For the last couple of months, I've been following a murder mystery/horror show titled Harper's Island. It's about a wedding party at a secluded island being picked off by a serial killer and his accomplice. It was a fun show to follow, particularly since the twists and turns were able to have me constantly guessing and reguessing. I also think I set a record for having my suspects of choice killed off within two episodes of my making the guess. The last two episodes, in which all was revealed, were aired last night.
Now, some of the people reading this journal may be Harper's Island fans in the United States, which means they're not getting the episodes until tomorrow - so I'm not going to have any spoilers. I am, however, going to mention that while the accomplice ended up being a nice, chilling psychopath, when it came to his motivation, the series fell flat on its face.
( Read more... )
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On my way home, I stopped by my post office box. There I found a piece of mail that made me see red. It was from the government, and it represents, as far as I can tell, a massive abuse of the public trust.
It was a pamphlet that seemed to be trying to be a survey, asking who I thought was on the right track for Canada, with a little election ballot. However, most of it was a written version of the attack ads against Ignatieff, once again claiming that he was "just visiting." To make matters worse, to return this "survey" you just have to fold it up and put it into the mail - the "No Postage Required" on the stamp means that the return post is being paid for by Canada Post.
This is, put simply, an outrage. Consider the following:
1. This came "Compliments of Blake Richards, MP." My Member of Parliament is Peter Milliken. So, effectively, an MP with no portfolio is soliciting from another MP's riding.
2. This is an election campaign flyer - there is no question of that. But there hasn't been an election called. And this isn't the government bragging about its record - this is an attack ad flyer. This comes pretty close to libel, if it doesn't actually cross the line.
3. This hasn't been paid for by the Conservative Party of Canada coffers - this was paid for by Canada Post. In short, taxpayers are paying for the Conservatives to mail out attack ad flyers outside of an election.
This is not acceptable behaviour from public servants. Now, there is something that people can do about it. They can write to their Member of Parliament, and they can also write to the Board of Internal Economy. Here is the list of its members. My fellow Canadians - I ask you, please write and complain. The only way that the Conservative Party will learn its lesson is if we do not remain silent, and if we tell them, united, that this will not be allowed to stand.
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The news broke today that Lori Drew has had the charges overturned against her. The judge is going to take some flack from that, but on legal grounds, the judge probably did the right thing. That doesn't make the entire situation right, however, and it is one of those sad cases where what was right and necessary on the legal side was justice denied.
For those who somehow missed it, Lori Drew is the sociopath who manipulated a 13 year-old girl into committing suicide using a MySpace account. It was murder, but indirect murder - she put Megan Meier in a position where she would die, rather than kill her directly. Dexter had an episode with a serial killer who used that sort of modus operandi. The problem was that the technology had moved faster than legal jurisprudence in the United States, and so there was not really anything authorities could charge her with with a certainty of sticking. What they eventually went with was a conspiracy charge that was difficult to prove, and trying to depict breaching the terms of agreement of MySpace as a federal offense. They didn't manage to prove the conspiracy charge beyond a reasonable doubt, but they did manage to get the three terms of agreement charges to stick.
Legally, that is problematic - that can bite a lot of innocent people in the hindquarters, particularly when terms of agreement are unfair, unrealistic, etc. The precident was too dangerous to let stand. So, the charges were dropped. I sincerely hope that the Meier family launches a civil suit that destroys Lori Drew's life to the point of annihilation.
But, let's talk about Lori Drew and sociopathy, because it can be a bit hard to understand at times. We tend to think that when it comes down to it, all people are alike on a basic level. We also tend to be wrong about that; while there are one or two common links - empathy being a primary one - there are far fewer than we tend to realize. Upbringing matters a great deal, as does society. Ancient Athens had little or no concept of individual rights, whereas we define ourselves by them. We tend to take it for granted that women should be equal to men, while the Taliban find it obvious that women should be treated as property.
