tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-40102252007-09-08T20:46:12.254ZJohn Meaney's WebLogJohnBlogger64125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4010225.post-90554012666304314622007-09-08T13:36:00.000Z2007-09-08T13:56:00.594Z<a href="https://johnmeaney.tripod.com/uploaded_images/john_and_paul-719992.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://johnmeaney.tripod.com/uploaded_images/john_and_paul-719536.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>JEDI MIND TRICKS<br /><br />Of course, there are trends in SF. Once, there were novels about the next stage in human evolution. Van Vogt’s <em>Slan</em> was a real paranoid adolescent’s fantasy. Often the new species – with whom the reader identified – had telepathic abilities.<br /><br />Wyndham’s excellent <em>Midwich Cuckoos</em> had a different slant, with its inhuman children. Arguably, it belonged to a time when British writers shared none of the optimistic enthusiasm of their American counterparts.<br /><br />Nowadays, fictional post-humans have accelerated from homo sapiens to something different with technological help, exemplified by Charlie Stross’s hard SF, in a trend begun by Vernor Vinge.<br /><br />And yet there was another trend, back before the New Wave, of humanity improving via psychological disciplines, particularly General Semantics. The obvious example is van Vogt’s (rather bonkers) <em>World of Null-A</em>, which I could practically recite by heart when I was 14. Perhaps a truer example would be the more rational Heinlein. General Semantics arose from post-World War One determination to bring logic to an insane world, after the madness of the Somme and Ypres.<br /><br />So that worked well...<br /><br />Still, van Vogt’s book gave me a powerful dictum: “The map is not the territory.” It has the equally powerful corollary that saying a thing does not make it true... even when the speaker believes it. These are tools for the rational mind. I’m grateful to have learned these so young.<br /><br />That saying became one of the assumptions-we’ll-keep-while-useful (aka presuppositions) of neurolinguistic programming. Another descriptive term that semanticists used was “false-to-facts”, and I wish it, too, had carried through to NLP in order to emphasise that not all maps are equal, and some are just plain wrong.<br /><br />And yet I find that skilled NLPers have a really useful cognitive toolkit. I learned how to wield the techniques from Paul McKenna, pictured above, for which I am hugely grateful. Also, hypnosis is so <em>cool</em>.<br /><br />I may, however, be jealous of Paul’s dog, Mr Big. If you find <a href="http://www.mrbigsblog.com/" target="_blank">Mr Big’s blog </a>– possibly written with the help of Paul’s partner Clare – you’ll see entries like: “Today I had my belly rubbed by Cameron Diaz.” Well, blimey.<br /><br />Many of the best hypnotists don’t really ‘believe’ in hypnosis. In the more advanced training, Paul teaches techniques that are generally known as Deep Trance Phenomena, but doesn’t consider ‘deep trance’ a useful concept. If you’ve ever been lost in a book – and you have, haven’t you? – that state of mind is all that people mean if they use the word ‘trance’.<br /><br />Anyone can turn up on such training courses, and some are delightfully bonkers, while others are rationalists, including lots of medical doctors.<br /><br />Only this week, I was chatting to a neuroscientist about his research on neuroelectrical changes during hypnosis. Interesting stuff.<br /><br />For me, if you want a philosophical framework for understanding the universe, you need more than that handy toolkit. A book that nicely links current academic psychology to established philosophical ideas is <em>The Happiness Hypothesis</em> by Jonathan Haidt. It’s clear and logical despite the title (and the British cover could be better). A cynical Arena critic wrote that it looks like “one of those limp pieces of lifestyle philosophy” but is actually “a superbly argued, crystal clear and intelligent blend...” of psychology and philosophy.<br /><br />A jolly overview of neuroscience is Johnson’s <em>Mind Wide Open</em>, and for deeper thoughts on the nature of mind, I turn to Pinker, Dennet and Hoftstadter. (Why, you cry, I’ve got all their albums!)<br /><br />One reviewer of my novelette <em>Sideways from Now</em> (appearing in Lou Anders’ <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Fast-Forward-Future-Fiction-Cutting/dp/1591024862/ref=pd_bbs_2/105-5825214-1790813?ie=UTF8&s=books&amp;amp;qid=1189259493&sr=8-2" target="_blank">Fast Forward 1</a>) said I’d anticipated an idea of Douglas Hofstadter in his new book, <em>I Am A Strange Loop</em>. He was right.<br /><br />Although it might have come from a throwaway sentence in <em>The World of Null-A</em>. Oh, good grief.<br /><br />Still, I blame Hofstadter’s phenomenal <em>Goedel, Escher and Bach</em> for my long-abiding interest in self-reflexive statements, recursion and paradox.<br /><br />Now, aged somewhat more than 14, I’m happy not to be a mutant (except to the extent that everyone of us actually <em>is</em>). I’ve settled for being human.<br /><br />How about you? </div>Johntag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4010225.post-27841126770400555612007-09-01T00:24:00.000Z2007-09-01T00:59:53.858Z<a href="https://johnmeaney.tripod.com/uploaded_images/training1-750506.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://johnmeaney.tripod.com/uploaded_images/training1-749813.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>GETTING PHYSICAL<br /><br />I recently received a couple of reminders that practicing martial artists read my books and come here to the website. Thanks very much! Well, that's one thing... Another is, apparently I turned fifty earlier this year. Surely some mistake.<br /><br /><br />So I thought I'd talk about working out, just for one blog entry, since I've not discussed matters physical for a while. If my next blog is about psychological stuff, I'll maybe call it Going Mental.