In light of editor Margaret Clark’s firing at Pocket Books earlier this week, my friend Jon Polk mused on the state of Star Trek literature today. Jon’s is a contrarian viewpoint, and, as one might assume from my recent participation in an round-table discussion about the new Star Trek film and its effects on Treklit,Continue reading “On Turmoil in TrekLit”
Author Archives: Allyn
On a Spike in Website Traffic
After wondering why my website has seen a 250% (or more) increase in site traffic over the past week, I think I’ve found the answer. It’s Taptu, a new search engine tailored for the iPhone. Their bot, apparently, doesn’t behave like a bot. It acts like an iPhone, it serves a User-Agent string like anContinue reading “On a Spike in Website Traffic”
On Things I’ve Been Reading
Let’s talk some recent comic books… Batgirl #1 DC Comics Written by Bryan Q. Miller Art by Lee Garbett and Trevor Scott I hated it. And I liked it. We’ll start there. There’s a new Batgirl in Gotham City. Stephanie Brown, formerly Spoiler, formerly the fourth Robin, has promised her occasional boyfriend, Tim Drake, formerlyContinue reading “On Things I’ve Been Reading”
On New Visitors and the Like
For reasons that pass beyond my understanding, I’ve recently seen a 250% increase in the traffic to my website. I’m looking at my own behavior, as regards the website, in the past two or three weeks. I changed the website theme. I’ve been posting less. Could these be reasons? One’s choice of website layout canContinue reading “On New Visitors and the Like”
On Advice for Resume Writing
Let’s talk resumes. Yesterday’s Washington Post had an article in the Business section entitled “Tiny Typos Can Add Up To a Big X On Your Résumé.” Michelle Singletary asks, “Should someone’s résumé get tossed in the trash if he or she mistakenly wrote ‘Graphic designer seeking no-profit career’?” Should it happen? If you’re the applicantContinue reading “On Advice for Resume Writing”
On the End of Merlin’s First Season
Tonight, NBC broadcast the two-hour finale of the first season of the BBC’s Merlin. Like last week, where NBC showed two episodes — “The Moment of Truth” and “The Labyrinth of Gedref” back-to-back — I preferred the first hour to the second. The first episode tonight, “To Kill the King,” was incredibly dark. I wasn’tContinue reading “On the End of Merlin’s First Season”
On The Rutles: Rock Band
I have The Rutles on. And as I’m listening to “Joe Public” — the Rutles’ riff on “Tomorrow Never Knows” from Archaeology — I had a lunatic brainwave. There should be Rutles downloadable content for Beatles Rock Band. Hell, people have tried passing off “Cheese & Onions” as a genuine John Lennon song. And GeorgeContinue reading “On The Rutles: Rock Band”
On Being Histamatic
I am histamatic. That’s my word-coinage for the day, defined as “I itch all freakin’ over.” Why is Allyn histamatic? I ate some mango in a fruit salad a few days ago. Mango contains trace quantities of urushiol, the active toxin in poison ivy that causes skin irritation. Cashews also contain trace amounts of urushiol.Continue reading “On Being Histamatic”
On Upcoming Arthurian Films
Bryan Singer is attached to Warners’ remake of Excalibur. Interestingly, Warren Ellis is working on an Arthurian treatment and script for Warners called “Excalibur.” Could these be the same projects? This post at Slashfilm suggests they are, with some interesting evidence that isn’t there on Ellis’ site anymore. Newsarama, however, says they’re not the same.Continue reading “On Upcoming Arthurian Films”
On People on the Train
Little known fact. In the neighborhood where I work, there’s a meth outpatient treatment facility. I usually see them in the mornings, as they congregate, in massive groups, at the light rail stop. Most mornings, there’s a couple on the train that I ride. They have interesting conversations. I pretend not to notice them. ThisContinue reading “On People on the Train”