( Read more... )
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As much as I hate obituaries as a general rule, I think in this case somebody has to provide a counter argument to all of the sweetness that is being written about Michael Jackson. It is true - Michael was a talented artist and a wonderful human being, and in at least one case, he brought the entire artistic community together to make a difference. That was a song called "We are the World." He was a role model, and I spent my early years as a fan, looking up to him.
But that Michael Jackson started dying sometime around 1992. That's not the Michael Jackson who recently passed away.
The Michael Jackson who died this year, as far as I can tell, was a deeply disturbed man. I'm sorry, but somebody had to say it. By 1991 he had become addicted to plastic surgery, and the controversies that plagued him followed shortly thereafter. I've fantasized more than once about being able to return to the age of 12 and play with lego to my heart's content, but I've never tried to carry it out. Michael apparently did, in his own way, getting himself accused of child molestation in the process. He certainly tried to have this face sculpted into something looking like the beginning of adolescence. I don't know if he was a pedophile, but if I had to guess his emotional age from the material I have on hand, I wouldn't go any higher than 13.
I don't know what did this to him. Perhaps his fame arrived too early, and the need to keep up appearances with the entire world watching wore him down inside. Probably we'll never know what brought him down this path. But the Michael Jackson who contributed to charities, set up the Heal the World Foundation, and brought everybody together for "We are the World" has been gone for a long time. I hope that's the Michael Jackson who is remembered a few decades from now. The one who took his last breath last month was a disturbed man, and hopefully this finally brought him peace.
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Two posts in one day...what a sight, at least on this blog...
John-Allen Price has turned in the first half of his upcoming book, The War that Changed the World, and it is spectacular so far. I can't wait to publish it in the next few months. John has a talent for bringing history to life, presenting it not as history, with that gravitas that all-too-often makes it lofty and unapproachable, but instead as current events, but from over a hundred years ago. When John tells the story of how the Franco-Prussian War came to be, he casts his net across the world, dealing with the interactions of international diplomacy with domestic events - and in a way that reminds you more of reading today's newspapers than a lofty history book.
In short, it is brilliant. It's the sort of book that will make people interested not just in what John is talking about, but in history in general. It's that kind of book.
Which brings me to one of the ongoing questions in publishing, and for that matter, any creative field - how do you know what will work?
( Read more... )
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I recently read Watchmen over the course of a day. It lived up to its reputation as one of the best books out there - but it was nothing compared to a book I read a few months ago, which blew me away and which I still consider the best book I've read in at least a year, if not two or three.
World War Z.
Considering the place that zombies have is mostly on the campy side - my friends and I, who spent a bit of time on a zombie kick after Left 4 Dead came out, still occasionally greet each other with a call of "braaaiiinnnsss" - you wouldn't think that a zombie book would end up being one of the best books to come out in its year. But it was. It was the kind of book that you devour in a day or two, and then sticks with you, unforgettable.
It was also a book where zombies were the catalyst to talk about people, and how human beings face wars, plagues, and crises. While the massive herd of zombies over Asia visible from space is a remarkable image, it is matched by the numerous tales of the survivors, which contain the scope of what it is to be human - the things that define us, damn us, and redeem us. In only 342 pages, it is a war epic of the highest order - it just happens to involve zombies.
( Read more... )
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Earlier this evening, I wrote a letter to a friend in Japan. I haven't written to him in a while, and it is a pity that we had grown apart - that came more from geographical distance than anything else. I asked him to take a vacation and to get out of Tokyo for a bit as soon as the UN announced they had passed their sanctions against North Korea.
I am afraid that we may be as little as two months away from a nuclear war, if that. I have a couple of reasons for thinking this. The first is that in 1914 Germany looked around and decided that if it was going to go to war, this would have to be the time to do it - and so it committed itself to an invasion of France. Similarly, in 1941 Japan faced a crisis as well, and the Japanese cabinet made the decision that if they were to go to war against the United States, it was now or not at all. The withdrawal from the Korean Armistice suggests that Kim Jong-Il has come to the decision that if he is going to go to war, this is the time he's going to do it. That means that he is committed, and there is no stopping him.
