Today, we see some "file sharing" sites that rely on fans uploading cracked copies of ebooks, and which then make money off those books by charging for downloads (via cash subscriptions or advertising). Again: I take a dim view of this. They're making money off the back of my work without paying me.
Charles StrossThe Magician's Land is a triumphant climax to the best fantasy trilogy of the decade.
Charles StrossMy gut feeling is that SF as we know it today is actually a heavily propagandized field that grew out of a specific set of cultural trends running in the USA and Europe between 1918 and 1950, during the post-imperial modernization period.
Charles StrossChristmas: the one time of year when you canโt avoid the nuts in your family muesli.
Charles StrossWhat I've learned during my life is that the near future is 90% identical to the present - if you buy a new car today, it'll probably still be on the road in 2022.
Charles StrossWe're currently living with a generation of established novelists who are embarrassingly out of date with respect to social networking, internet skills, and so on.
Charles StrossI have a fear of nuclear annihilation. I'm a child of the cold war: I didn't live more than 10 miles from a major WarPac nuclear target until the Berlin Wall came down and the CW ended. Knowing you can die horribly at any moment because of decisions made by alien intelligences thousands of miles away who don't even know you exist - there's something Lovecraftian about that, isn't there?
Charles Stross