Fantasist's Scroll

Global Conspiracy Friday

Written by Magus on Marpenoth 12th, 1482 by the Dale Reckoning

And, yes, by that I mean, Friday the Thirteenth.

I always thought it was because Judas was the Thirteenth Apostle or something like that. No, according to <a target="_blank" href="http://www.globalpsychics.com/lp/Superstition/friday_13th.htm">this article on GlobalPsychics.com</a>, it has to do with the plot to suppress the Knights Templar. Hey, stop laughing! That's what it says!! And, I quote:
<blockquote>The modern basis for the Friday the 13th superstition stems from Friday October the 13th, 1307. On this date, the Pope of the church in Rome in Conjunction with the King of France, carried out a secret death warrant against "the Knights Templar". The Templars were terminated as heretics, never again to hold the power that they had held for so long. There Grand Master, Jacques DeMolay, was arrested and before he was killed, was tortured and crucified. A Black Friday indeed!</blockquote>
So, there you have it, Friday the Thirteenth is a global conspiracy! Personally, I usually have better luck on Friday the Thirteenth, but, then, I always have been a little out of step with the world. Oh, and here's a link to some alternate ideas why everyone else is <a target="_blank" href="http://people.howstuffworks.com/friday-thirteenth.htm">afraid of Friday the Thirteenth</a>.
Enjoy it.

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Categories:

Criticism, Marginalia, and Notes, Fantastic and Surreal, Fun, Occult

Paying Markets

Written by Magus on Marpenoth 10th, 1482 by the Dale Reckoning

'Cause it all comes down to the dough, re, mi!

Sometimes, it feels like there just aren't any paying markets for fantasy and science-fiction short stories. Of course, that's not true, but, still, outside of one of the Writer's Digest Novell and Short Story Writer's Market books, where are you going to find a place to send your work? Try looking at these pages to find someone who would like to buy your work:

<a target="_blank" href="http://www.writerswrite.net/paylist.cfm">The Writer's Write Paying Market List</a>
<a target="_blank" href="http://bloodletters.com/goblin/?viewall=true"> The "Goblin" Markets</a>
<a target="_blank" href="http://storypilot.com/">Story Pilot's Science-Fiction and Fantasy Market Engine</a>
<a target="_blank" href="http://www.sfwa.org/links/mags.htm">SFWA Magazine List</a>
<a target="_blank" href="http://www.sff.net/people/julia.west/markets.html">Julia West's Paying F&SF Markets List</a>
So, now that you have places to send the work, the only thing you need to do is write the story!

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Categories:

Crass Commerce, Criticism, Marginalia, and Notes, Fantasy, Fiction and Its Kin, Science Fiction, Writing

Happy Birthday, Mr. Herbert!

Written by Magus on Marpenoth 7th, 1482 by the Dale Reckoning

Today is <a target="_blank" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Herbert">Frank Herbert's </a>Birthday.

Of course, we haven't had him with us since 1986, the year I graduated from high-school, but his work lives on. Mr. Herbert is primarily known for his seminal work, Dune, and the other books in the series that followed. Though, interestingly enough, he never intended to write sequels.
Often refered to as the science-fiction Lord of the Rings, the Dune series of books detail an amazingly rich science-ficiton culture. The novels are some of the first science-fiction to have detailed political and sociological sub-plots, not to mention ecological sub-plots! The way Mr. Herbert used religion in his work is quite interesting as well. In a genre that often avoids discussing religion, he explored the topic in detail and with a depth that was personally inspiring.

There hasn't been anyone else quite like <a href="http://www.kirjasto.sci.fi/fherbert.htm">Frank Herbert</a> and I am in awe of the ways in which he influenced the genre, which is why I celebrate this every year.

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Categories:

Famous Authors, Invented Worlds, News and Current Events, Science Fiction

Search Terms

Written by Magus on Marpenoth 6th, 1482 by the Dale Reckoning

So far this year, May has been my biggest web traffic month.

