Rocket science
The book I mentioned in the last post is tentatively titled Helios and returns Andy Fisher to the scene.
You remember Andy Fisher - FBI agent, iconoclast, coffee drinker.
And chain smoker.
Helios involves an orbiting solar power harvesting satellite, murder, and a good amount of caffeine. It's a fun book, though it's been a bitch and a half to write for a number of reasons.
Fun? Can thrillers be fun?
One of my partners used to object to anything that lightened the tone in thrillers, saying there has to be huge "gravitas" in every thriller. Which isn't necessarily a bad strategy. I just think you can get gravitas and still have fun.
North Korean math
I happened to be doing some research the other day for one of my new books when I came across estimates of how much money it costs North Korea to launch its largest rockets.
The numbers being thrown around were in the area of $500 million. Estimating costs of any rocket program is fraught with difficulty, and estimating anything involving North Korea is impossible. But given that an Atlas V launch costs in the area of $120 million* (or at least that's the ballpark of what a customer is charged), the North Korean estimate may not be that far off.
To put that number in perspective, at $70 per barrel, the country would spend about $525 million a year on oil. North Korea's GDP, according to the CIA's guesstimate, is in the area of $40 billion a year, and is estimated to be shrinking at 2.3 percent a year.
Maybe we should encourage Kim to launch more rockets.
* The usual caveats apply.
I happened to be doing some research the other day for one of my new books when I came across estimates of how much money it costs North Korea to launch its largest rockets.
The numbers being thrown around were in the area of $500 million. Estimating costs of any rocket program is fraught with difficulty, and estimating anything involving North Korea is impossible. But given that an Atlas V launch costs in the area of $120 million* (or at least that's the ballpark of what a customer is charged), the North Korean estimate may not be that far off.
To put that number in perspective, at $70 per barrel, the country would spend about $525 million a year on oil. North Korea's GDP, according to the CIA's guesstimate, is in the area of $40 billion a year, and is estimated to be shrinking at 2.3 percent a year.
Maybe we should encourage Kim to launch more rockets.
* The usual caveats apply.
Where was Mickey?
Man convicted of groping Minnie Mouse(AP) – ORLANDO, Fla. — A 60-year-old man has been convicted of groping a woman in a Minnie Mouse costume at Walt Disney World.
John William Moyer of Cressona, Pa., told the judge he is innocent. His son said before sentencing that his father would never inappropriately touch a woman.
A mouse, apparently, is a different story.
Rock it tonight
Besides being a cool use of Legos, this video is the focus of a mini-controversy over copyright. Basically, the Lego company won't let Spinal Tap include the video on a concert DVD, since the Lego pieces are protected by copyright. The company's position is utterly logical and even sensible - they weren't turned on by the obscentiy associated with the Spinal Tap concert footage, which they see as a commercial use - and certainly within their rights, though the stories have a prejudice against it, as do most media stories about copyright these days. (By contrast, Lego has taken no action against the original video, since they don't see it as a commercial use.)
Here's one story in the Times.
Besides being a cool use of Legos, this video is the focus of a mini-controversy over copyright. Basically, the Lego company won't let Spinal Tap include the video on a concert DVD, since the Lego pieces are protected by copyright. The company's position is utterly logical and even sensible - they weren't turned on by the obscentiy associated with the Spinal Tap concert footage, which they see as a commercial use - and certainly within their rights, though the stories have a prejudice against it, as do most media stories about copyright these days. (By contrast, Lego has taken no action against the original video, since they don't see it as a commercial use.)
Here's one story in the Times.
Health care (ill) logic
I hadn't realized how successful Medicare was until I ran into a protester who harangued me about the need to keep the government's hands off of the program.*
Which, ya know, isn't a bad idea, except that uh, like duh, isn't Medicare a federal program?
Can't be - it works too well.
What made our exchange even funnier, if not surreal, was the fact that he was protesting in front of the post office, where I'd gone to send a package because a) it was ten bucks cheaper and b) would arrive at its destination at least an hour earlier than UPS.
All of which was too much a metaphor for the entire health care debate for me to ignore. Even if it was a cliche.
I personally have decent medical insurance. It has a very high copay and a series of hoops that are a pia but manageable once you know the system and can play by the rules. We pay a fortune for it, but we're lucky, because if we lived in most other states or had had the misfortune to let our coverage lapse for some reason, we wouldn't be able to get a plan at all.
The thing that I don't understand, though, is that if this insurance was bought through a large company, rather than my own, it would cost significantly less - same insurance, same people, same hoops, just maybe half as outrageously expensive. (It would still be more than I made the first year I started writing full-time. And the next year. And I think maybe the year after that . . .)
I have only a rough idea of what the current congressional plans are. (God forbid newspapers did some real reporting. Even the Internet is of limited value on this, with opinion drowning out the facts.) But I do know that the current system is unfair for many people, and ridiculously expensive for all. Small businesses and their employees are screwed under the present system. No amount of rhetoric from the insurance companies or either political party can obscure the reality of the price tag small businesses face when trying to do right by their employees.
The real problem, of course, is the high cost of everything involved with health care, from doctor visits to drugs to surgery to insurance. From what I can tell, none of the congressional plans are really going to fix those. But they're also not going to make things any worse than they already are.
Bottom line: If UPS can deal with competition, so can the insurance companies. I say, bring it on.
* He also had some funny ideas about Nancy Pelosi, and some funnier jokes, but those are best shared at the bar. . .
I hadn't realized how successful Medicare was until I ran into a protester who harangued me about the need to keep the government's hands off of the program.*
Which, ya know, isn't a bad idea, except that uh, like duh, isn't Medicare a federal program?
Can't be - it works too well.
What made our exchange even funnier, if not surreal, was the fact that he was protesting in front of the post office, where I'd gone to send a package because a) it was ten bucks cheaper and b) would arrive at its destination at least an hour earlier than UPS.
All of which was too much a metaphor for the entire health care debate for me to ignore. Even if it was a cliche.
I personally have decent medical insurance. It has a very high copay and a series of hoops that are a pia but manageable once you know the system and can play by the rules. We pay a fortune for it, but we're lucky, because if we lived in most other states or had had the misfortune to let our coverage lapse for some reason, we wouldn't be able to get a plan at all.
The thing that I don't understand, though, is that if this insurance was bought through a large company, rather than my own, it would cost significantly less - same insurance, same people, same hoops, just maybe half as outrageously expensive. (It would still be more than I made the first year I started writing full-time. And the next year. And I think maybe the year after that . . .)
I have only a rough idea of what the current congressional plans are. (God forbid newspapers did some real reporting. Even the Internet is of limited value on this, with opinion drowning out the facts.) But I do know that the current system is unfair for many people, and ridiculously expensive for all. Small businesses and their employees are screwed under the present system. No amount of rhetoric from the insurance companies or either political party can obscure the reality of the price tag small businesses face when trying to do right by their employees.
The real problem, of course, is the high cost of everything involved with health care, from doctor visits to drugs to surgery to insurance. From what I can tell, none of the congressional plans are really going to fix those. But they're also not going to make things any worse than they already are.
Bottom line: If UPS can deal with competition, so can the insurance companies. I say, bring it on.
* He also had some funny ideas about Nancy Pelosi, and some funnier jokes, but those are best shared at the bar. . .
The reality of (non) health insurance
Wendell Potter, until recently a health insurance executive, is speaking . . .
Wendell Potter, until recently a health insurance executive, is speaking . . .
I borrowed my dad's car and drove up 50 miles up the road to Wise, Virginia. It was being held at a Wise County Fairground. I took my camera. I took some pictures. It was a very cloudy, misty day, it was raining that day, and I walked through the fairground gates. And I didn't know what to expect. I just assumed that it would be, you know, like a health-- booths set up and people just getting their blood pressure checked and things like that.But what I saw were doctors who were set up to provide care in animal stalls. Or they'd erected tents, to care for people. I mean, there was no privacy. In some cases-- and I've got some pictures of people being treated on gurneys, on rain-soaked pavement.
And I saw people lined up, standing in line or sitting in these long, long lines, waiting to get care. People drove from South Carolina and Georgia and Kentucky, Tennessee - all over the region, because they knew that this was being done. A lot of them heard about it from word of mouth.
There could have been people and probably were people that I had grown up with. They could have been people who grew up at the house down the road, in the house down the road from me. And that made it real to me.. . .
WENDELL POTTER: It was absolutely stunning. It was like being hit by lightning. It was almost - what country am I in? I just it just didn't seem to be a possibility that I was in the United States. It was like a lightning bolt had hit me.
Potter helped run the industry's disinformation campaign. The entire interview here.
Dis-incentives
Jersey Johnny was at the bar the other night, singing the blues.
"So I decided I'd maybe go legit," he told the bartender. "Took the books for some of my business, you know? I went in to see an accountant. Told him I wanted to file some back taxes."
"How far back?"
"Back. 2001, 02, back."
"That far?" asked the bartender.
"I figure the '90s are past history."
"Right."
"So I start laying some things out, and he grabs a pen and paper," says Johnny. "I figure he's estimating what I owe."
"Not happening, huh?"
"He slips the paper around to me. You know what it says?"
"Pay cash?"
"No. That I figured. It says, 'Feds watching me. Don't say nothing'. Imagine that?"
"Wow."
"Feds watching accountants. Sheesh. Well I got the hell out of there."
"Who can blame you?"
"That's what I get for thinking of going legit." Johnny shook his head. "Back taxes . . . "
"Another drink?"
