Member: CliffBurns

Cliff, I just stopped by your blog and I see that you are having fun creating music. I don't make music myself, but I do enjoy listening to my DJ husband's creations. If you get a chance, you might want to check out soundcloud.com. It is a social network where you can upload of your own and download music made by others. Someday you might also want to check out the Reason software. Here is a link comparing your Garageband to it: http://ncmusictech.blogspot.com/2007/11/.... I hope you enjoy both sites.

Beth

posted by emaestra at 7:25 pm (EST) on Oct 5, 2009

Hi Cliff,

Hope the summer writing is going well.

You may have already seen this, but if not - here's a short story on CanLit that's sure to infuriate.

Couldn't remember what thread we had our CanLit discussion in.

http://this.org/magazine/2009/06/18/book...

Regards,

Beardo

posted by beardo at 8:09 pm (EST) on Jul 6, 2009

Thought you might be intersted in joining my new thread. Check it out.
http://www.librarything.com/topic/66785

posted by callmejacx at 10:35 pm (EST) on Jun 16, 2009

Thought you might be intersted in joining my new thread. Check it out.
http://www.librarything.com/topic/66785

posted by callmejacx at 10:35 pm (EST) on Jun 16, 2009

I too, regret the tone the conversation took. Sometimes I get caught up in the heat of the debate and forget that, if not careful, my words may be more aggressive than intended.

Looking forward to future discussions.

Beardo (Cloverdale, B.C.)

posted by beardo at 11:23 pm (EST) on Jun 13, 2009

Thanks, I would be interested in reading it, but unfortunately I can't bare to read so long in front of the computer. Perhaps when they finally release the Kindle in Canada, or whatever newfangled device Chapters is cooking up.

Best of luck.

posted by plutopsyche at 10:23 pm (EST) on Jun 10, 2009

Cliff -
remember - you're what, about 10 yrs younger than I? The whole deal is that you want to avoid ending up where i was 4 yrs ago. You have a powerful computer now - you really should spend a bit more money so you can dual boot and run XP which will allow you to run Dragon Naturally Speaking. It'll be a nuisance teaching it - but your hands and career will thank you for it in the end.
bob
(you can get Open Office which gives you a free Word clone, among many other nice bits of software - really the only things you'll need to buy are an XP license, Dragon - the $199.00 version will be more than fine, and the software of your choice, i think the new macs come w/ one built in?) that will allow you to switch between XP and the MacOS. I know a friend has his set up so that he can have both the Mac OS and XP open at the same time and move stuff from one desktop to the other. But just dual booting is easier.

posted by bobmcconnaughey at 7:37 pm (EST) on Jun 9, 2009

Cliff -
seriously, if you have arthritis, really either OA or RA in your hands, you might try asking your doc for:1. plaquenil (hydroxychoroquinine) to reduce inflammation - 3 yrs ago my joints were all visible swollen, red and VERY tender to the touch - i had a very hard time using a fork or putting my hands in pockets. While hardly perfect - damage has been done - my hand joints are much less inflamed and sig. less tender; 2. 200mg Ultram ER (extended release) - might be over the counter in Canada? a "moderate" synthetic narcotic that has no "psychological" side effects that i've ever noticed. Take one in the morning - if my hands hurt in the evening after it's worn off, that's not a big deal; 3. NSAID creme, 20% diclonfenac creme (maybe OTC in CA) which you just rub over yr hands/joints.

And really, i am a wuss about medical procedures and the cortisone injections are both really effective for 2-3 months and just about pain free.

The one drug that requires a bit of monitoring is plaquenil - ~ 6 weeks after you start on it, you'll have an optometrist/opthamologist check for a serious, but very rare, event that, if present and you kept on taking the drug, could cause some eye damage. My optometrist knew exactly what to look for when i told him what i was taking and there was absolutely no sign of any damage. He went through the exam 2x just to be sure. But if your eye doc DOES see the beginnings of damage, you're at the point where simply stopping the drug will reverse anything that has started. (Oddly, the major use of plaquenil is as an anti-malarial, so you'll be ready when malaria makes its north american comeback w/ global warming. Actually not so unlikely in my case, here in NCarolina.

posted by bobmcconnaughey at 10:26 am (EST) on Jun 9, 2009

That's a wonderful daydream, Cliff! I hope you will find or make time to read some of the huge books you dream of reading... and without waiting until you are an octogenarian...

posted by anna_in_pdx at 1:07 pm (EST) on May 22, 2009

Sermons We See

by Edgar Guest

"I'd rather see a sermon
than hear one any day;
I'd rather one should walk with me
than merely tell the way.
The eye's a better pupil
and more willing than the ear,
Fine counsel is confusing,
but example's always clear;
And the best of all preachers
are the men who live their creeds,
For to see good put in action
is what everybody needs.

I soon can learn to do it
if you'll let me see it done;
I can watch your hands in action,
but your tongue too fast may run.
And the lecture you deliver
may be very wise and true,
But I'd rather get my lessons
by observing what you do;
For I might misunderstand you
and the high advice you give,
But there's no misunderstanding
how you act and how you live."

posted by theoldman at 8:50 am (EST) on Mar 29, 2009

Hi,

Was wondering if you'd be interested in reviewing my new novel and posting your comments here as well as a few other book-related sites. Saw you liked Butcher Boy, and I thought you might like my novel since it's also about a disturbed adolescent and a bit dark. I could e-mail you the novel in an e-book format if you'd like. Let me know if you're interested. Here's a link to a summary in case you're interested:

http://christophertusa.com/blog/?page_id...

