-07:00

Well, another Republican, a state Senator, has been naughty in the bedroom with a young intern. As a Conservative (not a Republican, mind you, but a Conservative), I roll my eyes and laugh as the lib media has a new GOP punching bag for the week (I bet Sanford is happy about this. Boy, did he turn out to be a freak). Yeah, lets talk about this and ignore how the Statists are spending us blind, robbing our children, assaulting the private sector, enabling the Fed, and destroying our medical system in the name of "reform."

But, this has me thinking. Republicans get hammered in the media for this stuff, and they should. They are public officials, and many Republicans preach abstinence. So for them to do that and then sleep around is a gross hypocrisy, I understand.

I remember when Clinton cheated on his wife and the lib media said, "Hey, it's just sex! He can still do his job!" In Clinton's defense, I don't recall him ever claiming to aspire to moral positions. He never said "you shouldn't sleep around," so I guess it's okay?

So what's the moral? We should vote Democrat because most of them won't be bothered with moral positions? I'm being glib, but I'm trying to make a point. Here's my thing: I vote for Conservatives, not Republicans or Democrats. If the most conservative, common-sense candidate is a Libertarian, he/she gets my vote. A Constitutionalist, gets my vote. But no matter whom I vote for, I prefer people who at least take a stand on moral issues (I happen to believe in abstinence myself). The best we can do is try to find the most morally principled person, and then hope they don't succumb to corruption.

In politics, though, corruption abounds.

Tentative Poster for Death Dress

2009-07-20T08:54:00.000-07:00

I don't know if this is the final movie poster, but there is at least a temporary movie poster available for Death Dress. The pictures in low-res, but you can see that my name is second in billing on the bottom of the poster.

Losses in the SF Community

2009-07-15T12:11:00.000-07:00

I wrote what I guess is an editorial over at AISFP about the recent deaths in the scifi community. The last few months have seen several important and well-loved figures pass away. Of all whom have passed, I was probably most influenced by Charles N. Brown. Locus magazine has been a wonderful resource of both knowledge and inspiration. I'll forever be grateful to him for it.

James Enge

2009-07-14T12:54:00.000-07:00

Episode 79 of Adventures in Scifi Publishing features James Enge, author of Blood of Ambrose.

Win a Free Copy of Norse Code, by Greg Van Eekhout

2009-07-14T12:30:00.000-07:00

To celebrate the return of Adventures in Scifi Publishing, to promote summer reading, and to support a good friend, I'm pleased to announce a book giveaway through the podcast! Here are the rules.

If you want to win a free copy of Norse Code, here are the rules.

1. Write a blog post. What must the blog say? It can say whatever you want, but somewhere in there you need to incorporate two pieces of information to qualify for contest. First, you need to say that the Adventures in Scifi Publishing podcast is back in production, and second, you need to say that our first episode back features Greg Van Eekhout, author of Norse Code. Make sure to include a link to the episode for your followers, readers, and friend to check out. That’s it. Write a blog, mention the show, mention Greg and the title of his book, Norse Code, and you qualify.

2. Email us at adventuresinscifipublishing (at) gmail (dot) com to have your entry counted. Include your address in the email so Spectra knows where to send the book.

3. Enjoy the rest of your month and wait to see if you win. Winners will be notified by email. Their names will be read on the podcast with their blogs linked to in the show notes.

The contest ends midnight on Friday, July 31st.

Big thanks to Spectra for sponsoring the contest. Norse Code is a great read, so let’s help spread the word! Best of luck, everyone.

Adventures in Scifi Publishing Returns

2009-07-07T11:46:00.000-07:00

I'm pleased to announce the return of Adventures in Scifi Publishing. Our fist post-hiatus episode features Greg Van Eekhout, author of Norse Code. Give it a listen and enjoy!

Digging Into Some Books

2009-07-06T11:28:00.001-07:00

After several months of burying my nose in Real Estate text books, I'm hungry for some good fiction! I started with James Enge's Blood of Ambrose, and you can read the review over at Adventures in Scifi Publishing.

Now I'm digging into City Without End, by Kay Kenyon. Book three of The Entire and the Rose, this series is shaping into one of the most enjoyable series I have ever read. Just seventy pages into City, Kay has already turned the universe of its head with plot twists, character revelations, and a deepening milieu rich with atmosphere and lively characters. I can't wait to get Kay on the podcast again to discuss her work on this series! In the meantime, pick up a copy of Bright of the Sky and begin your journey of a thousand days.

Yesterday I hit the storage unit and retrived books by Joe Abercombie, Brandon Sanderson, Tom Lloyd, Dan Simmons, Alan Campbell, and Scott Lynch to join unread titles by Karl Schroeder, Neil Gaiman, and Orson Scott Card. Now comes the hard part. What to read next?

My Scifi Magazine Collection

2009-06-21T20:27:00.000-07:00

Saturday night I helped friends load a U-Haul for a move. As we stacked boxes of books, they stopped to ask me if I'd be interested in some old books they had been given. She opened a box, and I beheld 214 issues for The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, Galaxy, Analog Science Fiction and Fact, and Astounding Science Fiction, ranging in date from 1959 to 1973, and a dozen issues of Forest J. Ackerman's magazine Famous Monsters of Filmland

Needless to say, my jaw dropped, my palms began to perspire, and I tentatively asked, "Really?" As you can see, they really meant it.

I've only begun to catalogue this treasure of SF history, but I have made several noteworthy discoveries. The biggest discover is the original publication of Dune: Messiah by Frank Herbert. The second novel of the famous Dune series was first serialized in Galaxy magazine in 1969 in four parts, and I now have all four issues in my hand! What a thrill for any science fiction fan.

There are several complete serialized novels in this collection, by authors such as Robert A. Heinlein, Anne McCaffery, Robert Silverberg, and Poul Anderson.

I also found three short stories from Dean Koontz, who started his career as a science fiction writer. All three stories were published in 1967. Stanley Schmidt had a number of stories published in Analog before he took over as editor of the magazine. I didn't know that he gave up a career writing for a career in editing.

Perhaps the author most published in these issues (of the authors I have never encountered or heard of) is R. A. Lafferty, who won a Hugo Award in 1973. He is an author I must learn more about. I wonder if he's related to Mur. . . .

There are also special issues dedicated to the work of Ray Bradbury and Issac Asimov, and early short stories from Vernor Vinge and George R.R. Martin.

I have just begun to discover what these pages hold, and I can't thank my friends, Brandin and Laura, enough for gifting these to me. You rock!

Liberty and Tyranny: the Battle to Restore Personal Freedom

2009-06-20T09:36:00.000-07:00

I haven’t followed politics most of my life, nor aligned myself with a particular political philosophy. It wasn’t that I didn’t care, I just. . . .okay, I didn’t care. I lived in a bubble of friends and work and books and acting and writing. I would on occasion watch Countdown w/Keith Oberman because I watched him on Sportscenter as a child and remembered him fondly. So, if anything, I’d say I leaned to the left in my early twenties, but I would not have been able to defend my stance on anything.

That all started to change when my son was born. Several of my friends had children at the same time, and we discussed how having children causes you to pay attention to things you previously ignored. What was of vital importance before the child (seeing movies, buying DVDs and music) became insignificance, and what was never much considered (financial planning, politics) became the stuff of grave importance. How could I provide for my child? Will my child have the same opportunities and freedoms that I had? Will I be able to send him to private school? Will he truly believe that he can achieve his dreams, or will he subscribe to the pathetic whine of “the little man just can’t get ahead” syndrome.

And so my journey began. I watched various news channels and quickly saw their biases. I read magazines and journals. I read some great books (including two must-reads: The FairTax Book, The FairTax: The Truth: Answering the Critics), and in that exploration I became a passionate and convinced conservative.

It’s been an interesting experience since I became a conservative. I have many friends how call themselves Liberal, but when we engaged in serious, respectful conversations about our views, they espoused more conservative beliefs than liberal ideals. So how can I communicate what conservatism really stands for? How can I test and affirm what feels right in my spirit when the media is so set against my values and constant assaults what I hold dear?

Mark Levin’s Liberty and Tyranny: A Conservative Manifesto is the answer. Simply put, this is best book on conservatism that I have ever read, and whether you consider yourself a conservative or not, this short and insightful book is a must-read if you want to really understand what conservatives stand for, and why we believe what we believe.

Liberty and Tyranny has been number 1 on the New York Times bestseller list ten of the last eleven weeks, with no coverage from the mainstream media, no reviews in major newspapers, and no appearances on television outside of a few shows of Fox News. By ignoring Levin, the liberal media seems to hope that he will disappear, and his book will get lost in the masses of new publications. Not so. Instead, Liberty and Tyranny has been sent back to press eighteen times (that I know of), with over 1 million copies in print and well over 700,000 sold in three months.

Levin has written an intelligent, though-provoking book, not a book based on talking points or partisan finger-pointing. With forty pages of footnotes, Levin never makes a claim without providing the information upon which he bases his conclusion. Levin is a genuine wordsmith, and Liberty and Tyranny’s slim page count of 200 pages bespeaks his ability to concisely state his case without mindless repetition or rambling narrative.

Levin tackles all the issues and puts them in historical context. From the Constitution, to immigration, taxation, federalism, the welfare state, the free market, the civil society, the environment, and national defense, Levin exposes the dangerous path carved by Statist ideology and why the very preservation of American society, as envisioned by the Founders and a belief in God-given inalienable rights, is at stake. He concludes with a Conservative Manifesto, outlining ten steps we can take to restore power to the individual and preserve American society, including the elimination of progressive taxation (the Statists greatest weapon, in my opinion; read The FairTax Book if you really want to see how politicians empower themselves at our expense through the tax code), restoring the Judiciary to it’s rightful place, affirming the original meaning and intent of the Constitution, and much more.

If you want to understand why Conservatism is the philosophy of personal liberty, respect, and human dignity, if you want to understand how the Statist has slowly chipped away at our society and the Constitution to achieve un-Constitutionally founded ends, and if you crave the knowledge and support to defend your conservative beliefs, then you must purchase Liberty and Tyranny today. It’s one of the best books I have ever read, and I know I will read it again and again.

Blood of Ambrose

2009-06-12T13:13:00.000-07:00

Check out my new book review of Blood of Ambrose, by James Enge.

News From Collective Soul

2009-06-11T10:36:00.001-07:00

I wrote about my favorite band, Collective Soul, as one of my first entries when I opened this blog. Now I'm excited to announce that Collective Soul will soon be releasing their next album, and they are sponsoring a blog contest to spread the word.

These guys are on Twitter, and band member Dean Roland is very active as he interacts with fans. They don't have a facade Twitter account to do little more than pimp their stuff. No, these guys truly care about the community that loves their music, and their embrace of new media demonstrates their commitment to support those who support them. Make sure to check out their blog on their official site, too.

As good as Collective Soul is in the studio, they are even better live. I have been to four of their shows, and they never fail to please. If you haven't seen them, in person, you've never heard Collective Soul. But fear not! They are on tour this summer, and it's worth every penny to buy some tickets.

Keep up the great work, CS. I'm looking forward to many more albums and shows in the years to come!

Funny Immigration Letter

2009-06-11T08:30:00.001-07:00

I got this as part of a forward, and I thought it would post it here. For some really well researched and intelligent discussion about this topic, please read the On Immigration chapter in Mark Levin's Liberty and Tyranny. It's articulate and persuasive.

Becoming Illegal (actual letter from an Iowa resident and sent to his senator)

The Honorable Tom Harkin
731 Hart Senate Office Building
Phone (202) 224 3254
Washington DC , 20510

Dear Senator Harkin,

As a native Iowan and excellent customer of the Internal Revenue Service, I am writing to ask for your assistance. I have contacted the Department of Homeland Security in an effort to determine the process for becoming an illegal alien, and they referred me to you.

My primary reason for wishing to change my status from U.S. Citizen to illegal alien stems from the bill which was recently passed by the Senate and for which you voted. If my understanding of this bill's provisions is accurate, as an illegal alien who has been in the United States for five years, all I need to do to become a citizen is to pay a $2,000 fine and income taxes for three of the last five years. I know a good deal when I see one and I am anxious to get the process started before everyone figures it out.

