From I Can Has Cheezburger. I wonder whether someone should write a sequel with a title like Sloth Kong Reborn?
About Me
- Russell Blackford
- Australian philosopher, literary critic, legal scholar, and professional writer. Based in Newcastle, NSW. My latest books are THE TYRANNY OF OPINION: CONFORMITY AND THE FUTURE OF LIBERALISM (2019); AT THE DAWN OF A GREAT TRANSITION: THE QUESTION OF RADICAL ENHANCEMENT (2021); and HOW WE BECAME POST-LIBERAL: THE RISE AND FALL OF TOLERATION (2024).
Saturday, May 05, 2012
Sloth Kong
From I Can Has Cheezburger. I wonder whether someone should write a sequel with a title like Sloth Kong Reborn?
Friday, May 04, 2012
Thursday, May 03, 2012
Jane Rogers wins Arthur C. Clarke Award for ...
... her novel, The Testament of Jessie Lamb. Story here. This announcement follows soon (i.e. about five weeks) after a much-publicised rant by Christopher Priest when the shortlist for the award was announced.
Rogers' novel sounds interesting enough, though as one commenter on the site points out there is always reason to be a bit wary of mainstream writers' efforts at science fiction. Or in any event, it's often claimed that mainstream writers tend to re-invent the wheel when they turn to sf tropes. I'm not sure about that, though it's true that mainstream writers often present very bleak, dystopian visions of the future. Moreso, on average (or so it appears to me ... I can't prove it scientifically) than professional sf writers. The Testament of Jessie Lamb doesn't sound like an exception.
But anyway, Rogers is certainly a writer with runs on the board before this. Congratulations to her!
Rogers' novel sounds interesting enough, though as one commenter on the site points out there is always reason to be a bit wary of mainstream writers' efforts at science fiction. Or in any event, it's often claimed that mainstream writers tend to re-invent the wheel when they turn to sf tropes. I'm not sure about that, though it's true that mainstream writers often present very bleak, dystopian visions of the future. Moreso, on average (or so it appears to me ... I can't prove it scientifically) than professional sf writers. The Testament of Jessie Lamb doesn't sound like an exception.
But anyway, Rogers is certainly a writer with runs on the board before this. Congratulations to her!
John Wilkins on the GAC speakers
I only just came across this old post by John Wilkins publicly asking why he was not asked to speak at the Global Atheist Convention in either 2010 or 2012. See the whole thread on Wilkins' site.
I've got say that I find this kind of public complaint unseemly, as a general rule, but maybe that's just showing my age - I grew to adulthood in the 1970s, which was a turbulent time in its way, but I suspect that we were socialised to be more self-effacing than is the case these days (mind you, Wilkins is about the same age as me, so I'm not claiming that that's a difference between the two of us, just that my attitude to things like this may seem old-fashioned to some of my readers). [Edit: See comments on thread - John apparently misunderstood the format and has since sort of recanted.]
Be all that as it may, Wilkins has a very good article on secularism in The Australian Book of Atheism, and he would have been a good speaker/panelist. I hope that the committee takes note for next time.
More generally, there's some scope for fine-tuning the mix of speakers. E.g. - people that I've been talking to have been questioning why so many speakers are flown in from overseas (presumably with their fares paid), when there are outstanding speakers available in Australia. It's not as if there's usually a huge amount of reciprocation (though in my case, I did get flown to Orlando to speak to the Moving Secularism Forward conference ... so I can't complain).
For myself, I wonder whether it wouldn't be better to make greater use of panels, rather than lectures. Panels can vary in quality, but so can lectures.
I've got say that I find this kind of public complaint unseemly, as a general rule, but maybe that's just showing my age - I grew to adulthood in the 1970s, which was a turbulent time in its way, but I suspect that we were socialised to be more self-effacing than is the case these days (mind you, Wilkins is about the same age as me, so I'm not claiming that that's a difference between the two of us, just that my attitude to things like this may seem old-fashioned to some of my readers). [Edit: See comments on thread - John apparently misunderstood the format and has since sort of recanted.]
