Sun, 12 Jan 2003
Patriotism begins in Photoshop
Can you tell the difference between the genuine USAF security poster about
hackers (down below) and
these?
[ Link (Thanks, Ciphergoth!) ]
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posted at: 18:08 | path: /politics | permanent link to this entry
Against the fall of hype
With the second reel of "Lord of the Rings" in the public eye, it's worth
occasionally revisiting old stomping-grounds -- including the tools of the
trade of writing high fantasy.
This is a link to a
very useful essay entitled "On Thud and Blunder", written by none other
than the late Poul Anderson -- famous SF writer and noted exponent of
the genre.
Beneath the magic, derring-do, and other glamour, an imaginary world
has to work right. In particular, a pre-industrial society, which is
what virtually all hf uses for a setting, differs from ours today in
countless ways. ... Far too many writers nowadays have supposed that
practical day-to-day details are of no importance and hence they, the
writers, have no homework to do before they start spinning their yarns.
Not so! The consequence of making that assumption is, inevitably,
a sleazy product. It may be bought by an editor hard up for material,
but it will carry none of the conviction which helps make the work of
good writers memorable.
(Lots of food for thought here -- especially if, like me, you're
contemplating writing something not a million miles away from this
territory.)
[ Link ]
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posted at: 17:50 | path: /misc | permanent link to this entry
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