Simply put, those of us who have been here legally have had to pay taxes every year, so I'm excited about the prospect of avoiding years of taxes in return for paying a $2,000 fine. Is there any way that I can apply to be illegal retroactively? This would yield an excellent result for me and my family because we paid heavy taxes in 2004 and 2005.

Additionally, as an illegal alien I could begin using the local emergency room as my primary health care provider. Once I have stopped paying premiums for medical insurance, my accountant figures I could save almost $10,000 a year.

Another benefit in gaining illegal status would be that my daughter would receive preferential treatment relative to her law school applications, as well as 'in-state' tuition rates for many colleges throughout the United States for my son.

Lastly, I understand that illegal status would relieve me of the burden of renewing my driver's license and making those burdensome car insurance premiums. This is very important to me given that I still have college age children driving my car.

If you would provide me with an outline of the process to become illegal (retroactively if possible) and copies of the necessary forms, I would be most appreciative. Thank you for your assistance.

Your Loyal Constituent, (hoping to reach 'illegal alien' status rather than just a bonafide citizen of the USA )

Name Removed
Burlington , IA

Get your Forms (NOW)!!
Call your Internal Revenue Service at 1-800-289-1040.

Great Mark Levin Video

2009-06-06T14:13:00.000-07:00

Assault on the Constitution

2009-05-02T13:18:00.000-07:00

President Obama continues to assault our liberties protected by the Constitution. Listen to this ten minute audio clip that relates a shocking abuse of power by the Obama White House as they seek to widen centralized governmental power over private industry, completely disregarding established law if it doesn't benefit their agenda.

Listen here, and then write your representative and demand an investigation (not that the Dems. will allow it). We better make some noise if we want to preserve our liberty.

Are there any Republicans with backbones in Washington? Have they all become so drunk with Progressive power that they won't stand up against the atrocities committed by either party? Where are our values? Does anyone reading this give a crap? Or are you just too busy to care?

Tea Party Pictures

2009-04-17T11:07:00.000-07:00

I had a great time at one of several San Diego Tea Party protests Wednesday night. Everyone was there for their own reasons. Some where anti-Obama, pro-Republican. Some were supporting the FairTax (I was one of them), and there were a few crazies. But from what I could gather of the 1,000+ people there, most folks just want Republicans and Democrats to stop borrowing money, because we'll be the one who have to pay it back! Excessive debt will lead to further taxation, and many of us, when you add up everything we pay, already give the government 30-60 percent of what we make.

I was disgusted by some of the media's coverage of the event. I spent some time surfing the news channels to see how it would be reported. I'm happy that my local news was very fair in how they covered the event. They did a great job.

ABC characterized the protests as "Anti-Obama Rally's." Yeah, there were some anti-Obama folks there, but again, from what I gathered, most protesters were anti-Republican and anti-Democrat. Both parties have failed us, and we need to clean house and elect some people with common-sense.

The worst coverage came from MSNBC, who continued to use the events to make sexual jokes and connotations. Keith Oberman called Sean Hannity "Sean 'Teabag' Hannity," saying he took a "double dip." Way to be an intellectual grown-up, Keith. I'm so impressed. No wonder your ratings are in the tank.

And Rachel Maddow joked with a guest (and the guest called protesters "radical" and "miltia types." I don't consider myself either, but he was convinced I'm both.) joked about protesters tea-bagging each other.

It's no wonder that Glenn Beck and Bill O-Reilly have better ratings in their hours than MSNBC, CNN, HLN, ABC and CBS combined, with viewers to spare, and that Fox is the second most watched channel in all of cable. Can you imagine O'Reilly or Beck or Cavuto or Hannity using their shows to basically point at people they don't like and scream "Homo!" I think not, but the children at MSNBC seem to think that locker room humor has a place in news coverage.

And besides, what's wrong the fact that some Conservatives didn't understand the sexual meaning of tea-bagging? Is that the worst insult Progressives can conceive? That Conservatives aren't sexually promiscuous or that they don't watch porn? When did that become a bad thing in America?

Finally, here are some pictures from the event. My camera stinks, and it was dark, but here you go.

Tax Day Tea Party

2009-04-15T12:49:00.000-07:00

I’ll be attending one of three San Diego Tea Party Demonstrations this evening. Before I explain the reasons why, I want to share some great learning opportunities I had this week. For the past 2 years or so I have made a conscious effort to be a more positive person. I had pessimistic tendencies in my teens and twenties, and those have not served me well. Lately, frustrated by the country’s turn towards socialism (though we’ve been on this road for many decades), I have allowed those negative tendencies to creep back into the forefront of my brain.

Just like any Twelve-Stepper, I’ve had a small relapse. This has caused me to react without thinking, to speak without restraint, and to waste many hours doing, well, not much of anything, when I could have been engaged in productive activity. I’m back on the program, which is why I’m finally blogging again!

Okay, enough of that. So, Tea Parties. My reasons for attending are very simple.

1. I believe the purpose of the government is to protect our God given rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, not to create any of those, and certainly not to guarantee equal results.

2. I believe taxation is necessary to fund the necessary services of the government, and that all government programs should be examined to determine if they protect our God given rights or if they seek to create results.

3. I believe that progressive taxation, as Karl Marx said, is a fundamental necessity for Socialist regimes and that the 16th Amendment should be repelled. Our tax code is the primary source of political abuse and the largest employer of special interest lobbyists. Repeal the income tax, and you dramatically reduce Washington corruption.

4. I support the FairTax and would happily pay it. If you haven’t read The FairTax Book and The FairTax: The Truth, than you are really missing an opportunity to see how damaging our current tax system is and how much better it could be. Both books can be found at your local bookstore, and both will blow your mind.

5. We must demand term limits for our representatives. If they had to live under their own laws, they would suddenly rediscover common sense. Politicians should have the same retirement and health care opportunities as everyone else. A 401K would work just fine for them, and the idea that they are entitled to lifetime medical coverage because they serve one term is ridiculous.

6. I believe in the spirit and letter of the Constitution, and would like to see Americans once again embrace freedom, which means embracing uncertainty, failure, and the opportunity to create a legacy.

Those are the major reason I protest today. I don’t consider them partisan goals, though I acknowledge that Republicans are probably more likely to agree most of my list, but I don't want to assume that is so. Republicans and Democrats alike have been spending and borrowing way too much money, and this has been happening for decades. Of course, the average American lives this way as well. Americans currently toil under 10 trillion dollars of personal debt, with nearly one trillion on credit cards alone, so I guess we’re getting what we deserve with an overspending government.

Lastly, I’d like everyone to think about what you pay (or don’t pay) in taxes. Many of us pay Federal Income, Payroll, State Income, and sales taxes, just for starters. If you live in California, you can look forward to paying as much as a 10% sales tax soon. And yet only 10% of Americans pay for 72% of the Federal income tax collected. Is that really a system we want? Do we really want to vilify people who achieve? Do we really think that rich people are evil, or that we deserve what they have? Are we so small-minded and envious? When do we put our foot down? When to we clean up personal finances? When do we hold ourselves to a higher standard? And when do we embrace freedom?

Or do we? Maybe freedom is too hard. Maybe responsibility and personal restraint are old-fashioned. Maybe it’s easier to let government take care of us. They’re certainly willing to try.

I've made my choice. I'll take the Constitution.

My Final Day of Shooting

2009-02-23T08:48:00.001-08:00

Here are some pictures from my final day of shooting on Death Dress. My thanks to Shaun Donelson for trusting me with a very important part. I haven't seen any of the footage, just the stills that I have posted on this blog. The film will not be complete until 2010, at which time Shaun will submit the film to a variety of film festivals. With a little luck, we'll get into one of them, and then we'll have a San Diego premiere. I will, of course, post that here when the time comes. For now, here are some final pics from Death Dress.

Pictures of Me Acting

2009-02-17T09:27:00.001-08:00

Filming continues on Death Dress. This weekend we knocked out another seven pages, and I only have two days left of shooting before I'm wrapped. Here are a few more pictures, courtesy of the director.

Nice Dennis

Not so nice Dennis

Dennis wins!

At the door, medium shot.

Bug-eyed

A Week of the Pod and the Baby

2009-02-13T19:57:00.000-08:00

Want to know what I did this week? Some visuals:

This was a heavy week for interviews. On Tuesday I interviewed Stargate Universe producer Joseph Mallozzi and editor Lou Anders on the ways in which literary and media science fiction influence one another. The interview was a lot of fun. Both Joe and Lou and engaging, funny guys, and you can listen to it in the next episode of Adventures in Scifi Publishing.

On Wednesday I interviewed Chris Roberson, author of End of the Century and Three Unbroken, among other titles. Chris and I have been trying to line up this interview for over two years! The interview was worth the wait, and you'll be able to hear that in episode 75 (forthcoming).

Finally, on Thurday I was a guest on another podcast. I don't want to say what show until the episode drops, but I'll certainly make it known. We talked about podcasting and the publishing industry, and I had a blast being on the other end of the questions.

I also posted some stories, including reviews of Woken Furies, by Richard K. Morgan, and Bones of Fairie, by Janni Lee Simner. Thanks to Steven and Catherine for such great reviews.

Lastly, I did some writing, worked out details for a new podcasting job, memorized lines for a shoot I'm doing Sunday, and submitted two short stories. Somehow I managed to work eating and bathing into it all, though on a few occassions I did them simultaneously.

Summer From Paris, Light from the Sky

2009-02-13T14:27:00.000-08:00

Escape Pod's latest story is Summer From Paris, Light from the Sky by Ken Scholes, an alternate history tale that postulates a new life for one Adolph Hitler. I read this story in Clarkesworld Magazine last year, and hearing it reminded me how wonderfully talented Ken is. I am so impressed with his work, and he's a nice guy to boot.

In 2006 I went to my first WorldCon in Anaheim. Ken was there. He was a recent winner of the Writers of the Future, and he spent some time in the WoTF suite talking with me about the contest and encouraging me in my writing. Now, three years later, Ken's first major release, Lamentation, is hitting bookshelves nation-wide, and his short fiction stacks up against the very best writers in the field.

I hope I don't sound too fanboy, but I really dig this guy. He's going to be on Adventures in Scifi Publishing soon, so stayed tuned. In the meantime, read Lamentation. It's a great book, and I highly recommend it.

What Obama, Congress, and America Can Learn From Curious George

2009-02-10T07:53:00.000-08:00

My son loves the Curious George movie, and I thinking we all need to watch it and learn a very simple, yet powerful lesson.

In brief, Ted, the Man in the Yellow Hat, works at a museum that has gone bankrupt. The museum is going to close down, but Ted believes in the museum. He refuses to let it die. He embarks on a great adventure, doing things that some say are impossible, and in the end not only saves the museum, but makes it a focal point for the city.

Notice: Ted’s place of business was in dire straights. He got very creative, worked really hard, and revitalized it. He didn’t wait for a bailout. He didn’t borrow money to delay the inevitable.

Two nights ago President Obama held a sales pitch, er, I mean, press conference, to sell his spending plan. Excuse me, Rescue and Reinvestment Plan. (Obama is a linguistic master. Notice that his large government isn’t large: it’s smart. His 1.3 trillion dollar spending plan – we have to pay 300+ billion in interest, people – isn’t even a stimulus plan anymore. It’s a Reinvestment Plan. Sounds so much better. But I digress.)

Bush and Pualson pulled the same crap, saying that if we didn’t pass the Bailout – er, I mean Financial Rescue – we would fall into the Great Depression. Yeah, life has gotten so much better since we did that. I mean, since Congress did it when 80% of Americans were telling them not to. And why didn’t we fire those bozos?

You know, our leaders are a reflection of us. We have been spending more than we make, and very few us are capable of saying no to ourselves. We are approaching 1 trillion dollars in consumer credit card debt alone! That is insane, America. This kind of living cannot be sustained, and we either start correcting now, or we delay and probably worsen the problem in the future.

We need to be responsible in our own lives, and until we are, Congress will keep racking up deficits like there’s no tomorrow. Republican and Democrat alike. Short term thinking has led to the problems we have, and short term thinking will only make it worse.