Thanks,

posted by cmtusa at 2:15 pm (EST) on Mar 23, 2009

Hi Cliff - 'A gift from the culture' is in the collection 'the state of the art'
No one else was responding to your plea, so I thought I would.
There was an excellent dramatisation of the title story on
Radio 4 this afternoon - check it out on i-player.
Best wishes,
P

posted by Goldengrove at 11:59 am (EST) on Mar 5, 2009

Have you ever been to you, Cliff?

posted by Medellia at 6:48 pm (EST) on Feb 20, 2009

cliff - i think LT is being spammed...those are clickable links in Arabic roughly translated as:

"Forums
You
YouTube
Kosrat billiard
Full-length films
Tobikat
Fattuh you
Chat"

posted by bobmcconnaughey at 6:12 pm (EST) on Feb 9, 2009

82 books in common? You sure you aren't my long lost twin? ;)

posted by kswolff at 10:10 am (EST) on Jan 30, 2009

Keep your friends close and...

posted by iansales at 5:31 pm (EST) on Jan 24, 2009

hello C Burns
just to say that I sppreciate your approach to this snob bidness, etc. I was present many many years ago when the severely injured Bob Baun scored to lift the dreaded Leafs over the Red Wings in overtime to win Lord Stanley's Cup. I've scored a goal once against the son of the Wings' goalie that night. not much to brag about, but i enjoyed it.
pgt

posted by Porius at 6:21 pm (EST) on Jan 17, 2009

did you see bushes press conf. today? it makes you want to puke. most of my loathing goes to bush & cheney and their minions. oh i hate the book hacks & book chatters but we can survive these, the bushcheneys are dangerous. of course these deplorable books pollute the minds of my nieces, et al. but not sure how we can fight this. as to my posturing on the snob channel and others, i am a merry heart. it keeps breaking thru, i cannot help it. tho i have nothing but contempt for the shitbird writers of harry patter and all such.
cheers,
pgt

posted by Porius at 11:43 pm (EST) on Jan 12, 2009

Thank you sooo much for your quick reply! your answers are great!

greetz Carina

posted by dunkel_c at 3:35 pm (EST) on Jan 7, 2009

Same to ya, fella!

posted by geneg at 9:46 am (EST) on Jan 7, 2009

Hey!
I'm currenty working on a podcast for school about Rainbow Ends... and I see it hasn't been too long ago, since u finished it. May I ask a few a questions about it? you're answers will flow into a interview I made up ;) Ahhh what a stupid school assignment! ;)
Anyway:
The way the people communicate in the futur, wearing those Contact-Computers, do think this will become a possiblity one day?
Were u able to understand the Technology behind it? okay maybe not understand, but imagine? cuz I had a really hard time just imaginig what Vernor was discribing.
any input I get would be great!
This podcast will not be made public...
thanks for your Help!

Greetz Carina
Switzerland

posted by dunkel_c at 4:34 pm (EST) on Jan 6, 2009

With the election of Barack Obama and the Democrats, with hopefully some humility and common sense back in charge I thought it was time to crawl out from under the tinfoil.

posted by geneg at 3:42 pm (EST) on Jan 6, 2009

Just trying to keep the pot boiling, Cliff. Seems to be going okay at the moment.

posted by desultory at 5:16 am (EST) on Jan 4, 2009

Oh yeah, I don't have that either. A shame-- his stories are sometimes better than his novels. I have the Dark Side of the Earth as well (somewhere! AUGH! I can't find it!) and that has the awesome ones about the supernatural OCD guy among others.

I guess to make up for it, though, I found mint copies of the Nausicaa manga today! I don't know whether you've read it, but I don't even read manga and it is amazing.

posted by sylvan_eyre at 9:04 pm (EST) on Nov 30, 2008

Was it [Redemolished]? That one pretty much made my month when I got it. I will keep hanging around, thanks!

posted by sylvan_eyre at 12:50 pm (EST) on Nov 29, 2008

Thanks for the comment, and I couldn't help seeing that one of your cherry-picked books is the Stars My Destination! I love that book with a frightening intensity, one that almost matches any in the book, actually. Bester is one underappreciated author, in my opinion. What's yours?

posted by sylvan_eyre at 5:24 pm (EST) on Nov 28, 2008

Hey Cliff,

I was at BigLots (a local closeout store) yesterday and picked up a DVD of Thunderbirds Are Go for three bucks. I haven't watched it yet and haven't seen a Gerry Anderson production in decades and am curious/nervus about how it will hold up.

Just thought the Thunderbirds would be right up your alley.

posted by jseger9000 at 7:44 am (EST) on Nov 3, 2008

Cliff,

I was just poking around the "Modern Music" thread over at the LS group and noticed you mentioned the Kronos Quartet; have you ever heard their "Black Angels" album? When I worked at Borders a decade or so ago, I used my employee discount to pick up their "25 Years: Retrospective" box set. One of the best purchases I've ever made.

Nick

posted by bibliophool at 3:29 pm (EST) on Oct 22, 2008

Cliff - I am generally a cheapskate and tend to buy my used books in bulk at the library used booksale but I figure that I am actually saving my money to spend for books I am am REALLY interested in...I paid $24.94 for "Sex & ....Imagination" (shipped) (Did I mention that it is an autographed copy?") Since this is, quite literally, the THIRD book I have ever paid more than $20 for (not counting "required-for-college" textbooks) I am exceptionally glad that I was not disappointed!

posted by PortiaLong at 10:27 pm (EST) on Oct 21, 2008

Cliff - Just wanted to let you know that the copy of your book "Sex & Other Acts of the Imagination" that I had mentioned I had on order did, in fact, (miracle of miracles) arrive and was devoured. Thanks for a good read!

