LYNNE JAMNECK

In The Blood

2012-01-06T04:07:00.000-08:00

I never knew my paternal grandfather. I have a photo, somewhere, of him holding me when I was a few months hold, but sadly, I remember the onesie I was wearing at the time better than I do him.

The one thing I do know about him is that he was a writer. Poetry, mostly. A collection of his poems were compiled by someone in my dad's family and bound, a handful of copies that were given to members of the Jamneck family. Some years ago, I think when my dad finally started believing that I actually wanted to be a writer and it wasn't just a phase, he gave me his bound copy of my grandfather's poems. I've been carrying it around with me ever since, but it always remains hidden away, in a box somewhere because I am paranoid about something happening to it in between the frequent moving that comes with not owning your own house. The promise is that, once I sign a deed, the copy will come out and onto the bookshelf.

In the last couple of years, however, my uncle has been working on getting my grandfather's poetry out to a wider audience. He has finally collected most of the poetry together on a site, called Leopold Jamneck - Verses

The poems were written in Afrikaans and English. My grandfather had tried to get his poetry published, but he had been turned down by at least two publishers in the Apartheid era because of the anti-Apartheid stance of his work.

My grandfather's work has allowed me, in a way that is very personal to me, to be able to connect to him, even if we never knew one another. I am somehow always a little surprised by the spiritual nature of some of his poems. I have no idea why. Maybe because I see something of myself, of my own thoughts in his work. Maybe the surprise is actually a buffer for the disappointment I feel at never having known this other writer in my family. I'm sorry I never got to know him better, because I think we would have had some interesting conversations. I think I might have been able to talk to him about things I struggled with when I was young, things that I felt I couldn't talk to other people about simply because they were part of the status quo.

Here's to meeting you in another life, oupa.

"Many people want white supremacy;
I ask for the supremacy of Love.
Many preachers say we have three foes to renounce –
the Devil, the World and the Flesh.
But let me remind them that the Devil is within Man
and I have been told to love my fellow-man."
-- Leopold Jamneck

Happy New Year!

2011-12-31T04:30:00.000-08:00

...and that's the last time I m going to say it, because really, once is enough.

I'm not quite sure what to expect of 2012. Last year was a bit of a banger, literally, particularly with the planet going wild on the natural front. It's been raining in Auckland for the past few days and muggy as hell, so I can't really get away from the fact that La Niña is going to continue being a bitch as we proceed into the future.
(CHINA and AMERICA take note)

In two months my thesis has to be finished. I'm feeling unnervingly calm about it at this stage. I've just passed the 30K mark of what needs to be a 40K document, and that's excluding the intro and conclusion. I need to tighten and firmly establish my argument however, because though I know what I'm writing about, I need to make sure others will find it illuminating rather than confusing. Ladida. Such is the nature of writing on the ambiguity of language, which inherently falls short of communicating emotional experience. Humanities - there's nothing humane about it.

[Lordie, thank you, the fireworks have stopped. Cats are both asleep, though the eldest was back chatting me earlier because I wouldn't let her out.]

So, with the thesis ending, I can finally direct all my energies at THE BOOK. It's practically all there, it just needs to be written. I have applied for a tutoring position in the first trimester at AU again, so fingers crossed. I have one or other two things up my sleeve, but don't want to let the cat(s) out the bag just yet.

Idea for a story brewing after watching a BBC doco about the 16th Century British pagans and their beliefs about fairies. You thought the old "make a witch float" theory was brutal? Meh. Fairies were where it was at, bro.

And so, let's not forget that it is finally 2012. I am apprehensively looking forward to sitting back and watching all the banana-batshit-crazy that people are going to come up with in their preparations for the end of the world. Word up, peeps, if it was going to be a black hole, we would be gone-burgers by now.

I wonder if people would have learned anything from the failed appearance of the Rapture last year. All I know is that somewhere there are Mayans sitting around a fire, LMAO.

Dragon Tattoo Fashion Line - What?

2011-12-17T12:15:00.000-08:00

Maybe it's because absoloutely almost everything these days about the world makes me want to go out and buy a real sturdy baseball bat, but this (pictured) just gives me a serious case of the what-the-fuck.

Oh hey - you too can look like someone who has been sexually, socially and morally abused. Because, you know, it's cool. We all want to be those people.

Or maybe they're saying you too can be your own hero by overcoming those things and kicking the shit out of everyone. Who knows? I don't. It still doesn't change the fact that someone out there is selling a fashion line pushed by violence against women. It makes me want to go have several showers. I seem to be becoming ragey in my old age.

Lovecraft and Psychology

2011-12-13T16:36:00.000-08:00

Quick Question:

For all the Lovecraft nerds: A well-known critic on the Gothic makes the claim that, compared to Poe, "Lovecraft is devoid of psychological interest". The statement is awkwardly phrased, and I'm not sure if he means Lovecraft as writer, or "Lovecraft" as a body of work. Thoughts?

For reference, the statement is from:

The Literature of Terror, Vol.2 by David Punter (UK, Longman, 1996), p. 38

Stupid Truly Is...Stupid.

2011-12-01T03:06:00.000-08:00

I want to know how to deal with stupid people.

Oh no; are you one of those people that think it's cruel to call someone 'stupid'? Tell you what - give me a better word and I'll use it. Because stupid sure doesn't cover the crap I see on TV, the internet, or newspapers. But let's see what the Oxford says about stupid:

adj.

Having one's faculties deadened or dulled; Emotionally or morally dull or insensible; apathetic, indifferent; Wanting in or slow of mental perception; lacking ordinary activity of mind; slow-witted, dull; Characterized by or indicating stupidity or dullness of comprehension.

I tell you, it's a stupid world we live in.

It's hard for me to be apathetic. Over the past few years I have done a significant amount of mental work to not get upset about things that are out of my control. Lately, though, it seems as if my Zen barriers have begun to break down.

Things affect me more than usual. I want to go out and hit people senseless. Cruelty to animals, especially - it fills me with a deep and chilling numbness, swiftly followed by raging anger that makes me think I would actually gravely hurt someone who hurts any living thing that they consider inferior to themselves. I'm thinking if we wake up one morning and the animals all have shotguns, we'd be living in a better world a week later. Don't even get me started on the shit people do to one another.

The worst thing about all of this is that there is precious little you can do that will actually allow you to see the difference you're making. I like to think that I do have an impact, that I can make a difference. On most days, I believe it to be true. But I also know that my little efforts, and all the other amazingly awesome people's little efforts will really only start making a noticeable difference a few years from now. I might not even be alive when that happens. Most of the time, that's OK with me, too. But it makes days like today very hard. Have we become so numb, so clinical, so materialistic that we really just don't care? Or are we scared shitless of the path we've carved out for ourselves, and we are all just going to join the party until we finally walk into the flames?

So, from tomorrow, I am going to make an effort at calling people 'stupid' instead of all the horrible things I have been calling them lately. Sure, it feels less satisfying. Somehow calling someone a 'fucktard' makes me feel so much better. Still, "emotionally or morally dull" and "lacking ordinary activity of mind" are not too shabby. I just wish I could have been Dorothy fucking Parker in my execution.

Short Story In Something Wicked

2011-11-08T15:55:00.000-08:00

My story "Into the Black Abyss" features in the current issue of South African spec magazine, Something Wicked.

The story is a journey into the African Congo at the turn of the previous century,featuring a small group of adventurers that go in search of answers to things that are best left undisturbed...