<br /><br /><br />This is my diary, not a training manual, and always see your physician before starting a programme of exercise, and you know all the rest of the legal disclaimer... Also bear in mind Mark Twain's dictum (which I got from Matt Furey): "Be careful what you read in health books. You might die of a misprint."<br /><br /><br />Actually, that reminds me, that I own several (otherwise decent) books on weight training that fail to properly highlight photographs of poor technique -- as in, do NOT do it this way -- alongside those showing the correct method. Hmm.<br /><br /><br />Personally, I don't do much scheduling in advance. Then again, I'm not a professional athlete; I'm someone who manages to train solo when there's no one around to motivate me. (And I used to do it while holding down a full-time day job that entailed over four hours a day commuting -- or else being away from home in a hotel somewhere -- and writing as well.) What I do is, select from a series of modules that fit together to form a workout.<br />I recorded a week's training, starting the Saturday before last, just to give you an idea. Another week will be different.<br /><br /><br />The week in question I trained solo, but with access to equipment, meaning my dungeon-like garage gym (which I used only one day) or just in the house, where I have dumbbells, plus running around the streets. There's plenty you can do with just your bodyweight and a pair of running shoes, and if you're in a hotel room you can always use flexible exercise bands -- use 2 or 3 together for proper tension, or buy one of the high-tension loops you can get nowadays, with up to 200 pounds of force to work against.<br /><br /><br />Well, this was John's training for 7 days. To begin with, my wakeup routine every morning was an exercise flow from Scott Sonnon's prasara yoga system. The main workout was later in the day (in fact, often late at night).<br /><br /><br /></div><br /><div><br /><hr /><br /></div><br /><div>Saturday:<br /><br />3 mile run</div><br /><div>then 4 sets of the following mini-circuit (tri-set)</div><br /><div>* push-ups x 25</div><div></div><div>* chin-ups x 5</div><div></div><div>* ab crunches x 50</div><br /><div>light stretch<br /></div><br /><div><br /><hr /><br /></div><br /><div>Sunday:<br /><br />5 sets of the following circuit:<br /></div><div>* Hindu push-ups x 50<br /></div><div>* Barbell curls x 15<br /></div><div>* Hindu squats x 100<br /></div><div>* Ab crunches x 50<br /></div><div>* Shadowboxing x 2 minutes<br /><br />(total 250 Hindu push-ups, etc.)</div><br /><div>then 3 rounds on the heavy bag under normal conditions (i.e., wearing gloves, ordinary lighting, techniques: punches/kicks/knees/elbows, all power shots)</div><br /><div>then 1 round in darkness, no gloves (this tends to emphasise open-hand techniques)</div><br /><div>then 1 extended round (over 10 mins) of groundwork on mats, with non-suspended heavy bag used as a wrestler's dummy (to practice striking techniques when lying on ground, and some body-shifting drills)</div><br /><div>then wrestler's bridge (neck bridge) for 250 seconds,</div><br /><div>finish with rolling breakfalls, then stretch into splits (1 minute left front splits, 1 minute right, 1 minute box splits),<br />followed by light stretch<br /></div><br /><div><br /><hr /><br /></div><br /><div>Monday:<br /><br />6 miles run; splits (3 mins), light stretch<br /></div><br /><div><br /><hr /><br /></div><br /><div>Tuesday:<br /><br />recuperation day (prasara yoga only)<br /></div><br /><div><br /><hr /><br /></div><br /><div>Wednesday:<br /><br />Hindu push-ups x 250</div><div></div><div>Hindu squats x 500</div><div></div><div>Neck bridge x 250 seconds</div><br /><div>4 sets of mini-circuit (superset):</div><div></div><div>* ab crunch x 50</div><div></div><div>* dumbbell floor press x 20</div><div>(a floor press is like a bench press... but without a bench!)</div><br /><div>followed by 4 sets of 1-arm dumbbell rows, x 20 repetitions with each arm</div><br /><div>followed by4 sets of mini-circuit (tri-set):</div><div></div><div>*dumbbell squat x 20</div><div></div><div>*dumbbell shoulder press x 20</div><div></div><div>*dumbbell alternating hammer curl x 40 (20 per arm)</div><br /><div>followed by 4 sets of triceps kickbacks x 10 reps each arm</div><br /><div>then light stretch<br /></div><br /><div><br /><hr /><br /></div><br /><div>Thursday:</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>3 miles run, then splits (3 mins), then light stretch<br /></div><br /><div><br /><hr /><br /></div><br /><div>Friday:<br /></div><br /><div>5 mile run, splits (3 mins), then rest for 10 minutes before:</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>5 rounds of this circuit:</div><div></div><div>*kettlebell swing x 10 each arm</div><div>*Hindu squat x 100</div><div></div><div>*Hindu push-up x 50</div><div></div><div>*Shadowboxing x 2 minutes</div><br /><div>(shadowboxing includes kicks, knees, elbows, some takedown moves and anti-takedown sprawling)</div><br /><div>followed by</div><br /><div>Neck bridge x 250 seconds</div><div></div><div>Ab crunches x 100</div><div></div><div>light stretch<br /><br />And that was the week that was! So, am I showing my age? Well, I trained to music just once during the week, and that was to ZZ Top.<br /><br />Next week: how to turn your Zimmer frame into a deadly weapon... </div><div><br />Or to quote the magnificent Rickson Gracie, just 'flow with the go.' </div>Johntag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4010225.post-7363302289511029992007-08-25T14:01:00.000Z2007-08-25T14:22:27.834Z<a href="https://johnmeaney.tripod.com/uploaded_images/Tristopolis_Deutsch1-783798.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://johnmeaney.tripod.com/uploaded_images/Tristopolis_Deutsch1-783795.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>CARRIED OVER IN TRANSLATION...