( Read more... )
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Next week, Michael Ignatieff will be making a very important decision in Canadian politics - whether to bring the government down by forcing an election. It's not an easy decision, but it's one that has to be made, ultimately for the good of the country.
The Conservative government, frankly, is the worst thing to happen to Canada in my lifetime. They are an inept disaster at a time when we all need competent leadership. The question is, however, whether we have reached a breaking point, where they can no longer be controlled by the parliamentary system as they were for the last few months.
( Read more... )
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It seems that things continue to move faster than expected. The Great War as I Saw It has now made its appearance on Barnes & Noble. I'm now just waiting on Amazon.ca.
Once the book is up on Amazon.ca as well, I'll be able to release the e-book edition, and get some marketing underway...
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For those who are interested, The Great War as I Saw It is now available on Amazon.com. This is actually a bit surprising - usually it takes another week or two for the book to get up there.
In the next week or two, it will be appearing on Barnes & Noble, I think.
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It was yesterday that I saw the first of the new Conservative Party attack ads. This is getting stupid - and embarrassing. Canada is not in an election period right now. And, the entire world is in an economic crisis of massive proportions; so while the governments of the United States, Britain, and just about every other first world country are hunkered down trying to get their nations through it, Canada's government is running an unofficial election campaign.
Again.
I've said it before, so I won't reiterate it word-for-word again. But, at some point I'd like to see Harper actually, well, GOVERN the country - like he was elected to do. That means following the ruling of the courts when a ruling applies to him, that means forging a consensus, and working towards rebuilding the economy. Furthermore, the Canadian people have been hit by several massive blows in the last ten months, and knowing that the people we elected are working hard for us is important...so why is Harper spending all of his press time in other countries? It's Canadians who he needs to interact with.
Please note, I'm not calling for an election here, although I would give my eye teeth to have some more competent leadership right now. I'm calling for the man who was elected to the post of Prime Minister to actually DO HIS JOB. Speaking as a Canadian citizen, I am very tired of this.
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I've written before about e-books and their economics. For as long as I can remember, they've hovered just below 1% of the total book market in net sales. However, there has been a change recently, and a marked climb.
The Association of American Publishers posted its figures for March 2009, and there was a pleasant surprise for the e-book - the sales had climbed to $10 million out of a total market of $388.4 million. This works out to the e-book now occupying some 2.5% of the total book market in that month, which is the highest I've ever seen it. As for whether it will keep that percentage is difficult to tell - to put this into perspective, the total book market in January was $785 million with e-books occupying $8.8 million of that. So, this is an increase during a very low point during the year - it will be months before we can say that this is a definite long-term market gain, but make no mistake, it is a gain.
But, still, good for the e-book. It's a great complement for the printed book, and it's nice to see it gaining a bit.
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I have recently come across an interesting bit of Trek trivia - part of an old and lasting feud, in fact. For a very long time, George Takei has sustained that William Shatner deliberately flubbed a scene where his character, Sulu, was promoted to command of the Excelsior in Star Trek II. Shatner has remarked that this was ridiculous, and denies having done it. Having a bit of time at the end of my day, I decided to look into it. Impromptu research resulted.
First of all, was there such a scene in the script? The final revised draft of May 24, 1982 doesn't have one, but this doesn't necessarily mean anything - according to Wikipedia, the filming of the movie had actually finished at the end of January, 1982, so this script was likely retroactively modified to fit the final cut for sale in the book market later. But, there is, in fact, a script that has such a scene, and here it gets interesting. The actual scene is this:
29 INT. SPACE SHUTTLE 29
A new composite. Bones, Sulu, Uhura and Kirk -- who
sits, reading. Through the windows we can see the
approach to the starship ENTERPRISE. Kirk looks up,
nods. Sulu activates a comm button.
SULU
Enterprise, this is Admiral Kirk's
party on final approach.
ENTERPRISE VOICE
(filtered)
Enterprise welcomes you. Prepare
for docking.
Kirk looks up from his book as Sulu sits next to him.
KIRK
I really must thank you.
