56: Three Debacles in a Trenchcoat

I’m in Lost Vegas meeting with editors, publishers, and other writers, figuring out how to break publishing. It’s rather like BlackHat, except artsy. I suspect my voice displays every bit of my jet lag, but here you go.

One day the FreeBSD Foundation decided to start a journal, which is much like an author deciding to write an operating system. Cheered by the prospect of witnessing three debacles in a trenchcoat, I offered heartfelt encouragement. Before my popcorn finished popping, they asked me to join the editorial board.

Well. At least they knew they knew nothing. I accepted, thinking I’d spend most of my time writing scathing emails lambasting their foolishness and explaining that working in open source had badly warped their understanding of copyright law. Then Jim Maurer and the fine folks at S&W Publishing took over the real work. I should have bowed out then, but my juvenile concerns about appearing churlish had not yet completely atrophied.

They had an editorial board meeting at BSDCan. Lulled by indifferent sweets and a truly excellent fruit salad, I found myself volunteered to write a letters column.

With luck, Dear Abyss launches on Kickstarter in September. Without luck, it actually gets published.

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