</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>You knew that 'translation' comes from '<em>trans</em>' = 'across' and '<em>ferre</em>' = 'to carry'. Well, obviously. (Actually the Latin verb's about as irregular as you can get, and the past participle is '<em>latum</em>'.) </div><br /><div></div><br /><div>The little passage in my previous post, on transatlantic translation (ha!) was not an extract from any of my books or stories, but just a hasty example. Clunkiness disappears during rewrites -- we hope -- and right now I'm deeply into the Dark Blood rewrite.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>A couple of days back, I received my copies of TRISTOPOLIS, being the Heyne-Verlag German edition of Bone Song, as translated by Peter Robert. Just dipping into the book tells me that Peter has performed a marvellous job, as I expected after we'd swapped emails during the process.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Just looking at the first page, when Donal looks up at the dark tower which is Police HQ, the English edition reads (three paragraphs down):</div><br /><div></div><br /><div><em>"Son of a bitch," he muttered.</em></div><br /><div><em>From the shadows came a low growl.</em></div><br /><div><em>"No offence," he added.</em></div><br /><div></div><br /><div>And in Tristopolis, we read:</div><br /><div></div><br /><div><em>"Hundesohn," murmelte er.</em></div><br /><div><em>Aus den Schatten kam ein leises Knurren.</em></div><br /><div><em>"Du doch nicht," setzte Donal, ebenso leise hinzu.</em></div><br /><div></div><br /><div>This isn't a literal translation, but it is an <em>exact</em> translation. And it was just the first example I noticed. (And I absolutely do not claim my German is good enough to pick up all the subtleties.)</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>I realized a while ago that if I bought DVDs of American movies while in Germany or Switzerland or France, I would have the local German or French soundtrack in addition to the American. A good way to practice languages. From home, I simply go to amazon.de, or amazon.fr. Technology rules.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>See, my German might not be good enough to follow the movie first time, but if I've already heard it in English, then I'll pick up a lot more. </div><br /><div></div><br /><div>And here's the really neat thing. Once I've finished the Dark Blood rewrite, I'm going to sit down and read Tristopolis all the way through. What a fantastic treat, to be able to work through a language lesson based on my story!</div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div>Johntag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4010225.post-1643524034532065182007-08-16T00:43:00.000Z2007-08-16T00:55:47.727Z<a href="https://johnmeaney.tripod.com/uploaded_images/Bone-Song-front-cover-798744.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://johnmeaney.tripod.com/uploaded_images/Bone-Song-front-cover-798242.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />ON BEING TRANSATLANTIC<br /><br />I was overjoyed to get the chance to create a US version of Bone Song. The city of Tristopolis is such a Gothamesque setting that it deserves a proper US-English text.<br /><br />When I tell Brits that I write my short fiction in American English when it's for a US market... they're horrified. Hmm. And the thing is, most people underestimate the differences. Change 'colour' to 'color' or vice versa, and they assume that's it. So how about examining the following story fragment.<br /><br />First, in British English...<br /><br /><em>Jack ground out his fag beneath his heel, and looked around the darkened car park.<br /></em><br /><em>‘Good enough,’ he muttered.<br /></em><br /><em>Opening the boot of his car, he pulled out a jumper. Despite the chill autumn night, he was wearing just a vest, no shirt. He pulled the jumper on.<br /></em><br /><em>There was a sound behind him, and he span.<br /></em><br /><em>A motorbike, looking as if it had travelled far, had just pulled up. Beyond, on the street, a few pedestrians were walking on the pavement, but the tarmac was empty.<br /></em><br /><em>As the biker dismounted, Jack began to rethink his policy of ‘one hit, one kill’. This bloke was a big bugger. Some day, Jack might get to fight someone his own size. But not today.</em><br /><br />And now, in US English...<br /><br /><em>Jack ground out the cigarette beneath his heel, and looked around the darkened parking lot.<br /><br />“Good enough,” he muttered.<br /><br />Opening the trunk of his car, he pulled out a sweater. Despite the chill fall night, he was wearing just a tank top, no shirt. He pulled the sweater on.<br /><br />There was a sound behind him, and he spun.<br /><br />A motorcycle, looking as if it had traveled far, had just pulled up. Beyond, on the street, a few pedestrians were walking on the sidewalk, but the pavement was empty.<br /><br />As the biker dismounted, Jack began to rethink his policy of “one hit, one kill.” This guy was a big bastard. Someday, Jack might get to fight someone his own size. But not today.<br /></em><br />You'll notice that period (full stop) immediately follows the word "kill" in the US version (following the same rule as for dialogue) but follows the closing quotation mark in the British version. And there's "someday" vs. "some day" and lots of other stuff.<br /><br />In Britain, as in other European countries (!), a three-storey building consists of the ground floor, the first floor and the second floor. In the US, a three-story (note spelling!) building has a first, second and third floor. And so on.Johntag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4010225.post-9006559574881806232007-08-14T01:22:00.000Z2007-08-14T01:30:54.714ZMY SPACE...<br /><br />...is expanding. I've had the beginnings of a MySpace presence for a short while. Please do check out <a target="_blank" href="http://www.myspace.com/john_meaney">my MySpace page</a>, which will continue to evolve.Johntag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4010225.post-38270460473802209792007-08-08T20:04:00.000Z2007-08-08T20:15:17.779Z<a href="https://johnmeaney.tripod.com/uploaded_images/dark_blood3-721004.