I know times are really tough for some of you, especially if you lost your job. Can you imagine how stable America would be if everyone had a 6 month emergency fund? How much less would a layoff devastate your life if you had 15K tucked away for hard times? But we don’t think that way, do we? No, we need the new Kindle, or the iPhone, or a bigger house, or a new car, and we leverage and spend everything we have as long as we can get by each month.

Insane. Worse, stupid.

Even in these tough times, I’m finding more work as a freelancer than I ever have.

Obama can’t fix this. Neither can Congress )and by the way, will you please send those moron home over the next few elections! We need fresh blood up there.) Only you can fix your life, and you better get started.

Learn from Ted. Be proactive. Be responsible. Be creative. Live on a budget. Plan for emergencies. And demand your politicians do the same.

Lou Anders is Wrong!

2009-02-07T10:28:00.000-08:00

Okay, he's not really wrong. Let me explain.

My biggest writing goal for 2009 is to complete the first draft of a novel. I have three completed novels in my desk, but I haven't written one in two years. Hard to make a living as a novelist if you're not writing novels!

Lou Anders, Editorial Director of Pyr, has said in many forums that you must be brilliant to make it as a novelist. If you want to sell a novel, it must be brilliant.

So far this year, I have developed a couple ideas for potential novels, but I keep abandoning them because they don't feel brilliant. At this rate, I'm never going to finish!

I came to a realization: forget being brilliant. For now, just finish a manuscript. I can always rewrite, and hopefully in that process, my brilliance will shine forth. The moral for new writers: write something cool, write something fun, write something raw. Be brilliant later.

Speculative Fiction Magazine Woes

2009-02-05T15:12:00.000-08:00

Check out my first AISFP Editorial: Spec Fic Magazines: Here to Stay, or Out the Door?

More Financial Peace

2009-02-04T22:18:00.000-08:00

I held the last preview session for Financial Peace University tonight. Several families signed up, and I'm excited to start the class next month.

I am experiencing and becoming more aware of the fringe benefits of attending FPU. The financial principles that eliminate debt and build wealth are improving other areas of my life. FPU is really a stewardship program that teaches maturity, discipline, and perspective. These virtues applied to finances will make you stable, and I'm finding that the application of those principles in one area of life automatically leads to their applications in other areas.

It's like a spill over effect.

Think of this way. Have you ever known a liar who lies so much that he can't keep the lies straight? At what point does the distinction between reality and falsehood no longer apply because nothing he says or does can be trusted?

His behavior taints every arena. Discipline works the same way.

We could use an infusion of discipline in this culture. I'm certain not perfect, but I'm striving to be. Why not? What other option do I have? I see no reason to settle for mediocrity.

Interview roundup

2009-01-30T12:07:00.000-08:00

Some new interviews to share with you.

First, Charles Tan interviewed Sam and me for his illustrious blog. This happened a few months back, and I've been remiss to not mention it.

Dave from the Fiction Writers Group published an interview with me today. Both this and the interview with Charles discuss the Adventures in Scifi Publishing podcast.

My interview with Stargate publisher Sally Malcolm has been published at Gateworld. The Gateworld staff put together a wonderful graphic for the interview, which I love. This one is a real winner, so give it a listen or read the transcipt. You'll like.

And, finally, Season 3 of Adventures in Scifi Publishing debuted with the best-selling fantasy duo of all time: Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman.

Rejections

2009-01-24T12:07:00.000-08:00

I mentioned on Twitter yesterday that I had received 2 rejections for short stories this week, which means I'm approaching 70 rejections with no professional sales. I was quickly encouraged by several pros who all had more than 70 rejections before selling anything. Thanks to Tim Pratt, Greg Van Eekhout, and Jay Lake for the encouragement.

Jay Lake is taking a count at his blog by asking the question, how many rejections did you have before making a professional sale? Keep your eye on this for the next few weeks. I'm looking forward to seeing who responds.

Family Pictures

2009-01-21T10:20:00.000-08:00

Connor is 19 months old. I can't believe it. Here are some new family portraits to celebrate the occasion.

More Pictures From the Set of Death Dress

2009-01-21T10:09:00.001-08:00

After another successful weekend of film making, here are some production stills from the feature film Death Dress, co-staring yours truly.

Responsibility, Discipline, and Celebrity in the Age of Obama

2009-01-20T10:34:00.001-08:00

The words have been spoken, the vows made, and now President Obama will settle in and get to work. Like many Americans, I am hopefully the prosperous days lie ahead, days that will show Americans putting aside vain pursuits, taking care of their families, and doing what they can to improve their nation and the world at large.

I thought the inauguration was wonderful, except for that closing prayer which seemed racially charged. I particular loved the music arranged by John Williams. I am a huge John Williams fan. He is an American icon, and we will be lesser when he passes.

I was also inspired by parts of Obama’s speech. He truly is a flawless orator. He praised the free market, innovation, hard work, and personal responsibility, all things that make the conservative in me jump for joy. I hope he sincerely believes in those things, and that he keeps them in mind when shaping policies that will either aid American’s in creating their own futures of prosperity, or hold Americans back in the name of “fairness,” a game in which the government picks the winners and losers.

In particular, I was ecstatic to hear Obama say that Americans need to get to work and fix their own lives. It doesn’t matter what policies the Democrats enact, if Americans continue their love affair with stuffitus and reality TV, positive change will not come to America. We need to turn off the television (and the computer, I suppose), raise our kids in excellence, read books, be involved in our communities, and engage in activities that make us proactive, not reactive. We need to stop spending more than we make, stop settling for jobs we hate, and pursue greatness in our work, marriages, relationships, and social interactions.

Obama can’t do those things for you. He can’t make your life, or this country, a better place if you don’t make your life and your country a better place.

Finally, some thoughts about celebrity. I am very disturbed by the celebrity status we place on politicians. Let us not forget that they work for US. We hire them, we pay them, and if we don’t like the job they do, we can FIRE them. They are not celebrities. They are servants.

How many times have you seen a celebrity break the rules and get away with it? Is that what we want with our political leaders, with the people we entrust with our childrens’ future? Well, that is what we have—a Washington that often puts their interests ahead of ours. Celebrity has no place in leadership, and Obama is the epitome of political celebrity. May he handle it better than so many of his predecessors.

So, is this a new day for America, as so many people (including Obama) have said? Maybe. Maybe not. That really depends on you, doesn’t it? If you don’t make positive changes in your life, then you’ll keep getting what you’ve been getting, and you’ll have no one to blame but the person in the mirror.

Applying to Clarion

2009-01-15T11:11:00.000-08:00

My applications for both Clarion and Clarion West are in the mail.

For the uninitiated, Clarion is an intense workshop for aspiring writers of genre fiction. A six-week program of seclusion, Clarion drowns its students in a deluge of workshops, lectures, and seminars, requiring that each student produce a new short story every week. I make is sound like punishment, but it's not, really!

The course it taught by some of the biggest names writing and editing genre fiction today. This year, Clarion, housed at UCSD in San Diego, will be taught by Holly Black, Larissa Lai, Robert Crais, Kim Stanley Robinson, Elizabeth Hand, and Paul Park. Clarion West will be taught by John Kessel, Elizabeth Bear, Karen Joy Fowler, David G. Hartwell, Nalo Hopkinson, and Rudy Rucker.

It's a honor to get accepted, and I know my stories will be stacked against stiff competition.

For my Clarion application I endured an exercise of editing. My most recent short story, currently at submission with the Writers of the Future, was 7,200 words in length, but Clarion has a word limit of 6,000 words per story. So, I set to work, and cut the story down to 5,990 words! It was painful to do, but I think the story is very tight and better for the exercise.

Clarion West has a page limit of 30 pages, and the tighter version of the story was 32 pages! AGHH! So, I had to submit a different story I think is pretty good, but not my best work. However, what do I know? I learned long ago that my opinion isn't exactly spot on when judging the quality of my stories, and this story has received some nice comments from editors.

When I get word about my acceptances or denial, I post it here.

Elfman to Score Terminator

2009-01-14T07:31:00.000-08:00

Danny Elfman has been pegged to score the upcoming blockbuster Terminator: Salvation, starring my favorite actor, Christian Bale (he was my favorite actor long before Batman, people!). Elfman's resume is long and impressive, but his music has never quite worked for me.

He does have a flare for the lighthearted and silly (i.e. The Simpsons theme), but his dramatic scores never seem to fit. I'm willing to see the film with open ears. Still, my hopes are not high.

Why didn't the filmmakers choose Bear McCreary? He's doing a bangup job on Sarah Connor: The Terminator Chronicles, and he's a huge fan of the franchise. You always want fans working on your project whenever possible. That creates passion.

Maybe Bear will get a crack at Terminator 5.

The Power of Podcasting

2008-12-28T12:10:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I had coffee with writer and podcaster Jonathan Schiefer. It was the first time I had met with someone who new me exclusively through Adventures in Scifi Publishing, but it turns out we attended the same college back in 1999. Too funny.

We chatted about the woes and joys of aspiring writers and had ourselves a grand time. We'll do it again, I wager, and I can thank the power of podcasting for fostering this new friendship.

In other power of podcasting news, Lou Anders praised Adventures in Scifi Publishing and The Agony Column in a recent Tor.com article. Thanks for the shout out, Lou!

An Interview with Bear McCreary

2008-12-26T22:47:00.000-08:00

Our final show of 2008 is something special and unique. Following up on the great success of our first science fiction music episode with Chris Armstrong, we here present an exclusive interview with Bear McCreary, composer for Battlestar Galactica, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, and Eureka.

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN

Show Notes:

Book Roundup: Instead of publishing news, Sam and I discuss some of the titles that have graced our studio (Shaun's house) over the last couple of months. It is vacation time, after all, and some of you may be in need of good reads. Check 'em out!

Interview with Bear McCreary.

We wrap things up by looking at the year that was. Sam smiles fondly upon Charles Stross, YA literature, and the collaborative efforts of Lincoln and Child. Shaun gives his "best book I read this year" honor to Kay Kenyon for Bright of the Sky.

Our sincere gratitude goes to all our listeners for supporting the show, giving it life, and encouraging your humble hosts with countless emails. Without getting too mushy, it really means a lot, and we look forward to bringing you more fun, information, and entertainment in 2009.

We will be taking about a month off, but we'll be back in early February. Until then, keep reading!

Christmas Day

2008-12-25T12:14:00.001-08:00

Christmas Eve:

First, make coffee.

Then, relax.

Give the Teddy Bears a morning kiss.

Then, let havoc reign!

A new puzzle. He-Man approved (used by permission of the Eternia Toy Makers Association).

Finger Paint!

A new ball. It doesn't get better than that.

2008 in Review

2008-12-24T12:02:00.000-08:00

How did I do in accomplishing my goals for 2008? I had hits and some misses, but there is no doubt that we are moving in the right direction as a family.

The positives: sold the condo in a terrible market, paid off serious amounts of debt, placed as a Honorable Mention twice in the Writers of the Future contest, was cast in my first feature film, acted in my first professional play, worked as an extra on Monk, produced thirty episodes of Adventures in Scifi Publishing, interviewed my favorite composer (Bear McCreary), cut up all my credit cards, didn't borrow a penny all year long, facilitate Financial Peace University, read seven books about money and business and about a dozen science fiction and fantasy novels.

I also grew in my belief that no one can improve my life but me: not Congress, and certain not a President. America is still the land of opportunity, and it's my responsibility to mature, think, and grow.

Hardships were aplenty this year, but we really are stronger for them, and even if my time machine was working properly, I wouldn't change anything.

Okay, some quick bests:

Best Novel Read: Bright of the Sky, by Kay Kenyon

Best NonFiction Book Read: The Total Money Makeover, by Dave Ramsey -- changed my life, this one did.

Best TV Show: Battlestar Galactica

Best Movie: The Man Who Saved Christmas -- hey, I watched very few movies this year, and it was good!

Best Comic-Con Experience: A tie between meeting the actors of Stargate SG-1 and watching Continuum on the flight deck of U.S.S. Midway, and hanging out with Tobias Buckell, Doselle Young, and friends late into the night.