Issues are available in eBook, Kindle compatible MOBI and ePUB. You can also choose ALL VERSIONS to receive a zip file with all available formats

My Story in Fantastique Unfettered

2011-11-02T00:21:00.000-07:00

My short story "Azif" will appear in issue 4 of Fantastique Unfettered. Booya.

It has insects. And Paris.

Science Is The New Religion

2011-10-10T22:17:00.000-07:00

Seriously, I love science. I've got a giant collection of those awesome BBC docos that, god bless the Brits, they keep making. But I have started noticing a slightly ominous trend in the field in the last few months.

Science appear with increased frequency to be discussed using the same language paradigms that have traditionally been applied to religion. It's as if some in the scientific community are taking a kind of 'if-you-can't-beat-em-join-em' approach.

Science, and the way "things really work" seems to slowly but surely be taking the same ram-it-down-your- throat approach, reminiscent of that annoying evangelist in track pants shouting at you from across the street.

I'm posting a recent Facebook conversation. The OP is a great guy, and devout atheist.

What The What?

2011-09-08T03:59:00.001-07:00

I'm not sure why this annoys me so much. Hasn't Margaret Atwood spent most of her writing career vigilantly protecting herself from being called a science-fiction writer?

The Spell of Algernon Blackwood

2011-07-20T19:37:00.000-07:00

Seriously, I have no idea why it has taken me so long to start reading this guy.

Algernon Blackwood was a significant influence on H.P. Lovecraft, particularly Blackwood's story "The Willows", which I read yesterday, and which HPL wrote of in "Supernatural Horror in Literature:

"Here art and restraint in narrative reach their very highest development, and an impression of lasting poignancy is produced without a single strained passage or a single false note."

Hot damn, he sure knew what he was talking about. I think the overbearing presence of nature in Blackwood's story was what sucked me in immediately, taking into account my thesis argument about Poe and Lovecraft's employment of the natural world in uncanny fiction. It's wonderfully written, lulling the reader into a false sense of security on more than one occasion and then upsetting your whole sense of equilibrium with The Creepy.

Blackwood sure had a knack for writing the weird. More than one person has now told me he was a master of the ghost story. I can already see where they're coming from. Yes, please sir, can I have some more?

"Like all the best B movies - but without the gore."

2011-06-19T03:53:00.000-07:00

Here are two links to reviews for Tales for Canterbury; one from LibraryThing and another from Goodreads.

I'm flattered that Cassie Hart chose my story, Extract, as her favourite from the anthology's "Survival" section:

"...from Survival - Extract by Lynne Jamneck is only 5 pages long, but an inventive twist on what happens when the nano-grey goo becomes sentient and how a horde of zombies will get in anywhere, even if you're in a secure research facility. Like all the best B movies - but without the gore."

and from Goodreads:

"...Lynne Jamneck's Extract...is closer to ordinary zombie apocalypse stories; despite [this] disadvantage it hooked me in (and mildly triggered me, but I say this in a good way) and packed a cunning ending too."

Get your copy today!

A Map. Fire. A Knife. A Key.

2011-06-17T11:37:00.000-07:00

BEWARE: POTENTIAL SPOILERS

Last night, we watched Sucker Punch. It was good. In fact, the more I think about it, the more I am impressed with the story, the ideal behind all the orgasmic special effects and over the top scenery.

As roughly two hours of entertainment it fills the gap pretty decently. There are flaws, to be sure. Some of the fight scenes do drag on, but upon a deeper reflection of what they represent in Babydoll's psyche, I can forgive that.

Stylistically, I'll give Zack Snyder props. I wasn't that impressed with Watchmen, and in my opinion, Sucker Punch is a better movie. (Come on, clockwork soldiers in trench coats that bleed steam?) Furthermore, the emotional engagement lacking in Watchmen came through better in Sucker Punch, and that's a good step forward for Snyder. You can be as stylized as a photo shoot for Vogue, but if the film does not at any level connect with an audience you're going to have trouble.

The story is admirable. I'm particularly sick and tired of ra-rah movies where everything gets blown to shit without consequences. Sure, a lot of things were sliced and diced in SP, but in the end, Babydoll made the ultimate sacrifice. (Potential problem: she did let herself get lobotomised, in effect rejecting the burden of having to live with the guilt of accidentally killing her sister, and getting two of her inmates killed... On the other hand, getting lobotomised was the only way for Sweet Pea to have escaped..?) And the tiny twist in the end was satisfying, coming from a director who is not known for being subtle. It was a nice touch to find out that the story I was watching was actually the story of someone else.

The major flaw, I think, with SP is that, once Babydoll retracts into her own mind, we never see the real asylum again. I think an interplay between the two worlds (or three, of you count Babydoll's bouts of retraction within her mind another level down) would have hooked the movie together better. By the time the viewer returns to the real asylum near the end of the film, it feels like a bit of a sucker punch (ha) back into a reality we haven't seen for nearly 90 minutes.

It's girl power in short knickers and even shorter skirts, set in highly fantastical environments and shot to look like Zack Snyder's own personal comic book. It bleeds special effects. If none of this bothers you, and you're not looking to think too much during the film, it's a pretty good way to spend a rainy afternoon. Likely, you'll consider the whole thing more seriously once it's over. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing.

I write Like Arthur C. Clarke. Apparently.

2011-06-11T00:50:00.001-07:00

I write like
Arthur Clarke

I Write Like by Mémoires, journal software. Analyze your writing!

Who do you write like?

No, I Don't Have A Flag, But Paul Aguirre-Livingston Makes Me Wish I Did

2011-06-10T12:45:00.000-07:00

Journalist Paul Aguirre-Livingston writes an article for The Grid about what it's like to be a twenty-something "post-mo" who sneers at the traditional trappings of homosexuality and gay activism.

The Torontoist counters and responds, and causes a participant in the original article to denounce his involvement in the piece.

The Grid responds to why it decided to publish the piece.

My take? Aguirre-Livingston's piece is lame, and gives anyone reading it who is not gay a terribly warped perspective of what it's like to be gay in 2012. And I say that as a queer who doesn't march, do activism or own a rainbow. I know nothing about The Grid, but I seriously can't fathom how such a piece was deemed "good" in any way when it's clearly a personal manifesto of what it's like for Paul Aguirre-Livingston to be gay. In Toronto.

On that note, have some gay vodka.

...

2011-06-02T18:28:00.000-07:00

Auckland, Thursday, 2 June, 2011

2011-06-01T23:13:00.000-07:00

Hey Hollywood - Have My Finger

2011-06-01T20:20:00.000-07:00

Based on a series of books that addresses the sexual exploitation of women, Hollywood has come up with a poster for David Fincher's remake of The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo

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........('(...´...´.... ¯~/'...')
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Quoth, Damn You, Quoth!

2011-05-23T17:49:00.000-07:00

This is what happens when someone with nominal drawing talent (me) starts losing my mind at the end of the day and it's clearly time to turn out the light and go to sleep.

Gaga Ra-Ma-Ma!

2011-05-21T16:42:00.000-07:00

I don't write about pop culture much, despite the fact that I'm a big, geekeroid fan. In the last seven or so years there have been rare instances where new musicians have managed to stay on my radar for longer than the initial promising debuts. But I finally have to admit:

I like Gaga.

