Lots of good stuff happening, but I’ll be brief (mostly because I’m writing this update during my lunch hour, and I’m starving). First, please be sure to check out my latest The Future Is Now column on Geek & Sundry. This time I examine just exactly how close we are to putting human feet on Mars. (close than you think!)

Now, I get about ten emails every week asking me, "Is the book done, yet?" - So, as is my charter, I will show you just exactly where I am in the rewrite:

As you can see, I’m very, very close to being done with the first rewrite. I’m staying up extra late and waking up extra early every day this week to get it done, and in my editor’s hands in order to meet the Inkshares manuscript delivery deadline of August 1. If I get that done I think there’s a good chance the book will land on the early side of 2017.

While we’re here, I’d like to also update you on the short story I’m writing for the Too Many Controllers anthology, which, if you haven’t already acquired, you really should. As promised, since the anthology reached its 300th reader target, I’m unveiling the name and synopsis of my contribution. My story is entitled: Morcom is here. Here is the synopsis:

A journalist researching the UK’s World War 2 Colossus computing program at Bletchley Park inadvertently unearths Alan Turing’s most complex, clandestine program. A tome of handwritten code designed for a computer that he knew would not exist for decades after his death. Many believe the program to be an artificial intelligence game Turing designed to defeat his own famous test. A one hundred million dollar XPRIZE challenge is announced, awarded to the first person or team who could successfully execute Turing’s opus. A team from the University of Michigan thinks they’ve got what it takes.

Lastly, I wanted to call your attention to my editor, Robert Kroese, and his new book The Big Sheep which is officially available for purchase today. I’m a huge fans of his writing, and this book is sure to entertain. It’s half Philip K Dick, half Douglas Adams. What’s not to love? You can get yourself a copy from Amazon, or, if you’re a collector, autographed copies are available from Schuler Books. 

Happy Saturday to the loveliest readers in the world. There have been some amazing developments that I am finally able to share with you. It’s been hard holding it in, but now that it’s official I’m happy to announce that I will be writing a column called The Future is Now that will explore the intersection of science fiction and present technology. The first TFIN, in which I explore the current state of laser weaponry is now live!

You’ll be pleased to know that debate over my flagrant reference to lasers and phasers being "the same thing" has already incited a heated debate among the Trekkies of Geek & Sundry, and so, in traditional fashion, I have managed to outraged the very people I was trying to entertain.

Speaking of outrage(!) - The future vintage International Transport shirts have arrived. These beautiful organic cotton shirts commemorate and celebrate International Transport’s 2393 R&D Offsite during which The Punch Escrow was first successfully tested in the teleportation of a live human "volunteer".

This means that the logistics of shipping all of the good stuff many of you have earned or won will likely happen in the next week. I have gotten a lot of requests to buy the shirts, but unfortunately I’m just not set up to sell them. Likely Geek & Sundry will probably take over merchandising for The Punch Escrow as we get closer to the publication date. Maybe they will resurrect this design. As things firm up I will let you know where to go/who to ask to make these kind of requests.

Lastly, the amazing anthology of which I am a part, Too Many Controllers, continues to go from strength to strength in the Nerdist "video game" contest. We’ve already reached "Quill" publishing status, meaning that regardless of whether we win the contest or not, our anthology is getting published, but we’re in it to win it, my friends. I was hoping to share the synopsis of my story with you, but alas, we have a strict information release cadence. I’m told that perhaps my story’s synopsis will be unveiled once our reader count reaches 300. Please help us get there! Here is a "hint":