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://johnmeaney.tripod.com/uploaded_images/dark_blood3-720518.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>DARK BLOOD...</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>...is the name of the sequel to Bone Song, and I'm hammering away at revisions before a ghostly figure comes hammering at my door and howls: <em>*IS IT READY YET?*</em> Or perhaps that's the fear speaking.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>In February, the UK paperback of Bone Song comes out, just as Bone Song makes its official US debut. Previews -- in the form of bound proofs -- appeared at ComicCon in SanDiego, thanks to Juliet Ulman and the wonderful folk at Bantam. And I've received most excellent feedback from the first US readers, thank you!</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>And my wonderful British publishers, Gollancz, with the gorgeous Simon Spanton (!) being my editor, already have the artwork for Dark Blood. What do you think of it? </div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Me, I love it. </div>Johntag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4010225.post-28460791090975920982007-05-25T17:34:00.000Z2007-05-25T17:44:47.056Z<a href="https://johnmeaney.tripod.com/uploaded_images/singapore1-041-793303.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://johnmeaney.tripod.com/uploaded_images/singapore1-041-793275.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>A WARRIOR'S ORDEAL</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>In the shining city of Singapore, I went through a gruelling test of determination... one that Westerners normally cannot contemplate. Those who go to Asia to train in martial arts come face to face with this challenge, and turn away, bitter and defeated.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>On the final day of my second trip to Singapore, I did it.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>It wasn't the prasara yoga warm-up, or the long slow run through the outdoor sauna of Singaporean streets. It wasn't even the Hindu squats and push-ups that I cracked through in a pavilion in Stanley Park, after hill-sprints up and down the outdoor steps. It was the true ordeal I faced afterwards, when I'd returned to my hotel room.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>That was where I drank a can of Sweat.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Oh, yes, and the capitalization is intentional. In the Far East, you can buy cans of an isotonic drink called Sweat, but Europeans cannot -- normally -- bring themselves to drink the stuff. And there's a fantastically powerful reason for that, because...</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>...words are magic, aren't they?</div>Johntag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4010225.post-1333997104646286842007-05-25T17:31:00.000Z2007-05-25T17:33:48.794ZTHE BONES ARE...<br /><br />...singing, now. Do you hear them?<br /><br />The reviews of Bone Song have been great. Lisa Tuttle, in The Times, said: "Meaney’s creepy, death-haunted world lingers in the mind long after the book is closed." Starburst and Death Ray had exceedingly nice things to say about the new book, too.<br /><br />Ta lots, for enjoying the book!Johntag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4010225.post-83112371947917599152007-05-25T17:06:00.000Z2007-05-25T17:14:21.187Z<a href="https://johnmeaney.tripod.com/uploaded_images/012_12-738050.JPG"><img style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://johnmeaney.tripod.com/uploaded_images/012_12-737995.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div>JUST...</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>...do it. Now. And every day...</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Just what it is, is up to you. But you could go from the kind of person who's a hundred pounds overweight (to pick a random example) to someone like this, who's pictured half-way through her first full marathon.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>That's Yvonne, with her buddy Hazel. They finished together, grinning like hell.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div>Johntag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4010225.post-48932157883146193932007-03-09T09:34:00.000Z2007-03-14T17:35:39.242Z<a href="https://johnmeaney.tripod.com/uploaded_images/cyberattack_copy-798003.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://johnmeaney.tripod.com/uploaded_images/cyberattack_copy-797981.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>TICK...<br /><br />... and tock... because February is an interesting month. For me it's the anniversary of significant events, both joyful and tragic. The words "Silver Wedding Anniversary" – er, that's not the tragedy: it's the joy – seem to belong to some older generation, certainly inapplicable to Yvonne and me... except that a quarter of a century has somehow passed since our wedding.<br /><br />So we had house guests for a quiet celebratory weekend, including the cyberman who attacked Chris and Penny Hill. The startling event was captured on camera – I'll upload the evidence when I get myself organized. Ah, there we are. See? Is that terrifying, or what?<br /><br />WORKSHOPPING GENIUS...<br /><br />... was hugely exciting. I spent a week at St Margaret Clitherow's Primary School, orchestrating the wild, creative energies of a couple of hundred boys and girls, aged seven to ten, as we generated a bunch of excellent stories. It was a great time, and there's at least one person whose novels I expect to be reading in a decade or two... and I'm <em>so</em> looking forward to that.