It began long ago, in a land far away, when I first heard Poker Face. It was catchy. There was something irreverent and non-panderish about it. I thought this odd, but somehow charismatic character would be a one-hit wonder and eventually fade away. Thus, I bopped along to Poker Face, enjoying it for what it was. We all need a happy song every now and again.

One day, a friend sent me a link to an article claiming Gaga was a"puppet" for the Illuminati. I laughed. Then I read it. Then I took notice. I thought, 'here is someone who knows how to work with symbolism, who puts these very recognisable images within an interesting context'. The article did not necessarily draw me closer to Gaga's music, but to her personality.

Then the Bad Romance video hit the internet. It captivated me in terms of symbolic imagery and pop culture reference - the controlled, showcased Britney image, and the buying and selling of that image; the burnt-out Amy Winehouse; the overarching visual narrative of the innocent, wide-eyed wannabe pop star, transformed by an industry through a 'bad romance' into a commodity. Here was someone who was actually criticizing the music industry from within. Of course, in this situation, both parties still gain from the critique, but I have always been a firm believer in the view that you can exact change better from inside a system. In simpler terms, with 'Bad Romance', Gaga was saying something. That is something that seems woefully missing from contemporary popular music.

Now I enjoy Gaga's music. The cool combination of genres - rock, eighties-retro, tight House beats and trippy Trance keep her approach to creating music interesting. There is a bio-kinetic feel to what she delivers; something robotic interlaced with something...alive. What I also find appealing is her sense of Eurocentricity.

Comparisons between Gaga and Madonna are often made, but I find them lacking when the argument focuses on Gaga as a 'rip-off' of Madonna. Granted, their voices might sound similar in some instances, but that's hardly something either of them can help.

Rather, I think Gaga is a stylistic progression from the 'Madonna Image'. In many ways, she seems to effortlessly accomplish those things Madonna only paid lip service to. Despite Madonna's numerous attempts at injecting her image with a Eurocentric feel, she always remained decidedly American. Gaga's efforts in terms of equal human rights also goes much further than Madonna's, whose concerns about (for instance) LGBT rights were really only displayed in music videos, by portraying herself in queer situations. This did not necessarily relate to an audience outside the television screen. To be able to act like Madonna first means to be Madonna. There is where the disconnect exists. As for the statement that Gaga copies Madonna in terms of religious imagery, I think that is an argument that does not pass muster when taking into consideration how important religion (and the offense to religion) has become in our society.

Is it worse to make Jesus a black man (Madonna) or to reject him and choose Judas (Gaga)? Debatable. As an extension (or progression) of Madonna's legacy, Gaga can be seen as taking the religious controversy further. Gaga outright denies the symbolic Jesus. By analysing this rejection in the context of contemporary politics, the potential for socio-religious interpretation becomes clear.

And what is not to like about how Gaga looks? It is one of the easiest ways to instigate confrontation in contemporary society. If you look "different" you do not belong to the rest, to a group. You have no flock. Gaga uses her "bizarre" images to emphasise that in being different, one can belong. She portrays the "monster", but it is this same monster who is adored by millions because she speaks for those who are "little monsters", like herself. Madonna was/is an image created for Madonna; up on a pedestal, the one we strive to be like. Gaga is the head of a larger body, monster and little monsters as part of something bigger, but all part of the same thing. With Madonna, there is disconnect, with Gaga, the opposite.

Oh, and if you were still wondering - the woman has talent. Check out this version of Paparazzi, with only Gaga on keyboard.

The Last Supper Before The Rapture

2011-05-19T23:45:00.000-07:00

This was ours... What will you be having??

Herfs Is Hier!

2011-05-19T22:19:00.000-07:00

"Autumn is a second spring when every leaf's a flower."
- Albert Camus

Remember when...

2011-05-18T02:20:00.001-07:00

...you still had a VHS machine, and whenever you paused the image would be all squiggly and you couldn't see the picture? Those days are gone!

Back In The Swing Of Things

2011-05-07T22:51:00.000-07:00

It's been a bit longer than a week now since we came back from South Africa. The trip was wonderful; seeing everyone was wonderful; seeing Jen have such an inspirational reaction to the country was wonderful. Being back in Cape Town was fantastic - just to be in that cultural environment, going to all the art galleries and hearing people beat the crap out of African drums on Green Market Square gave a sense of belonging that I will never find anywhere else.

The three weeks went by so quick. I wish we could have stayed longer. It's a long journey, getting there, but now that I have done it once, the distance (at least in my mind) seems to have grown just a little bit smaller.

Back home, in New Zealand, things are amping up to the next level. I have to start writing my thesis this week, and I'm petrified. My supervisor told me calmly to just start wherever I feel like starting. Don't worry about the introduction, it will write itself. No, it won't! Anyhoo, I think I have found my companion piece to "The Dunwhich Horror", which is Poe's "A Descent Into The Maelstrom".

Also have to find time to FINISH THE BOOK.

Quest: To Find A Poe Bookend To "The Dunwich Horror"

2011-05-06T20:27:00.000-07:00

Wordle: "A Descent Into The Maelstrom" by Edgar Allan Poe

Cape Town

2011-04-16T23:40:00.000-07:00

In South Africa!

2011-04-11T07:18:00.000-07:00

Jen and I have been in South Africa for 11 days now, and slowly acclimatising. Boy, it's hot. Unusually so for April. Temperatures are still easily running into the 30 degree mark.

I won't say too much at this point, just upload some photos. Once back in NZ I will have the necessary perspective to look back and describe the experience better. In the meantinme, enjoy the photos!

Poe And Lovecraft Via Wordle

2011-03-27T18:10:00.001-07:00

This is a Wordle for "At The Mountains of Madness"...

 

...and this is one for "The Narrative of arthur Gordyn Pym"

Tales For Canterbury Benefit Anthology

2011-03-22T04:02:00.000-07:00

(a longer post about this soon - I just want to get the information out soon as possible, because people need help)

As you may know, New Zealand's Christchurch experienced a debilitating earthquake on February 22, 2011.

In response, both New Zealand and international writers have come together to produce "Tales For Canterbury", a benefit anthology, with all proceeds donated to assist those affected by the recent events.

The line up contains a variety of authors and a fantastic blend of stories, all of which focus primarily on the themes of survival and hope. Authors include myself, Jeff Vandermeer, Brenda Cooper, Neil Gaiman, Jay Lake, Jessie Bullington, Sean Williams, Grant Stone and Gwyneth Jones. (see LIST OF CONTRIBUTORS for websites)

Pre-orders for "Tales For Canterbury" are now available, for both electronic (various formats) and print editions. If you would like to offer your support to Christchurch, please take a moment to follow the link below. And feel free to circulate this message along to friends and colleagues.

Pre-order

List of contributors

Shut The Fuck Up!

2011-03-10T11:59:00.000-08:00

I've always had a soft spot for eloquent arguments.

Dear Mr God: Please Send Help. Kthxbai.

2011-03-10T11:24:00.000-08:00

Should
I laugh
or cry?
I might
drink.

Copiously.

(try LINK for video; may or may not be viewable)

Also:

Not Everyone Needs To Question Their Wars

2011-03-09T23:36:00.000-08:00

This Facebook discussion made me think: am I becoming too liberal for my liberal friends? Is it that people generally don't like to think of why they believe the things they believe? Does my emotional core now only relate to the love triangle that is Olivia, Peter and Fauxlivia??