Be all that as it may, Wilkins has a very good article on secularism in The Australian Book of Atheism, and he would have been a good speaker/panelist. I hope that the committee takes note for next time.
More generally, there's some scope for fine-tuning the mix of speakers. E.g. - people that I've been talking to have been questioning why so many speakers are flown in from overseas (presumably with their fares paid), when there are outstanding speakers available in Australia. It's not as if there's usually a huge amount of reciprocation (though in my case, I did get flown to Orlando to speak to the Moving Secularism Forward conference ... so I can't complain).
For myself, I wonder whether it wouldn't be better to make greater use of panels, rather than lectures. Panels can vary in quality, but so can lectures.
A snarky review of The Avengers by Andrew O'Hehir
This is a dissenting review because the movie is mainly getting critical acclaim so far.
Wednesday, May 02, 2012
Tuesday, May 01, 2012
Predict the opening weekend US box office for The Avengers!
While we're talking about The Avengers ... anyone want to predict the box office for its opening weekend in the US, which is coming up in, like, a couple of days? (Yes, all you Americans reading this will soon be able to see it and make up your own minds about it.)
I say US$172 million (which would set a new record!), based on its impressive takings in the non-US market so far and that it is more US-oriented than other big-opening movies in recent times, such as those in the Harry Potter series.
In a week's time, let's see how close that prediction turned out to be. Anyone think they can get closer than I can? There's no prize except bragging rights.
I say US$172 million (which would set a new record!), based on its impressive takings in the non-US market so far and that it is more US-oriented than other big-opening movies in recent times, such as those in the Harry Potter series.
In a week's time, let's see how close that prediction turned out to be. Anyone think they can get closer than I can? There's no prize except bragging rights.
The Norma K. Hemming Award shortlist
Black Glass
novel by Meg Mundell
published by Scribe Publications (Brunswick VIC)
Bluegrass Symphony
collection by Lisa L Hannett
published by Ticonderoga Publications (Perth, WA)
The Devil’s Diadem
novel by Sara Douglass
published by HarperCollins
Eona
novel by Alison Goodman
published by HarperCollins
Hindsight
novel by A A Bell
published by HarperCollins
Nightsiders
collection by Sue Isle
published by Twelfth Planet Press (Perth, WA)
Road To The Soul
novel by Kim Falconer
published by HarperCollins
The Shattered City
novel by Tansy Rayner Roberts
published by HarperCollins
Yellowcake Springs
novel by Guy Salvidge
published by Interactive Publications Treetop (Brisbane, QLD)
novel by Meg Mundell
published by Scribe Publications (Brunswick VIC)
Bluegrass Symphony
collection by Lisa L Hannett
published by Ticonderoga Publications (Perth, WA)
The Devil’s Diadem
novel by Sara Douglass
published by HarperCollins
Eona
novel by Alison Goodman
published by HarperCollins
Hindsight
novel by A A Bell
published by HarperCollins
Nightsiders
collection by Sue Isle
published by Twelfth Planet Press (Perth, WA)
Road To The Soul
novel by Kim Falconer
published by HarperCollins
The Shattered City
novel by Tansy Rayner Roberts
published by HarperCollins
Yellowcake Springs
novel by Guy Salvidge
published by Interactive Publications Treetop (Brisbane, QLD)
The future of this blog
Since I started this blog a bit over six years ago, it's been more successful than I'd ever imagined. As far as I can recall or reconstruct, I originally meant it as an online diary, a sandpit to develop some of my philosophical ideas, and a sort of clubhouse on the internet where my little group of close friends could hang out. It never really became the third of those (the friends in question are like cats who can't be herded), but it's done a lot more than the first two in that it's garnered some wider popularity, attracted a bit of attention from larger sites, and made something of a reputation for itself. While by no means a high traffic site, it does attract quite a lot of views per day.