<br /><br />A billion thanks to Jenny Worthington for suggesting the event, and to Annemarie for giving the go-ahead, and huge respect to all the teachers who create a great atmosphere in the school every single day. Great job, everyone.<br /><br />JEDI MIND TRICKS...<br /><br />...in Welsh Wales and Old Blighty. I think I mentioned, back in January, that I spent a while in Wales. It's possible that I shed a few tears (in a manly way) during my favourite neice's wedding. The guys wore skirts. All right, kilts. You knew about Welsh tartan, right? What, really? You'd never heard of it? But it does exist. Honestly. Surprised the heck out me, too...<br /><br />Also, I've a good friend, quite the globetrotter, who lives in Cardiff. I only managed to catch up with him for a couple of hours in a crowded Starbucks. He'd been wanting to experience hypnosis and undergo a phobia cure, in the quiet environment of his home. Instead, he just had time to turn up with his son and have a chat... or so he thought. But I could hardly let him go home disappointed, and the thing about learning hypnosis from Paul McKenna -- oh, haven't I mentioned that? -- is that you can do it anywhere, background noise and swirling crowds notwithstanding. Powerful techniques.<br /><br />Meanwhile, Yvonne had volunteered to assist at the Weight Loss Event that Paul McKenna ran during February. (All assistants are NLP-trained by Paul, and most are NLP trainers. There's at least one GP and one clinical psychologist in the group.) I was due to go along as a guest, but was honoured to be asked to assist also. It makes a tremendous difference in people's lives. And the experience is wonderful.<br /><br />HOT AND COLD<br /><br />I spent last week in Oxford, pretending to be a software engineer again. My college room was under the eaves, where the servants are supposed to live, which is very appropriate. Having pure Irish ancestry means that in the 19th century, my ancestors were probably in bare feet. If you're familiar with the Irish climate, you'll wince at that.<br /><br />This week, though, the climate is a wee bit warmer. I'm uploading this report from Singapore, which some people refer to as a perpetual sauna. I love the place, Sumatran earthquakes notwithstanding. There's family history related to this place, too.<br /><br />Tomorrow, I'm planning on visiting the site of the POW camp that my Dad helped to liberate. Those events belong to a past that no one here likes to talk about. Instead, it's a vibrant 21st century city, utterly clean and cosmopolitan (though you might not want to be a live-in maid or an animal here). And, with the preponderance of Buddhism, it's easy to get great vegetarian food.<br /><br />Fly straight, Pilots...</div>Johntag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4010225.post-1169060975000490192007-01-17T18:58:00.000Z2007-01-17T19:09:35.010ZDREAMING SPIRES, NIGHTMARE CATACOMBS...<br /><br />...and I can't remember whether that was Oxford or Tristopolis, but last week I was messing around with computers (or rather, computing ideas) in the university, followed by a lightning trip to Wales (with Yvonne driving through the night) to get to our neice's wedding. Emily Benbow, my favourite neice, has transformed into Emily Hill, and her husband Michael is the best. Good fortune forever, both...<br /><br />And Yvonne's famous! She appeared in yesterday's Times, telling the world the truth about Paul McKenna's system, and how miraculous the changes are. Some people would say you can change in an instant because you already have all the resources you need inside you... and one of the people with that opinion is Paul himself. I've a story to share with you, about how to daydream a novel into existence <em>to order</em>, which is something exceptional... coming soon.<br /><br />Fly straight, Pilots...Johntag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4010225.post-1168099362667252452007-01-06T15:59:00.000Z2007-01-06T16:02:42.670Z<a href="https://johnmeaney.tripod.com/uploaded_images/German_BoneSong3-752712.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://johnmeaney.tripod.com/uploaded_images/German_BoneSong3-749538.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://johnmeaney.tripod.com/uploaded_images/BONE_SONG-714983.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://johnmeaney.tripod.com/uploaded_images/BONE_SONG-707016.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />THE MAN FROM TRANSATLANTIS....<br /><br />...or I was confused, in search of an identity, until I came to terms with my transatlantic tendencies...<br /><br />The primary setting of Bone Song, coming very soon in March, is a dark Gothamesque city called Tristopolis. Beneath a perpetually dark-purple sky, the skyscraper towers rise hundreds of storeys above the streets where purple cabs move. Gargoyles move among those towers.<br /><br />Elevators are powered by imprisoned wraiths. All energy from the city comes from the reactor piles in which are stacked the bones of the dead, where necroflux builds up in resonant cavities and the overlaid agonies of the bones' memories are a small price to pay for civilization... Maybe.<br /><br />And I've also described the book as L.A. Confidential with zombies, which it is, kind of. Or maybe a lot.<br /><br />So it's the kind of book that lends itself to a transatlantic style, which suits me greatly. Having just corrected the galleys for the Gollancz edition, I am hugely pleased with the look'n'feel of the book. That's all polished and nicely put to bed, so you'll be reading it soon!<br /><br />Still, the book uses turns of phrase that might be perfectly evocative to a Brit, but mean little on the other side of the pond. So I've done a US translation for my new publishers there, Bantam. (I've been published by Bantam before, but that was the UK company. Confused? That's fine.) Anything that doesn't ring true, it'll be my fault.<br /><br />And 'storeys' becomes 'stories' in the States, 'span' becomes 'spun', and don't get me started on 'realize'... Actually the real differences are phrases like 'wind up' in the sense of winding up a person, and 'cracker' applied to a gorgeous woman, and... oh, you know. Like that.