mcd's blog
NewScientist on Sci-Fi
By mcd on November 15th, 2008 at 05:53pm ()Via Michael Burstein: today’s issue of New Scientist is a Sci-Fi Special on the future of the genre. The main question is: Is science fiction dying?
On Daniel Everett
By mcd on November 11th, 2008 at 12:12am ()Via Language Log: a Guardian story about former missionary Daniel Everett’s life-changing study of Pirahã, which cost him two faiths and a marriage:
“It’s wrong to try and convert tribal societies,” he says.
Michael Crichton
By mcd on November 10th, 2008 at 09:56pm ()In all the excitement of the election and NaNoWriMo, I missed the news that Michael Crichton passed away on November 4th. His long list of accomplishments can be found at Wikipedia.
Election Mapping
By mcd on November 06th, 2008 at 08:22pm ()Via Daring Fireball: Election 2008 as seen in Mark Newman’s cartogram maps of the results. He also has a page about his cartogram software and related programs.
Procrastination Station
By mcd on November 04th, 2008 at 12:13pm ()My own personal NaNoWriMo procrastination station is iDrops, an online/iPod/iPhone version of the classic SameGame. Despite much dropping of blocks, I still hit my goal of 2,000 words last night, for 6,000 total.
Bubblicious
By mcd on November 02nd, 2008 at 10:46pm ()From NaNoWriMo’s Procrastination Station, a cool mind-mapping link: bubbl.us lets you mind-map online, then exports your mind maps to various formats. It’s free and doesn’t require registration, even though it looks like it does.
Gentlebeings, Start Your Novels!
By mcd on November 01st, 2008 at 10:20pm ()I’m starting NaNoWriMo a little late this evening, because I was out longer that I expected to be. Apparently there are about 100,000 aspiring novelists signed up for the 10th year of wild November drafting. My own plan is to write 2,000 words a day, to avoid the eternal question that plagues NaNoWriMos everywhere: Should I write 1,666 or 1,667 words today?