Now, the flip side

Worst Book: Won't go there. I interview these people

Worst TV Show: Heroes. What happened to that show?!

Worst Movie: Dragon Wars -- watched on Scifi. At least the FX were decent.

Worst Comic-Con Experience: Arriving to the convention center at 6:45 a.m. only to discover the parking lot was already full. Long day, was that.

Goals for 2009

Finish our debt snowball and a fully funded emergency fund; save money for Lasik; get the career on track so my wife can stay home with the kid; write 6 good short stories, emphasis on good; first draft of a novel; 30 episodes of AISFP; double size of Singularity Audio; read 25 books (8 nonfiction).

Note that these are not resolutions. I'm already doing most of them, but it helps to write your goals down. If you don't know where you're going you're bound to get there, after all.

But bigger than all to these is being a better husband and father. I'm think I'm making progress there, too.

Reading and Snacks

2008-12-22T10:56:00.000-08:00

First we must have a snack. . . .

Then we'll get to these. . . .

And it will look like this.

Let's Not Lose Our Heads: The Economy

2008-12-19T14:54:00.000-08:00

Everyone is screaming bloody murder about how terrible the economy is (and, yeah, if you lost your job, it is terrible!). I couldn't help but observe some things that nobody is discussing, and it got me thinking.

James Bond opened with the biggest payday of any Bond film in history, raking in 70.4 million in its first weekend. While we are slipping into the Great Depression 2? Really?

Shoppers set an all time high, spending more than ten billion dollars on Black Friday? Really, what about the recession?

And that credit crunch? I don't know about you, but I get at least three credit card offers a week. Have you been watching TV lately? What is everyone selling? Cars? TVs? Home appliances? Nope. Most companies are selling credit. "0% financing!" "No payments until you're in diapers and on Medicare!" They have money to lend, it woudl seem, and they are desperate for you to borrow. (By the way, just save up the cash and pay for it. It's cheaper that way.)

But I thought Americans couldn't buy cars or go to college! I asked my dad, a Sales Manager for Toyota. Nope, no problem getting you a loan. He'd love it. I asked someone who works in Financial Aid at a local univerisity. Nope. Everyone has a loan, it seems.

So, I decided to pull up the GDP numbers myself. I just can't trust the news makers or the politicians. They all have something to sell, some agenda to push, and someone to please.

Turns out the economy grew about 2.8% in the second quarter. That doesn't sound like a recession to me.

Okay, the third quarter shrunk. . . by .5%. Now, that's about a 3 percent drop from the growth of the second quarter, but really? The deepest, darkest recession since The GREAT DEPRESSION (cue scary music and bread lines) is a whopping three months old and is just half a percentage point so far?

Imagine how people would be acting if the economy had receded .6%, or .7%. There would be mobs, absolute chaos, people dying in the streets. Our very way of life would collapse, leaving nothing behind but smoldering ash and decaying flesh.

I'm not saying we don't have problems. We do, especially if Congress keeps trying to "fix" things. I'm not saying that things might not get worse. They could. But I am saying that the media is running around the coup like a flock of headless chickens, and we need a rooster with some wisdom to sit them down and shut them up.

We have been through bad recessions before, we will go through them again, and we will survive (and some of us will thrive) today.

So, the next time you can't find a parking spot at Wal-Mart, or you're waiting in line for fifteen minutes at Starbucks, or you're sitting in a packed movie theater, or you're trampling an employee to death so you can buy a television, or you're considering credit card offers you didn't ask for and don't need, take a deep breath and realize how much wealth surrounds you.

Just something to think about.

I Get a Job, Congress Gets a Raise

2008-12-19T14:32:00.000-08:00

Some of you know that I have been looking for work (of both of the career and part-time persuasion) for a couple of months now. Last week I started the part-time job, delivering pizza for Domino's. I'm having a great time so far. Customers have been pleasant, and the tips are really quite nice. I guess it's my charm and subtle man-scent.

I'm still working on the career side of things. My wife would love to be home with the kiddo, and I would love to have a career I am passionate about. I have applied for two jobs this week (about eight total), and I won't quit until I find the right fit. Businesses are hiring, even if they haven't hired me.

Speaking of which, I learned today that Congress is getting a raise! Why shouldn't they give themselves more of our money? I mean, is a 140,000 annual salary really enough? How could they possibly survive on that? Those poor, starving Representatives.

I mean, it's not like they have the lowest approval rating in U.S. history, or that the DOW has dropped 3,000 points since they started mucking up the markets, or that they pursue manipulative policies that hurt some Americans while pleasing those most likely to vote for them, or filling their pockets with millions of dollars from special interest groups and lobbyists, or wasting our tax dollars on research into doggy treats and the mating habits and humming birds, or taking over entire industries.

Just print up some money and have a nice steak dinner, Congresswoman. I'm sure all those people who lost their jobs last month won't mind in the least.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some work to do. Boy, I can't wait to vote some of these chumps out of office.

More Sara Connor!

2008-12-17T20:06:00.000-08:00

The midseason finale of Terminator: The Sara Connor Chronicles left me screaming, "No! More!" at the television. Thank goodness new episodes return in February.

After a slow start in its second season, T:TSCC has blossomed into the second best science fiction drama on television behind Battlestar Galactica. The mix of action, character depth, mysticism, intrigue, suspense, drama, deception, betrayal, and religious allegory could have easy toppled Terminator into a malaise of confusion and idiocy (see Heroes). Instead, the writers have defty woven these elements into a tapestry full of texture and color. Now the challenge is paying off an abundance of buildups in a way that satisfies the audience.

BSG faces a similar challenge. There are so many good characters, conflicts, and plots to resolve, the audience knows that some strings will be left hanging. The question is, for both shows, will those hanging springs pull the tapestry apart when viewed through hindsight?

Based on the mastery of both Terminatorand BSG, I think we are in good hands.

Has Sara fallen into the hands of Skynet? Will John finally learn Riley's hidden past (or should I say future?)? How human will Cameron become? Can Ellison give the machines a soul? Will Derek have to choose between the Connors and his morally dubious girlfriend? Is there a reason behind Sara's mystical visions?

Terminator has truly transcended the action movie franchise from which it was born. Hopefully Fox will pick this one up for more seasons to come.

FairTax: The Truth

2008-12-09T11:57:00.000-08:00

A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the voters discover that they can vote themselves [generous benefits] from the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidate promising them the most benefits from the public treasury, with the result that a democracy always collapses over loose fiscal policy, always followed by a dictatorship.

- Commonly attributed to Alexander Fraser Tytler in The Decline and Fall of the Athenian Republic

When the people find they can vote themselves money, that will herald the end of the republic.

- Benjamin Franklin

I am now a full supporter of the FairTax, and I very strongly encourage anyone interested in the continued health of the United States to read The FairTax: The Truth, by Neal Boortz and Congressman John Linder. Put your political ideology aside for this one. This is too important to miss because "your guy or gal" didn't write it, and both Republicans and Democrats alike are more frequently lending their support to this movement.

I've written some long entries about taxes the last few months, so I'll keep this one short. The FairTax proposes to replace the Federal Income Tax, Payroll Taxes (the silent tax killer), the Alternative Minimum Tax, Capital Gains, the Death Tax, the Social Security Tax, the Medicare Tax, the Gift Tax, the IRS, tax audits, the Corporate Income Tax, and a lot of headaches with a 23% sales tax on new goods and services (which, by the way, we already pay when you calculate the embedded taxes of everything listed above - taxes paid by you and me when we purchase goods and services.). A simple list, then, of why I support this ultimate tax reform:

1. Transparency - No longer will politicians manipulate constituents and buy votes. The FairTax would be the political equivalent of decapitating Washington corruption, ending the reign of special interests and lobbyists. If you are sick of corrupt politicians, allow me to introduce you to the plan that will end much Washington injustice.

2. Expanded Tax Base - With less than fifty percent of Americans paying Federal Income taxes (and with 10% of the population paying 70% of all income taxes collected), imagine how much money Washington would collect from tourists, the rich, and the underground economy alone via the FairTax. Tax revenues would sky rocket, making it easier for Washington to fund Social Security, Medicare, and their little pet projects.

3. Favors the Poor and Middle Class - All spending up to the poverty level is covered by prebate checks sent out by Washington each month. This plan does NOT tax the poor, unless they are overspending and living way beyond their means.

4. Grow American Business - How many jobs would this country have if corporations didn't pay taxes on profits? America would become the ultimate tax haven for businesses around the globe, bringing millions of new jobs to American workers, and keeping our companies on American soil.

5. Increased Investments and Savings - Would you need to worry about your 401K with no capital gains tax? Likely not. It's more likely that you'll have to worry about retiring in Florida or San Diego. The tough choices you will face. . .

6. Fairness - Finally, a tax system that doesn't encourage social warfare, pick winners and losers, or act as a shield for government spending programs. The FairTax creates an environment that encourages hard work and innovation while discouraging tax evasion and corruption. I don't see the problem here.

I could keep going, but I hope this enough to encourage everyone to read this short, well written book. This is the major issue facing America, I'm convinced. Many of our economic woes would be solved if we didn't have a tax system that was ripping us apart from the inside out. The FairTax is not perfect, and it must be implemented side by side with a sound monetary policy (which is another issue altogether), but I believe the FairTax is vastly superior to our current system and much more closely aligned with the intentions of the Founding Fathers.

Read this book, and go to FairTax.org to lend your support.

Point Those Things Some Place Else

2008-12-04T08:32:00.001-08:00

Can you say, "Heck, yeah, baby!"

My take on Fringe

2008-12-03T10:29:00.000-08:00

I just watched the season premier of J.J. Abrams' Fringe (I love you DVR), and my deeply educated critique is a resounding. . . Huh?

First, what I liked. The show seems to be a mix of Alias and Lost. From Alias: There is an attractive woman out of her element who loses her lover, but fear not -- a new lover is right in front of her, a mysterious boss who holds information from his people and possibly manipulates them, an estranged father, an uncanny ability to fly around the globe in two hours or less, and a willingness to torture people for information. From Lost: the music, the mystery, the sense that a much greater world is about to swallow the characters whole and spit out their bones.

These elements helped Abrams create two smash hits, and they work well with Fringe. I was hooked from the opening act.

Now, what I disliked: The ease with which Olivia Dunham, played by Anna Torv, can achieve tasks that are set up as seemingly impossible. Get the mad scientist's son: Easy, fly to Bagdad and tell a white lie; Get the mad scientist out of the psych ward: Easy, sign a piece of paper; Reinstate the mad scientist's lab at Harvard: Easy, Harvard has done nothing with that basement for thirty years (convenient); Fill it up with state of the art equipment that the mad scientist who has been in a psych ward for three decades not only comprehends but apparently operates with mastery, despite the fact that technology passed him by with the speed of the U.S.S. Enterprise, and throw in a cow to boot; and finally, completely disregard believable science: Easy. Really easy.

For everything that Fringe did right with suspense, intrigue, and characters, the show's "science" amounts to little more than magic and makes Stargate SG-1 look like it is rigorously and meticulously researched. I'm afraid that Fringe's complete disregard for any kind of believability will make it too hard for me to swallow, and, yes, I know that the unbelievable is the very premise of the show. That didn't escape me, but the writers need to set up the unbelievable in a way that can be grasped and embraced. Exhibit A: The X-Files.

I'll give Fringe a few more episodes, but if the characters continue to achieve their objectives with easy, and if the science continues to be nothing more than fantasy and hand waving, I'll move on to Charlie Jade.

Senseless Death at Wal-Mart

2008-11-29T10:59:00.000-08:00

I was horrified to learn this morning that a Wal-Mart employee, 34-year-old Jdimytai Damour, in Long Island was trampled to death by a mob of customers seeking Black Friday discounts. Several people tried to help the employee, but the 2,000 person mob charged the store with unrelenting force, breaking the front doors from their hinges. Even police who tried to resuscitate Damour were trampled as shoppers pushed their way in.

And how did some people react when told the store was closing because an employee had been killed? They refused to leave and continued shopping.