"Make it a double."
Jersey Johnny was at the bar the other night, singing the blues.
"So I decided I'd maybe go legit," he told the bartender. "Took the books for some of my business, you know? I went in to see an accountant. Told him I wanted to file some back taxes."
"How far back?"
"Back. 2001, 02, back."
"That far?" asked the bartender.
"I figure the '90s are past history."
"Right."
"So I start laying some things out, and he grabs a pen and paper," says Johnny. "I figure he's estimating what I owe."
"Not happening, huh?"
"He slips the paper around to me. You know what it says?"
"Pay cash?"
"No. That I figured. It says, 'Feds watching me. Don't say nothing'. Imagine that?"
"Wow."
"Feds watching accountants. Sheesh. Well I got the hell out of there."
"Who can blame you?"
"That's what I get for thinking of going legit." Johnny shook his head. "Back taxes . . . "
"Another drink?"
"Make it a double."
They're ain't no sense there
I laugh when I read stories by analysts trying to puzzle out what Kim, et al, were trying to accomplish or thought they accomplished or did accomplish by having Hilary's squeeze smile for pictures the other day.
You're trying to interpret a dust storm, boys. Crazy people don't make sense, except to themselves. Even if they have guns, or in this case, nuclear weapons.
But hey, it gives me another chance to plug the book. Now in hardcover; out in softcover in a few weeks.
Colton Read
Odds are you've never heard of Colton Read. There's no reason you should have. Until a few weeks ago, he was just another air force grunt, working anonymously like thousands of other men and women to protect our country.
Then he had the misfortune to need gallbladder surgery.
You can read the rest of the unfortunate story here. The key points: after a botched surgery, he lost his legs. The Air Force indicated he was going to be separated from the service, complicating his treatment as well as his future.
This week, there's word that he may be going to San Antonio's Center for the Intrepid, a world-class rehab center. That's a great start.
Even better would be promising Airman Read a chance at keeping a job when he's done with rehab. He won't get his legs back, but there are plenty of jobs he can do in the Air Force. He doesn't need sympathy, or even a hand up - all he needs is a fair chance to prove himself.
You can follow his story in more detail at his website: http://www.coltonread.com/index.html
Odds are you've never heard of Colton Read. There's no reason you should have. Until a few weeks ago, he was just another air force grunt, working anonymously like thousands of other men and women to protect our country.
Then he had the misfortune to need gallbladder surgery.
You can read the rest of the unfortunate story here. The key points: after a botched surgery, he lost his legs. The Air Force indicated he was going to be separated from the service, complicating his treatment as well as his future.
This week, there's word that he may be going to San Antonio's Center for the Intrepid, a world-class rehab center. That's a great start.
Even better would be promising Airman Read a chance at keeping a job when he's done with rehab. He won't get his legs back, but there are plenty of jobs he can do in the Air Force. He doesn't need sympathy, or even a hand up - all he needs is a fair chance to prove himself.
You can follow his story in more detail at his website: http://www.coltonread.com/index.html
Publisher math
Me: I'm getting the copy edit first thing Tuesday?
Editor: First thing.
Me: That means it'll be there when I get up and am ready to work?*
Editor: First thing.
Me: Overnight?
Editor: Overnight.
Me: Overnight Express, or Supersaver?
Editor: (mumbles) Supersaver.
Me: Which means 10:30. If the UPS route isn't screwed up.
Editor: Whatever.
Me: And you need it back when?
Editor: This Monday.
Me: Monday?
Editor: That's a whole week. Seven days.
Me: Seven? I get it Tuesday. I have to finish it Friday by about five. Unless I send it by mail. Then I have until Saturday.
Editor: UPS. I need it first thing Monday.
Me: First thing.
Editor: I get in at 8, and I need it on my desk.
Me: Eight is first thing?
Editor:That's right.
Me: For you, not for me.
Editor: It doesn't matter to me when you start working.
Me: So you're giving me two and a half days to do this -
Editor: Two and a half?
Me: I told you last month, the one day this month I won't be here is Wednesday. You said you'd make a note of that.
Editor: I did.
Me: Two and a half days to go through a copy edit is not a lot of time.
Editor: What two and a half days? You have all the way until Monday.
Me: First thing.
Editor: First thing.
* A lot earlier than you think. A whole lot earlier than 10:30 a.m.
Me: I'm getting the copy edit first thing Tuesday?
Editor: First thing.
Me: That means it'll be there when I get up and am ready to work?*
Editor: First thing.
Me: Overnight?
Editor: Overnight.
Me: Overnight Express, or Supersaver?
Editor: (mumbles) Supersaver.
Me: Which means 10:30. If the UPS route isn't screwed up.
Editor: Whatever.
Me: And you need it back when?
Editor: This Monday.
Me: Monday?
Editor: That's a whole week. Seven days.
Me: Seven? I get it Tuesday. I have to finish it Friday by about five. Unless I send it by mail. Then I have until Saturday.
Editor: UPS. I need it first thing Monday.
Me: First thing.
Editor: I get in at 8, and I need it on my desk.
Me: Eight is first thing?
Editor:That's right.
Me: For you, not for me.
Editor: It doesn't matter to me when you start working.
Me: So you're giving me two and a half days to do this -
Editor: Two and a half?
Me: I told you last month, the one day this month I won't be here is Wednesday. You said you'd make a note of that.
Editor: I did.
Me: Two and a half days to go through a copy edit is not a lot of time.
Editor: What two and a half days? You have all the way until Monday.
Me: First thing.
Editor: First thing.
* A lot earlier than you think. A whole lot earlier than 10:30 a.m.
No duh . . .
Traders Blamed for Oil SpikeStory. (WSJ)
The Commodity Futures Trading Commission plans to issue a report next month suggesting speculators played a significant role in driving wild swings in oil prices -- a reversal of an earlier CFTC position that augurs intensifying scrutiny on investors.In a contentious report last year, the main U.S. futures-market regulator pinned oil-price swings primarily on supply and demand. But that analysis was based on "deeply flawed data," Bart Chilton, one of four CFTC commissioners, said in an interview Monday.
The CFTC's new review, due to be released in August, adds fuel to a growing debate over financial investors who bet on the direction of commodities prices by buying contracts tied to indexes. These speculators have invested hundreds of billions of dollars in contracts that were once dominated by producers and consumers who sought to hedge against oil-market volatility.
Life in the 'burbs
So I go to this party in the NJ suburbs last night, and the first thing I realize is that all of the guys there are wearing light-colored khaki shorts, some sort of suburban dress code thing.
Then I'm listening to the band, and I realize all the songs are about drugs and cheating on your wife.
Fortunately, there was a lot of good beer.
So I go to this party in the NJ suburbs last night, and the first thing I realize is that all of the guys there are wearing light-colored khaki shorts, some sort of suburban dress code thing.
Then I'm listening to the band, and I realize all the songs are about drugs and cheating on your wife.
Fortunately, there was a lot of good beer.
Slowly, slowly, slowly we catch on
But by the time the so-called watchdogs catch on, the game has already moved.
Full story, with a surprisingly good explanation of the issues, here.
. . . in 1998, the Securities and Exchange Commission authorized electronic exchanges to compete with marketplaces like the New York Stock Exchange. The intent was to open markets to anyone with a desktop computer and a fresh idea.But as new marketplaces have emerged, PCs have been unable to compete with Wall Street’s computers. Powerful algorithms — “algos,” in industry parlance — execute millions of orders a second and scan dozens of public and private marketplaces simultaneously. They can spot trends before other investors can blink, changing orders and strategies within milliseconds.
High-frequency traders often confound other investors by issuing and then canceling orders almost simultaneously. Loopholes in market rules give high-speed investors an early glance at how others are trading. And their computers can essentially bully slower investors into giving up profits — and then disappear before anyone even knows they were there.
But by the time the so-called watchdogs catch on, the game has already moved.
Full story, with a surprisingly good explanation of the issues, here.
Rogue Warrior
All right, here's the (still tentative) lineup:
Very end of September (officially 9/29, but you know how those things go), the paperback edition of Dictator's Ransom will be available in stores.
October 13 - which I'm hoping isn't a Friday - the new hard cover, Seize the Day, will be published.
End of October (October 31, or so I'm told) - the game will finally be available.
Scheduling of events, etc., hasn't been finalized. Best place to check for hard facts like that is on Dick's web site, www.DickMarcinko.com. Here's a link. Our publisher is putting together a web page here which will have links, info, video and stuff - oh yeah, and you can buy the book there as well. The website for the game, with its official details, etc., is here.
I'll write more about what's going on as we get closer, but on stuff like this, the official channels are really the best sources.
All right, here's the (still tentative) lineup:
Very end of September (officially 9/29, but you know how those things go), the paperback edition of Dictator's Ransom will be available in stores.
October 13 - which I'm hoping isn't a Friday - the new hard cover, Seize the Day, will be published.
End of October (October 31, or so I'm told) - the game will finally be available.
Scheduling of events, etc., hasn't been finalized. Best place to check for hard facts like that is on Dick's web site, www.DickMarcinko.com. Here's a link. Our publisher is putting together a web page here which will have links, info, video and stuff - oh yeah, and you can buy the book there as well. The website for the game, with its official details, etc., is here.
I'll write more about what's going on as we get closer, but on stuff like this, the official channels are really the best sources.
How can anyone not be cynical?
. . . when political ideology is available to the highest bidder.
From the Wall Street Journal . . .