posted by PortiaLong at 10:37 pm (EST) on Oct 20, 2008

i'm not a mac person..but my one of my best friends around here, is, and has been since the Lisa ~ 1982(?) and he'd know. I'll ask Mike. DNS IS pretty CPU intensive - and one thing for the non-mac world..you can now get a pretty high end computer for

posted by bobmcconnaughey at 3:38 pm (EST) on Oct 4, 2008

Cliff, I know the time you spend on LT in the SF threads alone must eat up your work time, but if you are interested in conversation with a little more meat and where the agreement to disagree is a requirement of participation, check out the group "Pro and Con". It's mostly about US politics, because that's the season, but we discuss anything and everything related to politics.

posted by geneg at 12:25 pm (EST) on Sep 29, 2008

I meant to tell you a while back that I read Gospel at the end of June and enjoyed it thoroughly. Brilliant--couldn't put it down. I picked up a copy for my own library. Thanks again.

posted by Medellia at 9:46 pm (EST) on Sep 21, 2008

It seems to be universal that many people in SF communities share an open mind. We do have our fair share of "grumpy old men", regardless of actual age, but who knows which way the causation goes.

I did read the BSG entry of Ian's blog and look forward reading other things he has written there.

Nice to get to know you.

posted by EmperorOfSarantium at 2:43 pm (EST) on Sep 20, 2008

not having actually DONE this...but just going by what i've read...I thought that Amazon had a service/program where they would turn pdf files into "kindle" files for free????

posted by bobmcconnaughey at 9:23 am (EST) on Sep 11, 2008

"I'm Not There" got mixed reviews, dinnit, ditto "Across the Universe".
(since it's well off sci-fi)
I wish movie sites would provide dispersion measures of reviews in addition to means..then you could get a LOT more info out of them. Both movies assume a degree of familiarity w/ the oeuvres. "Across the Universe" also assume that the viewer likes/loves the Beatles songs..The reviews for ATU were a lot more mixed than for INT..reviewers either loved it or (a larger group) hated it - more or less totally missing the point and heart of the movie which is an musical commentary on VM era USA social politics driven by some marvelous reworkings of the Beatles songs (sung, mostly live, by the cast). The plot is dead simple..boy finds/loses/finds girl...BUT everything that swirls around it is astounding and makes the movie "non-trite"...shoot..they've removed or moved the sets of long clips that had been on the site..http://www.sonypictures.com/homevideo/ac... which would give one a fair idea if you'd like or dislike the movie...There are some clips but not as complete as used to be up @ Sony's site.

"I'm not There" got very good reviews on the whole - and is a lot more "serious" movie that explores the mythologies that BD and his fans both created around his life. It's quite brilliant, w/ astounding acting thoughout - the most spectacular being Cate Blanchett doing a dead on Blonde on Blonde era Dylan..but the others, too, are equally good, if less flamboyant. Both Patty and I thought IMT should have been nom/won best movie. It skirts pretentiousness..hell, it IS pretentious at points..but, in this case, the themes almost require a degree of self-importance.

Agreed about Bonds in general..but the very last one, w/ Dan. Craig, went back and upped the ante a great deal from the hack stuff that had been going on since the 70s. Of course there's chase stuff..and it's better than ever..but there's also humor, a but of humanization and even a vaguely plausible plot line..missing for decades..

The Bourne are even more "Chase"..(but then so is Children of Men..which was pretty dour)- and like any chase movie depend upon the actors involve to raise it from the genre swamps..but Damon, imho is able to pull it off.

But of all these..the 2 music ones are good/great - w/ IMThere being extraordinary.

posted by bobmcconnaughey at 6:16 am (EST) on Aug 26, 2008

Okay Cliff,

My offer still stands though. I had a similar experience ordering a CD of the CDC show NightFall. I've learned a lot since. Mainly, never buy one of those discs. You can find everything online for free, but it all takes time. That's why I'm coming off as so eager to help.

posted by jseger9000 at 11:51 pm (EST) on Aug 23, 2008

Good Afternoon --

Here's the answer to your question about a definitive Lovecraft bio:

http://www.librarything.com/work/128054

Cheers,

Chris

posted by chrisloganedwards at 2:49 pm (EST) on Aug 21, 2008

Cliff-
are you also the author of "From the beginning: social cricket in Darlington : a sketch of past years"
by Cliff Burns; Darlington Social Cricket Club. and World cat has you responsible for
"Cooking for life : recipes with cannabis butter : research-in search of wellness"
by Marie C R Krieger; Grant W Krieger..maybe you edited it..does have a CA press imprint..

Violins in the Void; Righteous Void are surely right, tho...now i'll check your real bibliography!

wtf..i have nothing to do w/ "Walrus foraging marks on the seafloor in Bristol Bay, Alaska: a reconnaissance survey".
I'd forgotten how much fun worldcat is..several years ago some of us at work looked to see how far our dissertations had wandered...i won, w/ mine reaching some poor grad student in gottingen. But they keep adding to worldcat..i'd always known of my dad's phud topic - but not his masters thesis: "Strollers of the Old Frontier" - maybe he know about "the steamman of the plains" and never told us! (both my sister and i have been SF fans since childhood). I defn. have to tell Janet about "Strollers...."

posted by bobmcconnaughey at 11:10 am (EST) on Jul 19, 2008

In reply to Post #424 - Good SF Movies

I will post this here, because I don't want to derail the new SF movie thread.

I find your attitude to having a movie made of your book remarkably refreshing. Since so many books are optioned to make movies, that yours was selected speaks quite highly of your writing ability. Because the movie studio came to you to buy your book and to make it into a movie, you are really doing them the favour - they believe they will be able to make money from the adaptation of your novel. You already know this, though, but I say this because I want to be clear that I don't disagree with your opinion. I merely asked the question because I was interested in hearing your reasoning. Since the movie studio will most likely be spending millions of dollars on this movie, I think it is not unreasonable to expect a reasonable contract regarding the movie.