(the video in question I could not link to, since it's a Facebook link. It might be on YouTube but a quick search yielded nothing. Suffice to say, it's filled with American soldiers surprising family and dogs by returning home. Crying ensues)

Lots Of Arabesques - Now All We Need Is A Gibbous Moon

2011-02-23T21:52:00.000-08:00

This was what I was doing yesterday. Close readings are fun. This was round one. I love it when you read something, and as you're reading, you get that sense that something different is going on within and behind the narrative.

Jen sang me a little song today. "Lynne and Lovecraft, sitting in a tree - "

Today I Peed In A Cup - But Not For The Reasons You May Think

2011-02-22T21:37:00.000-08:00

Yes, I surely did. We've been having problems with a neighborhood cat coming in the cat door at night when we are asleep. The result is that our cats go off like bezerk hellspawn and scare the bejesus out of two sleeping soon-to-be full time students. Trust me, we need all the uninterrupted rest we can get.

The little bastard is too quick; I can't get to him with water before he's heard me and is flying out the cat door again. So I did some research, and, while some say the urine-method is completely anecdotal, others swear by it. I knew someone who used to put jars of his wee out in his covered greenhouse to keep squirrels away.

Now, apparently, male urine is the best, but I just don't think asking a friend for a cup of wee is a very good idea. So tonight, I'm giving mine a go. I hope it works.

The Occult: Aka Please Read Books Before You Show Up At My Front Door

2011-02-15T22:54:00.000-08:00

So here's the background: new house. We're testing out the washing machine for the first time. I didn't hear the knock on the door but I realize Jen's talking to someone. I thought it might have been the electrician coming around to look at the kitchen lights. Turns out to be two Jehovah's Witnesses. Jen may have talked to them for an entire minute, which was surprising in itself. What amazed me even more though, was the fact that she actually took two of their little bookie-pamphlets, but like she explained later, it was probably the easiest way to get them off the doorstep. Besides, every house needs a little comedy. Especially one with no furniture.

Oh no! An evil book!
Because you know, books are evil.

One of the pamphlets was about the DANGERS OF THE OCCULT. When I saw it I started laughing maniacally and jumping up and down like an insane dwarf. I partly blame it on the fact that I have just uprooted myself to a new city, but also because this is still the same kind of shit we were given at primary school to warn us off from wearing black and listening to Siouxsie and the Banshees. Jen is convinced the house is now marked. Hopefully, next time they come around, I will be in the middle of a Sumerian bongo ritual.

Seriously though, I'm someone who tries very hard to be accepting of other people's beliefs. But it really ticks me off when people try to pass off a thing as something it is not. I have a special place for all things occult, and I'll tell you why. I was raised Protestant -- by no means with any evangelical fervor, but still traditional enough to be dragged to church and Bible school every Sunday. Let me tell you, Protestants have a talent for talking about evil, hell and demons. All of these tasty topics were forever lobbed under the term "occult".

When I was about 12 or 13, a Satanic Panic ran like a brush fire through the town of Somerset West where I grew up. Gravestones were defiled and uprooted. All the Goth kids were Satanists and people were continuously calling the police to investigate strange noises and hooded figures in the surrounding forests. Bookstore shelves were filled with titles that explained exactly how to spot a Satan worshiper. Of course, some of these things actually happened, but most of these nefarious occurrences were perpetuated by drunken kids out to scare the pants off one another.

The historical Church of Satan (which owes much to Gnosticism) is something completely different from modern day Satanism as portrayed in popular media like horror films. They are two separate belief systems. So when ignorant asses run around dishing out pamphlets in which they explain that the occult includes things like Twilight and Goths and muttering Latin phrases around black candles my first instinct is to laugh hysterically and then strangle someone.

Loving the faux Twilight posters.
Also, if you wear a lot of purple
you are clearly going to Hell.

These people obviously read nothing else than the Bible, otherwise they would know better. 'Occult' has more to do with Esotericism than anything to do with the devil. The word means simply "that which is hidden", and has it's origins in a number of spiritual philosophical practices.

So please, all you religious type peoples who read nothing but what you're instructed to read: make sure you know what you're talking about before brandishing your pamphlets at my door. Seriously, you need to listen less to popes and priests and more to the common sense banging away like a muffled drum inside in that thick basin of lost potential you call a brain.

Superman Trifecta

2011-01-30T03:11:00.000-08:00

This takes me back to when movies still made me feel awestruck and excited about going to the cinema. The colours! The Technicolor!

I like all three of these because they are so different. The Popcorn Eventness of the third, the stripped down and unexpected of nr. 2, and the awesomeness of putting Jor-El on the first, his son shooting like a red-streaked star into his psyche. Yes, you will believe a man can fly!

Use Of The Word "fuck" – A (semi) Serious Discussion

2011-01-23T01:00:00.000-08:00

I was watching P!NK's new video for her song "Fucking Perfect" when I started thinking again about why we use so-called "curse words", and classify them as such. They're words just like any other, a combination of letters that make up a specific sound. But somehow they have attracted meanings that make people cringe and tell us we have potty mouths.

Words like "shit" and "fuck" and "cunt" are at their core no different from words like "mother", "baby" and "porridge"; it's just that different letters give them a different sound, and the sound has a different meaning. Are we actually upsetting people with a sound rather than a word? It might seem like a silly question, but remember: we used sound to communicate long before languages existed. It has a lot to do with context, of course.

Language is a complicated beast. These sorts of questions can't be answered in a blog post. But back to P!NK. Would the song have had the same effect if it was just called "Perfect" instead? (For those who prefer, that will be the radio version). Have so-called "bad" words become more integrated into everyday language because we have been hearing them more frequently on TV and in films? You hear them more on TV now and less in films, too, which is interesting, because 30 years ago it was the other way around. TV reaches far larger numbers than films, so the potential for incorporation throughout a variety of cultures is so much greater.

I grew up in South Africa, where we use a lot of harsh words. As I've thought about this more it seems to be as if it was part of the culture, ingrained in our language as a means of expression that somehow reflects the troublesome landscape, both socially and geographically. Most people I have met in New Zealand don’t nearly cuss like a Boer, but you know, maybe that's a good thing.

People do still shirk at the use of words like "fuck", otherwise the censoring of songs for radio play like the above mentioned P!NK number wouldn't be necessary. Is the artist using the word because she is trying to reach a culture and demographic that have assimilated offensive words into their personal lingo, their way of communicating, or is she using it to reach a group that would sit up and pay attention because the word is considered offensive and will make them listen? It's difficult to say.

I must think more about this.

Frequently Used Words For Today

2011-01-10T01:58:00.000-08:00

According to the text analysis at 750words.com, these are the words I used the most in my entry today:

because bottle came could didn't don't feel her here into just know like looking me my never no not nothing now olivia remember say she something talk things up vodka want why yourself

The protag is just approaching the shitstorm that will change her life forever. Notice the mention of vodka.

'Legend' Trifecta

2011-01-07T21:25:00.000-08:00

Few people seem to know that Ridley Scott directed Legend, the film he chose to follow Blade Runner up with. It's definitely a favourite of mine, mostly because of Tim Curry's awesome giant red devil (or as he is called, 'Darkness'). Camp and scary all in one must be the man's forte.

