The Alien Next Door
Blog URL http://sfgirl-thealiennextdoor.blogspot.com
Located Vancouver, British Columbia Canada
Tags writing, science, science fiction, Nina Munteanu, pop culture, philosophy, inspiration, environment, ecology
Lively discussion with a scientist and SF writer on writing, science, pop culture, philosophy and environment. Reviews of movies and books.
Latest Blog Posts
- The Nordstrom Way: The K-Selected Model of Doing Business on Nov 19, 2009 in Nordstrom new economic models k-selected customer service r-selected ecology and economics K-strategists
“I come from the land of Nordstrom customer service,” blogger and author Kimmelin Hull tells us. “There were stories about people bringing in pairs of shoes that were years old, in poor shape, and definitely not from Nordstrom. They approached...
- What is NaNoWriMo and Why Should I Care? on Nov 14, 2009 in novel writing NaNoWriMo writing fiction National Novel Writing Month motivation to write
NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month. Professional and amateur writers from all over the world come together every November to write a designated amount over a 30 day period. “National Novel Writing Month is a fun, seat-of-your-pants a...
- The Somerset Collection: Toulouse Gets Lost in Detroit on Nov 8, 2009 in Toulouse LeTrek Somerset Collection Detroit Toulouse
“EEK!” you say. What happened? Well, as some of you know I am on the road again, marketing my fiction writing guide The Fiction Writer: Get Published, Write Now! to schools, colleges and universities (know of one that could use my book?) across N...
- You’re Less Likely to Get Sick If You Actively Socialize on Nov 4, 2009 in virtual socializing Facebook physical and mental health socializing and sickness socializing and health social identities scientific american social networks isolation and sickness
Isn’t that an oxymoron? More sociable people are more exposed to germs, after all. Yet a study by Sheldon Cohen and his colleagues published in Psychological Science (2003) showed that less sociable people caught colds more often than those who soc...
- Three Mistakes Not to Make When Crossing the Border on Oct 28, 2009 in crossing the border Canada Border Services U.S. border nina munteanu border crossings
I wasn’t long back from my month-long sojourn out of province and country when I had to cross the border yet again into the United States on a mailing errand. I thought nothing of it, as I grabbed my passport and the package I was taking across the...
- The Speed of Life: Slow Down and Taste Life on Oct 20, 2009 in slow food recipe slow food fast food speed of life good food
Europeans really know how to eat. More to the point—they know how to slow down so they can enjoy what they are eating. When I was in Paris last year, I witnessed the bustle and rush of working Parisians in the Metros and the crowded streets; but I...
- In Search of a New Paradigm—Part 2: Pixar’s “Collective Creativity” on Oct 12, 2009 in collective creativity movie-making Harvard Business Review power to the creatives good ideas vs. good people capitalism Pixar Ed Catmull computer animation
The view that good ideas are rarer and more valuable than good people is rooted in a misconception of creativity—Ed Catmull, Pixar Recently, Piet Voute, my neighbor and a cool animator (you may have read my interview with him here) passed me an art...




