My candidate for President didn't win last night, gathering a paltry 1% of the vote. But there was one result I was very happy with. The voters of Colorado decided to lead the nation in ending the ridiculous prohibition of marijuana (yes I know, there is still the small problem of Federal prohibition, but one step at a time.)
I find a useful guide to thinking about many social policies is to ask yourself what people will think twenty of forty years from now. I'm pretty sure future generations will find it hard to believe that once upon a time we sent SWAT teams to break down people's doors in the middle of the night and send them to jail just to stop a few people getting high, all while creating the massive black market on which the criminal organisations who reap so much death and destruction thrive. Sort of like we did in the 1920's when we ran the same experiment with alcohol with the same tragic effects. Alcohol is not without its problems, but I think we've proved that it does massively less harm when legalized and regulated.
Not that I plan to rush out and smoke a joint. Doesn't appeal to me at all. But neither does sky diving. People get hurt doing that too, but that's a pretty stupid reason to make it illegal. Police should focus on real crimes; the ones where people hurt someone other than themselves.
Wednesday, November 07, 2012
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
A wasted vote?
I've spent a lot of time over the past few months trying to figure out which of the two presidential candidates would be least bad.
Yesterday I submitted my ballot (I voted by mail - everybody going to a polling place on one day is a ridiculous process for managing an election in the twenty-first century).
I voted for the Libertarian candidate, Gary Johnson.
A number of people have told me I wasted my vote (including one libertarian!). I strongly disagree. Voting for either of the other two would have been a waste of my vote. Worse, it would have been seen as tacit approval of a man, regardless of whether it was Obama or Romney, with little regard for personal or economic freedom and no willingness to take the hard decisions necessary to fix America's fundamental problems.
I don't blame the politicians despite my lack of regard for them. They are simply the best two men in the country at giving the electorate what it wants no matter how irrational those desires might be, 2012's masters of pandering. Right now what the people want is to moan and cry about how terrible everything is and how they want something better, but not to have anything actually change. That is to say, the majority of American voters want to keep doing the same things but get a different result. Last time I looked, that was the definition of madness. Well I refuse to be a part of it.
Yesterday I submitted my ballot (I voted by mail - everybody going to a polling place on one day is a ridiculous process for managing an election in the twenty-first century).
I voted for the Libertarian candidate, Gary Johnson.
A number of people have told me I wasted my vote (including one libertarian!). I strongly disagree. Voting for either of the other two would have been a waste of my vote. Worse, it would have been seen as tacit approval of a man, regardless of whether it was Obama or Romney, with little regard for personal or economic freedom and no willingness to take the hard decisions necessary to fix America's fundamental problems.
I don't blame the politicians despite my lack of regard for them. They are simply the best two men in the country at giving the electorate what it wants no matter how irrational those desires might be, 2012's masters of pandering. Right now what the people want is to moan and cry about how terrible everything is and how they want something better, but not to have anything actually change. That is to say, the majority of American voters want to keep doing the same things but get a different result. Last time I looked, that was the definition of madness. Well I refuse to be a part of it.
Tuesday, October 09, 2012
New author blog
If you are more interested in following my journey as an author than my exploits as a skier you may prefer to follow my new author blog at http://www.dahillauthor.com
For those of you more interested in skiing, don't worry, the 2012-13 ski season is only 43 days away and I shall soon be providing my normal blow by blow account of what I hope is a better season than last year!
For those of you more interested in skiing, don't worry, the 2012-13 ski season is only 43 days away and I shall soon be providing my normal blow by blow account of what I hope is a better season than last year!
Monday, October 08, 2012
When is a holiday not a holiday?
When you live in the US. Of the many places I have lived (or spent extended periods of time working) the US is the least universal in its observance of public holidays. Sure everybody takes Memorial Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas but there are a whole lot of other "holidays" where only a small proportion of people are actually off work (which is kind of inconsistent with the whole concept of holiday if you ask me.)
Columbus Day (today) is one of them. It's one of those holidays that is largely unobserved unless you work in a government office or the Post Office. I know this because Marie just asked me if the Post Office was closed today. So I typed Post Office Columbus Day into Google and had the answer seconds later. Which leads me to the real point of this post, to ask "how did people live before the Internet?"
