Archive

  • To Colonize the Red Planet

    “I am going to colonize Mars!” “Why would you want to do that?” “Because it’s there!” “Yes, it is there. It’s very, very far over there.” I don’t think we’ll ever colonize Mars. And being a stick-in-the-mud, I also feel the need to ask the question: Why? We already have a perfectly habitable planet right… Read more

  • So Many Words, So Little Time

    A part of being a writer is having ideas. Some of us have one, maybe two, really good stories in us our whole lives, and the challenge is to shape that story into something as close to perfect as possible. Others of us, myself included, have what feel like too many stories. We need to… Read more

  • Just

    What’s a word or phrase that annoys you? There are quite a few words that irk me. I’m something of an expert on getting annoyed. But to keep things mercifully short and brief, I’ll focus on just one today. And that’s the word. “Just.” It has been reduced to such a dismissive word. With it,… Read more

  • An Overrated Classic?

    What’s a classic book that you think is overrated? Moby-Dick. It feels odd to call a classic novel overrated. Classics have earned their reputation. They remain such because they speak out across generations. They aren’t a flash in the pan. There’s a reason ancient stories like The Iliad and the tale of King Arthur are… Read more

  • Those Midweek Blues

    How about those midweek blues? We all know Monday, but this is something else. Week’s half done, but eyes down, soul depressed. Where’d that come from? What to do? Got to buck up, chin up, pull yourself together. Have to knuckle down and push on through. Grit your teeth and gird yourself and Push through… Read more

  • No, A.I. Robots Don’t Herald the End of the Human Race.

    Are we all going to be replaced by robots? When discussing the possibility of a dystopian future where humans are subject to synthetic overlords, we have to remember something about robots and A.I.: They are dumb. Really, really dumb. The question is rather broad. Will humanity in general be replaced by robots? Or perhaps all… Read more