I expected to write a blog today about Black Friday. I assumed that people would be shopping in hordes, spending cash and plastic as if it had no end, and I expected to make a few cracks about the "deep and dark recession," and about how our civilization was obviously coming to an end because no one had money to spend, and about how I'm sure we could all blame Bush for it because everyone knows that the President can single-handedly destroy economies.

But this?

I hope your disgusted, America. Is our need for cheap plastic trinkets and polo shirts that we won't even remember purchasing a year from now worth a man's life? Have we completely lost touch with reality? I didn't know Wal-Mart was selling discounted boxes of Happiness yesterday. I didn't know that Joy, Fulfillment, Peace, and Purpose were all blue-light specials. I bet Damour didn't know that either.

American is facing much more than a financial crisis. When employees are trampled to death because shoppers want "stuff", we face something much worse: a spiritual, moral, and emotional bankruptcy.

Who is going to bail us out of that?

More Bad Paper? Publishing Industry Woes

2008-11-22T12:11:00.000-08:00

I've heard many-an-author lament the business strategies of the big publishing houses. The people who work there are dedicated, hard-working, and lovers of literature, by and large, but the corporate behavior of publishing might be reaching a tipping point.

So says Megan Hustad in this article from public radio. With Barnes and Noble reporting losses worse than expected, is the publishing industry's "throw everything at the wall and see what sticks" business plan soon to be their undoing?

I don't want to be over dramatic, but it seems that an increasing number of individuals, all who understand publishing on a deeper level than your humble blogger, continue to espouse big publishing's imminent demise. So I ask myself, "Self, what would result from such a paradigm shift?"

Well, books will continue to be published, and I suspect that small and midsized presses like Pyr and Night Shade will continue to do well. Yes, there would be gaps in the field (and on bookstore shelves), and the number of books printed would decrease. I can't say that's an entirely bad thing. There are far too many subpar books being published in the name of filling production slots.

In my interview with Jason Stoddard for episode 64 of Adventures in Scifi Publishing, he discussed studies demonstrating that the marketing departments of big publishers don't know who their audience is. I would direct you to Jason for more detailed information, but if we surmise that even a portion of that statement is true, publishing deserves to be in trouble.

Books need to be published because they are profitable, yes, but they also must be published with intent. Publishers cannot expect margins simliar to other industries, though if ebooks were only 2.99, we'd see a huge jump in sales, I think. Like the auto companies, it's time for big publishing to change its path or perhaps, just maybe, collide with the glacier looming in its path.

But if they go to Washington and ask for a bailout, I just might shoot myself. Or my television.

Some Truth About Taxes – Is Your Future Secure?

2008-11-12T12:18:00.000-08:00

So, if you follow this blog, you know I recently read The FairTax Book. Fascinating information, and a shining light into how our current tax system, all 9 million words of it, encourages corruption in Washington, Wall Street, and even Main Street. This is really interesting stuff, and your future may depend on it, so don’t tune out!

Now I have finished reading Flat Tax Revolution, written by Steve Forbes. While Forbes is skeptical about the possibility of a Retail Sales Tax (The FairTax), he agrees that it is vastly superior to our current system. Even better, he says, is a 17% flat tax on person income and businesses.

Okay, so let’s break this down, briefly (go read the book for the full picture!), and see why this works.

1. Based on information provided by the IRS, the rich actually pay less in taxes when taxes are high. Come again? That doesn’t make sense! This is especially true for millionaires. When taxes go up, they invest more money in lawyers to find loopholes and tax schemes to avoid the taxes! After the Regan tax cuts, the top 1% of Americans paid 10% more of the taxes collected then they did when taxes were high.

In 1981, the top 1 percent of Americans paid 18 percent of the federal person income taxes collected. In 1988, after years of taxes being low, the top 1 percent paid 27% of the personal income taxes collected. When rates are low, it is no longer cost-effective to “hide” money. Not only that, but their businesses (and personal incomes) grow at a faster rate, meaning the government gets to take more in taxes!

So, this idea that you can raise taxes on the rich and automatically get more money from them is misleading, and often the exact opposite comes to pass with the additional tax burden being passed to the middle class. Check out this article for more information.

2. A Flat Tax benefits lower-income families more than anyone else. Obama talks a lot about tax cuts, but his tax cuts are nothing compared to the tax cut of a Flat Tax. Under the Flat Tax plan, standard income tax deductions would quadruple for adults to $13,200 with an additional deduction of $4,000 per child. That makes our current standard deductions look like candy money. The end effect is that a family of four would pay no Federal Income taxes on the first $46,165 or their income, more than double the current poverty level, nor would they need to comply with an overly complicated system, saving them more money and energy.

So, you see, the Flat Tax is still progressive, because the more you make, the less the standard deductions decrease your tax burden, thereby raising your tax rate. But income taxes would level off once you reach 17%. No more 38% income brackets! Come on, does a 35-38% bracket really encourage hard work and innovation?

3. End corruption. Companies spend millions of dollars on lobbyists who then, in turn, bribe Senators and purchase legislation that gives said companies tax breaks. This is borderline evil in my opinion. Our Politicians have let us down, and sadly we cannot count on their sense of morality or “fairness” to end this cycle of corruption. By replacing our corruption-encouraging tax code with a simple, transparent flat tax, we eliminate massive amounts of corruption and put power back into the hands (and wallets) of middle class Americans.

4. Growing the economy. 15 trillion dollars of business has left our shores to escape our punishing tax system. Meanwhile, countries with low flat taxes, like Ireland and Estonia (who has ten times more wealth per capita than China), are thriving as they embrace our companies with open arms. What’s that expression. . . . it is easier to catch a bee with sugar than vinegar? Think about it.

When these companies stay in America, or return to America, that means a thriving U.S. economy with jobs aplenty. Not only that, but with a low, fair, Flat Tax, we could even attract foreign companies to come here. Why would they stay in Europe and pay 40% when they can enjoy American’s fair, competitive Flat Tax? A low, flat-tax will grow our economy and create millions of jobs for Americans.

5. My last point. The AMT Tax. You may not have heard of this, but in my research I’ve come to believe that it is the most vengeful element of tax system. Originally put in place to ensnare a couple hundred of millionaires (I’m not making this up) who were avoiding taxes, the Alternative Minimum Tax is now liquidating tens of millions of American families each year. I read two stories of men who were given stock options in the .com boom. In both cases, the .com’s went bankrupt, and the stock was worthless. But because of the AMT, these men were wiped out by the IRS, who claimed that they had to pay taxes on the previous value of the stock, even though neither men made any profit. Both lost everything they owned over the course of years, spending all they had and going deeply in debt to cover their legal costs. And both men committed suicide, their spirits destroyed.

The AMT is the government’s way to ensure that you pay more taxes whenever possible. And the more tax credits or deductions you claim, the more likely the AMT will snag you. I’m not an expert on this, but I’ve learned a lot, and Obama’s plan will likely put more American’s in AMT brackets, and many of them will likely pay more in taxes then before their “tax cuts.” He knows this, too. All politicians do, but the tax code gives them incredible power. They hunger for it, and they hunger for our money.

Like the income tax, the AMT was passed with the promise that it would only tax the super rich, but now the burden has passed to the middle-class. Are we seeing a pattern here?

6. My really last point: Consider this. Eliminating Capital Gains Tax, the Death Tax, Marriage Penalties, and more. What would your 401K, invested in the stock market, look like if you didn’t have pay taxes on it? By eliminating capital gains, investing would sky rocket, which would snowball prosperity throughout the economy and increase tax revenue as companies grow. This is not a pipe dream. When Capital Gains taxes have been low, the IRS collects more money because Americans make more money. When capital gains taxes are high, less people invest, and the economy slows.

Conclusion

I’m just scratching the surface here, but this I know. Our current tax system is sinking this country. Do we want to be like France and Spain and stifle our economy, or do we want to be more like Ireland, who has become one of Europe’s richest countries thanks to its 12% flat tax? What is really fair? What is really patriotic?

Think about it, and make some noise in Washington. Read Flat Tax Revolution, which is endorsed by Donald Trump, Jack Kemp, and Neil Cavuto, all men who understand this stuff much better than me. It’s time we took our power back. It’s time we took our country back.

NaNoWriMo

2008-11-10T15:44:00.000-08:00

One word at a time, they say. After a strong start and then a lag, I've written 12,590 words this month for NaNoWriMo. I wanted to hit 70,000 words but that is not going to happen! The challenges of babysitting a toddler all day, podcasting, completing projects for clients, teaching Financial Peace University, and job searching make the 50,000 word goal outlandish enough.

My story is interesting and exploding with potential, but I don't know if it will amount to anything. At this point, I don't really care. My only goal with this is to prove to myself, to remind myself, that I can tell stories, that I can produce. I've lost confidence in that, and I'm seeking to regain some focus. I feel more comfortable with the novel in many ways, and I think my 12 month focus on short stories has messed me over a bit. A recent first round rejection in Writers of the Future also proved to me that spending 6 months on one story is not necessarily going to make it good.

With 53 pages behind me, I'm well on my way. The story is growing, and I haven't even completed the first act yet.

One word at a time.

SF Art Rocks

2008-11-10T15:41:00.000-08:00

Check this out. Looks sweet.

In Search of the Perfect SF Newletter

2008-11-06T17:49:00.000-08:00

I am currently subscribed to several email newsletters put out by major publishers of science fiction and fantasy, and it's high time I salute Tor Books for putting out the most professional and useful of the bunch.

So, what makes Tor's newsletter so majestic?

Exhibit A: Layout: Tor's newsletter begins with a snazzy header and table of contents. This allows me to click directing to pages about "Authors" or "Podcasts" and to scan the content of the newsletter for articles partial to my interests. The Contents section is also hyperlinked, so I can click directly on an item, saving precious time and increasing the likelihood I will actually read that particular article.

The content of the newsletter is laid out in blog style with two main columns. The written content is presented in the leftmost column, and the right column contains links to Sample Chapters, Featured Videos, Monthly Offerings, and some really sharp graphics for current and future releases.

Exhibit B: Short essays from authors and editors: Instead of presenting new releases with a plot summary and "BUY NOW" link, the Tor newsletter features essays written by their authors and editors. These essays provide context and insight into the books, making them more personable. And anytime a book is made more personable, I'm more likely to read it.

Exhibit C: Giveaways: Want a Neil Gaiman poster signed by David McKean? Then you should really subscribe to the Tor newsletter, shouldn't you.

So, what could make the Tor newsletter better? I'm not an HTML expert, so I don't know if this is possible, but how about an embedded player with choice podcast content? If not from Tor's own podcast, then perhaps from Adventures in Scifi Publishing when it features a Tor author. Like this week, when I talk with Tobias Buckell about Sly Mongoose and Halo: The Cole Protocol!

In conclusion, kudos, Tor! Keep it up.

The 10 Cannots - Why Neither Obama nor McCain Can Fix Our Woes

2008-11-04T10:04:00.000-08:00

By William J. H. Boetcker
(wrongfully attributed to Abraham Lincoln)

You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift.

You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong.

You cannot help the poor man by destroying the rich.

You cannot further the brotherhood of man by inciting class hatred.

You cannot build character and courage by taking away man's initiative and independence.

You cannot help small men by tearing down big men.

You cannot lift the wage earner by pulling down the wage payer.

You cannot keep out of trouble by spending more than your income.

You cannot establish security on borrowed money.

You cannot help men permanently by doing for them what they will not do for themselves.

Connor and the Big Pumpkin

2008-11-03T10:39:00.000-08:00

Here are some pictures from Connor's first visit to the pumpkin patch. My mom and aunt accompanied us, and while there was plenty to do and see, Connor's favorite activity was running through the open field. Kind of reminded me of when you let a dog of his leash.

Yeah.

Elizabeth Bear and Tobias Buckell

2008-10-31T12:58:00.000-07:00

Episode 66 of Adventures in Scifi Publishing features Elizabeth Bear and Tobias Buckell. Topics covered: All the Windwracked Stars, Google Books, Brandon Sanderson, author promotion, and book recommendations.