Full story here (you may need a subscription).
. . . when political ideology is available to the highest bidder.
From the Wall Street Journal . . .
FedEx gave the Web site Politico a letter it received, dated June 30 and signed by Dennis Whitfield, the ACU's executive vice president. The letter said Mr. Keene's organization had offered to produce "op-eds and articles written by ACU's Chairman David Keene and/or other members of ACU's board of directors" in support of FedEx's position. In exchange, the group wanted FedEx to pay potentially several million dollars for the group's grass-roots efforts.UPS and FedEx are battling, through lobbyists of course, over a provision in current law that UPS says gives FedEx a competitive advantage over it. When FedEx balked, the ACU - American Conservative Union - came out in support of the UPS's position.
Full story here (you may need a subscription).
Website trouble update
As a few astute readers have pointed out, there was a problem with the jimdefelice.com website over the past few days. It's fixed now, but you may have to change your bookmark depending on how you originally accessed the site. You can get there from the link at the right side of this page, or from the link at the bottom, or if you insist on typing: http://www.jimdefelice.com
Hey, you can even use this link http://www.jimdefelice.com
which gets you the music and everything.
The problem had to do with ssl certificate, which has now been excised. So entering an s after the http in the first part of the url address will now get you lost. If you're good with the cursor, you can delete it and be good to go.
Sorry for the trouble. Now all we have to do is update it, overhaul the grungy parts, and get Dogboy to stop driving into the garbage cans when he leaves at night . . .
As a few astute readers have pointed out, there was a problem with the jimdefelice.com website over the past few days. It's fixed now, but you may have to change your bookmark depending on how you originally accessed the site. You can get there from the link at the right side of this page, or from the link at the bottom, or if you insist on typing: http://www.jimdefelice.com
Hey, you can even use this link http://www.jimdefelice.com
which gets you the music and everything.
The problem had to do with ssl certificate, which has now been excised. So entering an s after the http in the first part of the url address will now get you lost. If you're good with the cursor, you can delete it and be good to go.
Sorry for the trouble. Now all we have to do is update it, overhaul the grungy parts, and get Dogboy to stop driving into the garbage cans when he leaves at night . . .
More on Thrillerfest, and elephants in the room
What was interesting to me about Thrillerfest was what wasn't talked about, at least not at the cocktail parties, celebrations, etc.: the changes that are taking place in the book world.
Actually, there were plenty of conversations about it, and even a few panels, but for the most part they were focused on the effects of change, like authors losing publishers and advances shrinking.
Ebooks are the most noticeable development - or at least they're the one most mentioned, though the discussions generally begin and end with the word. But just as huge - actually bigger, in terms of direct impact - has been the changing face of the mass market distribution system, including financial problems of the major players.
It's becoming physically more difficult to get paperback mass market books into the hands of readers. Add that to the loss of mall stores, and you can only see a vast drop in the number of copies sold for many books. There's more concentration on certain titles, more reliance on big box and on-line sales. If you write popular fiction - or what you hope will be popular fiction - that's a huge impact on how you make your living.
Or how you want to make your living.
Of course, it's hard to talk about stuff that you have no control over. You end up talking about promotion and publicity, for example. You get great advice and even come up with strategies to win over the public and inflame the news media. But if the books aren't going to get out there, you might as well be signing cocktail napkins in the bar all night.
What's the impact of all this change on readers? It's certainly not all negative. For one thing, it's possible to get a much wider range of books (used as well as new) on-line. As bad as the Google settlement is for living writers and for libraries, eventually the initiative to put all books on-line will make a huge number of texts available to readers willing to put up with whatever tax* Google imposes. And while there may the physical presence/selection may be somewhat reduced, there are still bookstores and bookstands in many of the places where we have an impulse to buy - the airport and train station, for example.
Myself, I wish I could see the future. All I know is, I keep bumping into the elephants in the room.
* - Advertising, access fee, ass-kissing - whatever. You control the codex, you do what you want.
What was interesting to me about Thrillerfest was what wasn't talked about, at least not at the cocktail parties, celebrations, etc.: the changes that are taking place in the book world.
Actually, there were plenty of conversations about it, and even a few panels, but for the most part they were focused on the effects of change, like authors losing publishers and advances shrinking.
Ebooks are the most noticeable development - or at least they're the one most mentioned, though the discussions generally begin and end with the word. But just as huge - actually bigger, in terms of direct impact - has been the changing face of the mass market distribution system, including financial problems of the major players.
It's becoming physically more difficult to get paperback mass market books into the hands of readers. Add that to the loss of mall stores, and you can only see a vast drop in the number of copies sold for many books. There's more concentration on certain titles, more reliance on big box and on-line sales. If you write popular fiction - or what you hope will be popular fiction - that's a huge impact on how you make your living.
Or how you want to make your living.
Of course, it's hard to talk about stuff that you have no control over. You end up talking about promotion and publicity, for example. You get great advice and even come up with strategies to win over the public and inflame the news media. But if the books aren't going to get out there, you might as well be signing cocktail napkins in the bar all night.
What's the impact of all this change on readers? It's certainly not all negative. For one thing, it's possible to get a much wider range of books (used as well as new) on-line. As bad as the Google settlement is for living writers and for libraries, eventually the initiative to put all books on-line will make a huge number of texts available to readers willing to put up with whatever tax* Google imposes. And while there may the physical presence/selection may be somewhat reduced, there are still bookstores and bookstands in many of the places where we have an impulse to buy - the airport and train station, for example.
Myself, I wish I could see the future. All I know is, I keep bumping into the elephants in the room.
* - Advertising, access fee, ass-kissing - whatever. You control the codex, you do what you want.
This was secret????
There's a big tizzy in Washington, D.C. over a supposedly super-secret program that the CIA had for eight years but never revealed to congress.
The program, as revealed by the Wall Street Journal yesterday*: Assassinate Al Qaeda leaders.
Um, duh . . .
If the CIA didn't at least give that some thought following 9/11, it wouldn't be doing its job. The only thing I don't understand is why the minimal requirement to inform congress wasn't met. I mean seriously, they didn't think congress wouldn't approve, did they?????
In a million years, I will not understand Washington. Or the media covering it.
But maybe this is just misinformation to protect a really devious program, one whose existence would actually be shocking.
* - Actually, the existence of such a program has at least been rumored for a while, if not actually reported elsewhere. And it's also pretty well-known that the Clinton administration had a similar program. The Predator/Reaper program designed to do the same thing is considered separate.
There's a big tizzy in Washington, D.C. over a supposedly super-secret program that the CIA had for eight years but never revealed to congress.
The program, as revealed by the Wall Street Journal yesterday*: Assassinate Al Qaeda leaders.
Um, duh . . .
If the CIA didn't at least give that some thought following 9/11, it wouldn't be doing its job. The only thing I don't understand is why the minimal requirement to inform congress wasn't met. I mean seriously, they didn't think congress wouldn't approve, did they?????
In a million years, I will not understand Washington. Or the media covering it.
But maybe this is just misinformation to protect a really devious program, one whose existence would actually be shocking.
* - Actually, the existence of such a program has at least been rumored for a while, if not actually reported elsewhere. And it's also pretty well-known that the Clinton administration had a similar program. The Predator/Reaper program designed to do the same thing is considered separate.
Thrillerfest: Tom Rob Smith
Stick a bunch of writers in a room with an open bar, and there's no telling what will happen. Surprisingly, though, there were no bodies left on the floor after Thrillerfest, even after David Morrell got done talking.
One of the highlights for me was meeting Tom Rob Smith, a Londoner who was honored as best new thriller writer for Child 44. As it happened, I've been reading his new book, The Secret Speech. It's one of the few books I've made it past page 100 in quite awhile. (Set in Russia during the Khrushchev era.)
But dude, you've got to lose that jacket.
Stick a bunch of writers in a room with an open bar, and there's no telling what will happen. Surprisingly, though, there were no bodies left on the floor after Thrillerfest, even after David Morrell got done talking.
One of the highlights for me was meeting Tom Rob Smith, a Londoner who was honored as best new thriller writer for Child 44. As it happened, I've been reading his new book, The Secret Speech. It's one of the few books I've made it past page 100 in quite awhile. (Set in Russia during the Khrushchev era.)
But dude, you've got to lose that jacket.
Speaking of blood . . .
Her: There's blood on your shoes . . . and pants . . . and shirt.
Me: Yeah.
Her: What happened?
Me: . . . Uh . . . Cut myself shaving.
Her: That must've been one hell of a razor.
Me: Yeah.
Her: Want to talk about it?
Me: . . . Better not.
Her: Want to go to the hospital?
Me: Just hook me up with an IV and I'll be fine.
Her: There's blood on your shoes . . . and pants . . . and shirt.
Me: Yeah.
Her: What happened?
Me: . . . Uh . . . Cut myself shaving.
Her: That must've been one hell of a razor.
Me: Yeah.
Her: Want to talk about it?
Me: . . . Better not.
Her: Want to go to the hospital?
Me: Just hook me up with an IV and I'll be fine.
North Korea
Item: North Korea launches a cyber attack against South Korean and (possibly) American computer systems.
Haven't we reached the point where the easiest way to deal with North Korea is just to bulldoze Pyongyang?
I'd suggest a dozen D10s, though I could see the argument for D11Ns. Put a SEAL in each seat, give 'em a little air cover, and problem solved.
Item: North Korea launches a cyber attack against South Korean and (possibly) American computer systems.
