Category Archives: prose

ahead of his time

Posted on Saturday, 2004 February 21 by Anton

The plot of Hal Clement‘s story “The Mechanic” (1966) is awkward and dated, but it’s still noteworthy as an early exposition of biotechnology quite similar to current concepts.

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autodidact

Posted on Monday, 2004 February 16 by Anton

How Ben Franklin taught himself to write better

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customs of the Eldar

Posted on Tuesday, 2004 February 10 by Anton

What Tolkien Officially Said About Elf Sex

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the possibilities of time-travel

Posted on Saturday, 2003 November 29 by Anton

Jane Austen and the Terminator (cited by Chris Martin in a comment at Crooked Timber)

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actuarial destiny

Posted on Thursday, 2003 November 27 by Anton

I read long ago (probably more than once) a short story that goes like this. A man of a certain age (let’s call him Bob) mysteriously receives, unwanted, a subscription to Hereafter magazine – all about death: funerals, estate planning, … Continue reading →

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the mystery caliber

Posted on Sunday, 2003 November 23 by Anton

Saturday at a gun shop, my eye was caught by the archaic stocks of a couple of Ruger “Vaquero” revolvers (modern versions of obsolete guns, made for rodeo sports). Looking closer, I saw that their calibers were .45 and .32. … Continue reading →

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N.S.

Posted on Saturday, 2003 October 25 by Anton

The Adventures of Accordion Guy in the 21st Century: Questions and answers with Neal Stephenson. I am amused to learn this — Stephenson said that he generally knows the ending to the story from the first day, from the “very … Continue reading →

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