The FairTax Book

2008-10-30T13:14:00.000-07:00

Now, if you know me or if you’ve followed me a bit, you know that I’ve been studying finance this year. I’ve heard that if you read 3-5 books on any subject, you will know more about that subject than 95% of the population. I don’t know if that’s true, but the more I talk with friends and family, the more amazed I am at how much I’ve learned in the areas of personal finance. I decided this year that I was tired of being broke all the time, so I continue to study and learn.

So far this year I have read The Total Money Makeover, Financial Peace, Rich Dad Poor Dad, Thou Shalt Prosper, and now, most recently, The FairTax Book.

I’m not going to spend tons of time summarizing this book. I will only say this. Read it.

Imagine: keeping 100% of your paycheck. Imagine: politicians losing their ability to manipulate voters and lobbyist through tax promises. Imagine: Putting a bunch of lobbyists out of business! Imagine economic growth, millions of new jobs, trillions of dollars infused to the U.S. economy, a system that encourages and rewards hard work, tax-free investments, and a system that benefits everyone: lower, middle, and upper class.

If you don’t want to read this yet, there’s nothing I can say to encourage it. But if you live and work in the U.S., you are doing yourself a great disservice by ignoring this book, and costing yourself a lot of money.

Read this book, and then tell everyone you know about it.

Next up is the sequel: The FairTax: The truth: Answering the Critics

I Do Not Wish to be a Common Man

2008-10-25T11:43:00.001-07:00

I Do Not Wish to be a Common Man, by Dean Alfange

It is my right to be uncommon -- if I can.

I seek opportunity -- not security. I do not wish to be a kept citizen, humbled and dulled by having the state look after me.

I want to take the calculated risk: to dream and to build, to fail and to succeed.

I refuse to barter incentive for a dole. I prefer the challenges of life to the guaranteed existence; the thrill of fulfillment to the stale calm of utopia.

I will not trade my freedom for beneficence nor my dignity for a handout. I will never cower before any master nor bend to any threat

It is my heritage to stand erect, proud, and unafraid; to think and to act for myself, enjoy the benefit of my creation and face the world boldly and say, "This I have done."

Ouchie and Shiver

2008-10-25T09:04:00.000-07:00

Had a major weight-lifting session yesterday in my apartment complex's brand new workout room, complete with flatscreen plasma TVs. It was fun, but I'm feeling a tad bit sore. I love that feeling though. It tells me I accomplished something.

Then we went to a BBQ and put Connor in the pool for the first time. We couldn't stay long as sunset arrived and the temperature dropped quickly. It was sad to see him shivering, but he awoke this morning with no signs of a cold, so I think we're in the clear.

Off to eat my second breakfast and then interview Elizabeth Bear.

Obama or McCain: Who Will Fix America?

2008-10-21T11:02:00.000-07:00

It’s on the news 24 hours a day. Obama or McCain. “He’s a socialist.” “He’s a maverick.” “He has a temper.” “He pals around with terrorists.”

Are you just freakin’ sick of it all?

So, who will really fix your life? Who can really create jobs and put the economy back on track?

This is not a political rant, nor is it meant to directly challenge the positions of Democrats or Republicans. See, I’m neither, so I tend to ruffle the feathers of both. As an outsider who isn’t excited about either candidate, then, I fell I can provide some less-biased analysis on who can improve your personal situation. Because, that’s what each candidate is pushing, right? Isn’t that what every political candidate pushes—that they can make your life better?

Well, McCain calls Obama’s tax plan socialism because it doubles the Earned Income Tax Credit without admitting that his own health care plan is the same concept (giving money to people who didn’t earn it). And Obama has done a stellar job at painting McCain as a Bush clone and blaming all our problems on him when he should focus more on the fact that McCain just doesn’t seem to have a plan at all. And Obama still hasn’t convince me that can he provide universal health care, independent energy, better education, and new infrastructure along with a balanced budget. Where is the money going to come from? Are you just going to print it and let inflation go through the roof?

So, who’s better? Who can save us?

The answer. . . .(the suspense is killing me)

Neither. That’s right, neither candidate can fix your life. No President can fix your life. That’s not their job. They will always campaign on such promises, but they can’t make it happen. And they won’t ruin your life either (though decades of overspending and bad policy can sure bring America, as a whole, to its knees, which we are seeing right now).

You see, it’s up to YOU to fix your life. If you’re unhappy at work, get a new job. If you’re having family problems, get some counseling. If you feel under-compensated, get retooled and retrained. It’s up to you.

It seems that so many people are looking for Washington to fix the economy, but Washington can’t do that. Seems to me they hurt more than they help. You think we’d have the financial problems we have if the national debt was $0.00? Think about it.

And who’s to blame for those subprime loans? I used to have one. My wife and bought our condo with one. Is it the banks fault we did that? Congress? President Bush? No, it was my fault, and the bank’s for going along with it. I was young and naïve, and I should have stopped and done some research before signing the dotted line. But once I realized my mistake, I didn’t wait for McCain to buy my mortgage, or for Biden to renegotiate my principle. I worked with my lender for six, agonizing months and sold the property as a short sale with no recourse! I fixed MY problem. What a novel concept. And the bank and I paid some Stupid-Tax for engaging in a transaction that should have never taken place.

Here’s an interesting statistic: the current issue of The Futurist reports that Americans spend an average of 2.6 hours a day watching television. What could you do with that time to improve your life and your future?

In conclusion, if you put your hope in a Presidential candidate or in Washington, you’re going to be disappointed. Turn off the TV, spend time with your kids (we don’t need Obama or McCain to dump more money into education! We need parents to spend time with their kids and instill a love for learning!), read some books, get involved in your church or a community organization, start a low cost home business (Robert Kiyosaki says this is the most effective way to earn extra money), take one class a year from a community college, go to a seminar, work extra hours from time-to-time, cut up your credit cards, get on a budget, build an emergency fund, invest for your families future, stand firm against a culture of Entitlement that promises Your Way, Right Way/ I Want it All, and I Want it Now/ Life Takes Visa/ Chase What Matters/ and You Deserve It. Seize happiness right now, where you are, and be responsible for yourself and your family. If enough of us do that, maybe we can get a few politicians who believe it, too.

I feel good having written this. I feel empowered. I hope you feel that way, too.

SF Television: Atlantis, Terminator, Heroes

2008-10-20T11:30:00.000-07:00

I have received an abundance of email from folk craving my television reviews. I don’t have much time, but how can I keep an audience starving for knowledge at bay. Okay, here goes. . . .

With all the SF on television these days, I’ve had to pick and choose which shows I would follow, and which I would catch later (maybe) on DVD (perhaps) in the future (if there’s nothing better to do).

First on the chopping block was Chuck. This wasn’t an easy choice as I very much enjoyed Chuck’s first season. It’s funny, well written, and very well acted, but the show didn’t engage me deeply enough on an emotional level to bring me back in the face of steep competition. If you can miss an episode of a show and not be bothered by it, then even if you enjoy said show, it’s probably not worth your time.

Also deleted from my DVR were Star Wars: The Clone Wars on the Cartoon Network, Life, and Sanctuary. Sanctuary was the hardest to delete as I felt I hadn’t given it much of a chance, but the series premier was lackluster to me with some cheeseball FX. There was plenty to like, but I have a life here with family to love, plays to act, stories to write, books to read, and podcasts to edit, so something has to give.

So, what have I been watching?

Stargate Atlantis

The Stargate franchise will always be number one on my must-watch list, and I must say that overall the final season of Atlantis has been one of the strongest. The recent two-parter featuring Daniel Jackson was one of the best two-parters in the franchise’s history, and new executive producers Joe Mallozzi and Paul Mullie really seem to have hit there stride.

Atlantis has benefited greatly from the emergence of a multi-dimensioned Wraith, the aptly named Todd. Todd finally brings personality to the Wraith. He is the Ba’al of Atlantis and has single-handedly rescued the Wraith from the depths of caricature.

Robert Picardo has added depth and humor to the show. As much as I love Amanda Tapping, Carter never fit on Atlantis. Picardo’s Woosley adds many layers of drama and unpredictability, but Picardo has been vastly underused. He deserves more screen time, and I hope he gets it before the season comes to an end.

I believe Atlantis’ two greatest weaknesses are the lack of team-centered episodes and the reduction of Rachel Luttrell to a bit-player. We need to see the team actually working as team more often, and Teyla should either be given something to do or written off the show completely. She did very well in the episode "The Queen", and I’d like to see Teyla’s role expanded.

Terminator: The Sara Connor Chronicles

After a strong first season, Terminator is off to a slow, but good start. Season two lacks the big story arch that propelled season one forward, and as such has floundered a bit. Cameron has developed into an intriguing character, and the emergence of other Terminators –Terminators that scheme and plan rather than destroying everything in sight—has given the show a nice depth. I’m pleased with it overall, and I’m excited to read that the season has been extended from 13 episodes to a full 22.

Heroes

After a week second season, Heroes is back like a shotgun to the face. They aren’t pulling any punches this time around, and the show has taken on a tone so dark as to threaten it’s viability. A show about superheroes should be fun! And while Heroes is very engaging and highly entertaining (and don’t blink or the entire plot will fall apart), it has reached levels of despair that not even Battlestar Galactica wouldn't touch. I mean, would anything drive Apollo to cut open Adama’s head? I think not.

Again, Heroes is suffering from a lack of forward momentum. There is a lot of stuff happening with characters jumping across timelines and the promise of good guys going Darth Vader, but I don’t feel that the story is really moving toward something specific. It’s just sort of happening. I’ll keep watching, but if the family-killing-family continues, I might tune out.

Wrap-up

Now, you may have noticed the show’s I’m not watching. Where’s Fringe! I haven’t seen it yet. I’m recording it, but I just don’t have time to watch more television than I already do. In summary, Atlantis is finishing a strong final season; Terminator is a bit slow but continues to develop deeper levels of complexity; and Heroes is engaging, shocking, and on the edge of going overboard with themes of violence and hopelessness.

Living Subprime

2008-10-11T14:11:00.000-07:00

Five years ago my wife and I purchased our first home. We had been married nearly two years, were about a year out of college, and making decent money as retail managers. The housing market was a-boom, and just about everyone we knew stressed the importance of buying a house, making an investment, and to not waste our money paying rent.

So, we bought a condo. . . . with a subprime loan. It wasn’t sold to us as such, of course, but we were naive (okay, stupid!) and just didn’t know better. We paid the mortgage faithfully, never late, for five years. And being young and clueless, we didn’t realize how stretched we were financially.

In late 07 we couldn’t afford that payment anymore, the housing market had dropped significantly, and we had to sell. It took six months of hard work and persistence, but we finally reached a deal with our lender, found a buyer (who got a steal, I might add), and moved to an apartment.

I was reflecting today how much our lives have changed since that process began. We’ve gotten on a budget, analyzed our finances, cut up the credit cards, and paid off all our debts except my student loan, at which we hammer away every month. It’s a liberating feeling. We looked in the mirror, pointed at the folks staring back and said, “Get control. You work too hard and do too well to be broke. You’re better than this.”

I have sympathy for people who are in similar situations now. I remember the sleepless nights as I wondered if we could avoid foreclosure, if a bankruptcy loomed in our future, and I know the pain that goes with that. I also know the character growth, the wisdom received, and the joy obtained from buckling down and working through hard times.

Washington has been issuing bailouts for all of late, with lots of promises for middle class Americans. We have two presidential candidates who want to fix all our problems for us (though neither one can), and I have yet to hear any talk about sacrifice, about behavior modification, about living on less than you make (well, Palin did say something to that effect, which I appreciated). In short, I have yet to hear anything that convinces me that the cycle of out-of-control debt will end any time soon. Instead, it seems that it will grow, no matter who slumbers in the White House, no matter which animal hibernates in Congress.

And so my wife and I move on, engaged with the world around us but not enslaved by it, masters of our destiny. It was a lesson hard earned, and one never forgotten. It feels good, to face your problems, tackle them, work through the tears and pain, to make sacrifices, to deny pleasures, and come through the other side better prepared for life, armed with knowledge and experience. Washington should try it some time.