It's beautifully dark in places, something that many fantasy films always seem to lack. As for the posters, Nr. 1 wins out for me, just for the pure 80's design of the red banner on the outside. Nr 2 - love the background but the floating ectoplasm in the hand of Darkness seems to have morphed both Mia Sara and Tom Cruise's faces beyond recognition. Nr 3 - too much Tom Cruise, sadly.

You Would Think Google Would Hire Designers Who Can Spell

2010-12-30T23:48:00.001-08:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

Labyrinth Trifecta

2010-12-26T21:58:00.000-08:00

Recently, I've been looking at movie posters from the 80's, sending my brain on a spinning spree of warm, nostalgic, bunny feelings.

I've always liked seeing posters from different countries/releases for the same film, so here, let me present the first of what I will aim to make a more regular occurrence.

Jim Henson's Labyrinth, in three-form.

While I like the dark and shadowy feeling of the first one, the middle version will always be my favourite for two reasons: 1) the beautiful detail and design, and 2) the poster adorned my bedroom wall for several years.

The third one suffers a bit from Poster-Floating-Syndrome -- a lot of disembodied floating heads and a giant Sarah-carrying crystal ball, floating, while Jareth's floating head seemingly floats out of a black hole.

What's That In The Sky, Bro?

2010-12-22T12:05:00.000-08:00

A recent poll suggests that the amount of Kiwis who believe in UFO's just outweigh those who don't. This comes on the back of recently released government documents, New Zealand's own X-Files.

Short Story At World SF Blog

2010-12-21T16:26:00.000-08:00

‘Magique’ is a short piece set in the world of The Strickland Diaries.

As I’ve been working on the novel, I’ve discovered characters within the city of Juno that didn’t necessarily play a part in the story (not yet anyway), but stuck in my head. This story is a result of that. The novel's protagonist, Alex Strickland, makes an appearance near the end of the story.

Magique - World SF Blog

At Some Point I Am Going To Have To Read Season 8 Of Buffy...

2010-11-20T11:56:00.000-08:00

...if only because of the gorgeous artwork on display

[all images © Dark Horse Comics]

Impropriety and Profanity: That's What I'm All About. Secretly.

2010-11-17T23:54:00.000-08:00

Recently, I've been thinking about what it means to be a writer. I've resisted thinking about it in the past because it screws with my sense of identity. This has less to do with me thinking about myself as a writer, and more with my general ideas about what it means to have a static sense of self. While writing has long been a part of who I am, the identity alongside that has been modulated many times. So how does this one aspect of my personality make itself fit into the overall package?

The short answer is—I have no idea. It's also a lazy answer, because I have some clues, of course. One of the ideas I find most intriguing is whether my identity has shaped my writing, or whether it has been the other way around. I was doing that thing the internet seems to have been made for—browsing Facebook—and read something someone recently posted which inflamed my easily flammable temper. This promptly made me to set my status to something which contained a volume of profanities. In retrospect, that instinctual retort made me wonder: do I consciously separate my idea of who I am with my identity as a writer?

I admit it, my writing personality thinks it can say anything. It frequently does. Things that might get me arrested in some countries, or other opinions that incline people who don't know me to look at me with cemented concern. Others, like family—I think they're just used to the things that have been coming out of my mouth for a long time. I sometimes question if I should continue saying these things; politically incorrect jokes, remarks about topics like sex and gender that I sometimes think might make people think I have no sense of morality. And then there's that old chestnut Religion. God knows, I've earned the right to make a stink about that topic. I have the Reformed Protestant scars to prove it. Do I say these things because I want to make someone care, or am I just venting?
Should writers speak?

Such vexing questions, and no half-drunk wine in sight. It makes it harder, having to think about this sober. Hemingway may have had a point.

For the time being, I might have to make peace with the fact that I don't feel entirely comfortable thinking of my self without taking into account the 'writer-identity'. Maybe that's lazy in itself. Or maybe it's a way of validating whatever it is I feel like saying. Validation—another tricky subject. Do I write because I want to be justified? This is definitely not going any further without the presence of alcohol. But it does make me wonder about the motivations behind the physical act of writing. Clearly, it is something that some are better at than others, that some have preposterous talent for, and still others use to produce drivel of the highest calibre. But I can't help but think that writers may just have a different kind of guts, a kind of chutzpah that they think renders them in a light where anything they say or do elicits a particular reaction. You know; oh—it's because she/he is a writer. That might not be such a bad thing. It lets us get away with a lot of strange shit. However, sometimes I can't help but feel people aren't really listening.

Maybe that's why I don't always offer information about myself as a writer when making new acquaintances. On the other hand, that might just be me imposing upon myself a type of identity I think others will inflict upon me based on what I tell them. You can see the conundrum, can't you? All of this might not matter in the end. The real question is really whether I like to think of myself as a writer. Do I accept the clichés, the preconceived ideas about "people like me"? Yes. Because strangers, be default, will never know you. They can (and will) form opinions on first impressions. Some of them will even say stupid and irrelevant things to you. But as A Writer, I have the right to respond however irreverently or improperly and without propriety and blame it all on the fact that I'm One Of Those People. And that suits me just fine.

The Only Way To Approach The Apocalypse

2010-11-09T13:08:00.000-08:00

115 Anniversary - The Discovery Of X-Rays

2010-11-07T03:54:00.000-08:00

Ben Franklin On Facebook

2010-11-05T14:07:00.000-07:00

I Know What I'll Be Doing Over My Summer Break This Year...

2010-10-27T17:45:00.000-07:00

...catching up on all my telly! Yes, while all the cool kids stumble past my window to town to get drunk, I'll invite the cat and a cup of Milo to get brainless with me (except for those sneaky mind-altering Horizon episodes!)

WHAT I'M CURRENTLY WATCHING/HAVE BEEN WATCHING:

WHAT I NEED TO WATCH:

Getting Things Off Your Chest Is Good.

2010-10-27T01:41:00.000-07:00

Something's been on my mind lately.

Recently, I've begun feeling guilty. Not about the fact that my diet still has way too much sugar and sodium, or that I blissfully lose myself in writing make-believe stories when I should be studying for exams. Nope, it's none of those. Rather, I've been feeling guilty about not being more ... activisty. Yes, you heard me. Activisty.

I did all of that stuff when I was twenty-two. I was angry and angry and angry. At the world, my parents, some of my friends and all the dicks that didn't know me but felt the need to tell me what I could and couldn't do, who I could and couldn't sleep with. But the anger dissipated; I grew up, got a little zen, and somehow stopped being angry at the world—even the pricks who still wanted to tell me how I was supposed to lead my life.

Lately, though, that angry part of me has been simmering. Why have you suppressed us for so long? When will you realise you need to shout, to kick, to punch and create a furore? Don't get me wrong—I see what goes on in the world. These days we see it in high-def; it's pretty difficult to miss. But how exactly are you helping people if all the news does is make you feel angry and helpless? Perhaps I have spent the last years approaching life from too analytical point of view. This from the teenager dressed in black, hiding behind her closed bedroom door, listening to music so as yo drown out a world that made no sense. Where black and white lived segregated and no-one questioned the status quo. I think I felt so much that I couldn't bear thinking about it. Now, seemingly all I want to do is think about it, because it keeps me from feeling.

Someone showed me the FCKH8 video recently, and I realised again: kids are killing themselves over being bullied about their sexuality. Being queer has been a part of my identity for such a long time I no longer think about it. I'm not really into seeing every single movie with a lesbian in it because, let's face it, most of them are solidly crap. The L Word went in.fucking.sane pretty much right after it started. I just don't feel the need to proclaim myself as gay at every possible opportunity. And then I remember again: kids are killing themselves.

