Gnorb.NET

When traveling to the northwest of the US, it’s easy to see why people fall in love with the legend of the American west: stories abound about Indian tribes fighting it out against American soldiers, giving rise to such tragic heroes as Sitting Bull, anti-heroes like Custer, and unparalleled showmen like Buffalo Bill; outlaws and lawmen, like James Butler “Wild Bill” Hickock and Robert LeRoy Parker (a.k.a., Butch Cassidy), playing their deadly game of cat and mouse; and the Mountain Men who traded furs and lived alone in the forrests near the Rocky mountains. But while these figures are renown in their own right, the towns responsible for creating them have an air of their own, each with its own charms and annoyances.

Having just concluded a trip to both Montana and Wyoming, I thought I’d share a few quick observations on each of the places we visited. Maybe you’ll want to head up there yourself.

Read the rest of this entry »

Zombies. They’re sort of like vampires, but nowhere near as popular. Why is that? Aside from the fact that their mythology hasn’t yet been sexed up and corrupted, it’s because there’s not a lot of great zombie literature. Max Brooks’s World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War puts that excuse to rest. In short, it is to the zombie genre what Bram Stoker’s Dracula is to the vampire genre. And like with Dracula, if all zombie stories henceforth would use WWZ as a template, the literary world of the living dead will be a more enjoyable place.

Read the rest of this entry »

Yes, folks, you red that right. I’ll be heading out tomorrow morning to Montana for a 10-day vacation (flying out on the 7th. I’ll be back on the 17th). I was never part of a family that took too many vacations, so I’m not exactly a big vacation guy, but I’ve been pining for one for the past few years, and The Wife decided it was time we got going. She claims I need to “relax”. I tried to explain to her that my relaxation is sleeping, but she wouldn’t buy it, so for the sake of marital bliss, I’ll vacate.

While I am taking my laptop, I may or may not blog while I’m out there, so here’s fair warning: there may be no updates until the end-ish of the month, after I come back and things have settled some.

Read the rest of this entry »

“Can you help a brother out?” To a lot of you reading this that conjures up images of a guy in dirty clothes, wondering the streets or sitting on the sidewalk, hand outstretched and asking for some cash. In this case, it’s sort of like that, but not really. Actually this edition is named as such because it seems a lot of people have been asking for help lately, some of which I’ll feature here. Mostly, though, this edition contains a few articles that have caught my eyes.

By the way, if you really, really want to know what I consider a must to read, and you use Google Reader, go ahead and add me to your “Shared” list: gnorbx@gmail.com. And yes, it’s always reciprocal. If you don’t use Google Reader, then check out my Shared Items. I warn you, though, I tend to go on thematic blitzes, so if everything there looks like it’s about transhumanism or self improvement or writing or philosophy, try going back a few pages.

Anyway, here’s the new Le Linkage list of sites you should visit:

Read the rest of this entry »

Ever feel like being heroic? Ever see something that’s not right, and know that you have the power to do something about it? Today I did, felt like being a hero, I mean. Instead, I was just a snitch. But should I have done it any differently?

Read the rest of this entry »