Haven't we reached the point where the easiest way to deal with North Korea is just to bulldoze Pyongyang?
I'd suggest a dozen D10s, though I could see the argument for D11Ns. Put a SEAL in each seat, give 'em a little air cover, and problem solved.
About one crash too late . . .
Even so, better late than never.
Regulators to Consider Limits on Oil ContractsClosing the door after the horses are out ain't gonna be easy. And with something over a fifth of the market, "pure" speculators are going to be hard to define.... Not to mention be well motivated to keep things the way they are.
Reacting to swings in oil prices in recent months, federal regulators announced on Tuesday that they were considering trading restrictions on hedge funds and other “speculative” traders in markets for oil, natural gas and other energy products.
Link to story.
Even so, better late than never.
Jack Nicholson is a Yankee fan
Jack Nicholson was at the Yankee game last week. JRoam and I were going to go down and say hi, except that Jack was sitting inside the moat.* Saying hi would have therefore compromised our status as members of the great unwashed, whose beliefs in democracy and the absence of class in America preclude taking seats across the great divide.
That and the fact that we would have been tossed. (Security: "Yeah, you guys look like you know Jack. Go tell it to one of the people with the signs.")
This provoked a philosophical question, to wit: if someone offered you free season passes inside the moat, would you take them?
My position: You have to. Free seats are free seats, no matter where they are. You can always get new principles . . . or soothe the old ones with soft serve ice cream and sprinkles, the new must-eat food at the ballpark.
* Inside the moat = the exclusive season ticket holders area, reserved for the hoity-toity with money to burn, or with bankers spending bailout money. The lowest ticket price is something like 20 times the (already ridiculous) prices on the second level. And forget about where we sit.
Jack Nicholson was at the Yankee game last week. JRoam and I were going to go down and say hi, except that Jack was sitting inside the moat.* Saying hi would have therefore compromised our status as members of the great unwashed, whose beliefs in democracy and the absence of class in America preclude taking seats across the great divide.
That and the fact that we would have been tossed. (Security: "Yeah, you guys look like you know Jack. Go tell it to one of the people with the signs.")
This provoked a philosophical question, to wit: if someone offered you free season passes inside the moat, would you take them?
My position: You have to. Free seats are free seats, no matter where they are. You can always get new principles . . . or soothe the old ones with soft serve ice cream and sprinkles, the new must-eat food at the ballpark.
* Inside the moat = the exclusive season ticket holders area, reserved for the hoity-toity with money to burn, or with bankers spending bailout money. The lowest ticket price is something like 20 times the (already ridiculous) prices on the second level. And forget about where we sit.
TV
So these TV people come to do this video interview thing, and it's real cool and a good excuse to drink lots of coffee and stuff, but it's about a book I wrote a gazillion years ago and the whole time I'm worrying that I'm going to have to stop in the middle and say, "What was that book about again?"
So these TV people come to do this video interview thing, and it's real cool and a good excuse to drink lots of coffee and stuff, but it's about a book I wrote a gazillion years ago and the whole time I'm worrying that I'm going to have to stop in the middle and say, "What was that book about again?"
Getting naked . . .
News item:
Why is it that only fifty-year-old males do this?
News item:
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) -- A US Airways flight to Los Angeles was diverted to Albuquerque after a passenger removed all of his clothing mid-flight, forcing flight attendants to cover him with a blanket before he was arrested, authorities said Wednesday.
Why is it that only fifty-year-old males do this?
Rewriting
Thriller giant Jeffrey Archer is putting out a new edition of Kane & Abel, one of his earlier thrillers. Not content to just approve the new cover, he did something few authors are brave enough (or have the pull) to attempt: he revised the book.
I don't mean change a few words here or there. He supposedly added 27,000 new words . . . though allegedly he also cut enough that the book's actually a little shorter. (I've never heard of an author subtracting words on a rewrite, so take that with a grain of salt.)
Me, as soon as I'm done with a book, I'm done. I'd prefer not to come face to face with any part of my past . . .
Thriller giant Jeffrey Archer is putting out a new edition of Kane & Abel, one of his earlier thrillers. Not content to just approve the new cover, he did something few authors are brave enough (or have the pull) to attempt: he revised the book.
I don't mean change a few words here or there. He supposedly added 27,000 new words . . . though allegedly he also cut enough that the book's actually a little shorter. (I've never heard of an author subtracting words on a rewrite, so take that with a grain of salt.)
Me, as soon as I'm done with a book, I'm done. I'd prefer not to come face to face with any part of my past . . .
Authors' friends
So I'm reading this book and I get to the part where the hero parties with some of his friends, which of course I recognize as being a kind of set piece wherein the writer gives some props to his real friends.
The purpose being to tell other writers that his friends are cooler than their friends.
Heh. Beef could outdrink them all. And that's before he got the chainsaw out . . .
So I'm reading this book and I get to the part where the hero parties with some of his friends, which of course I recognize as being a kind of set piece wherein the writer gives some props to his real friends.
The purpose being to tell other writers that his friends are cooler than their friends.
Heh. Beef could outdrink them all. And that's before he got the chainsaw out . . .
Gotta love Cowboy Pilots
So I get on the plane Sunday night and we're about to pull away from the gate when the pilot comes out and grabs the microphone.
"Wanna thank y'all for flyin' with us. I'll be your lounge singer tonight . . . No, no, I'm flying the airplane, ain't I?"
Ten minutes later we're zipping on the taxiway to the runway, going so fast the wings are flapping. Suddenly he slams on the brakes.
"Just making sure you believe me when I say put your seat belts on."
We got to CA forty minutes early. God bless 'im.
So I get on the plane Sunday night and we're about to pull away from the gate when the pilot comes out and grabs the microphone.
"Wanna thank y'all for flyin' with us. I'll be your lounge singer tonight . . . No, no, I'm flying the airplane, ain't I?"
Ten minutes later we're zipping on the taxiway to the runway, going so fast the wings are flapping. Suddenly he slams on the brakes.
"Just making sure you believe me when I say put your seat belts on."
We got to CA forty minutes early. God bless 'im.
North Korea
More and more, this looks like the best possible solution to North Korea: Target and nuke the leadership. Destroy all nuclear facilities. Obliterate strategic missile launching sites.
A dozen B-2 sorties. Thirty minutes over Pyongyang. At most.
Sure, we end up owning North Korea. But given all the bankrupt companies we've been taking over lately, why not nationalize a bankrupt country?
SEOUL, South Korea (June 18) - North Korea may fire a long-range ballistic missile toward Hawaii in early July, a Japanese news report said Thursday, as Russia and China urged the regime to return to international disarmament talks on its rogue nuclear program.
More and more, this looks like the best possible solution to North Korea: Target and nuke the leadership. Destroy all nuclear facilities. Obliterate strategic missile launching sites.
A dozen B-2 sorties. Thirty minutes over Pyongyang. At most.
Sure, we end up owning North Korea. But given all the bankrupt companies we've been taking over lately, why not nationalize a bankrupt country?
MI6
I ran into Dogboy in the bar the other night.
"Hey," I said. "How was that MI6 thing?"
Dog Boy frowned, then ordered a beer.
"So?" I asked. "How was it?"
"I don't know what MI6 is," he said. "Is it a new car?"
"Come on, you told me you were going. How many C's did you meet? Was the real James Bond there?"
"I don't know what the hell you're talking about."
He shook his head and walked away. I'd have believed him, except that a decidedly English accent had slipped into his voice. I followed him over to the pool table.
"So seriously, you're not going to tell me?" I asked.
"So seriously, I have no idea what you're talking about."
"What I'd really like to know is, how did you get an invitation, and I didn't?"
Dogboy rolled his eyes and shook his head. "Eightball?" he asked.
"Eightball," I said, realizing that somethings in life are better left unexplored.
I ran into Dogboy in the bar the other night.
"Hey," I said. "How was that MI6 thing?"
Dog Boy frowned, then ordered a beer.
"So?" I asked. "How was it?"
"I don't know what MI6 is," he said. "Is it a new car?"
"Come on, you told me you were going. How many C's did you meet? Was the real James Bond there?"
"I don't know what the hell you're talking about."
He shook his head and walked away. I'd have believed him, except that a decidedly English accent had slipped into his voice. I followed him over to the pool table.
"So seriously, you're not going to tell me?" I asked.
"So seriously, I have no idea what you're talking about."
"What I'd really like to know is, how did you get an invitation, and I didn't?"
Dogboy rolled his eyes and shook his head. "Eightball?" he asked.
"Eightball," I said, realizing that somethings in life are better left unexplored.
Iran
The most incredible thing about Iran isn't the crackdown following the stolen election, but that so many people didn't see either event coming.
But it shouldn't have come as a surprise. People don't want to admit that live in a dictatorship, or that they have limited rights, or even that their leaders are evil, until the batons hit them over the head. And many not even then.
When the truth can no longer be denied, first there is despair, then hope, then new action. Even overnight, some Iranians have been talking of the future.
For my friends who helped on the Dreamland book - our prayers and wishes are with you.
The most incredible thing about Iran isn't the crackdown following the stolen election, but that so many people didn't see either event coming.
But it shouldn't have come as a surprise. People don't want to admit that live in a dictatorship, or that they have limited rights, or even that their leaders are evil, until the batons hit them over the head. And many not even then.
When the truth can no longer be denied, first there is despair, then hope, then new action. Even overnight, some Iranians have been talking of the future.
For my friends who helped on the Dreamland book - our prayers and wishes are with you.
