American ski instruction, despite being located in “the land of the free and the home of the brave”, has a reputation for being slow, cautious, safety-oriented, and rule-obsessed, a reputation it deserves in contrast with places like Scandinavia or the Alps, the latter of which … Continue readingWhite Paradise
How’s this for a vibe: you’re waiting on a train platform out in the middle of some vast steppe that makes America’s big sky country look tame, signs posted and flashing in a fluid vertical cursive script, magnetically-levitated locomotives whizzing by at almost the speed … Continue readingChinook Jargon Conquers the World?
Well, page girls too, actually. I know almost all of my posts this month have been about brainstorming my story of the Great Christmas Blizzard, the next installment of a saga that begins with “Orphans of Opry Tower”, but hey, it’s my blog, I can … Continue readingPage Boys of the Perfect Storm
Working up the scenario for my Great Christmas Blizzard, which I’ve decided will take place in 2045 (because why not make it take place the same year as the great rogue comet in one of my other stories, right?), I find that my attempt at … Continue readingThe Ultimate Storm?
It won’t be too long before I’m leaving on my jaunt to Cascadia — not even two weeks from now — so now is not a good time to start writing a story. It’s always a good time, however, to brainstorm for stories! And lately … Continue readingAn Outer Solar System Odyssey: More Thoughts
I know I’ve spent a few days brainstorming for the first Mars mission in my science-fictional alternate history, but already I can’t help but plot out things even further for the timeline of early spaceflight. In particular, after the first Mars landing in 1963, what … Continue readingAn Odyssey to the Outer Solar System?
Years ago I established that in my alternate-historical/science-fictional setting a Russian-led expedition is the first to reach Mars in 1963, 22 years after the first manned spaceflight, and 14 years after the first landing on the Moon. Now that I’ve written up the first flight … Continue readingWorldbuilding the First Mars Landing
Saudi Arabia has its vision for Neom, The Line, a futuristic linear city, but I think we can do far better right here in America: why not a Pacific Coast City, a contiguous urban corridor on the immediate coast of California? Coastal California is one … Continue readingLet’s Build Pacific Coast City!
There are few better nights than Halloween for memento mori, and I’ve been fascinated by the concept of the “doomsday shroud” for much of this year, and now I’ve got an idea for a post-apocalyptic yet heartwarmingly romantic universe. Picture this: at the end of … Continue readingA Romantic Apocalypse: Beyond the Doomsday Shroud
When researching for my post “The Final Frontiers of the Periodic Table” it struck me how dull the names of most of the chemical elements are, “something-something-ium”, a trend of uncreativity that’s worsened with the more recent discoveries of the transuranic and superheavy elements. Now, … Continue readingOn Etymologies of the Elements