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General Posts

Boom and Disrupted Business Models

Submitted by riverhorse on Sun, 08/03/2014 - 16:06

A while back, I was browsing through Amazon, looking for new short ebooks to read, and I landed on Boom, by Tony Horwitz. As often happens when I go browsing, I bought more than I could immediately read, so Boom sat on my reader for a little bit. When I finally go to it, I loved it. I loved the fact that while it explained the political arguments about the Keystone XL pipeline, its focus was on the people along its proposed path. I loved how it showed the way different people can look at a proposed development and see different outcomes.

The Importance of Building a Believable World

Submitted by riverhorse on Sun, 06/22/2014 - 16:15

I recently read a book that really annoyed me. It was well-written, with a well-constructed plot and believable characters. But it fell into a class of books that I am starting to realize almost always annoy me: it was a science-fiction book written by an author who doesn’t usually write in that genre.

Amazon, Hachette, an No Easy Answers

Submitted by riverhorse on Mon, 06/09/2014 - 05:44

I suspect that most people who enjoy reading and like ebooks (i.e., just about anyone who reads this site) has heard about the fight between Amazon and Hachette. If you have somehow missed it, the LA Times has a run down of the dispute.) Most of the people I’ve seen weigh in on this dispute are weighing in as authors or publishers. The three main viewpoints I’ve seen are represented by:

Forms of Reading

Submitted by riverhorse on Mon, 05/19/2014 - 19:34

I got my Kindle as a Christmas gift in 2010. I had hinted I wanted one, because I was curious about eReading,wondering if it would help solve my problem of never having enough room for all of my books (it has, somewhat).

Science Doesn't Have ALL the Answers

Submitted by riverhorse on Mon, 04/14/2014 - 04:40

I am a STEM person. I have a PhD in a STEM field and work at the intersection of science and computers in a science-driven industry. You cannot get much more STEM-y than me. However, I’ve been increasingly uncomfortable with our society’s strong focus on STEM careers, and I have finally figured out why: I do not think STEM fields can solve all of the problems we face.

Top Eight Reasons I Love Short eBooks

Submitted by riverhorse on Mon, 03/10/2014 - 04:26

A few weeks ago, I started tweeting out my top reasons for loving short ebooks. I ended up with eight. Perhaps it is appropriate that this is shorter than a top ten list, since it is about short writing… anyway, here were the reasons:

Reading Race

Submitted by riverhorse on Sun, 03/02/2014 - 19:16

The 2013 VIDA count of the representation of women authors in major literary publications came out recently. There were lots of stories about it, but the one that most caught my eye was from Aimee Phan.

In Praise of Steampunk

Submitted by riverhorse on Sun, 02/23/2014 - 23:00

Last week, a group of steampunk aficionados gathered at a mall in my area to ride a carousel. Mall security didn’t know what to make of them and they were inexplicably asked to leave.

They Should Just....

Submitted by riverhorse on Sun, 02/16/2014 - 22:24

“They should just….”

You’ve probably said it. I know I have. When we see a problem in the structures of our society, it is so easy to pronounce it someone else’s responsibility to fix. The solution seems obvious to us, and “they should just…”

A Sci-Fi and Fantasy Valentine's Day

Submitted by riverhorse on Sun, 02/09/2014 - 22:33

I once had a friend who loved to go out to bars and party- except on New Year’s Eve and St. Patrick’s Day. He considered those “amateur nights” and argued that the bars would be full of people who didn’t know their limits and were more likely to ruin the night for the rest of us.

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