Fred's Blog

Author: Fred Rothganger

  • Pulling the plug on a dream

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    Fred Rothganger
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    Today, after less than a year of marriage, Elizabeth becomes a widow. A gangly young woman, shy and self deprecating, she grew up in the intellectual safety of homeschooling and fundamental Judeo-Christian values. When she finally went off to the University of Arkansas to study Chemical Engineering, she wore a promise ring on her left…

  • The Golem and the Jinni

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    Fred Rothganger
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    I recently finished the book “The Golem and the Jinni” by Helene Wecker. I read and write hard science fiction, but this book is magic realism, so a bit out of my genre. However, I suspected that the Golem’s story would be much like that of a robotess, and it was. If you change the…

  • Tomorrowland

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    Fred Rothganger
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    When the credits started rolling on Tomorrowland, the theater audience erupted in applause. I can’t remember that last time that happened. The critics said it was tripe, but us stupid commoners seemed to buy into it anyway. Must have annoyed all those sourpusses. Sure, it was a bit syrupy, and the plot had a few…

  • Star Wars 7 — Spectacularly Mediocre

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    Fred Rothganger
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    I heard rave reviews from friends and family about the new Star Wars, for example, “The best Star Wars ever.” SW7 had quite a legacy to live up to, so it required the very best writing. (We can safely assume it had the very best special effects budget, so little worry about there.) I came…

  • Science Fiction and Fantasy

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    Fred Rothganger
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    The literary world wants to combine the genres of Science Fiction and Fantasy under a larger umbrella called Speculative Fiction. Seems reasonable, but there is a real difference between the two. One way to explain this is to show you the Scale of Science Fiction Hardness on TV Tropes. You could view this as a…

  • The best writing advice ever

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    Fred Rothganger
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    A writer’s group challenged its members to post about the best advice we’ve received. I sort of flat-lined on this. I haven’t received much advice, because I haven’t sought it enough. Many times I’ve longed to have a really good writer—someone who’s put up a bestseller or ten—come along side and mentor me in this…

  • Is the Universe personal?

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    Fred Rothganger
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    This summer I battled the elements to finish the exterior of my “doomstead”, an underground house that Crystal and I are building. We needed to wrap the thing in several layers of plastic and Styrofoam. Unfortunately, both of those can blow away in the wind rather easily, and you can’t tape them together when they…

  • Paper Towns — Romantic disappointment

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    Fred Rothganger
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    This movie had a reasonably good start, a slow middle, and a disappointing ending. Don’t get me wrong. I thought it was good, almost worth the time and money I spent on it, but it wasn’t the thriller the previews suggested. It was simply the coming of age story of three young men. The real…

  • Ex Machina — Jurassic Park for AI

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    Fred Rothganger
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    OK, I’m not the first person to make this observation, but seems apropos. Extremely rich man full of hubris brings in outside expert to examine creation. He flies to a remote but richly appointed place in a helicopter, where they are sort of trapped for a few days. (Screams plot setup, doesn’t it?) Expert is…

  • Roofing Bunker Hill

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    Fred Rothganger
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    On Sunday my brother-in-law Russell and family came to help us finish laying the “umbrella” (equivalent to roof on a normal house). We worked from 6 am to about 5 pm, completing everything but a few loose corners. Then it started to rain, so they left on their long drive home. Almost immediately the storm…