Now, away from that, and onto a more important subject. Although I had picked up that you had written some SF short stories which were in multi-author anthologies from your other posts, having a look on your author page shows me that you have written a lot more, including writing several full-length novels. I will now have to endeavour to find at least one of your books, although if your writing is of low a status commercially as you make it out to be, I might have some difficulty, since I pick up that you live in a different country to myself. Is there anything that you think a reader new to your books should know before they start looking to buy one of your books?

posted by rojse at 6:17 am (EST) on Jul 15, 2008

Cliff,

In #181 of the bad films strand, you said in response to me: "A model maker's society? Count me in! Lately I've been buying those Glencoe "retro" type spaceship plastic kits, recreations of 1950's style rockets. Of course, now I have to BUILD the bloody things."

Yes, I built one of these a while back when I was building up to do a presentation to the Sutton Modellers on "Spaceships in theory and practice" - how SF got it right and wrong, that sort of thing. The Glencoe kits were originally put out by a firm called Strombecker in the 1950s/60s and were based directly on von Braun's Mars mission profile and conceptual designs. Sorry, but I can't point you to any pictures 'coz I've not posted any of the SF ones to my main site (yet).

BTW, thanks for your complement about my (mainly) railway pictures a while back. I've made "Capturing the soul of the machine" the strapline for when I start selling high-quality prints in the Autumn...

posted by RobertDay at 4:24 pm (EST) on Jul 7, 2008

it's OTopic enough that i'll just mention it here that we used to love to visit Saskatoon every summer while my uncle and aunt were still alive. My uncle, at one point, was the chair of the history dept @ the UofSask, and they'd lived there oh..since the mid 60s i think. It was always a relief to be up there in August and escape the NC summer for a little while.
bob

posted by bobmcconnaughey at 8:51 pm (EST) on Jun 15, 2008

Fantastic--thanks! Looks like a great list--it'll keep me busy, I'm sure. There's a copy of Gospel available at my university library (short on cash this summer, so I'm borrowing and reading from my massive TBR stack), so I'll probably start with that one. Best wishes.

posted by Medellia at 3:08 pm (EST) on Jun 8, 2008

After seeing you recommend Towing Jehovah a couple of times in the SF group, I ordered a copy and read it the past couple of days. Wow, what a fantastic book! Given that we both enjoy Russo and Cloud Atlas, I'll be all ears for any and all recommendations you have to offer in the future.

posted by Medellia at 6:02 pm (EST) on May 25, 2008

Cliff, we're doing a Middlemarch group read over in Group Reads. Join us if you will.

posted by geneg at 3:16 pm (EST) on May 7, 2008

I spoke too soon:

The World Service schedule/frequency pages

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/help/2...

point out that

BBC World Service shortwave transmissions to the Caribbean closed on March 23rd 2008.

posted by AsYouKnow_Bob at 12:03 am (EST) on May 6, 2008

I've been playing around with my shortwave and the one damn channel I can't get is BBC.

With their move to the internet (maybe 10? years ago?), the Beeb stopped its SW broadcasts that were targeted to North America.

With a little effort, here on the East Coast I can still get the stuff the BBC aims at the Caribbean, West Africa, etc.; but those are all much less reliable than the Sackville relay used to be. I mostly don't bother anymore with SW; the Beeb is available on the internet.

Deutsche Welle is about gone, Suisse Radio is gone... the glory days of SW are over.

posted by AsYouKnow_Bob at 11:55 pm (EST) on May 5, 2008

Cliff, maybe you can join us, give us the Canadian perspective on our discussion ot France as the 51st state over in Pro & Con. It pretty quickely shifted to Quebec as the 51st state, and from there into a gentle riff on US/Canadian relations. It's all meant in fun. Join us if you like.

I was talking the other day with kjellica from Bodo, Norway, about 100km above the Arctic Circle and he says they have quite moderate winters, unlike the bone-chillers you guys have.

posted by geneg at 5:14 pm (EST) on Apr 14, 2008

"I suggest we all gang up on Ian"

Working on that...

posted by kiparsky at 1:46 am (EST) on Apr 14, 2008

Thank you. I profoundly respect your contribution. I myself work a full-time job and a three-quarter time job. I'll go into this more when I finally get to the bottom of the suffering/joy thread and tell everyone. But as for you--I think it's remarkable when one lives off his/her art. I sometimes wonder if I'm cowardly, choosing to work more jobs while I complain for lack of time for creative exploits. But I'm not going to whine about me. I do celebrate you. Thanks for your reply. Now, I'm going to go back to this thread you started--what a remarkable response is coming in!

posted by DMTripp at 10:47 am (EST) on Apr 4, 2008

Hello,

I've just read your post, opening the new topic of suffering or delighting in creating art. Thank you for the Charles Schulz link. I plan to enter my comments after I've waded through all the responses (and so far, they are stellar). I'm glad to have this chance to read you. As for me, I suffer when I'm not creating. And though I acknowledge Angst during the creative process (I'm a watercolorist and muralist, and know what it means to be exhausted in the endeavor, I nevertheless suffer most dreadfully when I am prevented from creating (whether it be artist's block or a work schedule that prohibits space for my personal creative bliss--I teach on two campuses).

Thank you again.

posted by DMTripp at 9:59 am (EST) on Apr 4, 2008

Hi,

I read a post of yours, where you talked about willing yourself into a creative mode. On that note, I have read book called Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain by Betty Edwards. It delves into getting your brain in the zone for drawing. I found it very interesting, and thought it might address what you had discussed in your post. Ciao!