The latest from Iran
The despots stand (more) revealed . . . but honestly, what did you expect?
Tehran, June 13, IRNA — Supreme Leader of Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei said Saturday that the voter turnout of over 80 percent and the 24 million votes cast in favor of the president calls for real celebration.
In an important message, issued after the 10th Presidential Elections on June 12, Ayatollah Khamenei said that the enemies are creating provocations out of ill-wish in order not to let the Iranian nation be joyful and happy about the election results.
The despots stand (more) revealed . . . but honestly, what did you expect?
What the big deal about pitots is
I'm getting tired of reading news stories that don't explain all this:
The reason the errors in the speed input matter in the crash of AF 447 is this:
Airplanes have to go a certain speed to stay in the air; anything slower, and they stall. That speed is determined by a range of factors, and varies depending on many of those same factors (weight and altitude, say).
You also have the possibility of a high speed stall (or buffeting forces that literally tear you apart) on the other end of the spectrum, by going too fast.
Generally, those two speeds are fairly far apart -- say, too slow is 120 knots and too fast is eighty or eighty-five percent of the speed of sound. But as conditions change, they get closer and closer together. As it happens, one critical place those conditions change is at high altitude. All of this varies according to the design of the aircraft (and its weight, the temperature of the air, etc.).
There is a point at which the difference between too slow and too fast is extremely narrow. Pilots call this "coffin corner." At some theoretical point, there is literally nothing the pilot can do to prevent a stall.
And let me mention that stalling at high altitude and (relatively) high speed - though not absolutely and necessarily fatal - is not very pretty. Even in good weather.
The theory that's being advanced behind the scenes in AF 447 is that the crew and plane found themselves in a coffin corner, and that something subsequently occurred to make them lose control of the aircraft.
That's why the fuss about the pitot tubes, which record the aircraft's speed. Getting the wrong speed first makes it impossible to use the automatic pilot, and then adds considerably to the pilot's difficulty level. (There are backup methods for judging your speed, which would surely have been used or at least tried in this case.)
There's a lot more to the theories, but frankly most of it is simply speculation. Until there's more information, not even the most educated guess can tell us what happened. We don't know for a fact that they were in that sort of flight condition, let alone why and how they got there, or what happened next.
One thing does seem unlikely at this point - given what we know about the weather and the maintenance messages that came from the aircraft right before it disappeared make it unlikely that a bomb went off. Unlikely, though admittedly not 100 percent impossible.
I'm getting tired of reading news stories that don't explain all this:
The reason the errors in the speed input matter in the crash of AF 447 is this:
Airplanes have to go a certain speed to stay in the air; anything slower, and they stall. That speed is determined by a range of factors, and varies depending on many of those same factors (weight and altitude, say).
You also have the possibility of a high speed stall (or buffeting forces that literally tear you apart) on the other end of the spectrum, by going too fast.
Generally, those two speeds are fairly far apart -- say, too slow is 120 knots and too fast is eighty or eighty-five percent of the speed of sound. But as conditions change, they get closer and closer together. As it happens, one critical place those conditions change is at high altitude. All of this varies according to the design of the aircraft (and its weight, the temperature of the air, etc.).
There is a point at which the difference between too slow and too fast is extremely narrow. Pilots call this "coffin corner." At some theoretical point, there is literally nothing the pilot can do to prevent a stall.
And let me mention that stalling at high altitude and (relatively) high speed - though not absolutely and necessarily fatal - is not very pretty. Even in good weather.
The theory that's being advanced behind the scenes in AF 447 is that the crew and plane found themselves in a coffin corner, and that something subsequently occurred to make them lose control of the aircraft.
That's why the fuss about the pitot tubes, which record the aircraft's speed. Getting the wrong speed first makes it impossible to use the automatic pilot, and then adds considerably to the pilot's difficulty level. (There are backup methods for judging your speed, which would surely have been used or at least tried in this case.)
There's a lot more to the theories, but frankly most of it is simply speculation. Until there's more information, not even the most educated guess can tell us what happened. We don't know for a fact that they were in that sort of flight condition, let alone why and how they got there, or what happened next.
One thing does seem unlikely at this point - given what we know about the weather and the maintenance messages that came from the aircraft right before it disappeared make it unlikely that a bomb went off. Unlikely, though admittedly not 100 percent impossible.
This explains it . . .
Just got this email. I've been wondering why I'm not rich. Don't bother calling today - I'm hunting for the right ATM . . .
Just got this email. I've been wondering why I'm not rich. Don't bother calling today - I'm hunting for the right ATM . . .
Dear Beneficiary,
It is obvious that you have not received your fund which is to the tune of $6.8million. Due to past corrupt Government Officials who almost held the fund to themselves for their selfish reason and some individuals who have taken advantage of it all in an attempt to swindle your money which has led to so many losses from your end and unnecessary delay in the receipt of your fund.
The National Central Bureau of Interpol enhanced by the United Nations and Federal Bureau of Investigation have successfully passed a mandate to the current president of Nigeria his Excellency President Umaru Yar'Adua to boost the exercise of clearing all foreign debts owed to you and other individuals and organizations who have been found not to have receive their Contract Sum, Lottery/Gambling, Inheritance and the likes.
You have the option of receiving your fund by either check or ATM card.
. . .
Phone call
I hadn't heard from Dogboy lately, so when the caller ID flashed his name, I grabbed the phone, even though it was well past midnight - the time he usually calls for bail money.
Dogboy: Hey, how's it going.
Me: What jail are you in now?
DB: I'm not in jail, dude. That was last week.
Me: So what's up?
DB: I'm wondering if you want to share a hotel room in London for the MI6 thing.
Me: Huh?
DB: The bash. I'm a little tight this month -
Me: Wait a second - you're invited to the MI6 anniversary celebration?
DB: Well, yeah.
Me: You got invited and I didn't.
DB: Oh . . . (silence) . . . Hey, listen, I'm sorry for bothering you.
(the line went dead)
I hadn't heard from Dogboy lately, so when the caller ID flashed his name, I grabbed the phone, even though it was well past midnight - the time he usually calls for bail money.
Dogboy: Hey, how's it going.
Me: What jail are you in now?
DB: I'm not in jail, dude. That was last week.
Me: So what's up?
DB: I'm wondering if you want to share a hotel room in London for the MI6 thing.
Me: Huh?
DB: The bash. I'm a little tight this month -
Me: Wait a second - you're invited to the MI6 anniversary celebration?
DB: Well, yeah.
Me: You got invited and I didn't.
DB: Oh . . . (silence) . . . Hey, listen, I'm sorry for bothering you.
(the line went dead)
Business as usual . . .
It's hard to be optimistic about fixing what's broken with the economic system when you realize things like this are going on:
You don't have to agree with the actual measure, one way or the other, to see the problem.
It's hard to be optimistic about fixing what's broken with the economic system when you realize things like this are going on:
Ailing, Banks Still Field Strong Lobby at Capitol
. . .the Helping Families Save Their Homes Act, was missing its centerpiece: a change in bankruptcy law he once championed that would have given judges the power to lower the amount owed on a home loan. It had been stripped out three weeks earlier in a showdown between Senate Democrats and the nation’s banks, including many that are getting big government bailouts. . . .
Full story here.
You don't have to agree with the actual measure, one way or the other, to see the problem.
Flight 447
Reports are now trickling out detailing a series of messages from the airliner that indicate a loss of systems over a three or four minute interval while the aircraft was under manual control and after it had encountered serious (though not necessarily catastrophic) turbulence and lightning. In addition, the debris field is said to contain a large fuel slick, which would tend to rule out the possibility of an explosion involving the main fuel tanks. At the same time, the size of the debris field suggests the plane was in pieces when it came down.
One of the rumored messages - at this point, all leaks and unsourced media reports have to be treated skeptically - relates to an "erroneous speed" at the time the pilot was reporting severe weather, nearly fifteen minutes before the final message, and roughly ten before a series of messages indicating very severe problems aboard the aircraft. Because of the nature of the message (and the reporting), it's not clear what exactly the problem with the speed was, and whether it was due to a sudden weather condition or some problem aboard (or with) the aircraft.
Let me state the obvious: As terrible as this tragedy was, determining its cause may prevent many other deaths in the future.
Reports are now trickling out detailing a series of messages from the airliner that indicate a loss of systems over a three or four minute interval while the aircraft was under manual control and after it had encountered serious (though not necessarily catastrophic) turbulence and lightning. In addition, the debris field is said to contain a large fuel slick, which would tend to rule out the possibility of an explosion involving the main fuel tanks. At the same time, the size of the debris field suggests the plane was in pieces when it came down.
One of the rumored messages - at this point, all leaks and unsourced media reports have to be treated skeptically - relates to an "erroneous speed" at the time the pilot was reporting severe weather, nearly fifteen minutes before the final message, and roughly ten before a series of messages indicating very severe problems aboard the aircraft. Because of the nature of the message (and the reporting), it's not clear what exactly the problem with the speed was, and whether it was due to a sudden weather condition or some problem aboard (or with) the aircraft.
Let me state the obvious: As terrible as this tragedy was, determining its cause may prevent many other deaths in the future.
Best analysis of Flight 447 weather . . .
Detailed documents here:
http://www.weathergraphics.com/tim/af447/
Main web site here:
http://www.weathergraphics.com/
The weather may be one factor; there will almost certainly be more . . .
Detailed documents here:
http://www.weathergraphics.com/tim/af447/
Main web site here:
http://www.weathergraphics.com/
The weather may be one factor; there will almost certainly be more . . .
