On Tortured Similes

I frequently read Penny Arcade. The creators bring a snarky eye to pop culture and video games, and the web comic rarely fails to amuse me. Today’s strip concerns, of all things, literary criticism. Specifically, the tendency in science fiction to invent really complicated similes for really simple comparisons. Throwing in random, made-up words —Continue reading “On Tortured Similes”

On a Battle in the Saguenay

Colonizing the Saguenay seemed a good idea. The land was lush. Resources were plentiful. There was abundant wildlife and water. Naturally, I wasn’t the only person interested in staking a claim to the Saguenay. So, too, did Henry the Navigator and Suleiman the Magnificent. They mocked my explorer, Sir Henry Sinclair, as he moved acrossContinue reading “On a Battle in the Saguenay”

On a Free Tool For Writers

There’s one website I check out every single day — Giveaway of the Day. They offer a commercial software package for a free download every day. Usually, what they offer is video or sound converters. Because, yes, the world needs more video converters. Sometimes, though, they offer something really worthwhile. Like this. Liquid Story BinderContinue reading “On a Free Tool For Writers”

On the Watchmen Trailer

Sweet zombie Jesus. The Watchmen trailer. Holy shit. They fucking filmed Watchmen! ETA: The Smashing Pumpkins kicks the trailer up a notch, because “The Beginning is the End is the Beginning” was the one of the two songs the band wrote for Batman & Robin. Like the “Ozy-nipples” (Ozymandias’ costume shows nipples, as the BatsuitContinue reading “On the Watchmen Trailer”