I still don’t know what I’ll be talking about.

On the last iteration of the blog [now found at archive.rocketbomber.com] I started with the vague idea that I might generally cover sci-fi—hence the name, RocketBomber—but over time I ended up digging into ebook sales, tried to track digital sales more generally, took off on a three year tangent on bookselling, and mopped up the last year or so of blogging there with some linkblogging and music essays.

I don’t feel like taking any of those topics up again.

If I look at the sorts of news sources that I subscribe to, and what I’m currently reading, and the stories that I share on social media, that may give us a better idea of the sort of topics I might fall into later.

Urbanism:

Cities & Living. Neighborhoods, how they live, grow, and die, and the related issues of gentrification, zoning, walkability & transit, affordable housing, and changing demographics including the growing aging populations

The Future of Energy:

As the now-4-year-old Onion headline succinctly puts it: Scientists Politely Remind World That Clean Energy Technology Ready To Go Whenever. Electric cars are part of this, but that’s not my beat. I’d rather look at how materials science is changing solar panel efficiencies and costs, how house-scale battery technology is improving, how off-the-grid and small local grids might develop as alternatives to long-distance transmission, and the other odds and ends of the new energy sector.

Design:

Not gadget design, & not necessarily industrial design, and while I’m fascinated by the design of spaces, I hesitate to call it interior design.

Working Spaces, particularly things like open floor office plans and why they are evil, standing desks and other alternatives to the table-and-chair norm, shop spaces and work benches, organization of all types (because I recognize my own lack), and generally any space where we work – even kitchens, labs, classrooms, and factory floors.

I might get distracted and chase design down a rabbit hole, which would lead to considering Restaurant & Bar spaces; Creative Retail; Halls, stages, auditoria, & performance spaces; Galleries & Museums; Libraries—damn but I do love libraries—
But it’s the working space, from corporate offices down to individual corners, that I might try and write about first.

And also designing for accessibility, which is cool.

Pop Culture?:

Fandom is turning toxic in odd corners and I’m not sure I want to open that can of worms. But I do like comics, comic art & sequential art, and I might succumb to the temptation to write about them, or their adaptations into media other than print.

Also: I still love science fiction. The blog is still called “rocket bomber”. It might come up.

& Storytelling:

The art and craft of writing, and storytelling – on the page, in games, on screens, & the nuts and bolts of practical modern myth-making

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That’s five pretty big targets. I might find something completely different down the line. And even though this isn’t a Diary Blog, I’ll be starting with some more personal posts until I find my feet (and my voice) and get into the habit of blogging again.