paulkincaid: (Default)
Somewhat surprised to discover that a science fiction anthology for which I wrote the introduction is now available for pre-order. Honestly, I did think it would be later in the year or even next year before it appeared. Anyway, the book is called One Million Times edited by Rogelio Fojo and R. James Doyle, and was sparked by a Christopher Priest story, which is how come I was invited to write the introduction. It is available through Amazon:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/One-Million-Times-Science-Anthology/dp/1915304806/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1ASAYLH1VV0J7&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.6a_PFoZm20O5numlgzcQ48OwrYJW_NacfVcvIudwb20c1ODsRyXo72C414l-vtjGaxVIsT4rc65XkrY-Msuuf9AncoFyTwejcOKd8uKeOK0j0dQ50IuXtK9G-javTg3CglozsRK9B-OcBu_UAlJj3euJccoGZtVAEwQYjWbswyIxkHOQqg8JkUa3lQohgMeslCYUr_AHOyWW-RuEKzrnEF78nEBtJJ4QdBp-bL6b_3M.gOJJXcJoW1kKCfyB6KVR0UJOehGqykdtFzdLESQMU3o&dib_tag=se&keywords=one+million+times&qid=1741247115&s=books&sprefix=one+million+times%2Cstripbooks%2C98&sr=1-1

And while I was checking this out I noticed that my own new book, Colourfields: Writing About Writing About Science Fiction, which comes out at almost exactly the same time as the anthology, is also on Amazon. Ridiculously I hadn't thought to check beforehand.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Colourfields-Writing-About-Science-Fiction/dp/1738561739/ref=sr_1_4?crid=1JRIM8874M6CF&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.Upb0sFRAGK1rP2yaP0WN_YcQsDzj2okxuagegMkT4blHbqnrY-0E-YR95IeiCDwKBGQjIkv-plbEjdY07LWF0HU4nvp95ziU3oynB_lImq6nIffpKm0R3EIz7l9MZ8C7ktzQoSvWmOJYPUEL_b-S59H4mV6mIHRMoglJm0VMapYVUfXYj1qdvDqkS7vjZbW8dsSLuhsynjh1hQ57JcrC2rL3xBWOBQq_W1mmPHN9Stw.mM5aWMOjz370JP9EO3JwtqWXAQmns-aFA7TV0tW4Z-c&dib_tag=se&keywords=paul+kincaid&qid=1741247444&s=books&sprefix=paul+kincaid%2Cstripbooks%2C87&sr=1-4

Outing

Mar. 3rd, 2025 09:54 am
paulkincaid: (Default)
I am planning a trip to Hastings this coming Saturday, so I was checking the train times. I first went to the Southeastern web site, put in my departure station, Folkestone Central, and my destination, Hastings, and the site wouldn't accept it. It kept telling me I couldn't have the same place for departure and destination. I hadn't realised Folkestone and Hastings were the same place, I'd have visited more often if I'd known.

So I went instead to the Trainline site. This, at least, realised that Folkestone and Hastings are two different places. Then I decided to check returns. If I specify the times I want to travel it was £6.10 each way, but I don't know exactly when I'll be leaving so how about a one-day return. Ah, this is £25. What?

Wilson

Mar. 1st, 2025 11:19 am
paulkincaid: (Default)
I am currently reading Stefan Collini's Common Reading, and in an essay on Edmund Wilson I came across a lovely line. In later life, Wilson was holed up in the family home on Cape Cod, "blinds drawn against the light, Scotch opened against the dark." I would love to come up with lines like that.

Catfood

Feb. 25th, 2025 01:15 pm
paulkincaid: (Default)
Just had a delivery of catfood, five very heavy boxes that should keep the little monsters in food for the next three months. Except that the delivery driver thoughtfully piled them right outside my front door. For those who haven't been here, the front door opens outwards. So I couldn't actually get out in order to get the boxes inside. It took over five very strenuous minutes of pushing and pushing at the door until I managed to open a very narrow gap that proved to be just enough for me to squeeze through. All I can say is thank heavens I've been losing weight recently.
paulkincaid: (Default)
I'm reading a collection of essays and reviews by Stefan Collini, and in a review of a biography of Aldous Huxley I came across this reference to Huxley's time in Hollywood around 1940: "His later letters are full of references to unused scripts and unrealized projects. High on the list of the latter was the musical comedy version of Brave New World: the rights were sold, but, as Murray drily notes, 'the musical remains unmade'."

I am trying to imagine Brave New World as a Hollywood musical.

To work

Feb. 22nd, 2025 07:54 am
paulkincaid: (Default)
Just dispatched my second review of the year, with two more books waiting in the wings. Suddenly feeling rather busy.

I won't name the book I've just reviewed because I honestly cannot recommend it. It took me a long time to read because it is written in the most impenetrable academese that I have encountered in years. More long words per inch, less clarity per page. Then you get words like "obsolete" used as a verb (I would really love to obsolete that practice), and Anthropocene acquires an adjective, "Anthroposcenic", with an interpellated "s" that makes it sound like a tourist guide. Why do so many academics seem to believe that clear, accessible prose devalues their academic status?

Anyway, on to a more straightforward and hopefully better written book.
paulkincaid: (Default)
I'm trying to work out how to habituate myself to using Dreamwidth, since what usually happens is that I post entries haphazardly, don't get into the habit, and so all too readily just forget about the whole thing. Facebook is the one exception to that and I'm not exactly sure why except that there is one characteristic it shares with Dreamwidth, the ability to write at length. I don't always want to write at length, but I don't like the constrictions of a maximum number of characters. So I suppose it is probable that the reason I lose interest in so many social media platforms is that I don't want to be tied to how much I am allowed to say. It is this relative generosity on length that makes me think Dreamwidth might (just might) prove a viable alternative to Zuckerberg's Trump-worshipping, no-fact-checking, despicable little regime. So, I thought for a while I would mirror my posts to both platforms just to see how it goes. If Dreamwidth does prove appealing, then in time it will be easy to just start running down the Facebook posts.

One last question to those who have been here longer than me: is there a Dreamwidth app? It would be much more convenient to call it up on my phone or tablet if I didn't have to keep logging in every time.
paulkincaid: (Default)
I don't know whether this will work, I'm not very good at keeping up with social media accounts, except for Fbook, and I'm looking for an alternative to that. So this is by way of an experiment.

Profile

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paulkincaid

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