Producing

Hitchcock on Happiness

By Bjorn Munson | by Bjorn Munson

Anecdotally, I’m given to understand many purveyors of horror and spine-tingling thrillers are some of the nicest, chillest folks around… so I though of that when I came across this excerpt from a 1964 CBC interview with celebrated filmmaker Alfred Hitchcock: Interviewer: Mr. Hitchcock, what is your definition of happiness? Alfred Hitchcock: A clear horizon — nothing to worry about on your plate, only things that are creative and not destructive and that’s withing yourself.…

Continue reading

Site Update

So, We’re Going to Take This to Eleven

By Bjorn Munson | by Bjorn Munson

It’s time once again for a self-referential post as 11 years ago today, I relaunched my personal website. Neither I nor Nigel Tufnel thought we’d get here, but Nigel at least had a plan. (Incidentally, in searching for the appropriate graphic, I learned that Spinal Tap was not the first to go to 11, which I feel should be better known). Yes, it’s time for a: The 11th Anniversary is apparently the “Steel” anniversary. So…

Continue reading

Various and Sundry

Exploration and Science in (Mock) Spaaace!

By Bjorn Munson | by Bjorn Munson

Going through some of my old research on space exploration –because why shouldn’t one write science fiction of space explorers knowing some related science fact?– I came across this article by Denise Chow for Space.com back from 2011. It’s all about how people are practicing how to explore space while still here on Earth. And since it’s from 2011, I wondered how some of these projects turned out in early 2026, 15 years later. The…

Continue reading

Various and Sundry Writing

Apparently I’ve been using mind-altering substances all my life. Hopefully, you have too.

By Bjorn Munson | by Bjorn Munson

A definite plus of last year was reading the number of books I did: far more than I had the previous few years. Not only did it help with my writing, but it also helped provide some solace amid all the happy fun stuff happening in the world. But before I advocate wanton reading, you should be made aware of the research done by Gregory Berns and others, research that indicate STORIES CHANGE YOUR BRAIN.…

Continue reading

Writing

“Art is the means by which we become what we want to be.”

By Bjorn Munson | by Bjorn Munson

I’ve been musing about a longer post about AI, because my thoughts about the current large language models (LLMs) and the like have evolved over the past year as we’ve looked into more and more use cases at the dayjob. However, if you detected skepticism in my previous posts about AI and my many links to articles and videos, that doubt has not dissipated. Besides the consistently cited environmental impacts, something that at best must…

Continue reading

Various and Sundry

2025 Additions to the National Film Registry

By Bjorn Munson | by Bjorn Munson

I’m old enough to remember when they started the National Film Registry and it’s always nice to see which 25 films are added each year. It’s always a combination of films crossing genres, decades, and current awareness. Some films you know well, some you think “about time,” and some –let’s be honest, fellow cinemaniacs– we don’t know… which means we have new films to check out! Anyway, here’s where you can learn about this year’s…

Continue reading

Various and Sundry

One Person After Another Weighs in on the Best Films of 2025

By Bjorn Munson | by Bjorn Munson

The Golden Globes have come and gone, and the Oscar nominations have been announced (as well as the Actor née SAG Awards). If you suddenly feel the urge to catch up on what are deemed the “best films” from 2025, you’re not alone. I am here to help that endeavor. Now, if you’re the type of person who’s all about group consensus, you might want to go no further than Metacritic’s round-up of the top…

Continue reading

Raves Writing

Writing Rules to Know and Vigorously Ignore as Needed

By Bjorn Munson | by Bjorn Munson

I’m guessing I’m not the only one who has various goals related to writing for the new year, so this article by author Elizabeth McCracken, an article recommended in turn by Mary Doria Russell, author of one of my all-time favorite books, as the one she would write were she not so firmly in retirement. I’ve read and heard enough writing advice to appreciate when they (a) have cogent reasons for their system or approach…

Continue reading

Various and Sundry

Salutant te omnes ioculatores!

By Bjorn Munson | by Bjorn Munson

Some days, you discover something and must share it with the world. You know that piece of rousing music you probably most associate with the circus? It often heralds the entrance of the clowns. I’ll let Marty the Zebra refresh your memory: Well, as it turns out, this particular piece of music was not written for the big top, but it was written with another circus in mind, a circus that takes it to the…

Continue reading

Various and Sundry

A Viewing Guide for Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

By Bjorn Munson | by Bjorn Munson

After all the viewing guides to date, we finally arrive at Deep Space Nine (DS9). While I love several other Star Trek series a whole lot (as you probably picked up on), this one remains my favorite for a multitude of reasons, not just for the root beer. No, this spinoff with no Enterprise –and not even set on a starship– is where the producers kept pushing the envelope for how much serialization they could…

Continue reading