But I doubt they will. It’s up to us.

From the Set of Monk

2008-10-11T11:06:00.000-07:00

I had a nice time working as featured background this week for the USA show Monk. Unfortunately, I forgot my camera. I assumed that it would be a closed set with no pictures allowed, but lots of extras were snapping away, so I guessed I missed my chance to share the love.

Some love you don't want me to share: I was bitten by something small, white, and poisonous. Don't know what it was, but my thigh swelled up something fierce, and the doctor put me on several prescriptions, afraid the infection might get into my bloodstream. I felt pretty crappy yesterday as a cold set in to coincide with the bug bite, but I'm already feeling better today.

Now, for those wondering, yes, Tony Shalhoub is a very nice guy. He would talk with anyone and always had a smile on his face. I really enjoyed watching him work. I've worked with some great actors, but I've never worked with an actor of his resume, in his prime, at the top of game, and on a major Hollywood set. I soaked it in, and I learned a great deal about the level of focus and intensity you need to have to succeed as an actor.

All in all it was a great experience, and I walk away from it more equipped, and more convinced, that I can succeed as an actor. Just like writing, I'm learning that most who make it are just too naive, too stubborn, or too stupid to give up. Yeah, I fit into all those categories, I think.

The Re-Distribution of Wealth

2008-10-06T11:48:00.000-07:00

Dave Ramsey has written a passionate essay about the Re-Distribution of Wealth, one of the chief axioms for any socialistic society. Here it is:

Butt Scratching and Bass Fishing

A couple of weeks ago, I worked late like I sometimes need to do to run my business. It was a nice Tennessee summer evening, and I was enjoying the drive home. About 7:30, as I pulled to a stop light a few blocks from my office, I noticed a light on in the corner office of a friend’s office building. Through the twilight I could make out my friend’s silhouette as he bent over his desk. Being a fellow entrepreneur, I knew what he was doing.

He was looking over some receivables. Some turkey hadn’t paid him, and he was trying to make his accounts balance so he would have the cash to make it another day. In that instant, I had a flashback to some of the ridiculous statements I’ve been hearing on the talking-head news channels and from some individuals during this political year. And I’ll be honest—I instantly felt the heat of anger flow through my body.

Let me tell you why. You see, my friend who I saw working late—we’ll call him Henry—is a great guy. He’s what you want your son to grow up to be. He loves God, his country, his wife, and his kids. He didn’t have the academic advantage of attending a big-name university. Instead, he started installing heating and air systems as a grunt laborer after he graduated from high school. He was and is a very hard and diligent worker, and before long, the boss taught him the trade. But when he was 24, after 6 years of service, the company he was working for got into financial trouble and laid him off.

Henry still had his tools, so he bought an old pickup to haul around his materials and tools, and suddenly he was in business. He knew about heating and air-conditioning, but not about business, so he made a lot of mistakes.

He persisted. He took accounting and management at the community college to learn about business. He started reading books on business, HVAC, marriage, kids, God, and anything else someone he respected recommended. Today he is one of the best-read men I know. Soon, because of his fabulous service and fair prices, he developed a great reputation, and his little business began to grow.

Henry started 15 years ago, and now he has 17 employees whose families are fed because he does a great job. He is in church on Sunday and seldom misses his kids’ Little League games. Sometimes he has to miss a game because some poor soul has their AC go out in the 96-degree Tennessee summer heat, but Henry makes sure they are served. He is, by all standards, a good man. He is, by all standards, what makes America great.

Henry and I are friends, and so he asked me some financial questions last year. I learned in the process that his personal taxable income last year was $328,000. I smiled with pride for this 70-hour a week guy because he is living the dream.

At the stop light that evening, I also thought of another guy I know—and that is where the anger flash came from. We will call him John. While John does not have the same drive Henry has, I can say that he, too, is a good man.

John also graduated from high school and did not attend a big-name university. He went to work at a local factory 15 years ago. When 5:00pm comes around, John has probably already made it to his car in the parking lot. He comes in 5 minutes late, takes frequent breaks, and leaves 5 minutes early. However, to his credit, he is steady and works hard.

Over the years, due to his steadiness and seniority, he has worked his way up to about $75,000 per year in that same factory. He seldom misses his kid’s ballgames, but most nights you will find him in front of the TV where he has become an expert on “American Idol,” “The Biggest Loser,” and who got thrown off the island. When he is not in front of the TV, he spends a LOT of time and money bass fishing on our local lake. He never works over 40 hours a week and hasn’t read a non-fiction book since high school.

This is America, and there is nothing wrong with either set of choices. Nothing wrong, that is, until the politicians and socialists get involved ...

I have seen several elitist people on the talking-head channels make the statement lately that people making over $250,000 per year have a “moral imperative” to pay more in taxes to take care of the country’s problems. This is not only infuriating—it is economically, spiritually, and morally crazy!

Where in the world do these twits get off saying that Henry should be punished for his diligence? If you are John, where do you get off trying to take Henry’s hard-earned money away from him in the name of your misguided “fairness”? If you want to sit on the lake, drink beer, scratch your butt, and bass fish, that is perfectly fine with me. I am not against any of those activities and have engaged in some of them myself at one time or another. But you HAVE NO RIGHT to talk about “moral imperatives” about what other people have earned due to their diligence. That money is not yours! You want some money? Go earn some! Get up, leave the cave, kill something, and drag it home.

We are in a dangerous place in our country today. A segment of our population has decided that it is the government’s job to provide all of their protection, provision, and prosperity. This segment has figured out that government doesn’t have the money to give them everything they want, so somebody else has to pay for it. That is how the “politics of envy” was born. “Tax the rich” has become the mantra of the left, and this political season it has been falsely dubbed a “moral imperative.”

Ninety percent of America’s millionaires are first-generation rich. They are Henry. To tax them because you think it is a “moral imperative” is legalizing governmental theft from our brightest, most charitable, and most productive citizens.

If I can get a law passed that says you must surrender all your cars to the government because it is the “moral imperative” of anyone who owns cars to support the latest governmental program, that would be a violation of private property rights and simply morally wrong. This new “moral imperative” to redistribute wealth is no different from that. It’s the SAME THING!

Please, America, re-think the politics of envy! You are sowing the seeds of our destruction when you punish the Henrys of our culture.

If you think taxing the populace to support government programs is the best way—and I don’t—then at least tax every single person the same! There are very few Henrys out here who would squawk much about paying a set percentage of their income—if everyone else did, too. But this idea of some butt-scratching bass fisherman saying government should tax his neighbor and not him—just because his neighbor has succeeded—must stop.

So the next time an elitist media talking-head starts telling you it is the moral imperative of our culture to tax my friend Henry, change the channel.

The next time you see someone wealthy who feels guilty and is preaching the politics of envy, change the channel.

The next time you see some celebrity who feels guilt over their income preaching socialism, change the channel.

And the next time you run into a misguided, butt-scratching bass fisherman who says the evil rich people in our culture should have their private property confiscated because that is fair… well just shake your head walk away—and make sure to vote against his candidate. If he and his type win, God help America.

Article Published at Strange Horizons

2008-09-30T12:21:00.001-07:00

My article From iTunes to the Bookshelves has been published at Strange Horizons. It features Scott Sigler, J.C. Hutchins, and Mur Lafferty. Check it out!

More pictures from the set of Death Dress

2008-09-30T10:44:00.001-07:00

We had a successful weekend of shooting, and nine more script pages are committed to film. It was challenging for me as the scenes varied from the first in the film to the latter pages of the script, so for each scene I had to anchor myself and remember where we were in the story. I'm not sure I pulled it off, and I won't know until I see some dailies or the final cut.

Then, Monday night, I had dress rehearsal for Little Murders, which has come together very quickly. It's amazing what you can do with a cast of professional actors. Half the cast has worked on SAG projects and is represented by agents in either San Diego, L.A., or both. So, I'm the amateur on the block!

In the meantime, here are some production stills from this weekend's shoot.

Researching Bob Barr

2008-09-29T14:20:00.000-07:00

To continue to do the same thing and expect a different result is the definition of insanity.

So the 12 Steppers tell us. So, in that spirit, I've started my research into Libertarian candidate Bob Barr. Here is an introductory video where Barr interacts with the first Presidential debate, of which he was not allowed to participate.

Just searching for a better way, because it seems neither the Dems nor the Repubs have a clue.

An Alternative to the Bail Out

2008-09-24T10:31:00.000-07:00

As I understand it. . . .

Want an alternative to the trillion dollar bail out? Here is what Brian Westbury, Chief Economist of First Trust, thinks about the bail out. DON’T DO IT!

Instead, relax the Mark to Marketing law so the banks can have a real asset upon which to price their bongs, remortgage this subprime crap to current homeowners, foreclose where necessary, or sell a more stable bond in the future. And insure the loans through FHA guidelines to restore confidence and add stability.

Mark to Marketing requires companies to mark their assets to current market value. This prevents companies from pulling an Enron and over inflating the value of their assets (and, hence, their company) so they can inflate stock and make more money.

The difference with these subprime bonds that are crashing the market is that there is a hard asset behind the bonds: houses and property that have real value. When Merrill Lynch sold to Bank of America for 22 cents on the dollar, are we supposed to believe that thousands, maybe millions of homes have lost 78 % of their value? That’s ridiculous. But because there is no Market for subprime bonds (now that there is a stain of death associated with them), those bonds must be marked down to what an investor would purchase it for. But no one wants these things right now. And they shouldn’t.

If Congress would allow a temporary suspension of Mark to Marketing just for subprime bonds, and carefully monitor these companies so they don’t exaggerate their other assets—and they haven’t exactly proven themselves to be honorable—we could stabilize the market and climb out of this hole.

Even with all this junk happening, the GDP grew 3.3 percent last quarter, and is trending toward 2.5 percent growth this quarter. That is amazing, and it shows how strong our economy and workforce is if Congress doesn’t bury us in another trillion dollars in debt.

So, contact your Senator today! Tell them that there are other solutions than a bailout, and they know that, by the way. They just like the power, and they like to make us think they’re saving us. It’s not too late. We can stop this insanity. Oh, and tell your Senator you’ll fire his/her butt if they vote for this. If enough of us do this, real quick like, we prevent some serious debt that will cause real harm to this country in the long haul.

Don't take my word for it. Watch the videos yourself.

Pictures from the Set

2008-09-12T11:51:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pics from the set of Death Dress, the feature film I am currently working on. My first day of shooting went very well. We actually filmed my final scene first, and we spent about 8 hours covering that scene from every possible angle. I hear the footage looks good, so I hope my performace is up to the task. For now, here are the pics.

Oh, and I've also been cast in a dramatic reading of Little Murders, with shows in October. More on that later.

That smarts.

You rang?

I join the staff at Gateworld.net

2008-08-09T11:22:00.000-07:00

If you have listened to Adventures in Scifi Publishing long enough, or if you have read my blog, then you know that I am a Stargate junkie. Now, I am proud to say that I have joined the team of Gateworld.net as a contributing writer.

Gateworld is the nets premiere website for all things Stargate. I’ve been a fan of the site for years, and joining the staff is very exciting. My first article is live in the news section, and it features some of the interviews I conducted at Comic-Con with Stargate SG-1 stars Michael Shanks and Ben Browder.

Please check out the site, and if you are a Stargate fan, make the site part of your internet routine. With weekly updates and the best Stargate interviews online, this is a community that will satisfy all your Stargate cravings!

Comic-Con Pictures

2008-07-27T19:47:00.001-07:00

Here are some images from Comic-Con. See Adventures in Scifi Publishing for the full report.

A Night That Changed My Life

2008-07-17T20:26:00.000-07:00

I was in the audience this evening. It made me want to write, something I had just flirted with before. What a joy to find this.

Mind Meld - Controversial Books

2008-07-16T11:40:00.000-07:00

John at SF Signal asked me to participate in their most recent Mind Meld, answering the question, “Which science fiction or fantasy novels, past and present, do you consider to be the most controversial? Why?” I was honored to be asked. These discussions usually feature the biggest names in the field. This time was no exception. You can read my response alongside essays from Pete Watts, Daniel Abraham, Sarah Beth Durst, Jeff Carlson, Jim Minz, Alan Beatts, Tim Holman, and many others.

