Category Archives: science fiction

There’s No Place Like Home

Posted on November 16, 2021 by midiguru

The discovery of planets orbiting other stars continues apace. Science nerds love this stuff, but I’ve come to find it very silly and more than a little disturbing. The theory that our own planetary system developed out of a cloud … 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

Worlds While U Wait

Posted on August 10, 2017 by midiguru

There’s a scene in the 2nd or 3rd Star Trek movie, I forget which one, where some sort of high-tech projectile is launched at a barren planet. In a burst of light, the planetary surface springs to life. A fully … Continue reading →

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In Fact It’s a Gas!

Posted on November 12, 2015 by midiguru

The other day I started thinking it might be fun to write a steampunk novel. Steampunk, for those who are standing out on the sidewalk with their noses pressed against the glass, is a sub-genre of science fiction. The typical … Continue reading →

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Maybe Next Year

Posted on December 20, 2012 by midiguru

I cringed when I saw the cover of the new issue of Scientific American. Trying to predict what technology will be like 50, 100, 0r 150 years in the future is a parlor game, not a serious intellectual exercise. To understand … Continue reading →

Posted in science fiction, technology, writing | 12 Comments

Fantasy Unchained

Posted on May 7, 2011 by midiguru

I’ve written seven novels. The first two were published; the other five haven’t been. Three of those five my agent (who I guess is now my former agent, more or less) declined even to try to market. He didn’t feel … Continue reading →

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Eye Candy

Posted on May 6, 2011 by midiguru

Last night I watched the first half of Avatar on DVD. I’m not sure I’ll watch the second half. It’s visually stunning, of course. Breathtaking. But the story … feh. For starters, there’s the unobtainium. Terrible name for a mineral … Continue reading →

Posted in fiction, media, science fiction | 2 Comments

Trapped in Amber

Posted on March 21, 2011 by midiguru

In a couple of weeks I’ll be moving, so I’ve been putting my books in boxes. 45 boxes. I got down to the Z’s in the science fiction section, and box 44 was full, and the Roger Zelazny novels were … Continue reading →

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Bibliophilia

Posted on July 18, 2009 by midiguru

I wish I had a lot more time to read. I own hundreds and hundreds of books, some of which I’ve been carting around for 30 or 40 years. Don’t remember a thing about some of them except that I … Continue reading →

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Reading: Connie Willis

Posted on June 27, 2009 by midiguru

Many years ago I was knocked out by Doomsday Book, Connie Willis’s novel of time travel to the dark days of the Black Plague. But then I tried another of her books, found it disappointingly shallow, and gave up on … Continue reading →

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