Tag: Thoughts and Reflections

B is for Space Battles

If you fell in love with science fiction when you were twelve, chances were it was because of the awesome space battles.  That was certainly the case with me.  When I saw Star Wars for the first time, I spent hours running around the house pretending I was flying my own starfighter.  In some ways,… Continue reading B is for Space Battles

A is for Aliens

Alien races–what would science fiction be without them?  They’re as fundamental to the genre as elves and dwarves are to fantasy.  If you’re reading a book and an alien being from another planet shows up on the page, that in itself is usually enough to make the story science fiction. My first exposure to aliens… Continue reading A is for Aliens

Trope Tuesday: Fridge Logic, Fridge Horror, and Fridge Brilliance

You know that moment after the end of the show, when the credits are rolling and the glory of that crowning moment of awesome is just beginning to fade?  When you go to the fridge to get something to eat, and all of a sudden that gaping plot hole or internal consistency problem with the… Continue reading Trope Tuesday: Fridge Logic, Fridge Horror, and Fridge Brilliance

Why I am not afraid of the Noise part III

These days, it seems as if everyone is terrified by the fact that anyone can publish a book.  Indies, self-published writers, authors with traditional book contracts–it doesn’t matter.  Everyone is mortified by the sheer volume of crap books coming out nowadays, as if Sturgeon’s Law is a new thing.  The assumption is that all this… Continue reading Why I am not afraid of the Noise part III

Thoughts on Twitter

Oh man, I used to hate Twitter so much.  It’s amusing (and a little bit embarrassing) to look back on some old threads on the Kindle Boards and see how snippy I would get with everyone who raved about it.  I guess it’s just my contrarian nature. Well, in the last month or so, my… Continue reading Thoughts on Twitter

A not-so-obligatory New Year’s resolution

First of all, happy New Years!  I hope you’re all looking forward to 2013 as much as I am.  Last year was full of awesome life-changing experiences, but I have a feeling that this one is going to be even better. So after chatting about resolutions with some old friends, I’ve decided that a good… Continue reading A not-so-obligatory New Year’s resolution

A Letter From My 2013 Self

So shortly after writing up my last blog post, I got an email from myself marked December 27, 2013.  How freaky is that?I don’t know if it’s a glitch or a feature, but apparently in 2013, you can use gmail to send messages back in time. In any case, the letter is pretty interesting, so… Continue reading A Letter From My 2013 Self

A Letter To My 2011 Self

Dear Joe, Well, 2011 has been an eventful year, hasn’t it? It sure didn’t feel like it when you were down in the trenches, but now that it’s over, you’ve got to admit, you sure came a long way. You’ve discovered a lot of things about yourself since January. In your quest for economic security,… Continue reading A Letter To My 2011 Self

Some thoughts on internet access, self-discipline, and productivity

As many of you probably know, for the past four months I’ve been living in a small Georgian village in the foothills of the Caucasus Mountains.  It isn’t as remote as some places in this country (like Tusheti, where some people still practice pagan animal sacrifices), but my internet access has been limited, especially compared… Continue reading Some thoughts on internet access, self-discipline, and productivity