Archive for October, 2008
Prodigies vs. Late Bloomers
Wednesday, October 22nd, 2008A great article in the New Yorker called "Late Bloomers" concerning artistic genius. Genius, in the popular conception, is inextricably tied up with precocity—doing something truly creative, we’re inclined to think, requires the freshness and exuberance and energy of youth. Orson Welles made his masterpiece, “Citizen Kane,” at twenty-five. Herman ...
“Pump Six” on StarShipSofa
Wednesday, October 22nd, 2008If you're looking for some free Bacigalupian (love that word) audio, you can hear an excerpt of "Pump Six" from StarShipSofa on mp3. It starts around minute 34 in the podcast. Lots of other fun stuff in the podcast as well. Check it out.
hedge funder, marijuana, crazy profits and good government
Tuesday, October 21st, 2008Great letter from a hedge fund manager who is quitting. This is what he sent out to his clients. http://images.nymag.com/images/2/daily/2008/10/20081017_lahde.pdf I always fantasized about getting absurdly rich and then walking away, but I always figured I'd die early, while I was still in the getting-absurdly-rich-and-also-miserable phase. It's interesting too that he ...
How to celebrate?
Sunday, October 19th, 2008Now that I've gotten over the killer cold that felled me immediately after I finished work on THE WINDUP GIRL, I'm trying to figure out how I'm supposed to celebrate the fact that, for the first time in a couple years, I don't have a looming project. I kept ...
anecdotal evidence of economic meltdown
Saturday, October 18th, 2008Living in the middle of nowhere, it sometimes feels like we're insulated from larger national events. Housing values in our part of Colorado have actually remained fairly stable, etc. But I've just heard about a couple of friends, one a software developer at a major software company who has ...
Yeah, the GOP blows…
Thursday, October 16th, 2008... but it doesn't reflect well on a America as whole, either. Because even if this GOP group is getting dinged for putting it out publicly, it means there's a whole ecosystem of low-life Americans gleefully generating this stuff and passing it around, winking and flashing their hate signs just below ...
writing music
Wednesday, October 15th, 2008Okay, everyone made fun of me when they heard that I was listening to Nickelback. I make no claims of having good taste. As I was finishing up THE WINDUP GIRL my soundtrack largely consisted of: Sean Paul Avril Lavigne Daddy Yankee Nelly Paul Wall The Blackeyed Peas Fergie David Guetta What do you listen to when you write? ...
mass turkey carnage…
Tuesday, October 14th, 2008And no, Thanksgiving didn't arrive early. I got this email from a friend who lives nearby: "We had mass carnage at the turkey farm yesterday...Dave and I went out early in the morning to walk the dog and feed the turkeys and found a gruesome scene. Something got into ...
The Republican descent into fundamentalism
Tuesday, October 14th, 2008Buckley's son is hunted out of the National Review for the heresy of endorsing Obama. I like how Republicans deal with dissent. All or nothing. And if you respectfully disagree... WALK THE PLANK!
