Category: Pop Culture

Dance of the Photons by Anton Zeilinger

I hadn’t heard anything about Dance of the Photons: From Einstein to Quantum Teleportation before it turned up in my mailbox, courtesy of some kind publicist at Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, otherwise I would’ve been eagerly anticipating it. Anton Zeilinger is a name to conjure with in quantum optics, having built an impressive career out… Continue reading Dance of the Photons by Anton Zeilinger

How to Teach Physics to Your Dog, Black Friday Edition

Today is “Black Friday,” the semi-ironic name given to the day after Thanksgiving when major retailers roll out Incredible! Deals! to draw shoppers in at an ungodly early hour. Personally, I don’t plan to come within a mile of a mall today, but if that’s what floats your boat… Of course, if you’re thinking of… Continue reading How to Teach Physics to Your Dog, Black Friday Edition

Short Story Club Wrap-Up

The first rule of Short Story Club is that you must talk about Short Story Club… So, the Short Story Club run by Niall Harrison over at Torque Control is finished, and Niall’s asking for concluding thoughts. I meant to write this up last night, but SteelyKid had a major meltdown just before bedtime, so… Continue reading Short Story Club Wrap-Up

Short Story Club: “Throwing Stones” by Mishell Baker

The final Short Story Club story is “Throwing Stones” by Mishell Baker. Once again, I find myself without a whole lot to say about it. This is a gender-reversed Asian-flavored fantasy story. The nameless narrator lives in a city with canals and teahouses in an Empire with rigid class and gender roles, a writing system… Continue reading Short Story Club: “Throwing Stones” by Mishell Baker

Goodnight Moon, Good Morning California

Here’s the clip from my live-via-Skype appearance on tv in Sacramento this morning. Unfortunately, the Chateau Steelypips Internet connection slowed way down for some reason, and Skype froze up then dropped the call. But we did get a few minutes of me talking about Goodnight Moon and SteelyKid. The field of view is oddly cropped,… Continue reading Goodnight Moon, Good Morning California

Pop Culture Notes

Miscellaneous pop-culture items from the last couple of weeks: — I’m apparently a sucker for half-finished music, as I bought Dylan’s Witmark Demos album a week or so ago, and Springsteen’s The Promise, a collection of stuff recorded between Born to Run and Darkness on the Edge of Town, last night. The Springsteen stuff is… Continue reading Pop Culture Notes