<br /><br />The German translation isn't anything to do with me, though. I speak the language well enough so that I can travel in Germany without having to lapse into English, but translating my own book is beyond me. The book is called Tristopolis (German publishers never translate book titles verbatim), and the cover is great, don't you think?<br /><br />I spent a while in Zurich during November. They speak German, in the same sense that Glaswegians speak English. I like Switzerland. Where else would you see guys with long hair and ear-rings, dressed in camouflage and carrying automatic rifles while standing on a station platform, waiting for a train? (That wasn't this trip, but one of my previous adventures.)<br /><br />Speaking of travelling, I also had a nice time in New York for a couple of weeks back in October/November time. Remiss in my blogging, have I told you about Halloween in a karaoke bar off Broadway with a bunch of Random House editors? And Hal Duncan singing David Bowie?<br /><br />I also took a trip down to Austin, TX, to take in World Fantasy, at which I had another nice time and got to meet up with my bro, Colm, who travelled across the desert on his Harley to rendezvous with me.<br /><br />The unofficial city motto is: Keep Austin Weird. I liked what I saw of the place. I didn't get to see the vast colony of bats that rises every night... That'll be another trip.Johntag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4010225.post-1168099069632817252007-01-06T15:56:00.000Z2007-01-06T15:57:49.633Z<a href="https://johnmeaney.tripod.com/uploaded_images/ninja_santa-759176.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://johnmeaney.tripod.com/uploaded_images/ninja_santa-754834.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />NINJA SANTA....<br /><br />...is deadly, as you can see. This was after the Santa Race in London's Battersea Park. Yes, there were hundreds of running Santas, Yvonne and me among 'em.<br /><br />Afterwards, I stretched out and messed around a bit, as you can see. In the background is the running track of the park's athletics club. Yvonne and I went in there to chill out (actually to warm up with some hot chocolate) and came across Olympic gold medallist Daley Thompson, there to coach some of the young athletes. Blimey.<br /><br />At some point, before the race began, this cry went up: "There's a naked Santa!" The lady runners flocked to see the guy: red hat, white beard, furry thong and running shoes... And yes, he ran the whole race like that. Yvonne has photographic evidence, but this is a family blog, or might be, so I'll leave the images unposted.<br /><br />Early Boxing Day morning (the morning after Christmas, for the US readers) Yvonne and I ran a windy five-miler along the Welsh coast, at Porthcawl. It was bracing. Yvonne wore her Santa hat but otherwise normal running gear.<br /><br />Yes, we're perfectly normal...Johntag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4010225.post-1168098835807095242007-01-06T15:50:00.000Z2007-01-06T15:53:55.830Z<a href="https://johnmeaney.tripod.com/uploaded_images/yvonne_cardiff_half-718419.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://johnmeaney.tripod.com/uploaded_images/yvonne_cardiff_half-713630.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://johnmeaney.tripod.com/uploaded_images/yvonne_gown-775381.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://johnmeaney.tripod.com/uploaded_images/yvonne_gown-772421.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />FROM JABBA THE HUTT...<br /><br />...to Lara Croft. That's how I've described Yvonne's transformation during the past year, as me missus utilized Paul McKenna's weight loss system to lose over 6 stone ( nearly 90 lbs) effortlessly over 8 months, with no binging (since it ain't a diet).<br /><br />From no exercise at all (December 2005), she went to... well, take a look at her in her party gown (for Paul McKenna's Xmas party), and finishing the Cardiff half marathon back in August. She's run a bunch of other races, including another half marathon, in which she came first in her age category!<br /><br />Yeah, I've run in some of those races as well. I like the hilly ones, but that's just me...Johntag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4010225.post-1162473641637147502006-11-02T13:12:00.000Z2006-11-02T13:20:41.650ZTHE FUTURE IS SURREAL...<br /><br />...and we're living it. So I was thinking about my Dad, who upped sticks from his native (and neutral) Ireland aged 17 to join the Royal Air Force and fight Nazis. For everyone in his generation (perhaps Russians more than anyone) that war was a defining event. When I was born (a lot later, thanks for asking) and grew old enough to talk, we could have had a speculative conversation about how I might spend Halloween in the year 2006.<br /><br />What if I'd said this? "Dad, I think I'd be singing in a karaoke bar -- that's a Japanese cultural artefact that's not been invented yet -- with a bunch of editors and a Scottish fantasy writer and German tourists and US-Japanese locals in a Japanese-owned establishment, off Broadway in New York."<br /><br />Maybe he'd have said: "Son, you been smokin' them rolled-up Philip K. Dick stories, or what?"<br /><br />Okay, that wasn't his voice. But the future is that surreal.<br /><br />And Hal Duncan is keeping the outrageous Brit punk tradition alive. Thought you'd like to know.<br /><br />The Bone Song cover is great; the copy-edited version is in the works and it's all happening.<br /><br />Fly straight, Pilots, and take good care.Johntag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4010225.post-1155215356164878072006-08-10T12:53:00.000Z2006-08-10T13:13:21.936Z<a href="https://johnmeaney.tripod.com/uploaded_images/nytimesquare-789267.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://johnmeaney.tripod.com/uploaded_images/nytimesquare-782790.