In any event, I've become fond of this place, and I expect it will continue as my personal blog into the indefinite future.
On the other hand, my life has changed since 2006. I'm now also blogging at Talking Philosophy (which I urge you to follow if you read this blog for the philosophical discussions), I've been writing a fair bit for the ABC Religion and Ethics Portal (where I often feel like I'm a dissenting voice, but that's not necessarily a bad thing ... and some kudos should go to Scott Stephens for publishing people like me with whom he is in fairly deep and pervasive disagreement), and I now have a regular (though not frequent) opinion column for Free Inquiry (the first contribution to my new column appears in the current issue, though I also had a recent article about human enhancement technology). All of these places reach larger audiences than this humble blog (and the ABC even pays some money!), so it makes sense to give them a certain priority when it comes to the kinds of writing that can logically go to them.
There's also the fact that I don't have unlimited time. In addition to all the above, I'm currently working on two books (both of which have deadlines and involve a lot of research), plus trying to get a third book off the ground, plus editing The Journal of Evolution and Technology. And I have a recently-published book to promote. Plus, I'm scrabbling around doing some research towards yet other books that I have in mind for down the track. I also spend time doing other things that I think I should, such as peer reviews of articles that are sent to me by refereed journals - unlike most academics, I actually say Yes to almost all such requests, partly because I do still have some time ... and partly because I think that supporting this process is very important.
The reason I still have some time is that I don't have a paying job - my position at the University of Newcastle is an honorary research-only one, which means I can get slightly involved in the department (or whatever it's called: hmmm, it's actually the discipline of Philosophy and Religious Studies within the School of Humanities and Social Science), but I don't have actual students to teach, lectures to prepare, administration to do, etc. I basically have some colleagues, a free staff parking permit, and a free library card. How I keep afloat financially is another matter as I'm not exactly writing best-sellers (any funding sources that turn up on my doorstep are always welcome) - the point is that I can find some time at a pinch.
On the gripping hand, I do have a life outside all this, including a family that I moved to Newcastle from Melbourne to be closer to (among other reasons).
So in the end, my time is actually pretty limited. (This is also why I have to decline most of the requests that I get from people to advise on their manuscripts, school projects, etc., etc.; I get quite a lot of these requests.)
Sooo, the question that's been on my mind is how much time I can really devote to blogging here. The answer, for the indefinite future is that this will, indeed, continue as my personal blog. However, there's already been a shift in its mix of posts, as the more concerted philosophical musings tend to find their way to other places. There's been a drift towards making this blog more like an online diary, a place for quick comment on events of interest, and a place to have a bit of fun (as with my brief reaction to seeing The Avengers the other day ... which is actually proving to be a very popular post, by my standards, for, I suppose, fairly obvious reasons).
I think I'll also have to cut down on the sheer number - it was nothing like this number in the first three years. It really started to take off after 2008, the year when Udo and I completed our work on 50 Voices of Disbelief and I also finished my Ph.D ... these happened about the same time (in fact, 2008 was a busy and difficult year for other reasons as well), and I found myself increasingly drawn into online debates about religion and related issues. In 2010 and 2011, I was writing here very frequently and often at considerable length.
The bottom line is that the mix of topics has gradually changed just lately, and, as per the previous para, the quantity of posts is going to have to scale back a bit as well.
However, this will still be the central place that records my doings (my actual website is fairly up to date at the moment, but it tends to lag well behind this place). You will still find commentary on Australian and world news, popular culture, and even philosophical issues. But I'm unlikely to have as many posts as was the case over the last three years or so, and they have already tended less to be long philosophical discussions - for those, Talking Philosophy is increasingly likely to be the place. (I did mention that Talking Philosophy gets more traffic ... not all that much more, though, and it deserves more, so I'm urging you folks to follow it and participate in the debates there.)
Okay, so that's now official. Please don't go away, dear audience, but also please understand why I can't now run this blog quite as I did through 2010 and 2011 in particular.
