On the SFWA Bulletin Petition Thing Nonsense

(Note:  I’ve listed links to other posts on this topic at the end.) I won’t have anything extensive to say on this “anti-political-correctness” petition thing.  That’s mostly because Radish Reviews has pretty well covered it… That said, there are a few things I’ll address: 1) I’m utterly baffled by the difficulty certain members of this community […]

Moderating the Community and the Cost of Respect

In a recent blog post, Alastair Reynolds took on what he perceives to be the instantaneous vitriol that peppers (or, perhaps, consumes) the SF/F community on a regular basis.  Hence the title:  “Does it have to be this way?”  It’s essentially an argument for moderation by way of a questioning of the current state of […]

Gender Essentialism, Genre, and Me

I’m late to the party.  The first major SF/F controversy party.  And while this post won’t be about Kemp’s argument specifically, it does come out of the discussions about his post — most particularly the criticisms.[1] Part of the problem I have with traditional gender roles is the way they assume what manhood (or womanhood) […]

A Plea for Universal Free Wireless (in airports, at least)

I am currently sitting in Houston’s magnificent airport after leg two of my four-leg flight to Sacramento.  The things I do for family… Anyway.  A few hours before, I was in Tampa, FL, whose airport not only has a pretty impressive view of the skyscrapers in a gorgeous dawning sun (I have a picture that […]