Columbus Day (today) is one of them. It's one of those holidays that is largely unobserved unless you work in a government office or the Post Office. I know this because Marie just asked me if the Post Office was closed today. So I typed Post Office Columbus Day into Google and had the answer seconds later. Which leads me to the real point of this post, to ask "how did people live before the Internet?"
Monday, September 17, 2012
Fusion Reactors
As I have mentioned previously, I was very conscious in writing Newton's Ark to keep the science as real as possible. The most speculative technology I included was probably the micro fusion reactor - a small, highly portable fusion reactor that could power a sattelite for decades.
This technology requires us to find a way to build a self-sustaining fusion reaction that produces positive net energy. And then you have to miniaturize it - I'm going to ignore that challenge assuming we can solve the main problem.
This technology has been a decade away for the past sixty years. Will we ever solve this problem? Who knows. It may really be a only decade away, it may be another sixty years away or it may never happen. It's hard to extrapolate from the experience to date. There has been some progress but not enough to be completely confident that the fundamental challenge can be overcome.
It is still an active area of research though. In fact I recently received an assignment to design a biometric security system (iris recognition) for an experimental fusion reactor facility!
This technology requires us to find a way to build a self-sustaining fusion reaction that produces positive net energy. And then you have to miniaturize it - I'm going to ignore that challenge assuming we can solve the main problem.
This technology has been a decade away for the past sixty years. Will we ever solve this problem? Who knows. It may really be a only decade away, it may be another sixty years away or it may never happen. It's hard to extrapolate from the experience to date. There has been some progress but not enough to be completely confident that the fundamental challenge can be overcome.
It is still an active area of research though. In fact I recently received an assignment to design a biometric security system (iris recognition) for an experimental fusion reactor facility!
Saturday, August 11, 2012
More on keeping sci-fi real
I posted recently on keeping the sci fi real in my first novel Newton's Ark.
I just ran across this article talking about prospects for stopping an asteroid, specifically debunking the scenario presented in the movie Armageddon of using a nuke to split it in half.
Here's a relevant passage from my book:
I just ran across this article talking about prospects for stopping an asteroid, specifically debunking the scenario presented in the movie Armageddon of using a nuke to split it in half.
Here's a relevant passage from my book:
“Despite all the holo-movies you might have seen where they destroy the asteroid before it hits the Earth and everyone lives happily ever after, it isn’t possible with the technology and time we have available. To nudge the asteroid off course we have to hit it far enough out that we would need to launch now. Problem is we don’t have anything with the range and payload required....”I think this quote from the article nicely captures my philosophy:
“Can’t we just nuke the damn thing when it gets closer to Earth?”
“Yes sir we can, but we risk turning a single very large asteroid into multiple asteroids, each still plenty big enough to wipe out a large city. Better to have only one object to track and to limit the impact to a single location.”
...fiction is all about the make-believe. But good science can make for a more plausible narrative, making it easier to suspend disbelief.
Friday, July 20, 2012
Keeping sci-fi real
One of the things I set out to do when writing Newton's Ark, was to keep the science part of the science fiction plausible, by basing the technology of the future either on already emerging technologies or at least on plausible projections of current technology trends.
This article on taking control of drones by spoofing GPS signals is a good example.
Here's the relevant section in the book:
This article on taking control of drones by spoofing GPS signals is a good example.
Here's the relevant section in the book:
“The early drones worked exactly that way, Major. They were vulnerable; if communication is disrupted the drone is pilot-less. Worse still, if the signal is intercepted it is possible for a hostile force to take control of the drone. Back as far as 2012 the Iranians captured what was then one of our most advanced drones by spoofing a GPS signal. They convinced the drone that it was landing back at its base in Turkey when it was really landing in Teheran. Incidents like that were the impetus for the EM program."
Saturday, July 07, 2012
New book format
Newton's Ark is now available via Smashwords in EPUB format suitable for iBooks, the Nook and the Sony eReader.
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/179199
It should also be available via iTunes, Barnes and Noble and the Sony Store within the next week or two.