In any event, I've become fond of this place, and I expect it will continue as my personal blog into the indefinite future.
On the other hand, my life has changed since 2006. I'm now also blogging at Talking Philosophy (which I urge you to follow if you read this blog for the philosophical discussions), I've been writing a fair bit for the ABC Religion and Ethics Portal (where I often feel like I'm a dissenting voice, but that's not necessarily a bad thing ... and some kudos should go to Scott Stephens for publishing people like me with whom he is in fairly deep and pervasive disagreement), and I now have a regular (though not frequent) opinion column for Free Inquiry (the first contribution to my new column appears in the current issue, though I also had a recent article about human enhancement technology). All of these places reach larger audiences than this humble blog (and the ABC even pays some money!), so it makes sense to give them a certain priority when it comes to the kinds of writing that can logically go to them.
There's also the fact that I don't have unlimited time. In addition to all the above, I'm currently working on two books (both of which have deadlines and involve a lot of research), plus trying to get a third book off the ground, plus editing The Journal of Evolution and Technology. And I have a recently-published book to promote. Plus, I'm scrabbling around doing some research towards yet other books that I have in mind for down the track. I also spend time doing other things that I think I should, such as peer reviews of articles that are sent to me by refereed journals - unlike most academics, I actually say Yes to almost all such requests, partly because I do still have some time ... and partly because I think that supporting this process is very important.
The reason I still have some time is that I don't have a paying job - my position at the University of Newcastle is an honorary research-only one, which means I can get slightly involved in the department (or whatever it's called: hmmm, it's actually the discipline of Philosophy and Religious Studies within the School of Humanities and Social Science), but I don't have actual students to teach, lectures to prepare, administration to do, etc. I basically have some colleagues, a free staff parking permit, and a free library card. How I keep afloat financially is another matter as I'm not exactly writing best-sellers (any funding sources that turn up on my doorstep are always welcome) - the point is that I can find some time at a pinch.
On the gripping hand, I do have a life outside all this, including a family that I moved to Newcastle from Melbourne to be closer to (among other reasons).
So in the end, my time is actually pretty limited. (This is also why I have to decline most of the requests that I get from people to advise on their manuscripts, school projects, etc., etc.; I get quite a lot of these requests.)
Sooo, the question that's been on my mind is how much time I can really devote to blogging here. The answer, for the indefinite future is that this will, indeed, continue as my personal blog. However, there's already been a shift in its mix of posts, as the more concerted philosophical musings tend to find their way to other places. There's been a drift towards making this blog more like an online diary, a place for quick comment on events of interest, and a place to have a bit of fun (as with my brief reaction to seeing The Avengers the other day ... which is actually proving to be a very popular post, by my standards, for, I suppose, fairly obvious reasons).
I think I'll also have to cut down on the sheer number - it was nothing like this number in the first three years. It really started to take off after 2008, the year when Udo and I completed our work on 50 Voices of Disbelief and I also finished my Ph.D ... these happened about the same time (in fact, 2008 was a busy and difficult year for other reasons as well), and I found myself increasingly drawn into online debates about religion and related issues. In 2010 and 2011, I was writing here very frequently and often at considerable length.
The bottom line is that the mix of topics has gradually changed just lately, and, as per the previous para, the quantity of posts is going to have to scale back a bit as well.
However, this will still be the central place that records my doings (my actual website is fairly up to date at the moment, but it tends to lag well behind this place). You will still find commentary on Australian and world news, popular culture, and even philosophical issues. But I'm unlikely to have as many posts as was the case over the last three years or so, and they have already tended less to be long philosophical discussions - for those, Talking Philosophy is increasingly likely to be the place. (I did mention that Talking Philosophy gets more traffic ... not all that much more, though, and it deserves more, so I'm urging you folks to follow it and participate in the debates there.)
Okay, so that's now official. Please don't go away, dear audience, but also please understand why I can't now run this blog quite as I did through 2010 and 2011 in particular.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)