Other Writing – Page 56 – Snip, Burn, Solder Blog

Amanda Ghassaei 3D Prints Playable 33⅓rpm Records!

I printed these records on a UV-cured resin printer called the Objet Connex500. Like most 3D printers, the Objet creates an object by depositing material layer by layer until the final form is achieved. This printer has incredibly high resolution: 600dpi in the x and y axes and 16 microns in the z axis, some of the highest resolution possible with 3D printing at the moment. Despite all its precision, the Objet is still at least an order of magnitude or two away from the resolution of a real vinyl record. When I first started this project, I wasn’t sure that the resolution of the Objet would be enough to reproduce audio, but I hoped that I might produce something recognizable by approximating the groove shape as accurately as possible with the tools I had.
In this Instructable, I’ll demonstrate how I developed a workflow that can convert any audio file, of virtually any format, into a 3D model of a record, and how I optimized these records for playback on a real turntable. The 3D modeling in this project was far too complex for traditional drafting-style CAD techniques, so I wrote an program to do this conversion automatically. It works by importing raw audio data, performing some calculations to generate the geometry of a record, and eventually exporting this geometry straight to a 3D printable file format. . . .

This is *such* a rad project! Clearly not practical–it requires a big 3D printer with *really* high resolution in order to get a really low-resolution version of a single song–but I *love* the whopping oscillation artifact that the process introduces to the audio. *That* has some delicious sonic possibilities, in my humble.
Here’s a very brief interview/overview:

I Have a Story in the Current Asimov’s! #scifi

“Table of Contents” – Asimovs

What with all the seasonal hubbub, I totally forgot to shamelessly hype that my short story “The New Guys Always Work Overtime” is in the current issue of Asimov’s (technically the “Feb 2013” issue, it’s on newsstands now and will stay there until mid-January-ish). It’s your standard time-travel/labor relations/supply-chain management/crappy corporate job/boy-meets-girl story, and leverages basically every bit of German I know (Yes, *both* phrases!) It’s available in dead-tree format only, which is actually pretty quaint for a time-travel story set in an iPad factory. Better hustle on down to your local bookstore and trade paper money for paper stories.
CORRECTION: Duh; things have changed a little since the last time I had a story in Asimov’s. The magazine is now available for Kindle with a *FREE* 30-day trial–so if you just wanna check out “The New Guys” you can do so with no risk *and* no leaving the house. Score one for leaving in the terrible dystopian future! Asimov’s is a pretty solid magazine–if you’re into “soft” SF–so it’s worth the $3 “risk” if you flake out on canceling the trial subscription:

Handmade Letterpress Editions of “Tucker Teaches the Clockies to Copulate”–THE PERFECT HOLIDAY GIFT! (for certain persons of ill-repute and refined tastes)

Still looking for that literary, yet semi-obscene, gift to give to your favorite brass-goggled poindexter? May I suggest he or she might really and truly enjoy a personalized, handmade chapbook of my celebrated novella “Tucker Teaches the Clockies to Copulate”? The cover is handset and printed on the *very same* Chandler & Price 10×15 New Style Printing Press featured in Wikipedia!

The illustrated ebook pack is the same as the Kindle version available through Amazon, but DRM-free, and in formats suitable for almost any device. Includes mobi, ePub, PDF (in several print-ready layouts) files, and digital extras(!!!) Buying at the “Patrons” level gets you an exclusive, handmade, signed and numbered print edition (like the one in the pic)! Details on Pick-What-You-Pay options

Domestic shipping is free; international folks: we’ll have to figure that out. It’s a big, crazy world.

The Next Big Things: Authors Tagging Authors

I was tagged last week to participate in this “Next Big Thing” mutual-admiration bloggy chain-letter thing, where-in authors give each other the opportunity to talk about their upcoming projects. Much thanks to Cindy Spencer Paper–who’s currently rounding out her latest paranormal romance, although I’m a little more familiar with her for putting lots of steam in the steampunk (for which she’s gotten great reviews and high accolades just recently). At any rate, here goes for me:

Q–What is your working title of your book?
A–Proud Flesh. An audiobook of a novella length portion of this–“Tucker Teaches the Clockies to Copulate”–is also in the works right now.

