Fred's Blog

Author: Fred Rothganger

  • Plastic Memories

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    Fred Rothganger
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    Just finished watching “Plastic Memories”, a real tear-jerking robot love story. Imagine a nice version of “Blade Runner”, full of supremely innocent romance and deep love, and the inevitable loss that comes with limited lifespan. “Happily ever after” can be a very short time indeed.

  • Bubonicon, the day after

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    Fred Rothganger
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    Bubonicon is over. Throughout the conference, successful authors sat on panels discussing various literary topics. Many of them were quite smart, the kind of people you would enjoy talking to as a friend. And some had a real warmth in their artistic outlook on life. I felt a bit jealous of their success. The truth…

  • SuSAn flyer for Bubonicon

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    Fred Rothganger
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    Next weekend is Bubonicon here in Albuquerque. In addition to skulking around in obscurity, I will put free copies of “SuSAn” on the book table and place a stack of fliers. A preview is attached.

  • Spice & Wolf

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    Fred Rothganger
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    I’ve been home alone for the last couple of days. To fill the time and unwind from the stress of building at Bunker Hill, I started watching a random anime called “Spice & Wolf”. OMG! I’ve become an instant fan. Binge-watched all the episodes, and am now reading a novella that picks up where the…

  • Forget what you know about robots (if you learned it from TV)

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    Fred Rothganger
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    I participate in a group where we critique each other’s novels. A few weeks ago, my book SuSAn (experimental rewrite) went through review. One of the guys wrote in the margin, “For research on robotics, I’d recommend you watch the awesome television series ‘Humans’.” I agree with him that the TV series was awesome, and…

  • The Value of Life

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    Fred Rothganger
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    “Love your neighbor as you love yourself.” “But who is my neighbor?” Doesn’t that capture the heart of it? We don’t truly value life, certainly not the lives of others. I dream of a world in which everyone has enough, and they are free to grow into the fullest potential of their minds and bodies.…

  • Torture

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    Fred Rothganger
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    One meaning of “litmus test” is a single issue on which you judge a candidate. Someone who says the right thing on, for example abortion, gets your vote regardless of any other moral failings they have. A candidate’s position on torture should be a litmus test. Of course, this would never be adopted by the…

  • Yield to Bikes

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    Fred Rothganger
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    On the way to work today I came to a major intersection where I need to move from the right bike lane several lanes over to make a left-turn. I held out my arm in the standard hand signal for nearly 100 feet, while one car passed me by. Another car was behind him, but…

  • Motel 6

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    Fred Rothganger
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    Yesterrnight we stayed Motel 6, and I felt compelled to write a review. Here’s a copy for your entertainment… Motel 6 has that reputation of being just one step above rent-by-the-hour places. If there are accommodations on the road to Hell, Motel 666 is the last stop before you reach the sign that says “Abandon…

  • Visiting Susan’s Hill

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    Fred Rothganger
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    The books “SuSAn” and “Time of the Stones” describe a computer called the Stone, which stores the records of our civilization. It is placed on a remote hill high in the mountains at the headwaters of the Long River. Yesterday I went to the real-world place that inspired the setting. It was sort of a…