This Week
Index
Fiction/Poetry
Non-fiction
Humor/Opinion
Comics
Classifieds
About
Archives
Authors
Blogs
Books by Piker Press Authors
Submissions
Upcoming Issues
External Links
Facebook
Syndication Feeds:
Concerns or Questions?
editor@pikerpress.com
|
John Trindle
[Short] [Nonfiction] [Opinion] [Serial] [Comics]
Short
Victory Flight
An excerpt from the novel Victory Highway.
A Day in the Life
Sometimes the bravest thing you can do is to get up in the morning and face the world.
Sister Night, Brother Sun
A fable, as told to children. (Draft excerpt from 'Natural Causes', a NaNoWriMo 2003 work-in-progress)(Originally appeared 11-08-2003)
The Rosewood Box
Forgotten and dusty, alone and unwanted. Even the cast out can long for freedom, fulfillment, and the joy of seeing a different life ... Originally appeared 2007-05-14.
[Return to the Top]
Nonfiction
How To Change a Tire
Exerpted from the "Filthy Piker Cook Book and Survival Guide", invaluable advice you can't afford not to know.
A Piker Goes To Germany
Notes from a man without a country and without a camera. What did you expect to see while sitting in a German sidewalk cafe?
A Stout Ship, and A Stout Crew
...It was then the valiant crew set forth on a 3 month journey across the Atlantic, from England to the middle coast of the New World. They would call the place Jamestown, and the ship was Godspeed. The year was 1985.
Supermodeling for Skeptics
In which we explore the difference between the search for The Absolute Truth, and the search for A Useful Explanation So We Can Get On With Our Lives and Maybe Catch A Movie Later. First appeared 2003-04-14
So, You want to Write a Bot? 01
All the cool kids are doing it... creating artificial intelligence programs that respond to complex input as a person, or animal, or imaginary character might. What are some of the concerns in designing such a program? Part 1 of 2.
So, You want to Write a Bot? 02
How can you prevent bot abuse and control the manner in which the program is manipulated? How can you stop it from annoying people, especially in heavy forums discussions with emotional significance? Can a program simulate tact? Read on. Part 2 of 2.
Peek of the Week 051
Official mascot of a trip to Hunter Island, South Carolina.
[Return to the Top]
Opinion
Murphy's Law: Queuing
The line you pick at the grocery store always seems to move the slowest. What's up with that? Use science to improve your shopping experience.
Freedom Train
A tribute to a Man, and a Dream
Kids These Days
What's wrong with these damn kids?
[Return to the Top]
Serial
Victory Highway 01
Part one of Victory Highway, a NaNoWriMo novel. We meet the protagonist, Mark, and a giant elephant. Part 1 of 26.
Victory Highway 02
We learn about the elephant, and a little more about Mark, that murderer.
Victory Highway (Part III)
Mark makes a decision which may very well change his life. Or not.
Victory Highway (Part IV)
Mark at the crossroads, and a ray of hope shines as he finally escapes South Jersey.
Victory Highway (Part V)
Mark ponders Classical/Romantic Duality at Mike's Famous Roadside Restaurant and has a coupla brewskis *hic*
Victory Highway (Part VI)
When you drink as much as Mark does, it's hard to say if a situation is surreal, or if you're just that wasted, but there's something about this pool game that seems a little odder than most. Mark may win the game and the favors of the fair lady, but is he running the risk of losing something far more important?
Victory Highway (Part VII)
His family is dead and he's teetering on the brink of insanity. In a dusty Baltimore pool hall, Mark plays the game of his life. Is he really a loser?
Victory Highway (Part VIII)
We follow Mark as he scrambles out of Baltimore, meets the irrepressible Doris, and reaches the Alleghenies.
Victory Highway (Part IX)
Mark remembers meeting Laura for the first time (and the Evil Dr. Laura, too).
Victory Highway (Part X)
Part way down US40 and smack in the middle of memory lane, the countryside reminds Mark of the long-distance relationship which brought his beloved wife Laura, now dead, into his life. Sweet memories commingle with his bitter feelings as he recalls falling in love with her.
