Spec Tech: Alive Upon the Sea

Alive upon the Sea – Living ships: Thoughts on Anthropomorphism and Sentience This may be a bit unusual for Spec-Tech, having almost as much to do with psychology as technology.  Nevertheless, it seems worthwhile to take a moment to consider why sailors have always anthropomorphized their ships, how science fiction writers have taken that several……

SpecTech: Signing on a Crew for a Fantasy Ship

In my last Spec Tech I wrote about choosing a ship for a fantasy novel. This time, we will sign on a crew to sail the ship. While we chose a carrack as a useful model of a fantasy ship, the crew we choose would work for almost any sailing ship. The skills required and……

Spec Tech: Designing a Ship for a Fantasy Novel

Mishell Baker asked me to write a post that would “walk … through the various parts of a ship. You could even do an example of an older type ship that might appear in fantasy…” So, I have endeavored  to look back in history to find the sort of ship that would fit well into high……

Spec Tech: Of Tall Ships and Star Ships

When Mishell Baker went looking for a nautical blogger, she found me. My name is Rick Spilman.  I am the host of the Old Salt Blog.  By training, I am a naval architect, which is to say a ship designer.  I am also a multimedia designer and a writer, among other things.  I have an abiding love for……