Cover art for The Windup Girl
July 3rd, 2009I’m blown away by the cover art that’s come in for The Windup Girl. Hats off to Night Shade Books, and Raphael Lacoste, the artist.
Can’t wait for the September release.
EcoGeek Interview crops up on io9
April 7th, 2009I give an interview over at EcoGeek.org where I display all of my tact and verbal discipline (LOL) to talk about green technologies and my jaundiced views of the future. A sample bit:
As environmental ideas have entered the zeigeist, mostly thanks to global warming–and still mostly focused on that issue–plenty of technology companies are lining up to tell us how they’re helping green/save/clean the environment. Advertising agencies and PR firms are delighted to sell us any number of “green” gizmos and they’re throwing in some nice self-esteem blowjobs for all of us, using their persuasive talents to assure us that we’re enlightened and forward thinking because we just stuffed a green X into our Prius.
But green blowjobs aren’t really my gig…
There’s more in that line, so if you’re interested, check it out. But the other interesting thing to check out is that the interview got reposted over at io9, where it seems to have generated a roaring discussion.
I’m interested in the rage that the interview inspires in a lot of the readers. Big emotions around the ideas of population control, technology, and consumption. My personal favorite quote from a reader so far:
“Hey Paolo, Fuck you!”
Normally I have to write something like “Yellow Card Man” to get that response.
Nominated for the Hugo
March 20th, 2009I’ve just been nominated for the Hugo Award for my novelette “The Gambler.”
I want to thank everyone who voted for the story, and also Lou Anders over at Pyr Books who leaned on me to sit down and write the thing when I wasn’t sure I had a story in me.
So again, thanks, and congratulations to all the other nominees. It’s an honor not only to be nominated, but to find myself in such good company.
Reading Tonight in Minneapolis
February 7th, 2009Just a quick reminder that I’ll be reading and signing 6:30 tonight at Dreamhaven Books in Minneapolis. If you’re in the area, come on by. Should be fun.
Minneapolis Reading (SOON!)
January 27th, 2009On Saturday, February 7th at 6:30pm, (that’s just a week and a half away), I’ll be doing a reading and book signing at DreamHaven Books in Minneapolis. I give pretty good read, so it should be a fun time.
Here’s the location info on DreamHaven Books, taken from their website:
The store is located in south Minneapolis, on East 38th Street, between Cedar Avenue and Hiawatha (Hwy 55).
We have free store parking in back of the building (you can enter from E 38th St).
The 22G, 22H, 14B, and 23 buses run by the store. There is also a Light Rail stop 7 blocks away on E 38th St & Hiawatha Ave. You can use the Metro Transit Trip Planner to to find a connecting bus route from your area.
ADDRESS:
DreamHaven Books & Comics
2301 E 38th Street
Minneapolis, MN 55406-3015
USA
Mercury mercury everywhere.
January 27th, 2009Mercury found in high fructose corn syrup. Which is found in basically every packaged product in the grocery store.
Just another example of what happens when you treat your food like an industrial supply chain.
Thailand and novelists and jail sentences
January 19th, 2009Interesting bit from the Land of Smiles. The Thais revere their royalty, and back it up with serious punishments. It highlights an interesting conflict between local values and identity vs. liberal democratic values such as free speech.
The realistic perspective is to observe that when you enter a country, you adhere to its values. Simple as that. But I also think that a country benefits from honest discussion–and particularly, honest political discussion–and have to think that aggressive laws like this ultimately hurt a society more than help it.
A little more on the topic, from The Economist.
OH NOOOES, Little Debbie maybe makey barfey
January 19th, 2009http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28695782/
Yet another window into the industrial manufacturing system we call “food.”
THE WINDUP GIRL…
January 7th, 2009…has sold to Nightshade Books. It happened while we were in India, and I am very pleased. As I mentioned in an earlier post, this story is set in the same world as “Yellow Card Man.” More on this later, but I thought I should at least mention it.
Back from India
December 29th, 2008I’m going through the photos of the trip, mostly wedding photos and family stuff, but this was a funny moment in Ranchi. We got shaken down by an elephant on the outskirts of the city.
Through the windshield:
Looking over the roof of the SUV:
He blocked the SUV, and wouldn’t let us pass until we handed rupees to his elephant.
