PUBLISHED!

Patrick Huyghe has just informed me that Mac's book, The Cryptoterrestrials; A Meditation on Indigenous Humanoids and the Aliens Among Us has been published and is now available!

Here's a link to the Anomalist Book notice: http://www.anomalistbooks.com/tonnies.html

Notice (as of March 8, 2010):

This is the Amazon link: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1933665467/

And although I'm sure you recognize my cover art (see previous post), I also previously mentioned that Mike Clelland did the interior illustrations to the book. Here's a link to his blog with some examples: Little Boing Marks. Also, check out his other blog with a tribute to Mac.

Cardboard & Cinnamon

A poem Mac posted on Posthuman Blues, 2003...

"Caffeine laughter 

Julia sets 

(anomalous magnetism) 

Captured on film 

(we study reports) 

Acres of glass, 

Imitation marble 

Raw squid 

and infomercials 

Hyperoxygenated blood: 

more durable memory 

Rorschach calligraphy / 

Thinking machines 

No, truly thinking 

(aware of quantum manifestions) 

Why don't we all meditate 

on the singularity 

Or 

Small Gray men 

(suits of reptile flesh, 

cardboard and cinnamon)"

-Mac Tonnies, 2003

Sandy Denny

Because everyone deserves a good Celtic send-off... 

Fare thee well, Brother, till we meet again.

A Floating Memorial Plaque

Because Mac loved my "gnarly" platonic solids...

Dreams

"When I was little I had a whole mythology about our

backyard.  I still remember strange dreams about

otherworldly beings taking up residence in the field

behind the screen of trees and showing me things . . .

which is probably why I found Strieber's "The Secret

School" so compelling.  I also have "memories" of

strange lights in my room.  Go figure.

With the lights, I honestly don't know.  I'd see

cartoons on the wall (from my crib) and would watch. 

I called this "dreaming on the wall," and childishly

assumed it was something everyone did, or could do. 

Of course, I realize this could have been confabulated

from dreams."

- Mac Tonnies, June 26, 2006

Mac's alien image can be found here.

Portraits of Mac

Stones In Space

Stones in Space - Digital - 2014, DS

"Over time, individuals would go back to the gravesite and continue to place stones, ensuring the security of the site and as a way to build up the “memory” of the loved one. As time passed on, and carved monuments became the preferred memorial, the custom of leaving a small visitation stone became a symbolic gesture–a way for the visitor to say of the loved one, “I remember you…..”.

- from "Origins of Leaving A Visitation Stone" found here

"Regardless of how the custom came about, it is still an incredible way to remember and respect those who have passed on. Leaving a stone or pebble is a gesture of appreciation for the strong and lasting impression they have made on your life." 

- from A Grave Interest

***

This blog - apart from being a celebration of Mac Tonnies - is also his virtual monument. I know of no other. Whatever goes on in this "room" is between you and Mac. I say no more.

Four Drawings

(PHB link)

(from this mactonnies.com page)

(PHB link)

(PHB link)

According to Dana Tonnies, Macs legacy includes hundreds of sketches like the ones above, a few which appeared on Posthuman Blues, but a number of others which can be found on a 3 page gallery beginning here. I don't think Mac ever took his artwork seriously, perhaps feeling that it was a distraction from his more "serious" role as a writer. But it's the individual's ability for numerous varieties of self-expression that separates humans from wasps, and it's through this ability our species evolves. There is no law, as of yet, that dictates that we as creative beings must limit our roles to that of "one trick ponies". Mac appreciated art because he was an artist with a fairly accurate sense of design. I think his little "doodles" speak volumes, and sincerely hope that one day they, at the very least, can be compiled into another book, so that his artist's visions are not lost.

Plus: Two more drawings from the vault.

(2014 note: Some of Mac's drawings have recently been published here.)

(November 15, 2014 update: For various reasons, the links that appeared on this post have been removed. I will try to replace the PHB blogspot links with Posthuman Blues.com links in the future.)

The Reading Room (Fragments of a Posthuman Library)

Porta Temopris, 1999, Rinographics - from this mactonnies.com page
(Actually, I'm not sure if this is the right Rhinographic link.. but, the robots are kind of cool...)

"The following are books devoted to unusual/uncommon topics. I offer them as recommendations for anyone curious about extraterrestrial life, space colonization, quantum theory, life extension, UFOs, human origins, artificial intelligence, etc.

Note that some of these titles are quite "mainstream," while others are decidedly "oddball." I've found that healthy doses of both camps help in breaking out of existing "reality tunnels." In other words: challenge yourself. Hold everything you "know" in question. We only think we know it all."

- Mac Tonnies from his on-site introduction to some "Recommended Reading".

Originally, the post that appeared here was a George Carlin video, which disappeared one fine day, as Youtube clips have developed a habit of doing. So, as opposed to replacing the video with another, I've moved George Carlin over to the sidebar of the blog. And, as of February, 2014, this post has become the PMB designated "reading room". It is one of the three posts on PMB that still maintain a comment section. Use it as you will, but don't feel obligated to involve me. I will only put my 2 cents in if specifically addressed. Talk amongst yourselves. ;-)

Photo of Mac's Books from his Flickr pages...
(Click to read the titles)

Photo of Mac's Books from his Flickr pages...
(click to see the the curios)

Transcript of Mac's Cyberpunk reading list also found here.
(click to read)

***

Mac's non-fiction reading list can be found here... and for some of his great book reviews, try here. Lastly, for a review of his favorite authors, go here.

Note on the 2nd of Mac's book photos: Dig that little Mothman statue. Here's a few more. Mac  was a huge fan of John Keel, and mentioned Mothman often on PHB. For instance, here's a post, featuring a very strange anecdote.

From Dana Tonnies

A special thanks goes out to Dana Tonnies for kindly sending me the flyer above (top) featuring Mac, the cool young dude, advertising a 1995 book signing for "Illumined Black", and this priceless clipping from The Kansas City Star, dated April 7, 1994, with the headline "Science essayist is a winner - again". I no longer have the application which immediately transcribes scanned text so this will have to do. You can click on the images to more easily read the article. Ah, that disarming smile!

Sci-Fi Eye Candy

In the "time waits for no one" category, a magazine cover photo I meant to scan and send to Mac, but never got around to...

More Tears in Rain

On May 27, 2008, Mac posted my graphic "Tears in Rain" (above) on Posthuman Blues with a link to an Araqinta page which showed my inspiration for the image. As the link no longer works, here then is the photo of Mac's - of a carved face on a park bench - which I liked so much that it eventually became my reference.