Q–Where did the idea come from for the book?
A–I totally have to credit my pal and long-time collaborator Fritz Swanson, who first suggested the use of imported Chinese clockwork soldiers during America’s Long Civil War. This particular project is built around my novelette “Tucker Teaches the Clockies to Copulate” (first published in the Spring 2008 Paradox, and now available as a standalone ebook for Kindle and other formats). It concerns a clockie enclave outside of the town of Lost Creek, Utah Territory, and began as a riff on a Zuni Trickster story, “Teaching the Mudheads How to Copulate,” that I was writing as a joke to show Fritz. It sorta grew out of control, and here we are.

Q–What genre does your book fall under?
A–Steampunk, Lord have mercy on us all.

Q–Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?
A–That’s tough, because the protagonist of the central story, Dickie Tucker, has been terribly disfigured. In terms of voice and mannerisms, I’ve always pictured someone like Nathan Fillion or a young Jeff Bridges. Maybe Alan Tudyk?

Q–What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
A–“Ne’erdowell crippled alcoholic Confederate veteran teaches clockwork battle androids to have sex; complications ensue.”

Q–Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
A–Undefined value. I’m currently unrepresented, and although I’ve published and self-published some of the stories that fit into Proud Flesh, I’m not eager to self-publish another whole book–just putting together the novella was a lot of work (fun, but still, a *lot* of work) and I have other freelance projects that have to take precedence.

Q–How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?
A–I’ve been working on “Clockie America” stories since 2006. The first was published in 2008, and others have since appeared in Asimov’s and the anthology Steampunk II

Q–What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
A–Ouch. I’m gonna level with you; I haven’t seen folks working a relatively straight steampunk Old West *without* also having magical aspects (zombies, for example) or actually being SF (Firefly, I’m looking adoringly at you). Maybe something like Joe R. Landsdale’s short story “The Steam Man of the Prairie and the Dark Rider Get Down: A Dime Novel” is closest, both in universe and tone.

Q–Who or what inspired you to write this book?
A–Really, it started with Fritz’s idea of these clockwork soldiers as Civil War era munitions, coupled with the Zuni mudheads, who are, mythologically speaking, an idiosyncratic sort of ritual clown distinct from other sacred fools. They really are like bumbling robots. Once those pieces clicked, the universe sorta bloomed on its own.

Q–What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?
A–Well, the current ebook editions of “Tucker” have original illustrations by Chad Sell (of “Rupaul’s Drag Race” fame). If I end up self-publishing the Proud Flesh, then I’ll be getting more illustrations done by Chad, because I *love* what he did for this story, and he has *tons* of great sketches I couldn’t afford to include. If I’d had the money, this novella would have wound up being a goddamned dirty-as-hell picture book.
Also, despite only being published in a small zine originally, “Tucker Teaches the Clockies to Copulate” garnered a fair bit of positive attention: It reviewed really well, was nominated for a Nebula (although it didn’t make it to finalist), and was up for a few other awards that honor fiction dealing innovatively with race and ethnicity, including the Carl Brandon Society Kindred Award. So, you know, it isn’t all fist-fights and dirty sex.

Thanks much to Cindy Spencer Paper for pointing folks my way. Next up are Fritz Swanson, Morgan Johnson, Ben Stroud, Ray McDaniel, and Jim Munroe.

STEAMPUNK III: Steampunk Revolution Launches Today! Features Fiction by Poor Mojo’s Giant Squid (as well as some humans)! #steampunk

We’re pleased as punch to note that today is the official launch (check out the cake!) of Steampunk Revolution–the third steampunk anthology edited by Ann VanderMeer (widely praised for the last two volumes in the series, as well as her past work for Weird Tales and on a slew of other anthos). This go ’round Ann is looking at the post-steampunk end of steampunk, the bits that push past the tight aesthetic focus on dirigibles, steam, brass goggles, and white people in Victorian England. According to Ann, breaking a genre’s most cherished conventions is about as punk as you can get, so that’s where this book aims to go.
Stories include an instructional tale for writers by our own Poor Mojo’s Giant Squid (written with an assist from Poor Mojo’s editors Morgan Johnson, David Erik Nelson, and Fritz Swanson), as well as fiction by Cherie Priest, Bruce Sterling, Jeffrey Ford, Lavie Tidhar, Jeff VanderMeer, and plenty more. Check it out:

For the squid-obsessed or steampunk-enthusiastic, I also have a different squid-themed story in the VanderMeer’s previous anthology Steampunk II: Steampunk Reloaded:

Does Cash Rule Everything Around Me?

