Monthly Archives: May 2019

Mayhap the Twine Shall Meet

Posted on May 27, 2019 by midiguru

This morning I tested a few features of the Frotz text adventure delivery system for iPad. I was curious whether an author can make unreleased beta versions of new games available to Frotz users for testing. Answer: Yes. I was … Continue reading →

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New Maps of Hell

Posted on May 26, 2019 by midiguru

Once upon a time, I wrote and released several text adventure games. There’s a small but enthusiastic underground cult of people who write and play these games. Sooner or later it will die out, but for now it’s still a … Continue reading →

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Blinded by the Light

Posted on May 17, 2019 by midiguru

I was rather bemused this morning by a quote that one of my Facebook friends posted. This passage was allegedly written by C. S. Lewis, and it seems consonant with what I know of Lewis. He was an ardent apologist … Continue reading →

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You’re Welcome

Posted on May 15, 2019 by midiguru

I’m a member of a Unitarian Universalist congregation. It’s just about the only church I could belong to, as I’m an atheist. The core principles of Unitarian Universalism are progressive, and in general I’m in agreement with them. But I’m … Continue reading →

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Build Me a World

Posted on May 11, 2019 by midiguru

In every story or novel, every writer creates a world. This is as true of Tolstoy and Agatha Christie as it is of Heinlein and Tolkien. No story is set in the real real world. The writer must winnow, whittle, … Continue reading →

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Noun Trouble

Posted on May 7, 2019 by midiguru

Written English bristles with subtle traps that can snare the unwary. If you know the difference between an appositive and a noun of address, raise your hand. I wasn’t sure I would go on re-reading Roger Zelazny’s Amber epic, but … Continue reading →

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Shadow Boxing

Posted on May 5, 2019 by midiguru

Having finally crawled out from under Trollope’s massive (and goopy) Can You Forgive Her?, I thought I’d reward myself by reading some classic SF and fantasy. Preferably novels that are faster-moving and shorter. Someone mentioned Roger Zelazny’s Amber epic, and … Continue reading →

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Immersion Perversion

Posted on May 3, 2019 by midiguru

Good teachers are aware that not all students have identical learning styles. Visual vs. auditory, for instance. For the past ten days or so I’ve been starting to learn French using a free online system called duolingo. It has some … Continue reading →

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Buzz Cut

Posted on May 1, 2019 by midiguru

In an opinion piece in today’s Washington Post, former astronaut Buzz Aldrin has taken it upon himself to bloviate about a mission to Mars. According to the Buzz, “The United States’ eyes — and our unified commitment — should focus … Continue reading →

Posted in politics, random musings, science fiction, technology | Tagged , | 2 Comments