I am honored and humbled to be among such talent. I can only hope that my contribution approaches the quality of these fine writers.

Speaking of my contribution, I wrote about Yevgeny Zamyatin’s We, a dystopian novel that inspired Orwell’s 1984 and had tremendous impact on the genre of dystopian SF. Here is the opening paragraph of my essay:

Dystopian literature often tops the list of “banned” or “controversial books,” especially when that list is science fictional in its focus. Brave New World, Fahrenheit 451, and 1984rise to the top quite readily, but there is one little novel that not only predates those fine works, but serves as their predecessor, and perhaps the very originator of SF dystopias (though let us not forget Jack London’s The Iron Heel).

You’ll have to go to the Mind Meld to read the rest. Join the conversation, and have fun!

New Adventures in Scifi Publishing

2008-07-08T20:06:00.000-07:00

A dream that I thought would never happen has come true: Adventures in Scifi Publishing has a new website, and a real website at that. I never thought I'd have the time to create a site that was more than a digital place for show notes, but thanks to my friends at Far Point Media (I love you, Summer!) this pipe dream of mine is now a reality. So, come on over and check it out: podcasts, book reviews, text interviews, videos, live events - it's a vacation for your brain.

Need Feedback: AISFP Postcard

2008-07-04T09:01:00.000-07:00

I am not a graphic designer, so no one will hurt my feelings when they tell me this sucks. Here's the deal. I want to get some postcards printed up for Adventures in Scifi Publishing. I'll pass some out at Comic-Con, and mail them to listeners around the country so they can give them to independent bookstores and conventions.

I'll be launching a new website for AISFP soon, thanks to the wonderful folk at Far Point Media. My vision is to transform AISFP from a podcast supported by shownotes, to a full online experiences where the podcast is still a major feature, but just one available option to explore your love of SFFH literature. The new site will have text interviews, book reviews, videos, news, pictures, and coverage of live events. I want to push the podcast/website this summer and build some momentum.

Now, here is the best I can do in designing a postcard. It's Plain Jane, and I don't know if it's nearly snazzy enough to communicate how cool the new site will be. But I also don't want a postcard that will draw attention to itself without communicating what AISFP is. Then again, this doesn't make any mention of a new website with new features.

Feedback is appreciated. Should I pay someone to design a real postcard for me? My budget for this is quite limited. Thanks, all.

A New Low

2008-07-03T13:52:00.001-07:00

Blame the economy. Blame high gas prices. Blame my wife for forgetting her free coffee from work the last two weeks. Blame that I can walk there in five minutes.

Or just yank my pants down and beat me for my indiscretion.

For two consecutive mornings, I have walked to 7-11 for my coffee. I know! Is this the coffee-snob Shaun that all of you love so much? 'Fraid so. I've been reduced the my most base elements.

With a personal cup, 7-11 is just 99 cents. Compare that to $1.85 at Starbucks, and. . . well. . . I just can't go there. Half price trumps taste for the time being. I'd rather spend that dollar somewhere else. I really have no right to complain about gas if I'm spending $25 a gallon on coffee.

I just hope I don't totally lose my coffee cred. Did I mention that the coffee I bought was flavored? AHH, the agony!

Night Shade Books Free Downloads

2008-07-01T15:23:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite small press publishers is Night Shade Books. They put out some high quality fiction in high quality editions, and they're not afraid to give readers a taste of the goods.

With the upcoming release of Walter Jon Williams's Implied Spaces, Night Shade is offering free downloads of samples of the book as well as Williams's Nebula Award winning novella, The Green Leopard Plague. You can also read an interview with Mr. Williams.

Those aren't the only stories available for download. Make sure you check out Jon Armstrong's Grey. A delightful novel that will have you laughing, wincing, moaning, and laughing again, all in the same sentence!

Currently Reading

2008-06-30T13:33:00.001-07:00

Not necessarily in that order.

Bill Gates and His Legacy

2008-06-27T09:46:00.000-07:00

Bill Gates is stepping down from his leadership role in Microsoft to concentrate full time on charitable work. I think it's wonderful that he is going to use his time and resources this way, but I also want to highlight a few things.

1. I can already hear people saying how great it is that he's "giving back," implying that Gates hasn't lived honorably by building one of the most successful empires of modern America. I think that Gates work in of itself speaks to how much he has "given" to the world. How many thousands of companies have achieved success because of Microsoft tools? How many people have improved the quality of their lives thanks to the personal computer? How many entrepreneurs are working from their bedrooms, frees to live the life of their dreams? Gates very work has made the world a better place, and he deserves to have people pay him money for it. Lots of money.

2. I've heard people in the past suggest that Gates needs to solve the country's problems with his wealth. I've heard that he should personally fund Obama's proposed 10 billion dollar housing allowance that will bail out homeowners in foreclosure, or that he should dump billions into social security so people can retire with dignity (or course, if people didn't have credit card payments, car payments, and loans their whole lives, it would be pretty easy to retire with dignity).

Gates has the right to give his money where he wants, when he wants, and to use his charity as he he sees fit. I'm hearing a lot of talk on the news about raising the taxes on the rich, but we must be careful of that. If we penalize Americans for having success, then we'll have fewer Americans striving for greatness. I'm not sayings the rich shouldn't pay higher taxes, but we must keep in mind the law of unintended consequences.

3. Whether you like Microsoft or not, Bill Gates has done a marvelous job with the company, warts and all, and has already given away more money than most of us can dream of. He will continue to do so, and we should all tip our metaphorical hats in gratitude as we strive to equal his accomplishments.

New England Fights

2008-06-25T14:21:00.000-07:00

I am pleased to welcome the New England Fights! podcast to the Singularity Audio family.

New England Fights! is the Northeast's premier MMA-only podcast bringing you the most complete coverage of the New England fight scene. Tune in each episode for previews, reviews of local cards, interviews with your favorite fighters, and analysis from hosts Matt Peterson and Rick Caldwell.

I am having a blast working with Matt. He is intensly passionate about MMA, and though I know nothing about the sport, his enthusiasm and energy makes it a joy to listen to each show.

New England Fights

2008-06-23T23:17:00.000-07:00

I got another 1,000 words done today and finished some work for my new Singularity Audio client, New England Fights. Hosted by the dynamic Matt Peterson, NEF brings you the passion and intrigue of MMA. I'm having a blast working with Matt, and I think he is a great example to all aspiring podcasters in the passion and preparation he brings to his show.

I also sold a book promo this week, and I'm working on the script while beginning the music search. I found some chilling music on Magnatune that I think will work nicely, but I'll sleep on it first.

4,000 words

2008-06-22T17:13:00.000-07:00

After decrying the pathetic state of my fiction output for the past three months to a friend, I sat down today and pounded out 4,000 words of a rewrite that I've been drafting in my head since April. I had thought about the story so much that my writing was very focused and purposeful. It only took about two hours to get the work done, and it felt good.

I've certainly had plenty of excuses to not write: acting in a play, selling a condo, moving, working nights, raising an infant, launching the redesigned Singularity Audio, making audio promos for authors, podcasting, traveling, getting sick, and so on. But eventually, if you want to writer, you have to say busy be damned and get the writing done. I did that today, so the challenge will be, can I do it again tomorrow?

Death Dress: My First Feature Film

2008-06-22T09:24:00.001-07:00

Hot off the close of Holy Ghosts, I've been cast as a lead in the feature film Death Dress, produced by 3041 Productions. The film is about a police detective and her struggle to hunt down a serial killer while dealing with the challenges of her personal life. And who's playing this serial killer who so effectively gets inside the Detective's head?

Thank you very much.

Needless to say, my wife isn't that thrilled about me portraying a serial killer, and my final scene in the movie does involve a bone saw. . . No, it's not as greusome at it sounds. All of the violence happens off camera, and the film would most likely get a PG-13 rating.

Shooting is set to begin in late August and wrap by the end of the year. It will be some time before I have footage to share, but the director knows what he's doing, and this film will get done in a timely and effecient manner. Having acted in a number of films that die before the final edit is ever complete, I am very comforted by his professionalism and dedication.

More to come as filming progresses.

Pictures From Home

2008-06-18T20:56:00.000-07:00

I'm back to the blog after a few weeks in Sacramento. All of us got sick on the trip, starting with our one year old, but as the pictures in this post show, he healed up nicely.

I sent out a blitz of emails during the trip announcing the new Singularity Audio. Responses were very positive over all, and it looks like I picked up a couple of projects already.

We spent time with all of our family, but it was especially nice to see my brother and sister-in-law, who are back in the states for awhile after a 6-month stay in India. Why is my wife cupping my breast in this picture? Hmm. . . . Funny thing is, I didn't even realize she was doing that. Are my breasts numb?

Of course we had the obligatory chocolate cake for the first birthday. Connor wasn't sure if he should eat that strange looking sponge or stab it to death with his finger. He ultimately settled on a strategy that combined the two practices, but leaned heavily on the "must kill" tendency. What can I say, he's not much for sweets.

Other highlights included time with friends I haven't seen for years. Shout out to Brandin and Anthony, both of whom continue to humor my idiosyncratic behavior to this day. And I spent many a night loitering by the fire pit until my eyelids watered with the sting of Duraflames's flesh eating fumes and my lungs bled internally, pooling into my stomach. It was wonderful. The Maker's Mark made it all better.

Now it's back to writing, acting, podcasting, and perhaps a job search. Some cool stuff is happening, but more on professional developments later. For now, here are some pictures from home.

Had to get him his own phone so he'd leave mine alone, already!

Holy Ghosts Closes

2008-05-28T10:36:00.000-07:00

The final curtain has closed on Holy Ghosts. Thanks to everyone who came and wished me well. The show was a smashing success, if I do say so myself. We were featured in just about every major print market in San Diego: The Union Tribune, The San Diego Reader, City Beat, San Diego Theatre Scene, and sandiego.com.

We left them wanting more. With so much publicity and good word of mouth spreading throughout the theater community, there were lots of people asking for the show to be extended. We might have done just that if the venue wasn't already rented out to another group. But you should always leaving them wanting more. . .

I think the cast wanted more, too. We were having so much with this show, and we had really hit our stride that final weekend.

And, while dealing with all the emotion this is the closing of a show, my wife and I moved! We're still in San Diego, and still unpacking boxes, but I'm glad for that weekend to be behind me.

More Holy Ghosts Reviews

2008-05-23T23:04:00.001-07:00

We are moving tomorrow morning, but I wanted to squeeze in this next review of the play I am in - Holy Ghosts, written by Romulus Linney.

Pat Launer wrote a glowing and poignant review for San Diego Theatre Scene. She really connected with the material, and that makes all the hard work in rehearsals worthwhile.

Regarding my performance, Pat says

Every parishioner has a story; one of the most memorable comes from Carl, who’s obsessed with his beloved bird-dog. His long monologue of loss and devotion is expertly handled by Shaun Farrell.

Just two more shows to go. Now, excuse me. I have to keep packing.

Pictures of the New Place

2008-05-19T10:40:00.000-07:00

So far, so good. Here are some pics of our new digs.

The front door.

The patio.

The street that leads into the complex. Look at all the trees! What a sight after five years in the concrete jungle.

And a gym, to boot.

When Snake-Handlers Are Convinced

2008-05-18T09:04:00.000-07:00

This weekend's shows of Holy Ghosts went well. We learned on Saturday that some genuine snaking-handling Christians came to the Friday night show to see if we were mocking them. They called us on Saturday to say that they really enjoyed the show, and they appreciated how much respect we paid to them and their experience.

I think this is one of the grandest compliments we can receive as a cast. To convince people who really do this stuff - that's impressive.

As actors, we have to play material like this straight up. We can't be judgemental, no matter our prejudices or personal views, and we have to connect with the people who would put themselves through the circumstances we're portraying. We've worked hard to be sincere, to portray these people in all their beauty and loneliness. I think we're doing it.

Now, some pics of the cast getting ready for the show, and the stage in need of some players.