Sorry for the late heads-up; we were traveling for Thanksgiving, and I’ve since had a congested baby (which is, bar none, the *worst* kind). At any rate, I continue to write a monthly column for the Ann Arbor Chronicle. This time around I talk about why I voted for Obama, how he expanded the electorate, if you can buy an election, and what we should maybe consider focusing on at the ballot box (*hint*: It isn’t just the economy).
The Ann Arbor Chronicle | In it for the Money: C.R.E.A.M.

. . .
Perhaps what’s most emblematic of the progress embodied by the Obama’s re-election is how he pulled it off. Often elections seem to focus almost exclusively on first solidifying support among the party faithful, and then with wooing “independents” (i.e., registered voters who show no party affiliation). What was extra-special about the Obama Campaign – and resulted in both a tidy majority in the popular vote and pretty stunning chunk of the Electoral College [5] – was how deeply it focused on expanding the electorate instead of wooing the independents. The campaign sought out citizens who were likely to support the president but had never voted before, and brought them into the conversation. From a marketing perspective, this is an entirely different activity from traditional campaigning, because you aren’t seeking to shift an existing behavior (“Buy Coke instead of Pepsi!”) but to create a new behavior (“Go to the gym instead of standing around drinking pop!”)
So, that’s one last nudge away from sanctioning bigotry and assisting persecution: Bringing the disenfranchised into the national conversation. I can think of nothing that better exemplifies what our democracy should be about than dropping millions of dollars on convincing people who don’t think their voice is valid or valuable that they need to join the conversation.
In the days following the election, as I heard both the Romney/Ryan campaign and Mitt Romney himself bemoaning – and even demonizing – this project of expanding the electorate, I was left to wonder what the hell country he thought we were living in. Just to review some basic American Civics: If you’re running for an elected position in a democracy and your opponent can rally more citizens who agree with his views than yours, it’s your views that are fucked up, not the People.
. . .

Oh. My. GOD: IT’S CYBER MONDAY!!1!

I’m not really sure if Cyber Monday is still a thing or not, but the gift-buying season has clearly begun, and I’m still a guy who’s got stuff you might want to give to the Special Ones in your life.
SNIP, BURN, SOLDER, SHRED
As of this writing there are two (2!!!) copies of my geeky DIY book in the Amazon warehouse, but I’m told more will reach them soon–or you can buy directly from my publisher–use the coupon code SHRED and you’ll save 35 percent, bringing the paperback price down to meet Amazon’s. As a bonus, No Starch Press throws in DRM-free ebook version (including ePub, Kindle-ready mobi, and a super-slick PDF) for FREE. Want a personalized, autographed copy of the book? I can hook you up!
Amazon reviewers have scads of nice things to say about Snip, Burn–all of which please me beyond all proportion:

“A great book for parents looking for new ways to interact with their kids.”
“I highly recommend this book as I know you will also find some great projects to try out for yourself!”
“My husbands eyes lit up when he saw this book! He couldn’t get enough of it. ”
“Highly recommended by this high school music teacher. Great ideas for student projects or even at-home projects with your own kids.”

“TUCKER TEACHES THE CLOCKIES TO COPULATE”
I’m not 100% sure you can even *give* a Kindle book as a gift; if you can, then you can give my celebrated steampunk novella.

“A hilarious and moving and filthy read. Highly recommended for people who like intelligent fiction that isn’t afraid to get dirty and weird at times.”
“Tucker is funny, and dense, and more than a little dark, and engaging, cover to cover. ”
“A fun and darkly funny story that’s also strangely poignant. Good whether you like steampunk or have no idea what the genre is. Read this one. You won’t regret it.”