Update July 18: It is now available on iTunes (and looks great in iBooks on the iPad) but not yet on the other channels.
Update: July 21: It is now available in the Barnes and Noble store for the Nook.
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/179199
It should also be available via iTunes, Barnes and Noble and the Sony Store within the next week or two.
Update July 18: It is now available on iTunes (and looks great in iBooks on the iPad) but not yet on the other channels.
Update: July 21: It is now available in the Barnes and Noble store for the Nook.
Thursday, June 14, 2012
Reality intrudes
I was making good progress on the sequel to my first novel, Newton's Ark, with the first thirty pages almost writing themselves. Then reality intruded. I was offered a month of consulting work at a daily rate that exceeds my annual book royalties based on current the sales velocity. Hard to say no to.
I also stumbled across a wonderful idea for another book which I had to start writing while the idea was fresh in my mind. So my expected completion date on book two of the Emulation Trilogy is now more like Christmas 2012. Apologies to those who have read the book and are waiting to discover what happens next!
I also stumbled across a wonderful idea for another book which I had to start writing while the idea was fresh in my mind. So my expected completion date on book two of the Emulation Trilogy is now more like Christmas 2012. Apologies to those who have read the book and are waiting to discover what happens next!
Thursday, May 24, 2012
World's worst telco
I haven't tried every telco in the world, but I would be very, very surprised if there is anyone out there worse than Australia's Telstra. Even AT&T aren't this bad and they are the template for "totally customer un-friendly former monopoly telco". I'm trying to use a Telstra pre-paid mobile phone while I'm in Australia - unfortunately Telstra is the only carrier with coverage at my Mum's house - and at every single step the processes and technology have failed to work as they should. Whatever is the opposite of the Midas Touch, Telstra has it; everything it touches turns to crap.
Friday, May 18, 2012
Paperback now available in Europe
The paperback version of Newton's Ark should be available via Amazon in Europe from tomorrow for £5.99 or €6.99.
US pricing for the paperback is $7.99.
If you're really worried about price though, the Kindle edition is a bargain at $2.99 (or the equivalent in pounds or euros). Interestingly, I make a bigger royalty on a $2.99 kindle edition than I do on a $7.99 paperback.
That makes it hard to see how traditional publishers can justify asking almost as much for the Kindle version (and sometimes more!) than for the hard copy. e-books should be considerably cheaper, not only because they are much cheaper to produce and distribute, but also because they are more restrictive (you can only lend them once ever, if at all, and you can't resell them) which ought to mean more sales. The disruption of the publishing market has really only just begun.
US pricing for the paperback is $7.99.
If you're really worried about price though, the Kindle edition is a bargain at $2.99 (or the equivalent in pounds or euros). Interestingly, I make a bigger royalty on a $2.99 kindle edition than I do on a $7.99 paperback.
That makes it hard to see how traditional publishers can justify asking almost as much for the Kindle version (and sometimes more!) than for the hard copy. e-books should be considerably cheaper, not only because they are much cheaper to produce and distribute, but also because they are more restrictive (you can only lend them once ever, if at all, and you can't resell them) which ought to mean more sales. The disruption of the publishing market has really only just begun.
"Plant Our Brains in Robots"
If you find the ideas in this article from Wired magazine title Russian Mogul’s Plan: Plant Our Brains in Robots, Keep Them Alive Forever interesting, then you should read my book Newton's Ark (and the forthcoming sequels).
I'm attempting to explore similar concepts through fiction, with the goal of trying to understand how these sorts of technological developments might affect the human experience. My view is that when confronted with ideas this radical, stories are the best way to explore the possible implications. Otherwise it's all too abstract, all to clinical, all too remote, and therefore all too easy to ignore, at least until it actually begins to happen and we're totally unprepared.
I'm attempting to explore similar concepts through fiction, with the goal of trying to understand how these sorts of technological developments might affect the human experience. My view is that when confronted with ideas this radical, stories are the best way to explore the possible implications. Otherwise it's all too abstract, all to clinical, all too remote, and therefore all too easy to ignore, at least until it actually begins to happen and we're totally unprepared.
