Thursday, June 30, 2005

Cleaning off the Desk

There's really something rather ... odd about being out of the comm loop for even five days. "Soothing" isn't quite right, but -- something like it. Hmm.

Anyway, thanks to all for the continued comments and letters -- my apologies for not getting back to you with my usual alacrity, but I assure you I'll be trowelling through the comments and gmail updates all throughout the weekend. And I think if I give the "Syllabus of sci-fi" post the full week, I'll never be able to wade through it. I'll post the results after the long weekend.

Welcome, all you WIRED folk, hope you enjoyed the GF Updates and Index-fu. I thought the article was rather well-balanced. We'll see how things progress. Also, welcome TELEVISION WITHOUT PITY humans, my usual stomping grounds for a.) LOST spoilers and b.) keeping up with CSI without actually having to watch it. The recaps are infinitely more entertaining than the show itself.

Yes, I am aware of the first print article. Thanks for the heads-up.

Once I'm caught up with work, there will be another post or two next week about the writing life, answering your fevered little questions, and the beginning of an essay-maybe-eventually-a-book on a subject I've roughed out here far, far earlier -- the idea of 4th Generation Media. I was feverishly annotating my copy of The Sling and the Stone on the flight home, and I think I've finally crystallized my ideas enough to contribute in some concrete manner.

And one final thing -- it was a real pleasure to be back in Canada for the day they legalized gay marriage, but now, to see Spain do the same ...

I'm sorry, let me repeat that for emphasis: the home of the Inquisition is cool with gay marriage.

As we say here at Kung Fu Monkey: "Everybody who wants to live in the 21st Century over here. Everybody who wants to live in the 1800's over there. Good, thanks. Good luck with that."

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Wow....Go Spain.

Truly, I cannot think of anymore words to sum up my surprise and praise than that right now. O.o

david golbitz said...

Yeah, isn't that cool? I was stunned when I heard that news. Go Spain.

America is truly becoming a bit ass-backwards, I think.

Karl said...

Nebraska's anti gay marriage law was overturned but the overturn is also still in appeals process.
All sins are created equal.
If the sin of a man marrying another man, or a woman marrying another woman invalidates a marriage. Then, all other sins, being equal, should be used to legally strip away any marriage of those who sin.

And therefore, no marriage at all.

Now there's a domino theory.

Anonymous said...

John, I just wanted to leave a note that I saw Global Frequency, and it was *great*. I love Warren Ellis, and I loved the Global Frequency graphic novel, which I own.

I know how hard it can be to adapt comic books for the big screen (see Hulk). You guys really did justice to a rather abstract concept. It is a shame, a damnable shame that Warner's didn't see fit to even grant a trial 6 episodes. They gave 6 episodes to Birds of Prey, for the love of all that's holy! But anger will not serve the cause. John, if you can get this released through DVD, I will make sure I buy one and that 3 of my friends buy one. Not great, but I figure one sale at a time, eh?

Fight the good fight. This deserves it.

Sincerely,

Jean-Paul Cardier

Anonymous said...

Can you tease us a little bit about what "4th Generation Media" even means. What's the concept in a sentence or two? I work for an Internet video company and I'm intrigued on the title alone. T'anks!

Alex Epstein said...

On "The Sling and the Stone" -- I forget who pointed out that America should hardly have been surprised at the guerrilla capabilities of the Iraqis because we have been fighting guerrillas constantly, not just in Vietnam, but the Moro Insurgency in the Philippines, the Native American wars, the French and Indian War, our War of Independence, cross border raids from Mexico ... basically, every generation we've fought guerrillas and they always surprise us.

Unknown said...

Kind of the point of it -- although S&S is more about the evolution and codification of insurgency warfare over the last century -- and its subsequency rise in primacy of warfare.

Anonymous said...

The irony seems particularly choice when it comes to guerrilla warfare and American history: There could not be American history at all without guerrilla warfare.

Dwight in Ottawa