-Maureen

posted by mpramanik at 4:42 pm (EST) on Apr 1, 2008

I do like Ian McDonald's writing, although I've read mostly his short fiction for the last few years. Brasyl hasn't been published in paperback yet in the UK, which is why I haven't read it yet.

posted by iansales at 5:08 am (EST) on Mar 28, 2008

Congratulations on getting your novel on your sight. I checked it out today at lunch and ripped through the first 25 pages. It's great so far and I can't wait to finish it. Glad to you put the paypal option there too. You should be compensated for a job well done. (Your wife also!)

Kami

posted by klarsenmd at 4:15 pm (EST) on Mar 27, 2008

Hi. Glad you liked the reviews. I've not got anything lined up - those two were for the BSFA Award shortlist, and Brasyl, which I haven't read, won it. I'm not sure I can tackle the Arthur C Clarke Award shortlist in a month...

posted by iansales at 3:13 am (EST) on Mar 26, 2008

Hi Cliff,

Thanks for friending me. Not looking for "benefits" so much as just friendliness. I'm new to LT and like just traipsing around, looking and friending.

Your writing looks interesting. I'll be bopping over to your blog.

TK Kenyon

posted by TKKenyon at 11:44 am (EST) on Mar 25, 2008

Hi,

Saw your comment on the Sci Fi movies thread about checking out "Atomic Submarine" on Amazon and thought I'd mention that the VHS is available for $14.83 on www.half.com--a site not as well-known as Amazon but a great resource for used books, CDs, and films (it's affiliated with eBay).

Happy viewing!

Elizabeth

posted by ejj1955 at 10:59 pm (EST) on Mar 13, 2008

I vaguely remember reading somewhere that Karloff was hurt* while Isle of the Dead was being filmed, which meant that the filming was split in two, with Bedlam filmed between. That could explain why it is less successful than the others. Mark Robson who directed both films had quite a successful, and varied, career - he ended up doing films like Valley of the Dolls, The Harder they Fall, Peyton Place, & Earthquake.

Have you seen this website? http://www.eeweems.com/val_lewton/ - it has a chapter from one of his novels. It's appalling....

* he had recurrent back pain due to the brace he wore as part of the Frankenstein. In the old good days of Hollywood the studios has a much more cavalier to health and safety issues - my favourite is The Wizard of Oz: Buddy Ebsen was the original choice for the Tin Man but the paint they used on him had so much aluminium that he ended up hospitalised for weeks.

posted by jargoneer at 12:50 pm (EST) on Mar 6, 2008

And yes, you're right, Invasion by "Aaron Wolfe" was by Dean Koontz.

(What's depressing is that it was about his 30th book....)

posted by AsYouKnow_Bob at 7:10 pm (EST) on Mar 4, 2008

How much of Hemingway the man is tied up in the act of reading his novels, though? There was an interesting (i.e. amusing) rant on some on-lin magazine's forum following on from a review of Rivhard Morgan's Black Man. The ranter considered himself some sort of alpha-male, and was convinced that his reading of the book was not only right but that all other readings were wrong. I've just started reading it myself, so we'll have to see... although I suspect I shall interepret it completely differently, if only because I'm the same nationality as Morgan...

posted by iansales at 4:34 am (EST) on Feb 27, 2008

Even though I couldn't finish For Whom The Bells Tolls...?

posted by iansales at 2:23 am (EST) on Feb 26, 2008

You were asking on the film thread if anyone had seen City Under the Sea. I can now answer yes to that, having watched it this afternoon. (I don't understand the alternative title War-Gods of the Deep at all). Obviously, Vincent Price was hired because of the Poe link (the poem that the film takes it's title from) but the film feels more like one of Hammer's adventure films of the same period (some of the sets looked very familiar but I couldn't place them). The sets, and effects, are mostly ok but the problems lie with the story. Within 10 minutes we are introduced to the gill-men and then they disappear from most of the film, leaving us with Price and his smugglers: who are immortal thanks to the air in the underwater city, except they don't seem to be the city, they seem to be in a gothic castle next to the city, all of which is threatened by an underwater volcano. (At this point you have to forget you are in Cornwall). Tab Hunter, David Tomlinson and a chicken (that's sounds funnier than it was) find a secret passage to the underwater city after some non-descript actress is kidnapped by a gill-man. It turns out she looks like a picture from 150 years ago for no reason - the films raises ideas like this and then just ignores them, eventually descending in a chase for the last 25 minutes or so. Most of this takes place underwater, and is obviously heavily influenced by 20000 Thousand Leagues Under the Sea and Thunderball, but it is strangely boring (non to mention embarrassing - at points you can see the surface a couple of feet above them, and the chicken sharing Tomlinson's helmet moves from side-to-side). The heroes escape; Price gets to the surface using a staircase (God knows it came from) and ages instantly in daylight with very pretty poor makeup; the film ends.
It's mediocre but not bad, insomuch as it moves relatively quickly for it's 90 minute duration, and it is professionally made. The flourishes Tourneur showed earlier in his career are more-or-less gone - it's a pity his previous film, The Comedy of Terrors, with Price, Karloff, Lorre and Basil Rathbone; written by Richard Matheson; wasn't his encore - that is a decent little horror comedy.

posted by jargoneer at 12:20 pm (EST) on Feb 19, 2008

I enjoyed the Something Wicked... film when I saw it years ago. I have just acquired a copy and will try to watch in the next week - sometimes it can be hard motivating yourself as you are worried that time has played tricks on you.