SULU
(embarrassed)
I am delighted; any chance to go
aboard Enterprise, however briefly,
is always an excuse for nostalgia.
KIRK
I cut your new orders personally. By
the end of the month, you'll have your
first command: USS EXCELSIOR.
SULU
Thank you, sir. I've looked
forward to this for a long time.
KIRK
You've earned it. But I'm still
grateful to have you at the helm
for three weeks. I don't believe
these kids can steer.
Sulu laughs.
So, rather than being a separate scene of its own, the promotion line does exist, and it's inside a short, but important connecting scene. So, that the scene was shot certainly has merit as a claim. But what about why it was cut? Was it really a situation where Shatner flubbed the scene? ( Read more... )
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Well, my curiosity got the better of me, and I went out to see Star Trek last night. So, here are my comments on it:
I will preface all of this with the fact that I did enjoy this movie - a lot. It was a fun ride of a movie that was worth the price of admission, which, sad to say, is rare these days. And for all the advertising that this wasn't my father's Trek - and I grew up watching those characters in the Trek movies - with only a couple of exceptions this WAS my father's Enterprise crew. The characters were spot on, with Karl Urban and Simon Pegg both giving performances bordering on the uncanny. At the end of the movie, when Kirk sits down in the command chair, Bones and Spock at his side, it is the original series crew, brought back young, breathtaking and ready for adventure. As far as quality goes, I'd rank this movie as number 3, just behind Wrath of Khan and First Contact.
It is also a massive reboot to a series that arguably was in need of it - and this is a reboot via rocket up the hindquarters. The original continuity is wiped out...and then blown into little pieces...and stomped on. And, as much as I love the original voyages of the starship Enterprise and its worthy successor from Next Generation, I can't really bring myself to say that this reboot wasn't warranted. By the time Enterprise entered its third season, Star Trek as a franchise had become such a mess of tired and poorly-thought-out storytelling that it either needed to be left to die or be given a clean slate.
I guess what bugs me is that while it was a fun ride of a movie, it could have been an awe-inspiring movie on the level of The Dark Knight with only a nudge or two. Make no mistake, while this is a wonderful movie, it is a movie with some problems. Keeping this relatively spoiler-free, they are:
( Read more... )
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Well, the cover and cover blurb for The Great War as I Saw It is now complete and to the printer, and all I'm waiting on are some final tweaks for the interior. The book goes to the printer on Friday afternoon at the latest, which means that it should be approved for distribution sometime in the middle of next week. But, mine isn't the only version of Canon Scott's memoir out there, and there's one that merits special attention.
It is this one. And the thing I want to point out here is the list price - $74.99. This is a picture perfect example of pricing yourself out of your market.
( Read more... )
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Well, the time has come to get the second volume from Legacy Books Press Classics out, and for that I've got The Great War as I Saw It, by Canon Frederick George Scott. This is a memoir by a man who saw the whole of the Canadian involvement in World War I as a chaplain for the Canadian Corps., and who also lost in son in the same war at the Battle of the Somme. I am very excited to be working on this one.
While I wait for the introduction to come in - Aaron Miedema, an up-and-coming historian is writing it - I have done the initial typeset, and I'm going to talk a bit about the process here, and what is coming next.
The typesetting process is one of the last steps in the creation of a book. The text is locked down, but it has to be set up so that it will appear properly on the page. I do this in a program called WordPerfect, which is a very powerful word processor. Once the typeset is locked down, it will be converted into a .pdf file that then goes to the printer. Besides making certain that the inside of the book looks right in the reader's hands, it is also a key step in the creation of the cover - until the typeset is completed, the final page count is up in the air, and until the page count is known, the spine thickness can't be calculated.
This doesn't mean that the cover can't be done in rough form, and indeed, the cover of this book has. Most of the cover is now determined, and for that I use an open-source program named Scribus to lay it out and eventually convert it into a .pdf file. Once I have the final typeset locked down, I will adjust the spine width and send the cover into the printer.