I had an average of over 6500 hits per day in May and these were the search terms that brought people to my site:
<table width="510" cellspacing="1" cellpadding="1" border="2">
<tr>
<th bgcolor="#c0c0c0" align="center">#</th>
<th bgcolor="#008040" align="center" colspan="2">Hits</th>
<th bgcolor="#00e0ff" align="center">Search String</th>
</tr>
<tr>
<th height="4"></th>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="center">1</td>
<td align="right">69</td>
<td align="right">5.79%</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap" align="left">scroll comments</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="center">2</td>
<td align="right">59</td>
<td align="right">4.95%</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap" align="left">fantasy names</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="center">3</td>
<td align="right">42</td>
<td align="right">3.52%</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap" align="left">oceanside</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="center">4</td>
<td align="right">36</td>
<td align="right">3.02%</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap" align="left">scroll</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="center">5</td>
<td align="right">16</td>
<td align="right">1.34%</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap" align="left">funny name generator</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="center">6</td>
<td align="right">15</td>
<td align="right">1.26%</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap" align="left">free timeline generator</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="center">7</td>
<td align="right">14</td>
<td align="right">1.17%</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap" align="left">free graph paper</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="center">8</td>
<td align="right">13</td>
<td align="right">1.09%</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap" align="left">invetions</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="center">9</td>
<td align="right">12</td>
<td align="right">1.01%</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap" align="left">military phrases</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="center">10</td>
<td align="right">11</td>
<td align="right">0.92%</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap" align="left">fantasy map making</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="center">11</td>
<td align="right">10</td>
<td align="right">0.84%</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap" align="left">demon voices</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="center">12</td>
<td align="right">8</td>
<td align="right">0.67%</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap" align="left">alien landscape</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="center">13</td>
<td align="right">8</td>
<td align="right">0.67%</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap" align="left">fantasist</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="center">14</td>
<td align="right">7</td>
<td align="right">0.59%</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap" align="left">chrome girl</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="center">15</td>
<td align="right">6</td>
<td align="right">0.50%</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap" align="left">funny fantasy names</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="center">16</td>
<td align="right">6</td>
<td align="right">0.50%</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap" align="left">how fast can a swallow fly</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="center">17</td>
<td align="right">6</td>
<td align="right">0.50%</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap" align="left">how to write in elvish</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="center">18</td>
<td align="right">6</td>
<td align="right">0.50%</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap" align="left">military robots</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="center">19</td>
<td align="right">6</td>
<td align="right">0.50%</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap" align="left">novel title generator</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="center">20</td>
<td align="right">6</td>
<td align="right">0.50%</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap" align="left">word generators</td>
</tr>
</table>
Now, you might be asking yourself why I'm mentioning this... Well, that's a good question. It's a test, of sorts. A little experiment to see if it's the content or the search terms that make the biggest difference. I'm betting that my hits go up for at least the day or so after I post this and then drop off.

Well, only one way to know for sure!

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Categories:

Crass Commerce, Experimental, Fun, Personal, Science and Technology

Fractal Art

Written by Magus on Marpenoth 5th, 1482 by the Dale Reckoning

You know, I could rewrite this...

But, it's easier to just link to the post over at my other blog, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ryumaou.com/hoffman/netgeek/?p=1126">Diary of a Network Geek</a>. Go there, and look at what I wrote then check the links for cool fractal art.

Hey, it's free! Besides, it's Friday and what else do you have to do?

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Categories:

Art, Experimental, Fantastic and Surreal, Fun, Original Art

Some Fun Friday Links!

Written by Magus on Eleint 29th, 1482 by the Dale Reckoning

Oh, these are strange, but good.

Here's a link to a <a target="_blank" href="http://www.defensetech.org/archives/002804.html">DefenseTech article about the CIA's Online "Personality Test"</a> which is supposed to open our eyes to what it's really like to work for the CIA. Apparently, it's not ALL like James Bond. Who knew?

And, in a totally different vein, this is <a target="_blank" href="http://www.timorousbeasties.com/products/wallpapers/superwide/52">the most disturbing wallpaper</a> I've ever seen. Look really closely at it. Hmm, maybe for one of the guest rooms...

But, finally, for the geeks, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.axe-man.org/page.asp?lang=E&page=101">How to Make StarTrek-style LCARS Panels</a>. I cannot make this stuff up!

So, go, link and enjoy. It is, after all, Friday! Whoops! Now, I'm late to work!!

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Categories:

Art, Fantastic and Surreal, Fun, Science Fiction

Library Porn

Written by Magus on Eleint 22nd, 1482 by the Dale Reckoning

Okay, this might not be what you were expecting...

No, I'm not talking about pornography in a library, but images of libraries that would excite book enthusiasts. At least, it got me all excited. Interestingly enough, the book is discussed on the Cool Hunters website. It's brought to us by Kids Republic and, based on the pictures, I can only describe it as <a target="_blank" href="http://www.thecoolhunter.net/books/LIBRARIES---CANDIDA-HOFFER/">library porn</a>.
Seriously, if you like libraries, or old books, or just lots of books, at least go look at the Cool Hunters website, if not the book itself. Way cool.

