Links of Note

A few words about my list of links, for those who might be curious:

For the musically inclined, especially those interested in classical or acoustic guitars, we have Allan Carruth, a luthier of great skill and talent; also there is Jack Bogdanovich, another maker of like ability.

Guitarists El McMeen and Michael Chapdelaine are always worth listening to for their stylings. Both are working pros, and offer CDs, DVDs, and arrangements of their material, and both are most evocative players.

My own humble attempts at the guitar may be heard on Blind Whitebread Perry's SoundClick! link.

Those of you interested in toys somewhat more martial might find things worthy of your attention on Shiva Ki's knife site, or Gary Reeder's gun pages. Both men make these things, and no one does such gear better. (You can get a link to Mushtaq Ali and Chuck's knifework via Mushtaq's blog, Traceless Warrior, and Bobbe's Indonesian imports via his blog Thick as Thieves or the Edmonds silat page.)

Best source of genuine Indonesia black steel I've found comes from Alan Maisey, an Aussie who is an empu who can -- and does -- clean and restore the old blades so that they can breathe properly.

Maha Guru Stevan Plinck's page explains the basics about the art of Silat Sera, which he teaches, both explanation of which and teaching thereof are almost surely done better by him than anybody else in the country.

Also on the wetware side of arts martial, Bobbe, Mushtaq, Rory (at Chiron Realistic Fighting Blog) have things to say I find both interesting and useful.

Material on writing, poetry, and general observations about the state of the world and one's place in it are available on Bobbe's blog (Thick as Thieves) Tiel's blog, Todd's Toad Abode, Mike Byers's blog, Steve Barnes's blog, Mushtaq's, and not the least, only the last in the alliterative list, Dan Moran's blog.

If you are looking for workout tips, try Tom Furman's blog. (And though it isn't listed, if you want to know about flashlights and stale beer, check out Todd Erven's blog.

And if you want to buy my books, go to Buy My Books ...

(I would have had a link to my collaborator's blog, but he seems to have given it up -- no new postings there for five or six months, and the link I have is, at the moment, dead. On the blogs I read, there are a bunch of links you might find interesting -- too many to put here, but check them out and see where they take you.)