It’s time to re-read Don DeLillo’s classic scifi novel “White Noise”
Only a fool would make light of the Deepwater oil spill right now. But as Don DeLillo’s 1984 novel White Noise shows us, jokes are the only way to cope with the psychological burden of environmental disaster. The novel begins as a wry commentary on a Brady Bunch-style family cobbled together from failed marriages, as…
Why size doesn’t matter: Ants and world domination
Mark Moffett is a photographer and explorer who travels the world looking for new species and scientific wonders. In his latest book, Adventures Among Ants, he takes you deep into “extreme ant societies.” Here’s an excerpt, about ant hive minds. Although we think of all ants as small, they vary in size several thousandfold. The…
Why Robin Sloan is the future of publishing (and science fiction)
Science fiction writer Robin Sloan tried to raise $3,500 from people wanting to read his novelette, but instead he wound up raising $13,500. It’s just one of the ways he’s successfully breaking all the rules of publishing. On his blog, Robin Sloan describes himself as a “writer and media inventor.” I’m not entirely sure what…