Victory Highway (Part XI)
We see Nick, Jack, and Natasha again for a bit of light entertainment, and Mark mulls over the strength and beauty of glass.
Victory Highway (Part XII)
Mark continues his journey through his past. We meet his grandparents, who helped inspire his original thirst, the thirst for knowledge.
Victory Highway (Part XIII)
Mark and Cliff resume their journey, coming home to meet a Special Guest Star! (or two... or three...)
Victory Highway (Part XIV)
Mark contemplates Perfectionism, and finds out where a real Stiffy is kept.
Victory Highway (Part XV)
Mark wakes up in scenic Collinsville, IL... meets Gordi, and remembers some good times.
Victory Highway (Part XVI)
Mark reminisces about the rest of his family, and his first descent into darkness.
Victory Highway (Part XVII)
How can you deal with being treated as a Nice Guy and Just Friends, when you're neither? Mark deals with his past anger and love of demon alcohol, while making his way across Missouri.
Victory Highway (Part XVIII)
Mark loses his way a bit in a fond memory, and succumbs to Hunger.
Victory Highway (Part XIX)
Mark continues mulling over his love life. If he had one now, would he continue to live in the past, you think?
Victory Highway (Part XX)
Mark ponders evil, and the lesser of two thereof. What on earth does that mean? Better to fantasize than deal with RealPolitik.
Victory Highway (Part XXI)
After blessed intervention from The Censor, we resume the plot portion of Mark's journey through life, and the United States.
Victory Highway (Part XXII)
In Deepest Kansas, Mark's night with his dream girl continues. (Note: Mature content.)
Victory Highway (Part XXIII)
Mark, at the crossroads, gets a push in the right direction from some old nut.
Victory Highway (part XXIV)
Mark passes through a *lot* of territory, really quickly. He meets an old friend of the family for the first time.
Victory Highway (Part XXV)
Mark faces his worst fears, and sees what True Love really is.
Victory Highway (Part XXVI)
Our last installment... Mark learns about Low Friends in High Places, and ends his journey. You have to end to begin again.
[Return to the Top]
Comics
Amazing Mystical Weather Cat
Some folks use a flat rock instead of a cat, but the rock doesn't ask to be let in! With the Amazing Mystical Weather Cat, you have Weather on Demand!
[Return to the Top]
|

John Trindle
jtrindle@filthypikers.com
John Trindle was born a poor, black child in the wilds of Grinnell, Iowa. He grew up to be a rich, white (and hairy) man in Williamsburg, Virginia. At the age of five, he became a world traveler and a famed Shakespearean actor in the bathtub. He was a Tony-award nominee for his performance of the cauldron scene in "MacBeth".
He received his bachelor's degree in Physics from the College of William and Mary in Virginia. He is the son of four PhD recipients who never let him forget it, so he's currently a Master's candidate in Computer Science at William and Mary. It seems likely they will award him his degree.
John joined the Piker Press in 2003 after perpetual nagging from his wife, Press editor and writer, Tedi Trindle. His non-Press writing credits include many articles on British car maintenance and repair, flight simulator technology, and ham radio operation. For the Piker Press he has written articles on science, fantastic fables, and serialized his 2002 NaNoWriMo novel, "Victory Highway".
In addition to his cogent and reader-friendly writings, John works as a senior software developer for a multi-national military contractor. He is a private pilot, a ham radio operator, and he volunteers for the Red Cross. And he loves cats. In his spare time, he enjoys reading mystery fiction and technical manuals, working on his vintage MGB (ok, he doesn't actually enjoy that bit), being a research god on the web, and playing a pretty mean guitar.
John resides in Williamsburg, Virginia with his wife, Tedi, his two children, his two cats, his two dogs, and his adopted daughter. He maintains that he is not "from cyberspace", he only works there. He's really truly from Iowa. Someday, he may write an article about ham radio operation for the Press. Or not.
|