Author Archives: Michael Spence

We have a winner!

Ladies and gentlemen, let me proudly announce that the estimable Elisabeth Waters has passed the 50,000-word finish line, making her a winner in the 2009 National Novel Writing Month. Reviving Fate is officially a going concern. To prepare for it, … Continue reading

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Nathan Lowell and Brand Gamblin: Workingman’s SF

Clerk’s Log, MJDate 55153.21: *ahem* As I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted …  Tales of space encounters abound in the annals of SFF literature, from the romances of Cyrano de Bergerac to H.G. Wells’s The First Men … Continue reading

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Nathan Lowell and Brand Gambli[ CONTENT OVERRIDE: KILROY2.0 IS HERE!!! ]

Clerk’s Log, MJDate 55131.5: Although Labor Day is well behind us, the Fourth Quarter of 2009 is just under way. On that businesslike note, therefore, allow me to highlight some stories you might wish to investigate.

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Signpost: The Book of Ecclesiastes

BEEN THERE DONE THAT SO YOU DON’T HAVE TO

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About the “prime directive”

In his parting words Jesus said, “You shall be my witnesses.” He did not say, “Over there are two truckloads of rocks, boys. You know what to do.”

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Three servant-leaders in social media

Item IV.D of the preceding philosophy of education gives the rationale for what, in the American evangelical church, is commonly called “servant leadership.” It’s the idea that true leadership has less to do with someone’s outward signs of rank than … Continue reading

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Why I teach what I teach

Clerk’s Log, MJDate 54987.52: Applications for faculty positions usually ask you to state your “personal philosophy of teaching.” Here’s mine.

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It’s a Movie Mantra!

Awhile back I was privileged to read Movie Mantra number 64 for the estimable Martyn Darkly, and it’s apparently getting some buzz. Here’s the link. Martyn takes lines from memorable films (or memorable lines from not-so-memorable films) and presents them … Continue reading

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Metamor City Sidebar: What IS magic, anyway?

“The whole machine isn’t possible. Personally, I believe color television to be impossible too. But since it does exist, I will act as if I believed in it. We must do the same for the Energy Damper.” — Illya Kuryakin, … Continue reading

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Abortion — such language!

Thirty-six years after Roe v. Wade we’re still tossing around the same irrelevant labels. Neither the side favoring legalized abortion nor the side opposing it is “anti-life.” Nor is either side “anti-choice.” They do differ on what “life” means, and … Continue reading

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