Posthuman Blues

I'm admiring the online ad campaign for "28 Days Later" -- it doesn't tell you anything about what the film is about, only that it's "raw" and very much orthogonal to mainstream Hollywood cinema. I have to agree with both points. Horror writer and correspondent John Shirley has written an excellent review of the film for Locus, the trade magazine of the science fiction field; I was also impressed with his fair treatment of "The Matrix Reloaded."

I've started reading Jack Williamson's "Terraforming Earth," about the aftermath of our planet after it's struck by the next global-killer asteroid that's inevitably heading our way as I write.

I missed work today and, quite honestly, have spent the entire day worrying about what's in store for me tomorrow. Worse still, I don't have the energy to throw myself into any worthwhile projects in the meantime.

Blognauts Jason ("Busy, Busy, Busy") and Maggie ("Sour Times") have new digs in Lawrence, Kansas, which is a very fun town. The last time I was there I was able to see William S. Burroughs, Allen Ginsberg, Kathy Acker, Richard Hell, and a bunch of other punk-bohemian types. Asked what he thought of the Internet, Burroughs wisely reponded: "It's a step in the right direction."

I miss Burroughs about as much as one can "miss" someone one never actually knew. But at the same time I'm perversely grateful he was spared the virulent spectacle of the Bush take-over.