There can be little debate that Neal Stephenson's Snow Crash (1992) was prescient. It imagined a digital landscape (the Metaverse) that bears a striking resemblance to a number of current-day e-communities like Second Life or even the World of Warcraft. It also described a massive future shift in the capitalist power structure that allowed for corporatocracy to replace [...]
Author: Brennan
Hi, I'm Brennan. Thanks for reading.
Late to the Party
I'm the kind of obsessive fool who doesn't do very well with partial experiences. I have a hard time enjoying a TV show unless I get to start at the beginning, if I start a book I need to finish it, and if I dive into some kind of series, I've got to consume the whole [...]
The Ocean and the Word
Spells and enchantments are enticing to writers because they suggest that words - the writer's most beloved commodity - have power and value beyond what simply appears on the page. And in 1968 Ursula LeGuin incorporated the similarities between writing and magic into her masterful bildungsroman A Wizard of Earthsea. Long before Harry Potter, A Wizard of Earthsea is the [...]
An Eye for Trouble
I've mentioned before that our oldest dog, Elly, is something of a terror. She's escaped from fenced yards, run through the house with a knife in her mouth (blade-side out), and eaten enough random detritus that her accrued medical bills probably could have sent Caitlin and I on a rather enjoyable vacation. For all of that, [...]
No Moms Allowed
It started as a daddy-daughter camping trip back in 1990. My Uncle Jeff and two of his best friends - who had spent a sizable chunk of their younger years hiking and backpacking and camping - took their daughters to a campground on a small inland lake and spent a few days eating and drinking [...]
Make Yourself
I'm hesitant to post anything that could be construed as life-coaching on this blog because, you know, it's not like I'm the perfect human or anything. I don't have all the answers, people. I know. You're surprised. ANYWHOO. I am, however, interested in trying to better myself. In the lead up to my wedding in May I [...]
Stick the Landing
Over the last few days I've been reading Neal Stephenson's Snow Crash and last night when I put the book down and went to bed I had about 60 pages remaining until the book's end. Which creates an interesting conundrum: caught in the sweep up to its climax, I want to finish the book as soon as [...]
Dog Parents
Caitlin and I got our first dog, Elly, almost four and a half years ago. Shortly after that - once we had gotten accustomed to the daily trauma that was being Elly's parents - we realized that we actually wanted to have two dogs. Concerns about space, apartment rentals, and money kept us from growing [...]
Her Majesty
There is a certain anxiety inherent to a new release from one of your favorite bands, especially if it's a reunion album. The upside is obvious - you're fairly likely to enjoy a new album from a band that you already like. And yet what if you don't like the new release because it, in no [...]
An Idiot At the Door
Sometimes when I meet strangers I am charming and engaging. Sometimes I am an uncomfortably awkward fool. This is a (true) story about one of those latter instances. ----- On a bright summer day I stood outside of an apartment complex. The building itself was clean and modern, the grass healthy and well manicured. The sun [...]
Songs & Stories 