The Primate Paradox: An Analytical Thought
When you look at the passage in the image below, I want you to think of one thing: this is a primate (Robert Anton Wilson) writing about the philosophical limitations of primate logic; in doing so, however, the primate has proven that what is written is, in fact, demonstrating a different limitation of primate logic–that […]
Fascism (or How You Can Spot Fascist Thinking in Book Bannings)
You’d be hard-pressed to get me to argue my way out of this one; I’m using “fascism” to elicit an emotional response from you, my readers. A little pathos does us all a little good. But I have a reason. Throughout our short history (speaking of America) we have been remarkably vocal against any sort […]
Amazon (Retailer) vs. Macmillan (Publisher): Epic Battle or Silly Mistake? (Update)
(Some new links and stuff have been added on the bottom.) The short version: Amazon pulled all of Macmillan’s titles (print and otherwise) from their website due, apparently, to the publisher’s desire to raise ebook prices. Speculation says this is because Amazon wants people to buy the Kindle, making higher prices for ebooks bad news […]
The New Zombie Paradigm?
One of my old TAs from the University of California, Santa Cruz had this interesting thing to say about zombies: When we’re as sick of zombies as they are of being alive, when the total overextension of the metaphor shades all things blankly and uniformly under the prospect of undeadness, a fantasy bright spark I’ve […]
Dear Authors: Please Don’t Stand Up For What’s Right (Make Profit Instead)
There’s been a lot of talk about whitewashing covers lately. I haven’t brought it up here yet because I didn’t think there was much else to say that hadn’t already been said elsewhere, and to greater effect. Then someone wrote the following: But there was one response from people who were justifiably angry that I […]
RIP: J. D. Salinger
I know he wasn’t a science fiction or fantasy author, but J. D. Salinger, author of the controversial and classic Catcher in the Rye passed away yesterday. His death was apparently due to natural causes (which is a fancy way of saying “died of old age”). There’s a lot more at the link that might […]