I meant to ask which Val Lewton films you have just ordered. Those 40s RKO flicks have aged surprisingly well - I love the fact that I Walked With A Zombie is based on Jane Eyre. Have you seen The Seventh Victim? - it's a genuinely creepy film with an amazingly downbeat ending.

posted by jargoneer at 8:50 pm (EST) on Feb 14, 2008

Strange you should have mentioned Something Wicked This Way Comes as an aside in the sf films thread: I had just finally gotten round to reading it. I was a little disappointed in it: Bradbury is trying way too hard to poetic with the result that much of his prose is overwrought. Also, he just doesn't seem to capable of any genuine insight into his characters. Overall it was a disappointment: perhaps a book I read too late or had too much expectation of. On the other hand, I've never been convinced that Bradbury is a very effective novelist: I think much of his reputation is based on that he was head and shoulders above his major sf contemporaries but is possibly not as good as everyone remembers him to be.

posted by jargoneer at 10:56 am (EST) on Feb 13, 2008

Hello Cliff,

I hope all is well with you.

I thought the following article from an Australian weekend newspaper might be of interest to you More evidence, for me at least, that most university creative writing programmes are simply cash cows for those organisations.

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/sto...

Regards,
Ron

posted by Murmurs at 5:34 pm (EST) on Feb 9, 2008

Ah well. It'll not be the first time I've ended up butting heads with the resident "authority" (self-proclaimed)...

posted by iansales at 8:04 am (EST) on Feb 7, 2008

To your last comment. ROFL. oxx

posted by belleyang at 9:04 pm (EST) on Feb 6, 2008

Gawd, can you believe it, I've been flagged a 3rd time! I guess people are little uptight?!

posted by belleyang at 5:55 pm (EST) on Feb 6, 2008

Cliff, enjoy your final edits. It's an excellent time for an author. And thank you for your open heart and ears to my enthusiasm. I know I need to cool it but I am wired to share good things. When you do have time to join, you'll find that redroom.com is a perfect compliment to Librarything.com. At redroom,com, people welcome the news about good things happening with an author's book instead of flagging and accusing an author of spamming. It's supportive instead of anal ;)

posted by belleyang at 12:51 am (EST) on Feb 5, 2008

Finally checked out your blog and really enjoyed the short stories, particularly The Hibakusha. Good stuff!
-Kami

posted by klarsenmd at 6:42 pm (EST) on Feb 4, 2008

Thanks for the links, Cliff.

posted by geoffreyg1978 at 2:21 pm (EST) on Feb 1, 2008

Just saw your books-on-writing topic and wanted to say that i got a.d.'s 'writing life' translated into jpse in the 90's. The translator was not doing well on the abstract and extended metaphors and japanese prefer to start with the concrete, so w/ a.d.'s gracious permission (i did send a long letter of explanation), we switched the order of the first two chapters.

Dillard is good but not quite enough to give me that feeling you mentioned (tossing in the towel/breaking your pen or whatever). Chesterton's 'Heretics' does that for me. If you have not read it, do.

interesting! -- i see the letter above me is in arial while mine is in times nr! i have not seen that here before -- or did i fail to observe it?

posted by keigu at 1:04 am (EST) on Feb 1, 2008

And did you know there's a "101 Reasons .... " group on LT?

http://www.librarything.com/groups/101re...

posted by Murmurs at 5:34 pm (EST) on Jan 24, 2008

Cliff,

I just discovered that the guy who writes the '101 Reasons to Stop Writing' blog is a fellow Blue Mountains person. What a small world!

http://www.librarything.com/profile.php?...

posted by Murmurs at 5:32 pm (EST) on Jan 24, 2008

I suspect we have more than one book in common...but neither of us lists our whole libraries. God forbid.

Have no fear, I have plenty of self-importance and pretension. I just hide it in a dark corner until I can pull it out for effect. Displaying it on the writer-reader forum all the time would diminish the possible impact!

posted by adeptmagic at 2:01 pm (EST) on Jan 23, 2008

Love the "North Irish" joke. Classic. The truth is, I do shy away from arguments, and largely because of my practice, especially on chat groups and things as impersonal as these. They don't go anywhere, they get ugly, and people aren't going to change their minds anyway. The anonymity provides a perfect excuse to turn the forum into a bully pulpit. There was a time when I used to tell everybody I knew "what for" and what ass holes they were, but the truth is, the only ass hole in that kind of an argument was me.

Hey listen, do you have a Myspace account? If so, I'd invite you to join my own group, which I have just started and moderate, called "Writers Against the Stream." (myspace.com/groups/salmonwriters). See you around.

posted by geoffreyg1978 at 9:02 pm (EST) on Jan 22, 2008

Cliff,

You might find this blog interesting if you are not already aware of it:

http://101reasonstostopwriting.com/

Regards,
Ron

posted by Murmurs at 12:03 am (EST) on Jan 22, 2008

Cliff,

Thanks for your support and effort, but I'm not going back to that post anymore. If I knew how, I'd delete the thing altogether. I was shocked at some of the responses; I've been a member of a number of on-line groups where posting the actual work is not only the preferred method to spamming but is in fact the way to go and part of the function of the group, especially given a clear thread title. I wasn't surprised that some people didn't like it, but I was surprised that some people felt it shouldn't have even been posted in the first place.

Anyway, this isn't the whole story; don't think I got hurt by this one group and decided to quit. What happened here on LT was just a small piece of a big pie over a number of groups in which I participate, and I've ultimately decided that I've gotten all the feedback I need for the time being, both positive and negative. So no worries.

Geoff

posted by geoffreyg1978 at 4:18 pm (EST) on Jan 21, 2008

No offense taken. I think it's great when people stand up for what they believe in. You definitely seem like a passsionate person who enjoys writing, and likely reading, very much. As I said before, for me this is just a past time event. I can take or leave whatever I'm reading or writing at any time. For you, that may or may not be the case. I wasn't put off by your debate in the least, quite the opposite in fact. I'd feel much the same way if someone took my profession lightly. I look forward to many more interesting discussions with you.

kami

posted by klarsenmd at 1:03 pm (EST) on Jan 15, 2008

You can't really convert MP3 to CD - it's do with the way MP3 compresses the data and so forth - but must CD/DVD players come with the facility to play MP3's now so you just burn the files on as is. If you want to listen to it on your PC (at least) let me know and I'll send it on to you.

