Category Archives: nonfiction
SIX OF THE BEST… things about getting a new phone
Two weeks ago, I dropped my phone in the toilet. This is my story.
Posted in column, nerdery public, nonfiction, six of the best, writing
Tagged bloat, bloatware, bokeh, htc tilt, moon+ reader pro, new phone who dis, planned obsolescence, s7 edge, s8 plus, smug, swiftkey, toilet phone
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SIX OF THE BEST… Heinlein books that deserve to be turned into Netflix serieses
If I had control of the Heinlein estate, I’d get with Netflix (or some other VOD provider) and tell them about some books that I think would make excellent serieses. And who I’d cast.
Posted in column, nonfiction, six of the best, writing
Tagged connected universe, dunkirk, friday, Heinlein, libertarianism, robert a. heinlein, shared universe, starship troopers, stranger in a strange land, the cat who walks through walls, the moon is a harsh mistress, time enough for love, we didn’t start the fire
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SIX OF THE BEST… things I’m looking forward to in my new house
I bought a new house, and I’m really looking forward to it.
Posted in column, nerdery public, nonfiction, six of the best, writing
Tagged bonus space, books, cell phone reception, consistency, house, kitchen, laundry room, neighborhood, new house, piano, remodel, six of the best, space to entertain, upgrade
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SIX OF THE BEST… lessons learned from things in my cubicle
I was really reaching for a topic this week, but I think I pulled this one out rather nicely. Deep down, it’s about staying positive at work by surrounding yourself with positive icons.
Posted in column, nonfiction, six of the best, writing
Tagged a man pile-driving a shark, cubicle, death, denvercoder9, endless, ozy and millie, peanuts, snoopy, star trek, work, xkcd
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SIX OF THE BEST… ways to stay unhappy
We make sure we’re unhappy. It’s a thing.
Posted in column, nerdery public, nonfiction, six of the best, writing
Tagged advice, americans, answering machine, civil engineering, complain, complaining, counseling, dwell, dwelling, fester, festering, Jaws, l’esprit de l’escalier, lethal weapon 3, staircase wit, staircasing, teach, therapy, trousers of time, unhappiness, unhappy
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SIX OF THE BEST… abandoned column ideas
Every writer puts their half-written things on a shelf, ostensibly to be worked on later but really just abandoned. Here are some of mine.
Posted in column, nerdery public, nonfiction, six of the best, writing
Tagged abandoned, disney, fan fiction, fanfic, heteronormative, heterosexual, ideas, incomplete, marvel, meme, netflix, peanuts, Princess, process, singular they, snoopy, the factory, writing
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SIX OF THE BEST… lessons learned from Super Mario Run
I’ve been playing a lot of Super Mario Run lately. The game has a surprising amount of life lessons in it.
Posted in column, nerdery public, nonfiction, six of the best, writing
Tagged advice, boredom, Captain Picard, handwriting, super mario run, update, wall-kick, writing
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SIX OF THE BEST… Tickets to Ride
Come on, ride that train. Choo choo. Ride it. Whoo whoo. I bet the Quad City DJs never thought their lyrics would be used to talk about board games.
Posted in column, nerdery public, nonfiction, six of the best, writing
Tagged 1910, big cities, board game, days of wonder, Denmark, Europe, ferries, finland, Germany, losiest loser, marklin, nordic countries, Norway, plus-four, sweden, switzerland, ticket to ride, tunnels
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SIX OF THE WORST… problems with grounding your nerdy child
My kid got in trouble this week and got seriously grounded for the first time. But as my wife and I learned, it’s not easy when your child is nerdy.
Posted in column, nerdery public, nonfiction, six of the worst, writing
Tagged engagement, french doors, grounded, monotony, parenting, punishment, reading, solitary confinement, strict, technology, writing lines
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SIX OF THE BEST… things about writing by hand
I wrote 20,000 words of fiction in the last two weeks. My secret? I’m doing it by hand.
Posted in column, nerdery public, nonfiction, six of the best, writing
Tagged accomplishment, distractions, editing, fiction, handwriting, penmanship, taos toolbox, writing
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SIX OF THE BEST… updates Disney could make to Beauty and the Beast
I’m seeing the movie tomorrow. Here’s some of what I’d like to happen.
Posted in column, nerdery public, nonfiction, six of the best, writing
Tagged beast, beauty and the beast, belle, disney, fourth wall, gaston, lefou, lemony snicket, magic, prince, stockholm syndrome
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Buffy at 20
Five years ago, I wrote a fifteenth-anniversary retrospective of Buffy the Vampire Slayer for Escape Pod. Today is the twentieth anniversary of Buffy, and what better way to celebrate it than also celebrating the five-year anniversary of my fifteenth-anniversary retrospective’s publication? Portrait … Continue reading
SIX OF THE BEST… methods of faster-than-light travel
Warp speed. Light speed. Ludicrous speed. Which is the best?
Posted in column, nerdery public, nonfiction, six of the best, writing
Tagged Babylon 5, dune, embassytown, farscape, faster than light, folding space, grimspace, holtzmann, immer, jump drive, jump gate, leviathan, lightspeed, norman spinrad, purrgil, star trek, star wars, starburst, the void captain’s tale, warp drive
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SIX OF THE WORST… things about conference calls
I’m on a conference call as I type this.
Posted in column, nerdery public, nonfiction, six of the worst, writing
Tagged accents, conference call, facetime, globalmeet, hangouts, hi who just joined, lync, punctuality, skype, small talk, train of thought, webex, work-life balance
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Josh Roseman: Writer, Voice Guy, Dad, Human 