The mainstream media catches up
60 Minutes recently did a show on the situation in Afghanistan, which several people who have been there recently have said is a very good overview of what's going on there.
My book, Leopards Kill, is set a little further into the badlands you see in the video. The situation has gotten even worse than I thought it would - and I was far from an optimist.
Inattention kills - wars as well as soldiers.
60 Minutes recently did a show on the situation in Afghanistan, which several people who have been there recently have said is a very good overview of what's going on there.
My book, Leopards Kill, is set a little further into the badlands you see in the video. The situation has gotten even worse than I thought it would - and I was far from an optimist.
Inattention kills - wars as well as soldiers.
The Guru on baseball
See you at the game . . .
* I paraphrased a bit. It's fun editing an editor.
Baseball is the only sport where, no matter how old or out of shape you are, you are utterly convinced that you could go down to the dugout, grab a bat, and get up and knock one of CC's fastballs out of the park.
That's why baseball is so great.*
See you at the game . . .
* I paraphrased a bit. It's fun editing an editor.
Rogue Warrior - the game
Dick's in LA this week at E3, the big video game show, helping preview the new Rogue Warrior game.
It's a blast, literally and figuratively. You get to play as Dick, conducting a mission in North Korea, with all the attendant mayhem and Murphy-isms you'd expect. The game will be out this fall - just ahead of a new RW novel.
(That's Richard Marcinko, SEAL Team 6, and Dictator's Ransom for all you search engines out there.)
The cover of Dictator's Ransom, btw, is based on a screenshot from the game. It'll be out in paperback by the end of September, if not before . . .
Dick's in LA this week at E3, the big video game show, helping preview the new Rogue Warrior game.
It's a blast, literally and figuratively. You get to play as Dick, conducting a mission in North Korea, with all the attendant mayhem and Murphy-isms you'd expect. The game will be out this fall - just ahead of a new RW novel.
(That's Richard Marcinko, SEAL Team 6, and Dictator's Ransom for all you search engines out there.)
The cover of Dictator's Ransom, btw, is based on a screenshot from the game. It'll be out in paperback by the end of September, if not before . . .
The problem with Kindle . . .
. . . You can't throw it across the room when you come to a part of a book you don't like.
Well, actually you can - it's just that you're going to seriously regret it after it lands. Unlike a paperback.
I was thinking about this fact while listening to some of the speakers at the BEA book industry conference this past weekend. And while it started as an irreverent, wise-ass remark-toid, it provoked ideas about the future of books that are, maybe, more relevant.
Books - the physical objects - have played a critical role in transferring and preserving knowledge for two or maybe three thousand years. They've gone through relatively few major changes in that time, each one connected to technology. They've also also evolved as mass entertainment media. While they've never really been dominant in that role, it's been as critical in their history as the transfer of knowledge has.
Like the printing press, the possibilities of electronic/digital media and networks has once again thrown the fundamentals into flux. Books' role as the primary reservoir of knowledge has been challenged if not superseded by the internet. Go into any elementary school and ask the kids what they are using for their research projects. The first answer they give will be "the internet."
You can debate whether that's good or bad, but the bottom line is, it's a fact.
As entertainment media, books face a similar, though not quite as fundamental challenge. For the moment at least, they are physically the most efficient means of providing a long-scale imaginative experience - or whatever it is that a novel delivers. But that, too, is changing, and whether people will lose the taste for that form of entertainment - as they have mostly lost their taste for poetry - remains an open question.
Most people in the industry today think that books will basically migrate on-line, where they will resume their traditional role as reservoirs of knowledge and providers of entertainment. I don't know that that's a good assumption. Even if it is, their nature will surely change. If you look at the books being produced in medieval monasteries and those being produced after the invention of cheap paperbacks (and the distribution system that made their sale on a mass market level possible), you can't help but realize the difference is so vast that you're essentially talking about a different product.
For the sake of argument, let's assume that books do migrate and survive successfully to the electronic realm. Digital media makes a large number of things possible that ink and paper can't, at least not economically. Graphics are only the beginning; video, audio, live links to other media - the possibilities are vast.
Given that, it seems logical that the electronic or digital version of a book will be considered, should be considered, more valuable than a print version. If, for example, you're reading about a World War II battle - Dieppe - and you can instantly see a map of the battle site, view newsreels, etc., etc., that's worth more to you than simply being able to read the text.
Yes?
Well, duh. It's not a radical assumption at all. But I didn't hear anyone mention that at BEA, and in fact have yet to hear anyone point that out when discussing E-books. On the contrary, E-books' value is seen primarily in terms of their distribution system - they're cheap (and quick) to get to market, since you don't have transport costs, etc., etc. (Amazon and Google are doing their best to corner and add to the transport costs, but that's another post.)
The nature of books, storytelling, knowledge transfer and the book industry are all very much in flux. But the people who are mostly looked on for direction mostly don't seem to have much of a clue. We're often not even picking the right people to listen to.
Panel after panel at the BEA featured people who were supposedly experts on topics simply voicing opinions from very limited positions. Can a group of authors, none of whom actually make their living publishing books, really provide insight on the role of publishers either in the present or the near future?
It's an interesting, if difficult, time to be a writer. I'm not sure whether it's a consolation knowing everybody else is confused, too.
. . . You can't throw it across the room when you come to a part of a book you don't like.
Well, actually you can - it's just that you're going to seriously regret it after it lands. Unlike a paperback.
I was thinking about this fact while listening to some of the speakers at the BEA book industry conference this past weekend. And while it started as an irreverent, wise-ass remark-toid, it provoked ideas about the future of books that are, maybe, more relevant.
Books - the physical objects - have played a critical role in transferring and preserving knowledge for two or maybe three thousand years. They've gone through relatively few major changes in that time, each one connected to technology. They've also also evolved as mass entertainment media. While they've never really been dominant in that role, it's been as critical in their history as the transfer of knowledge has.
Like the printing press, the possibilities of electronic/digital media and networks has once again thrown the fundamentals into flux. Books' role as the primary reservoir of knowledge has been challenged if not superseded by the internet. Go into any elementary school and ask the kids what they are using for their research projects. The first answer they give will be "the internet."
You can debate whether that's good or bad, but the bottom line is, it's a fact.
As entertainment media, books face a similar, though not quite as fundamental challenge. For the moment at least, they are physically the most efficient means of providing a long-scale imaginative experience - or whatever it is that a novel delivers. But that, too, is changing, and whether people will lose the taste for that form of entertainment - as they have mostly lost their taste for poetry - remains an open question.
Most people in the industry today think that books will basically migrate on-line, where they will resume their traditional role as reservoirs of knowledge and providers of entertainment. I don't know that that's a good assumption. Even if it is, their nature will surely change. If you look at the books being produced in medieval monasteries and those being produced after the invention of cheap paperbacks (and the distribution system that made their sale on a mass market level possible), you can't help but realize the difference is so vast that you're essentially talking about a different product.
For the sake of argument, let's assume that books do migrate and survive successfully to the electronic realm. Digital media makes a large number of things possible that ink and paper can't, at least not economically. Graphics are only the beginning; video, audio, live links to other media - the possibilities are vast.
Given that, it seems logical that the electronic or digital version of a book will be considered, should be considered, more valuable than a print version. If, for example, you're reading about a World War II battle - Dieppe - and you can instantly see a map of the battle site, view newsreels, etc., etc., that's worth more to you than simply being able to read the text.
Yes?
Well, duh. It's not a radical assumption at all. But I didn't hear anyone mention that at BEA, and in fact have yet to hear anyone point that out when discussing E-books. On the contrary, E-books' value is seen primarily in terms of their distribution system - they're cheap (and quick) to get to market, since you don't have transport costs, etc., etc. (Amazon and Google are doing their best to corner and add to the transport costs, but that's another post.)
The nature of books, storytelling, knowledge transfer and the book industry are all very much in flux. But the people who are mostly looked on for direction mostly don't seem to have much of a clue. We're often not even picking the right people to listen to.
Panel after panel at the BEA featured people who were supposedly experts on topics simply voicing opinions from very limited positions. Can a group of authors, none of whom actually make their living publishing books, really provide insight on the role of publishers either in the present or the near future?
It's an interesting, if difficult, time to be a writer. I'm not sure whether it's a consolation knowing everybody else is confused, too.
Still more plugs from San Antonio . . .
Continuing my pay back for all the beers bought down in San Antonio . . .
I'd never met Jim before San Antonio, but I had heard a lot of good things about his book. Larry's book hadn't shipped yet, unfortunately, so we didn't have any for the signings at the Center for the Intrepid at Brooke Medical Center in San Antonio.
David Hagberg was his usual affable self. Even though he's not technically a Forge author, Stephen Coonts (and his wife) came out and gave away books and met with vets and their families as well.*
As I said a few days ago, the pleasure really was ours. The work done at both facilities is truly amazing, and of course we owe a debt of gratitude and more to the men and women who have sacrificed so much to preserve our freedom.
* I know I'm forgetting a couple of guys, which is only going to add to my bar bill next time we meet . . .
Continuing my pay back for all the beers bought down in San Antonio . . .
I'd never met Jim before San Antonio, but I had heard a lot of good things about his book. Larry's book hadn't shipped yet, unfortunately, so we didn't have any for the signings at the Center for the Intrepid at Brooke Medical Center in San Antonio.