"Rite" is trippy, but not in an electronic manner. The first three tracks are actually played by a real band, and contain quite a quite of low-key psychedelic guitar - very Krautrock (bands like Can or Neu!). The 3rd track is has lots of wah-wah guitar and I always half expect Isaac Hayes to start talking/singing "Hello, baby.....".
There are now 3 sequels to the album as well - I have MP3 copies of "Rite2" and "Rite Now". The former is quite a techno chill out album, the latter is more like the original album. I refuse to get the fourth album after hearing "Odin", a 73 minute ambient musical piece, to which I can only conclude Cope is taking the piss.
I went to see him not that long ago and it was a strange night - inbetween doing acoustic versions of various songs he would rabbit on about leylines and spiritual places of Druids, etc. He's actually considered quite an expert on this kind of thing now.

I read your last blog entry and I can answer 'how did Dumas manage to write so much?'. Basically, he had a team of assistants working with him - one of whom, Auguste Marquet, actually co-authored a number of the novels, such as "The Count of Monte Cristo" & "The Three Musketeers". Marquet would draw up the plot and create a first draft; Dumas would then write the dialogue and add the details. It was the publisher who insisted that Marquet's name was left off the credits. Marquet was well paid for his efforts though, and Dumas always acknowledged him. (He also wrote his own works but I've never seen any in English - it would be interesting to read one). Of the two, it was Dumas who died broke (although he did like the high life) and was denied his rightful place in the French canon of literature due to his mixed-race - it was only in 2002 that Dumas was re-buried alongside Voltaire and Hugo.

posted by jargoneer at 7:52 am (EST) on Jan 15, 2008

The Blue Mountains is home to quite a few expatriate Canadians and Americans, Cliff.

It's 36C now and I can hardly breathe ... must go on a diet ... spend less time reading and more time exercising (joking).

posted by Murmurs at 10:06 pm (EST) on Jan 12, 2008

Thanks, Cliff.

posted by Murmurs at 10:11 pm (EST) on Jan 11, 2008

Hi there,

You need a search box on your blog! :-)

I can't find your 'Writing 101' post mentioned in one of the LT groups.

Cheers.

posted by Murmurs at 9:58 pm (EST) on Jan 11, 2008

I finally started The Intuitionist last night. And man, am I hooked. Thanks for the recommend.

posted by Xiguli at 1:24 pm (EST) on Jan 9, 2008

Hi Cliff, soory it's been so long since you commented on my LT profile, but life's been busy and I haven't been as good about checking back here as I ought to have been. In fact it's been forever since I added anymore of my books which is somethng that I have got to do as thus far only about 10% of the Library is posted.

posted by docjohnb at 2:48 pm (EST) on Jan 3, 2008

Cliff, thanks for stopping by. Your library intrigues me, your profile scares me - you might be a tad too smart for me to keep up with! Ahh, the 70's. I took an English class titled culture of the sixties, where my world was forever rocked by Joan Didion, Eldridge Cleaver, Tom Wolfe, Malcolm X, to name a few. And of course there are many stories I can't tell as well....Fast forward to the 2000's and I am again having my world rocked by Annie Dillard, Charles Baxter, Annie Lamott, to name just a few. Where would I be without my books??? How bleak and narrow was my literary life before LT? I shudder to imagine....
Happy reading and writing, Mel

posted by readaholic12 at 11:00 am (EST) on Nov 5, 2007

I hadn't heard of Colson Whitehead, let read him, but I finished The Intuitionist and I liked it and his writing. Maybe someday I get something else under my belt. I also finished BASS 2007, and I was as pleased with King's selections as I've been with any other editor.

posted by rufustfirefly66 at 7:10 pm (EST) on Nov 1, 2007

Yeah, keep me in the loop, man. I'd be happy to frequent any forum you belong to, because that's pretty much a guarantee of fascinating conversation.

Let me know as the process progresses...

posted by john_sunseri at 6:40 pm (EST) on Oct 18, 2007

Hello! Thank you for responding to my novella question. I just looked at your wordpress site and. . . it's about time someone said the things you said!!!

posted by artgirl74 at 5:28 pm (EST) on Oct 13, 2007

Hi - hope you don't mind that I have added you to my IL list. I am fascinated by your blog. I see that you are an author - are your books on your blog?

Cheers,
Karen

posted by kiwidoc at 9:53 pm (EST) on Oct 12, 2007

Thanks for the comment at my profile, Cliff. I really appreciate the quality of discussions here at LT. I enjoyed the discussion about King, Dillard, etc, too and was very happy that you made me think about why I appreciate King more than Dillard. I am more like Dillard in the way I write, but I trust King more because of what we share in our erratic and bizarre upbringing. I hope you saw that tribute to you and thanks to you over at the group.

posted by TheresaWilliams at 9:39 pm (EST) on Oct 6, 2007

Hey Cliff, thanks for the comment - I hadn't logged into LibraryThing for some time so apologies if I seemed to be ignoring you! The totaldickhead blog is indeed excellent - I'm not sure my comments on it have been of the appropriate academic level, however! My own contributions to the furtherance of Dickology are at the following sites;

http://fraser.typepad.com/frolix_8 ('Which PKD Story Are We In Today?', amongst other things)

http://palmereldritch.co.uk (PKD quotes, again, amongst other things!)

posted by palmer_eldritch at 6:41 am (EST) on Aug 30, 2007

Cliff, thank you for your continued participation at Art is Life. Your last entry about addiction gives me a lot to think about.