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://johnmeaney.tripod.com/uploaded_images/nytimesquare-709729.jpg"></a><br />HARRY, CARRIE AND GARP...<br /><br />...or (in reverse) the wrestler, the baseball player, and the woman with silver serpent sandals. John Irving, Stephen King and JK Rowling were on top form in Radio City Music Hall, NYC, last week. Thanks to Jim Minz, I was there to see, hear, and applaud them. Cheers, Jim!<br /><br />It was a fund-raising event, kicked off by Whoopie Goldberg, then with Tom Robbins (who was funny) introducing Stephen King, Stanley Tucci (who was knowledgeable) doing the honours for John Irving, and Kathy Bates (who was cool) praising JK Rowling. All three writers spoke a little about the writing life, and gave readings that were polished dramatic performances. Thanks to John Irving, I now know exactly what Owen Meany's squeaky voice sounds like. Boy, did I laugh a lot that night.<br /><br />Some time back, I heard a radio interview in which a record producer said that some musical numbers, regardless of genre, have a shining quality of <em>song</em>: the stuff you need to sing along to. And some writers have the extra gift of pure story. Three exemplars were in Radio City Music Hall that night.<br /><br />Respect.Johntag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4010225.post-1152296992360680822006-07-07T18:27:00.000Z2006-07-07T18:33:58.606Z<a href="https://johnmeaney.tripod.com/uploaded_images/FastForward-730662.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://johnmeaney.tripod.com/uploaded_images/FastForward-726083.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://johnmeaney.tripod.com/uploaded_images/fast_forward-779375.jpg"></a><br />Sideways...<br /><br />...From Now... seemed like a good title for a novella, especially since superstar editor Lou Anders was putting together an anthology called Fast Forward.<br /><br />I wrote the novella; it's in the book. Comes out early next year:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1591024862/sr=8-2/qid=1152296393/ref=pd_bbs_2/104-6310089-3262345?ie=UTF8">http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1591024862/sr=8-2/qid=1152296393/ref=pd_bbs_2/104-6310089-3262345?ie=UTF8</a>Johntag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4010225.post-1152294786071407482006-07-07T17:42:00.000Z2006-07-07T17:57:29.880Z<a href="https://johnmeaney.tripod.com/uploaded_images/BONE_SONG-715088.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://johnmeaney.tripod.com/uploaded_images/BONE_SONG-704784.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />DO YOU HEAR...<br /><br />...the bones? You will when you read Bone Song. And you may continue to hear them forever. I hope...<br /><br />The sequel is called Black Blood. Ya heard it here first. (Of course, I announced Bone Song by a different title to begin with.)<br /><br />And congratulations to the Next Generation (as I segue from one sequel to a different kind). My nephew Andrew got a first in Maths. (That's like a summa cum laude, Stateside.) His younger brother Philip just performed a gig before six and half thousand people.<br /><br />I remember the time I lifted my eldest nephew James under my arm, and pretended to stuff him into the boot of my car. Now, as a rugby player and serious weightlifter, his arms are bigger than my legs and he can lift me under one arm... and his younger brother Lloyd is headed in the same direction.<br /><br />And my favourite neice, Emily, has escaped from the secure psychiatric wing -- um, where she fixes patients' minds, I should mention -- and she's picked the wedding dress for January. Her other half, Michael, is a grand chap.<br /><br />Life is wonderful, ain't it? And the future hasn't even happened yet.Johntag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4010225.post-1151356328589848132006-06-26T21:03:00.000Z2006-07-07T17:56:58.463ZGOOD BOOKS...<br /><br />...are one of my addictions. Yours too? I read The Lies of Locke Lamora shortly before it hit the shelves, and loved it. Wonderful book. <br /><br />What else? I spent a weekend at the Furey household in Ireland. That's Maggie and Eric, not Matt-the-fitness-guru. Maggie's book in progress totally rocks. And Eric and I stayed up all night twice, working on Jedi mind tricks...<br /><br />Oh, yeah. While I was there, I did a podcast interview for the wonderful folks at Dragon Page, whose geographical location is in Arizona, and whose cyberspace address is here:<br /><a href="http://www.sliceofscifi.com/MT/mt-search.cgi?Template=tDP&IncludeBlogs=1&search=meaney">http://www.sliceofscifi.com/MT/mt-search.cgi?Template=tDP&IncludeBlogs=1&search=meaney</a><br /><br />And I've got the artwork for the next book, Bone Song. The cover is different from the previous ones, and it should be: the <em>book</em> is different.<br /><br />I'll upload a copy when I can...Johntag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4010225.post-1151355601964157372006-06-26T20:57:00.000Z2006-06-26T21:00:01.976ZYIPPEE FOR THE IPPY...<br /><br />...belatedly, though, but it was nice that Paradox won the Independent Publishers Award for best SF book of 2005, at BookExpo America in Washington, D.C.<br /><br />Details at <a href="http://www.independentpublisher.com/ipaward2.lasso?go=next&plc=1">http://www.independentpublisher.com/ipaward2.lasso?go=next&plc=1</a>Johntag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4010225.post-1149587286377441112006-06-06T09:42:00.000Z2006-06-06T09:48:06.446ZR.I.P. BOB BRIDGES 1950-2006<br /><br />Another sad occasion: last week I attended the funeral of Bob Bridges, an extraordinary man whom I was privileged and honoured to know.<br /><br />Bob served in 21 SAS, was a pioneer of object-oriented programming, a master teacher, an accomplished poet, runner and skier, student of zen and bushido, deeply knowledgeable in science and philosophy. He was a gentle man who observed the world with wonder and curiosity, making friends with everyone he met.