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I ran across a news item today about HarperCollins signing Amanda Knox to a huge book deal. Four million dollars for her tell-all biography about her ordeal in the Italian justice system. For those of you, like me, who don’t have cable and haven’t been following cases like this (or that of Casey Anthony) closely, […]

A problem for any creative individual is that critiques of what we do—by friends, family (parents especially), peers, taste arbitrators and the public—can really hurt. I’ve taken to throwing up a first line of defense when it comes to Internet reviews—especially anonymous ones—which is to remind myself that, until proven otherwise, every Internet pundit is […]

Back in the 1980s, a cabal of fringe law enforcement officials (who also happened to be Born Again Christians), radio and televangelists (Bob Larson, to name but one) and traumatized parents (Pat Pulling being one) got together to warn the world about the dangers of Satanism. I became involved in a rational effort to rein […]

The closest I get to being a scientist these days is to pretend to be one in the kitchen. I like cooking. The fact that it’s chemistry that tastes good is a huge plus. I generally mix things on the fly out of the variety of spices in the cupboard, but sometimes I sit down […]

(After months of having been absent from blogging and off the radar, please welcome back Doctor Sinisterion. He assures me that he’s successfully fought extradition, so should be a regular here once again. Here is his latest dose of insight about the world from a decidedly and distinctly unique point of view. —Mike Stackpole) Doctor […]

On 19 January, Apple made its big announcement about reinventing textbooks. They showed off some gorgeous, interactive texts that, frankly, I’d have killed to have as a kid. The animations, graphics and even the review section in the book really make it easy for kids, in my opinion, to move ahead at their own pace. […]

Writers write for a lot of different reasons: For fun. For feedback. To hone their skills. To get noticed. To get famous. To get rich. To change the world. To make a living. I’m sure there are many more reasons for writing. Many writers write for more than one of the the above—all the good […]