I created a video version of my short story from a couple years ago, “Hacking Mars.” It includes the same text accompanied by an original synth score.
Hacking Mars Video
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Author Archives: T.Z. Barry
The True Story of the Witch from Trick or Zombie Treat
If you read my Halloween-themed kids vs. monsters novel, Trick or Zombie Treat, then you might remember the character of the witch. Trick or treaters go to her house, and when they eat her “special” homemade candy, they magically transform into real-life versions of their costumes. What you may not know is that the character of the witch, Jane Kaniff, was based on a real person. Continue reading
Social Anxiety in Movies: Lars and the Real Girl
Lars and the Real Girl is a quirky indie dramedy about a shy lonely psychologically-troubled young man who buys a sex doll over the internet and starts a (non-sexual) relationship with her, believing she is real. Continue reading
Why Blade Runner is a Cinematic Masterpiece
With Blade Runner 2049 coming out, I rewatched the original in preparation. I got to see The Final Cut on the big screen for the first time, and it was an incredible experience. For the past dozen years or so, Blade Runner has been one of my favorite films and a major inspiration on my writing, particularly the way it fuses science fiction with noir (my two favorite genres). Blade Runner wasn’t always a favorite movie of mine, however. The first time I saw it, sometime around 2005, I just didn’t get it. But after hearing Christopher Nolan, praise Blade Runner as his favorite film, I figured I must have been missing something, so a couple years later I gave it another shot.
Bad movies get worse with repeated viewings, good movies hold up with repeated viewings, and great movies get better with repeated viewings. Blade Runner is a great movie. The second time around, I appreciated the film a lot more, and my appreciation has only grown with each subsequent viewing. Having seen Blade Runner about ten times now, I recognize it for what it truly is: a cinematic masterpiece and one of the greatest films ever made. Continue reading
TimeMail: Time Travel Email
Mark, a pizza delivery driver in the year 2016, receives a message in his inbox, sent from his own email address, claiming to be himself from 30 years in the future. Continue reading
The Future of Football
Despite the current popularity of the NFL, the future of the sport could be in jeopardy. With the preponderance of data about the dangers of concussions and CTE, will American football still be around 100 years from now, or even 50? Is there a way to protect the health and safety of players without diluting the game or diminishing the experience for the fans? Continue reading
Plotting vs. Pantsing
One of the big debates in writing fiction is plotting versus pantsing. Outlining your story ahead of time, or making it up as you go along. Continue reading
The Evolutionary Advantage of Shyness and Social Anxiety
I used to think of my shyness and social anxiety as a disorder—something wrong with me. As if I got unlucky and inherited a genetic defect. Then, I heard that social anxiety is not something you’re born with—it’s developed. Which didn’t make sense either because I’ve been shy and socially anxious my entire life. It wasn’t until I learned about evolutionary psychology that everything started to make sense. I was born with the tendency to be shy around strangers and worry about what other people think of me, but that wasn’t a genetic mistake. Shyness and social anxiety were actually an evolutionary advantage. Continue reading
Man in Wild: A Cartoon
It’s comical how overconfident humans have become, walking the streets with our heads down staring at a phone, not even looking where we’re going, assuming we’ll be fine. Thousands of years ago, we had to constantly be on alert while walking out in the wild, searching for tigers and other threats that could kill us. Now, we just stroll past cars, (which are even more dangerous than tigers) with our eyes glued to a screen, and if a car hits us, it’s they’re fault, not ours.
Audiobooks vs. Reading
I love listening to podcasts, but for some reason I never got into audiobooks. I couldn’t quite connect with a novel by listening to it in the same way I did by reading it. Which I found odd. Oral storytelling is evolutionarily ingrained in humans, dating back to when our prehistoric ancestors told stories around the campfire. Therefore, audiobooks should be more natural than reading. Which explains why I prefer listening to podcasts over reading transcripts or articles. However, I still prefer reading books over audiobooks. Why the apparent discrepancy? Continue reading
T.Z. Barry 