In the face of this, why am I not making a noise? Why am I not piercing my nipples, colouring my hair blue and spray-painting empowering graffiti about my lady-parts on downtown walls? I'm not sure. Becuse there is a significant part of me that would really like to do that. Would like to walk into the face of some homophobe and tell him/her exactly what it is us queers get up to; that no, not all of us go clubbing on the week-end sniffing copious amounts of drugs (but some of us do, bless); that some of us enjoy having our fucking dinner and a glass of wine in front of the TV watching the latest episode of Fringe (my favourite). That sometimes we have to work late nights, look after children, catch up with friends, play soccer or whatever—normal things. Like straight people.

I don't feel like ranting, and I'm not going to. But something in me needed to say this. It's unlikely that I actually will turn into a blue-haired lesbionic feminist (at least, not overnight). I guess I needed to get something off my chest. I haven't nearly said it as eloquent as I can because I'm writing an exam in two days and my head's kind of swimming with the facts regarding Messrs Coleridge (awesome) and Wordsworth (boring). But I'll say this: stop it. You are killing children. How is that worth the insecurities and uncertainties you carry around with you? Does it make you sleep better at night?

I may not be the most activisty person on the planet, but I see what's going on. Cowards feed upon the misery of others. For the love of god, stop listening to what your asshole friends tell you to do and start thinking for yourself.

Prof. Dr. Christiana Estella Rowbotham III – Reading Recommendation.

2010-08-31T14:56:00.001-07:00

I have in my hands the forthcoming anthology edited by Ann and Jeff Vandermeer, Steampunk II: Steampunk Reloaded.

Featuring stories by amongst others William Gibson, Margo Lanagan, Caitlin R. Kiernan, Marc Laidlaw, Tanith Lee and Stephen Baxter, this second volume leads us further into the realm of gears and gadgets, following on the success of the preceding volume.

One of the best things about Steampunk Vol.2 is that it contains not only fiction, but non-fiction essays and observations about Steampunk as a genre and a mode of writing. As someone who is interested in the intersection between creative writing and academic analysis I think that more (particularly genre orientated) anthologies should be amalgamating themselves like this. The reading of well-written fiction is of course a pleasure unto itself; however, the more informed we are about how and why certain aspects of a particular mode of fiction appeals to us, the more we are able to enjoy the work on several nuanced levels.

Steampunk II: Steampunk Reloaded will be released October 2010.

Galileo on Facebook

2010-08-28T16:26:00.000-07:00

Source: CoolMaterial

The Onion - Making News Worthwhile

2010-08-22T22:08:00.000-07:00

Mysterious Crate Arrives From London

DOCKSIDE, NEW ENGLAND—Witnesses were reportedly baffled by both the provenance and contents of a mysterious box which, constructed of stout heart-of-oak and bound in cold iron, was brought the quay Thursday night by the H.M.S. Redoubtable, arriving from London after a passage fraught with misadventure.

The crate, standing roughly high as a man's chest and somewhat wider than a span of arms, has instilled in those who spoke to reporters a sense of great disquiet and foreboding, with many alleging the object to be possessed of strange properties that defy easy reckoning.

"Be right glad to be shut of that, whatsoever it may hold," said the captain of the Redoubtable, pointing to the box, about whose odd geometry a fog had curled in unclean tendrils...

ek het jou lief, my soetkoekie!

2010-08-14T23:12:00.001-07:00

VIA OED

soetkoekie S. Afr.

(sut'’kuːkiː)

Also zoete-koekie, soet-koekie.

[Afrikaans, lit. ‘a little sweet cake’, f. Du. zoet sweet + koek cake + -ie dim. suff.]

A traditional South African spiced biscuit.

1910 D. Fairbridge That which hath Been ix. 115 Juffvrouw wanted very bad to help hand zoete-koekies.

1939 ‘D. Rame’ Wine of Good Hope iii. iii. 368 They ended their tea and the thin bread and butter and soet-koekies of Grim's ceremony.
1949 L. G. Green In Land of Afternoon xii. 165, I have heard of a special ginger beer which is brewed during Christmas week and served with soetkoekies.
1973 Fair Lady 7 Mar. 23 With visions of my Voortrekker ancestors embarking on hazardous journeys with tinfuls of ‘mebos’, biltong, and ‘soet⁓koekies’, I scratched through my recipe book.

There Are No Facts, Only Interpretations.

2010-08-13T05:39:00.001-07:00

Thank you, Nietzsche.

reality, hyperreality

The term reality perhaps most often refers to that which “constitutes the actual thing, as distinguished from what is merely apparent or external” and “underlies and is the truth of appearances or phenomena."

Source: The University of Chicago :: Theories of Media

Here We Go Again

2010-08-11T02:38:00.001-07:00

Today I decided to give myself a kick up the butt; I’ve started banging out a proposal for my Masters thesis. I am both terribly excited and petrified when I think about it, so that’s a good thing. Yes?

It took me the better part of the whole day to get out about 500 words, but I think it went well. I’m happy that I’m able to include aspects of undergraduate Religious Studies as well, even if it ends up meaning that I might have to have dual supervisors from two different faculties.

I need to remind myself to breathe. I have a lot on my plate, but it’s all good stuff. I just wish there were more hours in the day and that my brain could function at at least twice (thrice would be nice) the capacity it is currently capable of.

Picture courtesy of Brian’s Guide

Dragons, Fires And Hornets

2010-08-05T17:51:00.000-07:00

I'm almost through Stieg Larsson's Millennium Trilogy. When I was younger I used to read crime novels obsessively, but eventually, for whatever reason, found myself discarding the genre. After numerous enthusiastic friends kept telling me that I had to read Larsson's novels, I gave in. The trusty secondhand bookshop down the road happened to have all three books in stock. I had no excuse.

I'm going to say upfront that, one of the reasons I found the books so compelling is because of the setting. Larsson manages to combine remote Swedish settings with finely detailed (but not overwhelming) descriptions of Stockholm, adding to the mix the danger and excitement of journalism with one mission only: to expose corrupt individuals and governments - something I have a soft spot for.

Then there is Lisbeth Salander. Somewhere inside me a perverse pleasure bubbles up whenever a male author creates such a fantastically complex female character. I can't explain it, neither do I wish to. Larsson creates between Lisbeth's actions and the details of her traumatic past an unspoken dialogue between reader and text that can be approached on so many levels that the potential for discussion is endless. Whether you choose to approach the themes of the trilogy from a philosophical, moral, social or psychological context, you're bound to come up with some uncomfortable questions. Isn't that what good books should do?

This is one of the key functions of Larsson's series; through Lisbeth Salander, the novels aim to communicate our perceptions of not only individual responsibility, but the effects our decisions have on those who are denied the same rights.

Lisbeth's actions throughout the three novels are based on one thing: self-preservation. Having suffered unspeakably for most of her life at the hands of the very people who should have been protecting her, she trusts no-one. Her methods are for the most part against the law. What sets her apart from an ordinary "grab-and-dash" kind of crook is that Lisbeth always takes responsibility for her actions. She lives by her own moral code, but it is a code that nonetheless has consequences . When one starts weighing up the difference between what Salander does to get her way and what has been done to Salander to turn her into the person she has become, things get very muddled from a moral and ethical perspective.