So, what is next? With the initial typeset done, the book now has to be indexed. In the case of this particular book, which originally came from Project Gutenberg, there is an existing index that I can use as a guide, along with hyperlinks. Happily, this index - unlike the index for Jomini's Art of War - is quite well put together, and should be quite simple to reconstruct. It is still the most boring and tedious job in the publishing industry that I've encountered.
Indexing means that I go through the text and place index markers using the "Reference" function in WordPerfect. Once the markers are in place, the index is automatically generated with the click of the mouse. However, putting these markers in is manual work - the program won't do it for me. So, I have to essentially go through the book line by line.
So, that is what is next for preparing this book. Never fear, though - it will get done, and I am hoping to send the book to the printer on the 15th of May. Until then, here is a look at the full cover, as it now stands, to whet your collective appetites...
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I am pleased to announce that Legacy Books Press has just signed Kjeld Galster of the Royal Danish Defence College to write a book titled The Face of the Foe, about how military intelligence is interpreted once it is collected. The contact I've had with military intelligence studies has been absolutely fascinating, and I'm thrilled to be able to publish what I hope will be a seminal book on an under-represented field.
The Face of the Foe will be published in mid-2010.
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It's been in the news recently that the UN Conference on Racism in Geneva has kicked off, and one of the few speakers, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, had several delegates walk out on a speech that has been condemned as racist, antisemitic, and calling for the destruction of Israel.
Now, I'm a curious sort, and I'm particularly wary of political correctness. "Racism" is frequently invoked when somebody doesn't want to hear an unpleasant (to them) truth. For example, I remember this one message board for a movie titled Beowulf: Prince of the Geats, which featured a black Beowulf. Now, the producer/director posted this message, which talked about why Beowulf was black, presented a workable back story for it, which was fine (so long as there's a reason for an African to be wandering around Northern Europe in the migration era, rather than it being a random black guy, the story works). What wasn't fine was his ending statement that "Those who are offended simply that Beowulf is black need to simply admit they are racist and should work to eliminate their primitive, narrow minded and destructive view of the creative arts specifically and the world in general," and his attempt to justify it by misquoting the poem. I'm the one who took him to task for it - I've studied Beowulf in the original language. Saying that Beowulf is originally white is not racist - it's a statement of fact. Saying that Beowulf being white would make him a better human being, on the other hand, would be incredibly racist. As I've written before, it's all about the value judgement.
So, I was wondering if that was the sort of use of "racist" in play here. Was Ahmadinejad's speech honestly racist, or was it more that he was pointing out an unpleasant fact about the way Israel has acted lately, and people didn't want to hear it?
So, I tracked down the transcript of the speech, and here it is.
( Read more... )
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Well, I have been a very busy man lately, but the time is coming to get the next batch of books off to the printer for release. So, here first, it is my pleasure to present the next three releases from Legacy Books Press...
Coming in May from Legacy Books Press Classics, there will be The Great War as I Saw It, by Canon George Frederick Scott. Canon Scott was a major figure in the Canadian Corps in World War I, and he witnessed the entire Canadian involvement of the war, from start to finish.
Coming in August from Legacy Books Press is The War that Changed the World, by John-Allen Price. This is a book about the Franco-Prussian War, which although lasting less than a year, set the stage for World War I and the century of blood that followed.
Then, in December, it's back to World War I with With the Russian Army, Vol. I, by Alfred Knox, published by Legacy Books Press Classics. The last time this book was in print was in the 1970s, so it's an honour to be able to reprint a pivotal volume on one of the lesser-covered fronts of the First World War.
The website is probably going to be updated next week with this, so you heard it all here first...
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The fantasy genre and gaming as a whole just lost another luminary - Dave Arneson, who turned Gary Gygax's Chainmail into Dungeons & Dragons. A lot of times, I don't think D&D is given the credit it deserves. Computer D&D helped draw me into writing fantasy, and I probably wouldn't have written Demonsbane without it. For that matter, the game is a sort of gateway drug, bringing not just new readers, but people who will become new writers into the genre.
And Arneson helped start all that.
Rest in peace, Arneson, and be remembered.
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