Monday, May 14, 2012
Book pricing in Australia
I'm in Australia at the moment visiting family and while I'm here I've been into a few book stores. Shocked is the only word I can use to describe my reaction to the price of books here. Take, for example, Caleb's Crossing, the latest book by Geraldine Brooks (I haven't read it but I loved People of the Book). It is available on Amazon.com for $10.88 in paperback and $16.17 in hardback; it's nearly $25 (in paperback!) in the book store here.
For all Australian readers, I would say if you don't have a Kindle buy one. Now. Forget about walking the dog. Forget about feeding the kids. Jump on Amazon.com now and buy a Kindle. Caleb's Crossing and lots of other great books are only $9.99 on Kindle (and even the 'expensive' books are $12.99). Not to mention there are lots of books like mine available at the ridiculously cheap price of $2.99.
For all Australian readers, I would say if you don't have a Kindle buy one. Now. Forget about walking the dog. Forget about feeding the kids. Jump on Amazon.com now and buy a Kindle. Caleb's Crossing and lots of other great books are only $9.99 on Kindle (and even the 'expensive' books are $12.99). Not to mention there are lots of books like mine available at the ridiculously cheap price of $2.99.
Thursday, May 03, 2012
Usual occupation?
We are in Australia at the moment visiting family. When filling out my arrival card yesterday I decided to answer the question on usual occupation as AUTHOR. Now the pressure is on to take this writing gig seriously!
Saturday, April 21, 2012
Special offer - Newton's Ark for free
Amazon are running a special offer on my book for tomorrow. For one day only the Kindle version will be available for the special price of free.
The deal runs from midnight to midnight Pacific time (currently GMT -7) on April 22.
The deal runs from midnight to midnight Pacific time (currently GMT -7) on April 22.
Thursday, April 19, 2012
Writing the sequel
When I finished my first novel a little less than two weeks ago, I felt like I would need a break of a month or two before starting work on the sequel. One of the things I discovered though was that part way through the characters started to drive the story.
It seems the characters are still driving the story and were keen for it to continue. A few days ago I found the characters were giving me so any ideas for book two that I just had to start writing. The good news is that it is going much quicker this time--I've written four thousand words in the past two days. I think that is because most of the characters are already established. All I need do is ask them what happens next!
The working title is Faraday's Mine.
It seems the characters are still driving the story and were keen for it to continue. A few days ago I found the characters were giving me so any ideas for book two that I just had to start writing. The good news is that it is going much quicker this time--I've written four thousand words in the past two days. I think that is because most of the characters are already established. All I need do is ask them what happens next!
The working title is Faraday's Mine.
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Seeking feedback
Now that my book has been available for a week and a half I'm hoping that a least a few people have read it. What I'd really like now is some feedback. What did you like, what didn't you like, which characters appealed to you, are you looking forward to reading the next book in the trilogy? Anything that will help me improve as a writer.
I would especially like people to add a comment on Amazon because that helps not only me, but also potential buyers. I'm not looking for unrealistic five star reviews to pump the book up, but rather genuine and informative reviews that will help someone decide whether it's the kind of book that would appeal to them and whether it's worth handing over three bucks to read Newton's Ark (of course it is!)
Here's the link to create a review.
I would especially like people to add a comment on Amazon because that helps not only me, but also potential buyers. I'm not looking for unrealistic five star reviews to pump the book up, but rather genuine and informative reviews that will help someone decide whether it's the kind of book that would appeal to them and whether it's worth handing over three bucks to read Newton's Ark (of course it is!)
Here's the link to create a review.
Saturday, April 14, 2012
Paperback available
The paperback edition of Newton's Ark is now available.
For now it is only available through the CreateSpace estore.
It should be available on Amazon.com some time next week.
Feel free to order through CreateSpace though since I make a bigger royalty there, which makes absolutely no sense since CreateSpace is owned by Amazon.com!
I've already posted on the process of self-publishing for the Kindle. I'll post soon on the process of self-publishing a paperback through this channel.
Update: the paperback is now available through Amazon.com.
For now it is only available through the CreateSpace estore.