Perhaps the most admirable aspect of Salander is that, despite everything she has endured, she never comes across as a victim. Her experiences are of the kind that could easily break the strongest constitution, both mentally and physically. Lisbeth Salander never uses this as a defense for her actions. She merely does what she thinks is right. Whether those beliefs are shaped by the experiences she has had to endure is another of the intricate themes contained within the novels.

A note of interest: The first installment in the trilogy, "The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo", was changed in name from its original Swedish title, "Män som hatar kvinnor – "Men Who Hate Women". I'm not surprised at the change. Make no mistake, these books are brutal in their depiction of the violence perpetrated by men against women. But I wonder if a novel - and particularly a film - would have been as successful in the oh-so-Hollywood-obsessed English mainstream market if the original title had remained. It implies that society, for all its constant patting-on-the-back about gender equality and equal rights continues to fail not only women, but everyone who doesn't allow themselves to be pigeonholed.

Elegantly Wasted

2010-08-05T17:01:00.000-07:00

I want to be this cat right now.

Continuing On A Gothic Note...

2010-08-05T02:01:00.000-07:00

Next up in the audio book line is Poe's The Fall of the House of Usher. I'm having a great time reading (or listening) to these texts from an academic/analytical perspective.

Poe was a strange man. I wish someone would find out what happened during the last few days of his life. I also wish that he had Lovecraft could have collaborated on a story. Can you imagine?

Image by Sophy Tuttle

Good News Everyone!

2010-08-02T20:39:00.000-07:00

More like bloody terrific news! Guillermo Del Toro is finally set to direct Lovecraft's At The Mountains of Madness.

Audiobooks Challenge

2010-08-02T19:05:00.000-07:00

I spend 45 minutes every morning walking to the waterfront and back home via the city. As of today I'm using that time to catch up on some books I haven't read in a while or have always wanted to read. First up, The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson. What I like most about the novella is the way Stevenson manages to portray Hyde as both monstrous and pitiable. The relationship between Jekyll and his dark side is not so much conveyed between what Jekyll says and what Hyde does; it's altogether more sinister somehow. It has more to do with what Stevenson has not written than what he has.

Awake For 25 Hours Straight --

2010-07-28T14:20:00.000-07:00

...finishing the final draft of my research essay, "Jungian Archetypes and Mythic Narrative in Michael Ende's The Neverending Story. Going to sleep now.

Jung's Contents of the Collective Unconscious

2010-07-12T01:18:00.000-07:00

The Stubborn Child

2010-06-17T14:36:00.000-07:00

After I'd flung my study notes to one side last night before going to sleep, Jen read me this tiny story from The Annotated Brothers Grimm. It was so wonderfully bizarre, the imagery so superbly surreal that I had to share.

Update: Storm and Stress

2010-06-12T14:34:00.000-07:00

Yikes.

It's that time of term. I've handed in all my essays, papers and whatnot. Next week I'm writing two exams, Monday and Friday. After that I have 6 weeks to complete my research paper. After that - hello Trimester 2! One paper only. Sweet bliss.

I'm supposed to be studying but my brain feels as if it has reached saturation point and simply won't take anything else in. One of my friends remarked how Honours is really chilled throughout the term and then all of a sudden becomes really scary as exams approach. It's not so much a matter of whether you know the work, but rather, are they going to ask questions in such a way that you will be able to apply what you know to it?

I always panic myself into a state about exams and then end up doing fine. But the ante has been upped now and there is always that little bit of doubt at the back of your mind. Then again, if you didn't have that bit of doubt I think you'd be rather stupid. And so all of it is capital indeed and I've just got to get through this coming week without my head esploding.

In other news: Fuck you, BP. You are a piece of shit. You're dragging your heels, trying to find a "solution" to your monumental fuck up when you have all the money in the world to solve it. Why don't you stuff that leak with all the investors you are so desperately trying to placate?
(Picture by Michael Trahan)

Can't wait to get back to writing the second half of Book One of the Strickland Diaries after exams are done.

Watched the opening game of the World Cup between Bafana Bafana and Mexico. The Boys, whilst getting off to a shaky start, ended up playing a hell of a game. Hero of the day was Siphiwe Tshabalala who fired a tremendous goal straight past Mexico's goalie into the top corner of the net. Ladumaaaaa!

If they can build on what they gave us in their first game, I don't see why we can't win another one or two matches. That would be a great result for South Africa. We sure have come a hell of a way in sixteen years. Thank you Madiba, and bless the Rainbow Nation.

Exams!

2010-06-09T15:09:00.000-07:00

That's all.

Because Girlfriends Are Awesome

2010-05-27T11:05:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, due to insane tiredness, I had to break my writing streak at 750words.com thus missing out on my 100-day streak phoenix badge. Jen, being awesome, made me a Jeckle to make it all better :D

Die Een Is Vir Paps

2010-05-22T04:55:00.000-07:00

The Dave Brubeck Quartet - Take Five (1961) Dave Brubeck, Paul Desmond, Joe Morello and Gene Wright

...

2010-05-17T15:42:00.000-07:00

"I opened my eyes and saw the careful eye of a blue whale, its gigantic body sliding by languidly. A huddle of bell jellies bobbed below in the wake of the trailing current."

41,861 words completed 52 days

2010-05-13T21:37:00.000-07:00

Stoked.

36,415 words of fiction in 45 days...

2010-05-08T03:27:00.000-07:00

Courtesy of 750Words.com

Pretty ecstatic, really.

Something Like...

2010-05-06T14:40:00.000-07:00

Reality and the Mind
|
LANGUAGE
|
Produces In the Mind A Reality --> Understanding Facilitated By Interpretation
|
Interpretation = Biased
|
LANGUAGE: segregates or unifies --> Language as Terrorism?

I Knew It!

2010-04-30T15:55:00.000-07:00

Lovecrafty Lovecraftiness

2010-04-17T13:27:00.000-07:00

You can blame that post title entirely on Buffy The Vampire Slayer.

So I'm trawling the intranets this morning over my Sunday coffee and as is wont to happen I end up following a Lovecraft trail. If you're a fan, here are some interesting links.

H.P. Lovecraft Literary Podcast
Works of H.P. Lovecraft (audio available for some)
"Necronomicon - The Scariest Book In The World" - Podcast
Lovecraft 101
What Is Lovecraftian Horror Anyway?
A Lovecraftian Bestiary

Random Curiosity 17.04.2010

2010-04-17T04:49:00.000-07:00

Susan Greenfield, from an interview about the nature of consciousness, commenting on the possibility of life after death.

Conversations On Consciousness: What The Best Minds Think About The Brain, Free Will and What It Means To Be Human

Susan J. Blackmore

Random Curiosity - 15.04.2010

2010-04-14T19:23:00.000-07:00

stuff I come across while researching...
click image to read

Literature, technology and magical thinking, 1880-1920 By Pamela Thurschwell p.1

Dream Environments

2010-04-02T13:35:00.000-07:00

I've thought about this often, but not nearly given it enough thought. And if that sentence trips you up, sorry; I just got out of bed 20 minutes ago.

I can remember, perhaps going back between 10 and 12 years (things get hazy after a while, and some of these might go back further. It's very likely), places I have revisited in dreams but that are not representations of places that I have been to in real life. They're, as far as I'm concerned, true "dreamscapes". Some of these are whole towns, and whenever I find myself in them I can remember, from having been there before, streets, shops, houses, etc.