Besides, it's Friday, what else do you have to do?

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Categories:

Art, Fantastic and Surreal, Fun, News and Current Events, Things to Read

Three Important Birthdays

Written by Magus on Eleint 21st, 1482 by the Dale Reckoning

According to <a target="_blank" href="http://writersalmanac.publicradio.org/">Writer's Almanac</a> we have three birthdays to celebrate today.

First, there's novelist Herbert George (H.G.) Wells, who was born in Bromley, England in1866. According to the note I got from Writer's Almanac, Wells had a job writing biology textbooks until he developed a respiratory illness in his late 20s. Since he thought he didn't have long to live, he left his wife and ran away with another woman, after which he began writing furiously. In roughly three years, he published all the novels for which we know him: The Time Machine, The Island of Dr. Moreau, The Invisible Man, and The War of the Worlds.

It's also the birthday of the novelist Stephen King, born in Portland, Maine in 1947. His father was a merchant seaman who left the family when Stephen was just two. He has no memories of his father, but one day he found a whole box full of his father's science fiction and fantasy paperbacks, and that box of his father's books inspired him to start writing horror stories.
He was working as a teacher when he wrote his first novel about a weird high school girl with psychic powers named Carrie White. He gave up on the book at one point and threw it in the trash. His wife rescued it. Carrie was published in 1973. The hard cover didn't sell well, but then his agent called to say that the paperback rights had sold for $400,000.

Lastly, but, perhaps, most importantly, today is the birthday of the man who first put high quality literature into paperbacks, Sir Allen Lane, born in Bristol, England in 1902. He was the founder of Penguin Books.

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Categories:

Crass Commerce, Famous Authors, Fantastic and Surreal, Fantasy, Fun, Horror, Science Fiction

Hoffman's Quartet Possible

Written by Magus on Eleint 20th, 1482 by the Dale Reckoning

Or, putting a little more science into science-fiction.

Way back in the Old Days, before I was so weighed down with bills and obligations to creditors, I dreamed that I'd pay my way writing science-fiction. As a result of that dream, I commissioned one Sheridan Simon to build a solar system for me. Specifically, a system with four habitable worlds that might have developed independantly. The result was far more than I could have hoped for and I made that available via this website some time ago, as <a href="http://www.fantasist.net/downloads/HoffmanQuartet.pdf">Hoffman's Quartet</a>.

Now, however, it seems that Dr. Simon was more spot on than I could have imagined, lo, those many years ago. Just recently, <a target="_blank" href="http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/09/060907-hot-jupiters.htm… Geographic ran a news story talking about habitable planets circling so-called "hot Jupiters"</a>, which are more properly "brown dwarfs". Back in 1992, when Sheridan Simon crafted this hypothetical world system for me, that's precisely how he got me my requested four habitable worlds.
It's been interesting over the years to see the several pseudo predictions he made in creating that extra-solar system for me come true. Or, more accurately, becore more popular. I wish he were still around to see it, but, sadly, Sheridan Simon passed away a number of years ago.
Maybe I'll take up that system again and write a story or two, dedicated to Dr. Simon. Just because that world system has become timely again, and, somehow, evokes an interesting flavor of nostalgia in me. Ah, the good old days. Everything old is new again.

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Categories:

Ideas and Suggestions, Invented Worlds, Personal, Science and Technology, Science Fiction

International Talk Like A Pirate Day

Written by Magus on Eleint 19th, 1482 by the Dale Reckoning

Yarr, today be <a target="_blank" href="http://www.yarr.org.uk">International Talk Like A Pirate Day</a>, me blog maties!

Few are the holidays made for such as we, ye digital sea dogs, but this be one of 'em. Ye don't 'ave to be a data pirate or music pirate or any kind of law breakin' pirate at all to join in the fun. Ye just 'ave to like talkin' like a pirate, ya' scury dogs! So, whether ye be a privateer, a corsair or a buccanner, or ye just wanna be, go on the account fer just the day and chase ye booty, while ye may! Then finish 'er off w' a bit o' good grog and throw in a hearty "yo, ho, ho". Then set aside the sweet trade fer the life of a land lubber fer another year, but, 'till this great, glorious day rolls 'round again, dream o' dubloons an' grog, and International Talk Like A Pirate Day.

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Categories:

Fantastic and Surreal, Fun, News and Current Events