It should be available on Amazon.com some time next week.
Feel free to order through CreateSpace though since I make a bigger royalty there, which makes absolutely no sense since CreateSpace is owned by Amazon.com!
I've already posted on the process of self-publishing for the Kindle. I'll post soon on the process of self-publishing a paperback through this channel.
Update: the paperback is now available through Amazon.com.
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Self-publishing for Kindle
I recently self-published my first novel, Newton's Ark, as an e-book in Kindle format via Amazon's Kindle Direct Publishing program. I thought it would be worth making some observations for the benefit of other inspiring authors who might be considering this path.
The big change that self-publishing makes is that it removes the traditional publisher as gatekeeper. There's plenty of stories out there of books that were rejected by multiple publishers only to go on to critical or commercial success or both.
What self-publishing does do though is push back on the author an awful lot of responsibility for the process of producing the book; stuff like editing and proof reading and formatting and design. You can do it yourself but it is not for the faint of heart. You need a combination of skills to get it right. Traditional publishing skills like attention to detail, editing and graphic design, mixed with the technical skills necessary to translate a manuscript in Microsoft Word into a properly formatted Kindle book within the constraints of the Kindle format (e.g. the fact that is has no such concept as 'keep with next') and the quirks of the Kindle publishing platform. The good news is that there are plenty of people out there who will take care of this stuff for a modest fee. I didn't try any of them - I was determined to do this myself - but if you don't like banging your head against a wall as much as I do, perhaps it is worth trying.
It is way too early to tell whether self-publishing via Amazon will be a commercial success. That seems to me to be dependent on a mix of the quality of the book, the marketing effort and sheer luck. I can control the first factor, am working on the second one but it's not my strength, and can only cross my fingers in terms of the third factor.
I will also be releasing a paperback version soon, also self-published, this time via a company called CreateSpace (which happens to be an Amazon subsidiary). I'll report on that process once it is complete.
The big change that self-publishing makes is that it removes the traditional publisher as gatekeeper. There's plenty of stories out there of books that were rejected by multiple publishers only to go on to critical or commercial success or both.
What self-publishing does do though is push back on the author an awful lot of responsibility for the process of producing the book; stuff like editing and proof reading and formatting and design. You can do it yourself but it is not for the faint of heart. You need a combination of skills to get it right. Traditional publishing skills like attention to detail, editing and graphic design, mixed with the technical skills necessary to translate a manuscript in Microsoft Word into a properly formatted Kindle book within the constraints of the Kindle format (e.g. the fact that is has no such concept as 'keep with next') and the quirks of the Kindle publishing platform. The good news is that there are plenty of people out there who will take care of this stuff for a modest fee. I didn't try any of them - I was determined to do this myself - but if you don't like banging your head against a wall as much as I do, perhaps it is worth trying.
It is way too early to tell whether self-publishing via Amazon will be a commercial success. That seems to me to be dependent on a mix of the quality of the book, the marketing effort and sheer luck. I can control the first factor, am working on the second one but it's not my strength, and can only cross my fingers in terms of the third factor.
I will also be releasing a paperback version soon, also self-published, this time via a company called CreateSpace (which happens to be an Amazon subsidiary). I'll report on that process once it is complete.
Saturday, April 07, 2012
It's published!
My first novel, Newton's Ark is now available on Kindle, for US purchasers here and for UK purchasers here.
Here's the brief description that appears on Amazon:
Here's the brief description that appears on Amazon:
December 20, 2047 - the day the human race faces extinction. With a little more than two years to prepare, President Paul Carlson struggles with the awful choices he must make to ensure the survival of the American people. Meanwhile wealthy industrialist James Newton embarks on his own audacious and radical plan to save humanity. As both sides race against time and the growing economic and social collapse, Major Regina Lopez finds herself caught between these competing forces. Which side will she choose as she faces sacrificing everything she believes in to protect the people she loves?A paperback edition will be available within the next 1-2 weeks, however the Kindle edition is significantly cheaper and I make better royalties on that, so all in all it would be a win-win if you purchase the electronic copy, and you'll save a tree in the process!
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