David Hagberg was his usual affable self. Even though he's not technically a Forge author, Stephen Coonts (and his wife) came out and gave away books and met with vets and their families as well.*
As I said a few days ago, the pleasure really was ours. The work done at both facilities is truly amazing, and of course we owe a debt of gratitude and more to the men and women who have sacrificed so much to preserve our freedom.
* I know I'm forgetting a couple of guys, which is only going to add to my bar bill next time we meet . . .
What's wrong with publishing today
The publishing industry's major convention, Book Expo or BEA, is being held this weekend in New York City. It's not really of much immediate use to writers, except as an excuse to party, and if you're a writer, since when do you need an excuse?
Yeah, I went anyway.
Friday morning before hitting the floor I ran down one of my old editors at Starbucks a few blocks away. Without getting all dopey-eyed about it, the guy was one of the best fiction editors in the business.
I say was because he was so good his publisher gave him cookbooks to edit.
No joke. This encouraged him to get another job, which quickly turned out to be so ludicrous he left publishing all together.
Well not all together; he does free-lancing now and then, but that's about it. He's given up looking for an editing job, at least for the time being. Nobody's hiring, and the people who are hiring want him to edit . . . cookbooks. He's doing pretty well in other fields.
Editing fiction is a lot more difficult than people - especially writers - think. It's a strange kind of talent. A big part of it has to do with handling the writers who, rumor has it, can be difficult to deal with. Even when they arrive in the office unarmed.
Anyway, my former editor looked a hell of a lot more relaxed than while he was at the publishing house. I'm not sure whether that says more about the publisher, or me.
The publishing industry's major convention, Book Expo or BEA, is being held this weekend in New York City. It's not really of much immediate use to writers, except as an excuse to party, and if you're a writer, since when do you need an excuse?
Yeah, I went anyway.
Friday morning before hitting the floor I ran down one of my old editors at Starbucks a few blocks away. Without getting all dopey-eyed about it, the guy was one of the best fiction editors in the business.
I say was because he was so good his publisher gave him cookbooks to edit.
No joke. This encouraged him to get another job, which quickly turned out to be so ludicrous he left publishing all together.
Well not all together; he does free-lancing now and then, but that's about it. He's given up looking for an editing job, at least for the time being. Nobody's hiring, and the people who are hiring want him to edit . . . cookbooks. He's doing pretty well in other fields.
Editing fiction is a lot more difficult than people - especially writers - think. It's a strange kind of talent. A big part of it has to do with handling the writers who, rumor has it, can be difficult to deal with. Even when they arrive in the office unarmed.
Anyway, my former editor looked a hell of a lot more relaxed than while he was at the publishing house. I'm not sure whether that says more about the publisher, or me.
More shameless plugs . . .
Randy and Bill provided a running commentary on the Alamo while we were in San Antonio, proving that having a few beers with historians is even better than just having a few beers.
The Quick and the Dead isn't Randy's latest book, but it's one of my favorites. I haven't had a chance to read Bill's latest, but it's on the shelf waiting . . .
Randy and Bill provided a running commentary on the Alamo while we were in San Antonio, proving that having a few beers with historians is even better than just having a few beers.
The Quick and the Dead isn't Randy's latest book, but it's one of my favorites. I haven't had a chance to read Bill's latest, but it's on the shelf waiting . . .
Shameless promotion
Mike's name is small, but he had a big contribution to this.
He was one of the gang who visited the hospital down in San Antonio, and besides driving a mean pickup he plays a hell of a guitar.
This link gets you to some of his stuff on Amazon.
Mike's name is small, but he had a big contribution to this.
He was one of the gang who visited the hospital down in San Antonio, and besides driving a mean pickup he plays a hell of a guitar.
This link gets you to some of his stuff on Amazon.
Fun with Staples, part II
A response in less than three hours - and a favorable one as well . . .
I'm impressed. Almost makes me want to double down on my next order of Gel Impact pens . . .
Seriously, that's good customer service. Have to give them a plug in the next book . . . or at least not blow them up . . .
A response in less than three hours - and a favorable one as well . . .
We apologize for any inconvenience this has caused you. The missing ream of paper will be reshipped to you at no charge. Delivery is scheduled for 5/28/09 via UPS between the hours of 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.
To track your order just click on the following link:
www.staples.com/orderstatus
I'm impressed. Almost makes me want to double down on my next order of Gel Impact pens . . .
Seriously, that's good customer service. Have to give them a plug in the next book . . . or at least not blow them up . . .
My latest Staples order
Or fun with stationery . . .
I'll settle for a copy of what they wrote . . .
Or fun with stationery . . .
Order No.: xxxxx6368 Customer No.: xxxx7468
To whom it may concern:I just received my order.While I appreciate the prompt delivery, I was dismayed to discover that not only had the case of paper been opened but paper was removed from one of the reams.I'd appreciate either a credit or a new ream.Sincerely yours,
I'll settle for a copy of what they wrote . . .
Even more fun with banks . . .
Baseline Scenario is a blog that has had the Money Meltdown nailed from the get-go. Here's the latest blast. . .
Baseline Scenario is a blog that has had the Money Meltdown nailed from the get-go. Here's the latest blast. . .
Read the rest here.From the headlines of the Wall Street Journal: “Banks Aiming to Play Both Sides of Coin — Industry Lobbies FDIC to Let Some Buy Toxic Assets With Taypayer Aid From Own Loan Books (subscription required, but Calculated Risk has an excerpt). I thought the headline had to be a mistake until I read the article.
To recap: The Public-Private Investment Program provides subsidies to private investors to encourage them to buy legacy loans from banks. The goal is to encourage buyers to bid more than they are currently willing to pay, and hopefully close the gap with the prices at which the banks are willing to sell.
Allowing banks to buy their own assets under the PPIP is a terrible idea. In short, it allows a bank to sell half of its toxic loans to Treasury – at a price set by the bank. I’ll take this in steps.
Talking about writing
So we're hanging out in the hotel penthouse, ten or twelve of us, all writers and the guru. And mostly we're talking about country-western music.
Until David Hagberg (who still hasn't bought me a beer, or seen me completely sober), says something along the lines of, "It's good to have so many writers together. You can talk and be understood."
Everyone else agreed; someone even said they could talk about craft and not be looked at strangely.
There was unanimous agreement, people saying how marvelous it is to talk about craft, until the circle came around to me.
"The hell with craft," I said. "I'd rather talk about baseball."
They made me buy the next round.
So we're hanging out in the hotel penthouse, ten or twelve of us, all writers and the guru. And mostly we're talking about country-western music.
Until David Hagberg (who still hasn't bought me a beer, or seen me completely sober), says something along the lines of, "It's good to have so many writers together. You can talk and be understood."
Everyone else agreed; someone even said they could talk about craft and not be looked at strangely.
There was unanimous agreement, people saying how marvelous it is to talk about craft, until the circle came around to me.
"The hell with craft," I said. "I'd rather talk about baseball."
They made me buy the next round.
The homestand
So, tying up the loose ends on the new Yankee Stadium -
- I found the sushi place. It's right behind the main hall (duh) on the main level. My spicy tuna roll looked a little battered by the time I reached my seat, but it tasted OK. Of course, you're paying Stadium prices . . .
- My bet is that the calorie counts next to the beer prices will do as much to curb excessive drinking as Anti-DWI ads will. Maybe more . . .
- Speaking of beer, the selection is much better than at the old Stadium. But it still could use some tweaking. And, of course, you're paying Stadium prices . . .
- We did find the good way out - got in the parking lot in under six minutes. Without running . . . now if I could only find a good spot for a cigar . . .
So, tying up the loose ends on the new Yankee Stadium -
- I found the sushi place. It's right behind the main hall (duh) on the main level. My spicy tuna roll looked a little battered by the time I reached my seat, but it tasted OK. Of course, you're paying Stadium prices . . .
- My bet is that the calorie counts next to the beer prices will do as much to curb excessive drinking as Anti-DWI ads will. Maybe more . . .
- Speaking of beer, the selection is much better than at the old Stadium. But it still could use some tweaking. And, of course, you're paying Stadium prices . . .
- We did find the good way out - got in the parking lot in under six minutes. Without running . . . now if I could only find a good spot for a cigar . . .
Did they get it right this time?
Preliminary reports indicate that the North Koreans exploded another nuclear bomb Monday, with an NK spokesman saying obliquely that this explosion was "larger" than the last" and corrected "problems" in "increasing the power" of nuclear weapons.
In other words, yeah, the first one was a dud, but we got it right this time.
Most of the stories you'll read over the next few days will connect the explosion to political maneuvering over Kim's successor. (One theory: the successor is demonstrating to Kim and-or others his worthiness as a leader.)
But the explosion is also one more step down an increasingly barren path: it lessens North Korea's leverage rather than increasing it in any sort of international negotiations. The weapon(s) can't be used, since everyone knows what the response will be - complete destruction of the North Korean leadership. Once it's clear that North Korea has the technology, the incentive to make a deal with them lessens. The terms for any deal will also become more onerous from North Korea's point of view, since it will always be possible that they are hiding one or more of the nukes somewhere. (See Rogue Warrior: Dictator's Ransom for a plot built on this premise.)
And what does North Korea do if no one wants to negotiate with it? Blow up something, like maybe South Korea?
The rhetoric that comes from North Korea is so psychotic that you can't rule that out. However, assuming at least a modicum of self-serving preservation is still guiding the leadership (whoever it may be), the options are slim and none. At best, the North Koreans could hope for an arms race kicked off by Iran, allowing it to sell technology to the highest bidder (which of course could be the West and-or China).