posted by TheresaWilliams at 7:34 pm (EST) on Aug 4, 2007

Cliff, now, see, I didn't think what you said about writing and survival was melodramatic. I think some people might think so, but I don't, and one of the reasons I created the group ART IS LIFE is for people like you--like us--to have a place to share this "obsession." Too bad, but I think we sometimes feel we have to go in defensive mode about how important writing is to us. So many, you know, give you that "look," as if to say, "You poor thing," or "You weird thing." But at ART IS LIFE, we're neither poor nor weird, but a source of energy for each other. Thanks for reaching out.

posted by TheresaWilliams at 11:31 am (EST) on Aug 2, 2007

Cliff, thanks much for coming over to Art is Life. I was taken with your comment on another group about why you write, that it is a way of survival for you. It was refreshing for me to see that. I would definitely like to know more about why you feel that way whenever you can catch a breath and come back over to the group. I liked what you said about experimental writing and the Modernists. Perhaps we could explore that more at some point, as I agree with you that experimental writing can be "cold" and a "chore" to read. I would like Art is Life to be about passion and fire and getting down to the real truth of why we write (and read). Thanks again for being so open.

posted by TheresaWilliams at 8:07 pm (EST) on Aug 1, 2007

Cliff -

Oh, you're right about the folks on the board, but that's normal. Tell you what - I'm not sure how well you're gonna fit in, but take a look at http://permutedpress.com/smf/index.php?a... sometime. I seem to be the big author there, but there are several others who've actually published novels and had stories published by magazines, and it's a pretty damned fun board to mess around on. Plus, Permuted is the publisher who's handling my anthology and the serial novel I'm doing with David Snell, so there's a bit of cred involved.

You can skip most of the threads, of course - I don't imagine you'd be interested in much of the stuff there - but take a look at the 'Projects' board, and the 'Writing and Publishing' threads, and maybe the 'Promote Your Stuff' section. I'd love it if you dipped your toes into the water - there ARE good contacts to be made, nice people to meet, and even though most of the folks there tend toward pure zombie horror, there are plenty of interesting personalities to interact with.

And Jacob is the fellow I want to feel out about your novel; he's a hell of a guy, working his ass off to make Permuted a going concern, and he's racked up a few moderately impressive credits so far, with no missteps. I want to hold on to this guy, not only because I consider him a friend, but because I can easily foresee his press taking the necessary steps up the ladder and joining the big boys someday.

Just a suggestion.

And believe me - I know how unlikely the movie prospect is. Movie people buy EVERYTHING that's even remotely salable, and the vast majority of the properties never get beyond the rights stage. The good thing is, even if the option isn't exercised, you get a bit of cash and retain the rights, unless you were incredibly stupid and signed some hell contract. But you never know - you might get 'Kept' made. And thus my excitement.

Later, man.

posted by john_sunseri at 11:14 pm (EST) on Jul 2, 2007

(Happy Canada Day!}

posted by AsYouKnow_Bob at 9:34 pm (EST) on Jul 1, 2007

Congratulations on "Kept" and the film option. You and your family must be doing cartwheels!!

posted by belleyang at 9:50 pm (EST) on Jun 29, 2007

Your link to "Beautiful Desolation" does not work! B

posted by belleyang at 6:36 pm (EST) on Jun 29, 2007

Portland is the hometown of Powell's, and Michael Powell has had a big part in making this city what it is today, literacy-wise. The original store takes up an entire city block downtown, four stories tall and filled with millions of tomes, and I've spent many dozens of hours wandering through those hallowed halls (and hundreds of dollars to take some of the magic home!). There's also Powell's Books for Cooks, Powell's Travel Books, Powell's Technical Books and seven or eight more scattered around the city, each with its own vibe, each hosting readings and signings on a weekly basis, and Chuck Pahlaniuk (another Portland product) seems to give his peculiar brand of chaotic reading there every month or so...

Gotta get back to work. I'm fifteen thousand words into a twenty five thousand word story that was supposed to be delivered last week, and I'm starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel...

Take care.

posted by john_sunseri at 6:48 pm (EST) on Jun 5, 2007

oh, and it's "Arthur Crew Inman". the abridgement was edited by Daniel Aaron, and published 1985.

ISBN 0674454456

"The Inman Diary: A Public and Private Confession" 1661 pages(!)

Amazon has it new for $72, used from $2.60

I only know it from the reviews when it was new - he seemed interesting but unpleasant. (I actually knew a man named 'Art Inman', so I noticed the book when it came out.)

But there are 12 copies here on LT, you could ask the owners what they think.

posted by AsYouKnow_Bob at 11:56 pm (EST) on Jun 1, 2007

Click on the "Zeitgeist" tab at the top of the page.

The second block on the left column is "LT Authors".
Click on "More" (or does it say "Complete List"? I forget)

That opens the "LT Author" page.

On the right column, there's a sidebar with a full description,
and instructions on how to sign up.
(It tells you to email Abby (one of the staff) for more information.)

posted by AsYouKnow_Bob at 11:29 pm (EST) on Jun 1, 2007

Hi, welcome to LT. You should check out the "LT Author" feature.

- Bob

posted by AsYouKnow_Bob at 9:54 pm (EST) on Jun 1, 2007

Re: Martin Booth. I believe both Islands of Silence and A Very Private Gentleman were his last two adult fiction works. His children's fantasy series that your son has started, I believe, had two books out before his death (not sure if they were both out in the US, though). You might like Mary Doria Russell's A Thread of Grace - it's very character-driven and necessarily slow while she spends about 70 or so pages introducing those many characters to the reader but what a great story of Northern Italy in WWII. It's one of those books which have a list of characters in the front of the book so one can keep them all straight. She has just finished an historical fiction due out in 2008 on the 1921 Cairo peace conference. Best, Lois

posted by avaland at 9:23 am (EST) on Jun 1, 2007