If Kindle-book giving is verboten by Amazon, I can go you one better: I’ll sell you DRM-Free ebooks in all popular formats or–for a premium–a limited edition, handmade print chapbook.

The illustrated ebook pack is the same as the Kindle version available through Amazon, but DRM-free, and in formats suitable for almost any device. Includes mobi, ePub, PDF (in several print-ready layouts), and digital extras(!!!) “Patrons” get an exclusive, handmade, signed and numbered print edition (like the one in the pic)! Details on Pick-What-You-Pay options

STEAMPUNK II: STEAMPUNK RELOADED and STEAMPUNK III: STEAMPUNK REVOLUTION
If you dig steampunk and *also* dig books *not* printed in some guy’s basement, check these out. (FYI, my story in Steampunk II, “The Bold Explorer in the Place Beyond,” is a prequel to “Tucker Teaches the Clockies to Copulate.”)

So you like what you see? Wanna read more? #scifi #reading

On the off chance that you come here for the writing (as opposed to just gawking at the rad pictures of my beard, mushrooms, and no-arm Civil War dudes), you might be interested in a few new and classic writings I have on offer.
If you’re interested in the misadventures of a land-bound, advice-tendering Giant Squid, check out the story Morgan Johnson, Fritz Swanson, and I have in the new anthology Steampunk III, just hitting stores now:

For those thrilled equally by ingenuity and the human ramifications of very clever clockwork robots, check out my novella Tucker Teaches the Clockies to Copulate:

I reckon Mr. Nelson might be a bit wrong in the head, frankly, but the product of that disarray is quite lovely–tender, almost, but also sharp and perceptive.

A standalone prequel to this novella–featuring the parable of a tiny squid with big notions–is included in the VanderMeer’s Steampunk II anthology:

“Beautiful, often lyrical, frequently disturbing, always exciting, and occasionally even funny, but they’re also dense, literary, and trusting of the reader to be smart enough to ‘get’ it.”–New York Journal of Books on Steampunk II: Steampunk Reloaded

Live in MI? Vote NO on Props 5 and 6; Live Anywhere? Stop Being Politically Cynical

I continue to write a column for the Ann Arbor Chronicle. The latest one seeks to counteract a huge, manipulative ad campaign being run by a somewhat nefarious billionaire looking to fundamentally cripple our ability to functionally run Michigan.
Please Vote NO on Props 5 and 6; touch base with everyone you know in Michigan, and make sure they’re planning on voting *against* these shenanigans, too.
Larger than local politics, this billionaire’s efforts to hoodwink us really rely on our active connivance, by preying on our suspicions of the worst in each other. Even if you don’t live in Michigan–poor devils!–there’s something to be learned from what’s happening here:
The Ann Arbor Chronicle | In it for the Money: Kleptocracy

. . .
What [billionaire] Moroun is preying upon is our knee-jerk “common sense” conviction that government – which is the subset of ourselves that we charge with the job of keeping the house tidy so the rest of us can earn a living – is essentially incompetent. More so than mudslinging in political ads or lies during debates, it’s this core cynicism – a cynicism we each individually carry in our hearts and reproduce over and over again with pithily captioned pictures posted to Facebook, and re-shared links to spurious infographics, and caps-locked screeds – that’s poisoning us as a nation.
Listen, I love you, so I feel like can say this: Cynicism is the mechanical thing that dumb people do to seem wise. It’s a display of our most fundamental weakness: the ardent desire to be right.
Knee-jerk anti-governmentalism is the equivalent of thinking you’re precognizant because you can look at the succulent, exquisitely prepared dinner that’s been set before you, turn to your host and confidently claim: “In the next several hours, this luxurious banquet will be rendered into fecal matter by the action of our digestive systems.” That doesn’t make you a reliable forecaster of human events; it just makes you a boor. I don’t think any post-adolescent needs constant reminders of the basics: people lie, humans are fallible, puppies become stinky old dogs, and everyone dies. We do need to remind each other that we can and should live our lives, wash that dog, help each other recover from our failures, and correct the liars.
. . .

The day this column went live I got a *really* nice email from the Consul General of Canada complimenting me on my efforts. Don’t let anyone speak ill of Canadians to you. That whole damn nation is one huge class act.

Category: Other Writing