Iran's successful missile launching earlier this month - coming after North Korea's own failure - was an interesting coincidence. The two countries are presumed to have traded technology before; what the case is now remains pure speculation - or the stuff of techno-thrillers.
The truth is, Monday's nuke test only made North Korea more irrelevant. The problem is, they don't realize that yet . . . and I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for them to do so.
Preliminary reports indicate that the North Koreans exploded another nuclear bomb Monday, with an NK spokesman saying obliquely that this explosion was "larger" than the last" and corrected "problems" in "increasing the power" of nuclear weapons.
In other words, yeah, the first one was a dud, but we got it right this time.
Most of the stories you'll read over the next few days will connect the explosion to political maneuvering over Kim's successor. (One theory: the successor is demonstrating to Kim and-or others his worthiness as a leader.)
But the explosion is also one more step down an increasingly barren path: it lessens North Korea's leverage rather than increasing it in any sort of international negotiations. The weapon(s) can't be used, since everyone knows what the response will be - complete destruction of the North Korean leadership. Once it's clear that North Korea has the technology, the incentive to make a deal with them lessens. The terms for any deal will also become more onerous from North Korea's point of view, since it will always be possible that they are hiding one or more of the nukes somewhere. (See Rogue Warrior: Dictator's Ransom for a plot built on this premise.)
And what does North Korea do if no one wants to negotiate with it? Blow up something, like maybe South Korea?
The rhetoric that comes from North Korea is so psychotic that you can't rule that out. However, assuming at least a modicum of self-serving preservation is still guiding the leadership (whoever it may be), the options are slim and none. At best, the North Koreans could hope for an arms race kicked off by Iran, allowing it to sell technology to the highest bidder (which of course could be the West and-or China).
Iran's successful missile launching earlier this month - coming after North Korea's own failure - was an interesting coincidence. The two countries are presumed to have traded technology before; what the case is now remains pure speculation - or the stuff of techno-thrillers.
The truth is, Monday's nuke test only made North Korea more irrelevant. The problem is, they don't realize that yet . . . and I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for them to do so.
The Center for the Intrepid
I just got back from San Antonio, where a small group of novelists was privileged to spend a day at the Brooke Army Medical Center and the Center for the Intrepid, meeting with patients and staff.
The Center for the Intrepid is an incredible, state of the art rehabilitation facility that helps severely wounded soldiers and their families. Their patients are amputees who have withstood untold pain and horror. Built by private donations, the center provides a comprehensive program for helping the wounded psychologically as well as physically.
Here's a good overview of what the center does.
Every man and woman I met had been severely wounded in horrible ways. Every one of them had an indomitable spirit that reshaped my understanding of what courage is. Meeting them was a humbling but inspiring experience. They reminded me of the greatness we are all capable of, even in the face of unfathomable pain and violence.
The staff and patients thanked us for coming, but we were the one who owe thanks. Not just for their service, but for their inspiration.
I just got back from San Antonio, where a small group of novelists was privileged to spend a day at the Brooke Army Medical Center and the Center for the Intrepid, meeting with patients and staff.
The Center for the Intrepid is an incredible, state of the art rehabilitation facility that helps severely wounded soldiers and their families. Their patients are amputees who have withstood untold pain and horror. Built by private donations, the center provides a comprehensive program for helping the wounded psychologically as well as physically.
Here's a good overview of what the center does.
Every man and woman I met had been severely wounded in horrible ways. Every one of them had an indomitable spirit that reshaped my understanding of what courage is. Meeting them was a humbling but inspiring experience. They reminded me of the greatness we are all capable of, even in the face of unfathomable pain and violence.
The staff and patients thanked us for coming, but we were the one who owe thanks. Not just for their service, but for their inspiration.
Fans? At a baseball game?
Demonstrating the sensitivity and concern for fans that has come to characterize the Yankees' brain trust, the club's chief operating officer Lonn Trost said this week that the team's new policy of not letting most fans near the field during batting practice will remain in place.
Actually, what he said was closer to FU, unwashed fans. (Most of whom traditionally are kids, btw.)
Which isn't that bad a metaphor, considering what they're charging for the seats.
Can we be clear - the Yankees want all our money, but the only fans they want up close to the game are the Madoff crowd who have a few billions to spill out of their pockets.
I'm starting to think my presence at the games is an insult to the top brass . . . and I'm kinda liking that.
Speaking of the Yankees, I found the sushi place last week, as well as the old Italian deli, Mike's. (Duh, they were right near the Legends Hall entrance. Shows the novelist's attention to detail the first time through . . .) The deli has now been repackaged as a pseudo-mall outlet, with expanded offerings. The bread was fresher, but not as crusty as the old place. The jury's still out.
I'm still wondering why they check the cars in the "preferred lot" for bombs, while the rest of us scofflaws are waved through as quickly as possible.
But the biggest question remains: Where is the best place to meet? Most people seem to be adopting the patio-like sidewalk in front of Legends Hall, but there are no good landmarks there. "Meet me by the bench" doesn't have quite the same ring as "we'll hook up by the bat."
Myself, I'll be under Lonn's window.
Demonstrating the sensitivity and concern for fans that has come to characterize the Yankees' brain trust, the club's chief operating officer Lonn Trost said this week that the team's new policy of not letting most fans near the field during batting practice will remain in place.
Actually, what he said was closer to FU, unwashed fans. (Most of whom traditionally are kids, btw.)
“If you purchase a suite, do you want somebody in your suite?” Trost said in remarks reported by The Associated Press. “If you purchase a home, do you want somebody in your home?”
Which isn't that bad a metaphor, considering what they're charging for the seats.
Can we be clear - the Yankees want all our money, but the only fans they want up close to the game are the Madoff crowd who have a few billions to spill out of their pockets.
I'm starting to think my presence at the games is an insult to the top brass . . . and I'm kinda liking that.
Speaking of the Yankees, I found the sushi place last week, as well as the old Italian deli, Mike's. (Duh, they were right near the Legends Hall entrance. Shows the novelist's attention to detail the first time through . . .) The deli has now been repackaged as a pseudo-mall outlet, with expanded offerings. The bread was fresher, but not as crusty as the old place. The jury's still out.
I'm still wondering why they check the cars in the "preferred lot" for bombs, while the rest of us scofflaws are waved through as quickly as possible.
But the biggest question remains: Where is the best place to meet? Most people seem to be adopting the patio-like sidewalk in front of Legends Hall, but there are no good landmarks there. "Meet me by the bench" doesn't have quite the same ring as "we'll hook up by the bat."
Myself, I'll be under Lonn's window.
Copyright
Copyright Critics Rationalize Theft
Writers, composers, designers and other
content creators need to fight back.
by Mark HelprinFull article here.
. . . Their work is peculiarly vulnerable in that it is easy to appropriate....
Were this vulnerability unaddressed, the producers of intellectual property would be put out of business unless they were independently wealthy or worked either as amateurs or drew salaries at the pleasure of, and beholden to, boards, committees and overseers of every type. Always at risk, the independent voice, the guarantor of political freedom and personal dignity, would be dangerously depressed along with the arts that sustain civilization. Amateurs alone are insufficient -- unless one believes that the work of Herman Melville, Thomas Eakins and Aaron Copeland does not merit full-time employment.
Spam
I get a lot of spam because of my "public" email addresses via the website. It's pia mostly, and lately I've come to suspect that the spammers think so, too.
Their subject lines have become more and more prosaic. Now I can understand that - too fancy and the spam killer just bites them in half. But the from addresses show a remarkable lack of creativity.
For example, just today I received email from the following:
Asthma inhaler help
Rebate processing jobs
Shawn C. - A seriously insane rich bitch
Debt Advisor
I mean come on - I'm not even bothering to open any of these. It's almost too much effort even to delete them.
Well, except for Shawn, who's meeting me for coffee next week.
I get a lot of spam because of my "public" email addresses via the website. It's pia mostly, and lately I've come to suspect that the spammers think so, too.
Their subject lines have become more and more prosaic. Now I can understand that - too fancy and the spam killer just bites them in half. But the from addresses show a remarkable lack of creativity.
For example, just today I received email from the following:
Asthma inhaler help
Rebate processing jobs
Shawn C. - A seriously insane rich bitch
Debt Advisor
I mean come on - I'm not even bothering to open any of these. It's almost too much effort even to delete them.
Well, except for Shawn, who's meeting me for coffee next week.
One for the road
The worst thing about traveling is that it really screws up your caffeine addiction.
It's generally impossible to find coffee that's as strong as you want it, especially at the hotel. Not to mention that the default bean is inevitably Colombian, and the roast is generally so light it tastes like it was done with a refrigerator bulb. So you compensate with quantity, not necessarily a bad thing, except you end up draining the dragon every five minutes later in the day.
Do I exaggerate?
The worst thing about traveling is that it really screws up your caffeine addiction.
It's generally impossible to find coffee that's as strong as you want it, especially at the hotel. Not to mention that the default bean is inevitably Colombian, and the roast is generally so light it tastes like it was done with a refrigerator bulb. So you compensate with quantity, not necessarily a bad thing, except you end up draining the dragon every five minutes later in the day.
Do I exaggerate?
Well, duh . . .
Headline in today's NY Times:
Link.
Headline in today's NY Times:
Good story. Tip of the iceberg.
Pakistan Strife Raises U.S. Doubts on Nuclear Arms
Link.
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