Of course, I'm fascinated by the potential function behind all of this. What is my subconscious trying to represent to me in these dream realities? What makes it all the more intriguing is that i have found myself thinking of these places when awake, and for moments having my brain process them as real places before realising 'You silly sod - that's not a real place.' At least, not in this reality, right?

Anyone else have similar experiences? I'd love to hear more.

Outside The Box Audio Podcast

2010-03-16T23:37:00.000-07:00

My short story "Outside The Box", first published in Spicy Slipstream Stories is now available as an audio podcast. The story was shortlisted in 2009 for the Sir Julius Vogel Award.

It's the first episode in BrokenSea Audio Productions' newly launched Twilight Theatre, which promises to deliver a high caliber of fiction, and if the fantastic production they did on Outside The Box is anything to go by I can't wait for what they'll deliver in the future.

You can download the podcast, or listen online, HERE

Literature and Technology

2010-03-02T21:14:00.000-08:00

As ever more text becomes transferred from the paper to the digital page, what effect will the digitisation of fiction have on the way we relate to stories? How will our perception of The Writer change—will the fundamental differences between what a screen can offer and the static nature of the written page of a book forever change the way we read and write? How we use our imagination?

As part of research for a postgraduate paper, I am doing research that aims to interact with both readers and writers on this topic. My aim is to include some of this feedback from the virtual reality of cyberspace in the final paper, the focus of which will be on themes that relate particularly to this course.

Contextually speaking, the set texts are:

· Italo Calvino, If On A Winter’s Night A Traveller
· Jean Baudrillard, Simulacra and Simulation
· Philip K. Dick, Simulacra
· Neil Gaiman, The Sandman: Dream Country, Vol. 3
· Russell Hoban, Angelica’s Grotto
· Pat Cadigan, Tea From An Empty Cup
· Neal Stephenson, The Diamond Age
· William Gibson and Bruce Sterling, The Difference Engine

Specific references to issues in any of these works also welcome. Head on over to PoweredBook for more and to add your view.

Winter Olympics 2010 - Signing Off

2010-03-01T12:12:00.000-08:00

It's been fun watching! Thank you Vancouver and congrats to all the athletes taking part. See you in Moscow!

Canada confirms what those in the know already suspect - Canadians are awesome.

More 2010 Winter Olympics - Day 11 To Current

2010-02-25T17:13:00.000-08:00

Figure Skater Joannie Rochette's Personal Triumph

American Records At winter Olympics

Winter Olympics 2010 - Day Ten

2010-02-23T11:00:00.000-08:00

Day Ten. I think.

Winter Olympics 2010 - Day Nine

2010-02-22T17:08:00.000-08:00

Day Nine - Cool Runnings.

Winter Olympics 2010 - Day Eight

2010-02-21T18:27:00.000-08:00

Day Eight in review.

Winter Olympics 2010 - Day Seven

2010-02-19T23:02:00.000-08:00

Top 10 Things We Learned on Day Seven of the Olympics

Winter Olympics 2010 - Day Six

2010-02-18T21:00:00.001-08:00

Day Six. Skeleton. Speed!

Winter Olympics 2010 - Day Five

2010-02-17T20:18:00.000-08:00

Day Five. Skating and Snowboarding.

Winter Olympics 2010 - Day Five

2010-02-16T19:36:00.000-08:00

Day Five. Curling! With Crazypants!

Jay Lake's Handy Guide to Genre Distinctions

2010-02-15T21:23:00.000-08:00

"I have found genre distinctions in fiction publishing to be sometimes confusing.

To aid others in their curiosity, and planning their reading lists, I present the following handy guide."

-- Jay Lake

Visit Jay at JLake.Com

Genre	Distinguishing Characteristics

General fiction	Nothing to explain

Literary fiction	If I have to explain, you wouldn't understand it anyway

Mystery	Explain what happened

Thriller/Technothriller	Explain how it happened

Romance	Explain who it happened to

Western	Explain what lily-livered varmint gone and done it

Horror	Explain what's about to happen

Science Fiction	Explain everything in technical detail

Fantasy	Explain everything in nonsensical detail

Magical Realism	Explain nothing

Surrealism	Go fishing for ice cream

With a nod to Kelly M...

Winter Olympics 2010 - Day Four

2010-02-15T21:19:00.000-08:00

Day Four. Some pretty nifty snowboarding and skiing. I love snow.

I Can Be Irreverent

2010-02-14T17:48:00.000-08:00

Image Courtesy of Autostraddle.com from an article by Marie Lyn Bernard

“The Grammy voters chose someone who, according to her lyrics, has spent her entire life waiting for phone calls and dreaming about horses and sunsets.”

Go on, click to read it. If you are a teenage girl it will tell you that the most important thing about you isn't your virginity. Plus, it will also generate a giggle at the notion of Taylor Swift being an "outsider".

A Challenge To Religion

2010-02-14T17:00:00.000-08:00

"If religions merely cling to "fundamental" past understandings, denying revelations at hand, they will become superfluous. By not allowing myths to grow and develop, by denying new prophecy, as it were, many religious entities contribute to stultification and even collective psychic unbalance. It is as if they insisted that adolescent dreams were the sole vehicles for truth and took a pill to stop further dreaming."

-- Myth: A Biography of Belief, David Leeming

Winter Olympics Day 3

2010-02-14T10:24:00.000-08:00

Day Three (which I spent the whole afternoon watching. In bed.)

Winter Olympics 2010 - Day Two

2010-02-13T14:35:00.001-08:00

Day Two

Winter Olympics 2010 Day One

2010-02-13T02:07:00.000-08:00

For no other reason than me liking the Google logos for the Winter Olympics, I'm going to post them for their pure artistic appeal.

Day One - 13 February 2010

Avatar 3D - Finally

2010-02-07T23:44:00.000-08:00

Saw Avatar 3D. Looked Fantastic. Beautiful. Seamless CGI integration. Story a right clunker. Head hurts from being repeatedly beaten with a New Age mallet. Jimmy Cameron, you're not a subtle boy. Verdict? Great way to spend 3 hours.

And why has my font changed? Is it trying to tell me something?

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun

2010-02-05T02:14:00.000-08:00

Watching a Top 10 80's Anthems on TV. Every time I see Cyndi Lauper I'm reminded of, no matter what happened to muddy my childhood in any way, the spirit of the music (particularly between 1980-1986) somehow refuses to die. Everyone's always so quick to judge the neon legwarmers and lipstick... For shame!

31.01.10

2010-01-30T12:45:00.001-08:00

A short piece I recently wrote now up at Velvetpark on why I hate the term "lesbian fiction".

http://www.velvetparkmedia.com/blogs/lesbian-fiction-past-its-shelf-life

28.01.10

2010-01-27T10:15:00.001-08:00

"There’s nothing wrong with wanting to feel good, and the means—that’s just another way of making a decision. And decisions are a time a dozen. They come and go and no-one cares."

23.01.10

2010-01-22T03:18:00.001-08:00

“…that’s when it hits you – it’s exactly days like these, with nothing special about them, that you end up wondering how your life had turned out this way when all you ever wanted to do was the right thing.”

2010-01-19T19:23:00.001-08:00

“Then there are days that seem to just appear… They have the slow, unassuming arrival of your best friend or mother’s birthday, unchallenged in their surprise appearance.”