<br /><br />Sayonara, my friend. The universe is incredibly richer for your being here.Johntag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4010225.post-1147795798117401452006-05-16T15:49:00.000Z2006-05-16T16:09:58.153Z<a href="https://johnmeaney.tripod.com/uploaded_images/karate01-785972.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://johnmeaney.tripod.com/uploaded_images/karate01-780316.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />BOUNCING WITH JOY...<br /><br />...for all time. And it's the entire universe that may be cycling. Minus the time reversal part, here's a <a href="http://physicsweb.org/articles/news/10/5/3/1">cosmological model </a>presented by Paul Steinhardt of Princeton and Neil Turok of Cambridge, which otherwise resembles the one I used in Paradox. And you thought I was nuts.<br /><br />Okay, I am. But.<br /><br />The time reversal aspect came from Gold via Hawking. I think I mentioned that in the Acknowledgments in the book, didn't I? Anyway, as time continues inexorably, let me mention that the <a href="http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbnInquiry.asp?z=y&isbn=1591024978&itm=5">US paperback edition of Paradox</a> is now out from Pyr. Wonderful. The book itself looks great.<br /><br />My first book in the UK was To Hold Infinity. That's going to be my fourth book in the US, coming out in hardcover first (which didn't happen here in Old Blighty). I'm checking the proofs this week. It's fun!Johntag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4010225.post-1147685799607885052006-05-15T09:26:00.000Z2006-05-15T09:36:39.616ZMEANEY'S LAW<br /><br /><em>To anyone who sufficiently understands science, the entire universe is magical.</em><br /><br />Absorb. Discuss. Disseminate or disagree, as you please.<br /><br />There's no cover art yet, but Amazon UK already has an entry for the next book, <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/057507955X/qid=1147684869/sr=1-16/ref=sr_1_2_16/202-7472764-7940658">BONE SONG</a>. It hits the shelves in February, coming from my new publishers, Gollancz. I'm excited and proud to be with them.<br /><br />As you can see from the Amazon description, this is a different kind of book...Johntag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4010225.post-1147309198108007902006-05-11T00:43:00.000Z2006-05-11T00:59:58.116ZJUST A SECOND...<br /><br />...series of the resurrected Dr Who is being broadcast in the UK. (I believe US folk get to see it soon on the Sci-Fi Channel.) I'm going to miss the return of the cybermen on Saturday. Chris Hill and I were comparing impressions of David Tennant: thumbs up.<br /><br />I got to meet Paul Cornell in Glasgow last year, at Worldcon. He wrote the episode in which Rose (avoiding spoilers here) has an opportunity to change the past. I told him Dr Who wasn't supposed to make me cry, but 'Father's Day' did.<br /><br />There's only one thing in the revised Who universe that's going to need some serious wild logic to justify... How can the Doctor be the <em>last</em> Time Lord, when his race can travel through time? Shouldn't they keep popping up whenever they feel like it, each Time Lord (or Lady?) with his (her?) unique timeline, in no way parallel or comparable to any other's?<br /><br />Surely not another parallel universe from a divergence of history... We've been there (and then) before.<br /><br />Oh, yeah... Yvonne bought me a radio-controlled Dalek. It's suitable for ages five upwards, so I just about qualify...Johntag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4010225.post-1147307072712367072006-05-10T23:56:00.000Z2006-05-11T00:24:32.726Z<a href="https://johnmeaney.tripod.com/uploaded_images/john_krav_maga-724372.jpg"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://johnmeaney.tripod.com/uploaded_images/john_krav_maga-719187.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />CARRYING ON...<br /><br />...despite it all. There's a healing power in writing -- Stephen King would say redemptive -- and so that begins again, with a new novella. Oh, and... when I know the publication date for the next novel, I'll let ya know. The title is Bone Song, as I think I mentioned.<br /><br />On Saturday, Yvonne and I will be Paul McKenna's guests at his Weight Loss Seminar. Marvellous (and sorely needed) fun. Last month I became a Licenced Practitioner of Neuro-Linguistic Programming, I'll have you know... and Paul was one of the outstanding trainers on my course, along with Richard Bandler and Michael Neill. My first words to Mr McKenna were: "You're a f***ing genius." (He is. Take a peek at <a href="http://www.paulmckenna.com">www.paulmckenna.com</a>.)<br /><br />The term 'modelling' has passed into reasonably common usage beyond the catwalk, when it refers to copying someone who's got a great skill you'd like to acquire. In martial arts, I learned shotokan from one of the best. Recently I've formed the opinion that the most practical art for self defence is the Israeli discipline called krav maga. (Some practitioners of other arts are outstanding in the self defence arena, but here I'm talking about the curriculum and teaching methods of the art itself.) The picture up above is of me with Eyal Yanilov, chief instructor of the International Krav Maga Federation. Boy, was I impressed with the training!<br /><br />Earlier this evening, I watched my Jump London DVD again. That's about parkour, aka free running. Yvonne's comment, when she saw me rivetted to the TV screen the first time I glimpsed parkour was: "Shame you're too old, or you'd have just found your new sport." Thanks, darling. It's interesting that Sebastien Foucan, credited as the discipline's founder (see <a href="http://www.parkour.com">www.parkour.com</a>) quotes Bruce Lee as a major influence.<br /><br />Then I watched feline parkour as Nutmeg (aka Captain Bonkers) chased Bonbon (the most beautiful being in all known universes) up and down the stairs.<br /><br />Remember to have fun, Pilots. Take care.John