Mac Tonnies
Mac Tonnies | |
|---|---|
| Born | 20 August 1975 |
| Died | 22 October 2009 (aged 34) |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Writer |
Mac Tonnies(20 August 1975 – 22 October 2009[1]) was an American author and blogger whose work focused onfuturology,transhumanismand paranormal topics.
Background
[edit]Tonnies grew up inIndependence, Missouri,and attendedWilliam Chrisman High SchoolandOttawa University.[2]He lived in Kansas City, Missouri. Tonnies had an active online presence and a "small, but devoted" readership, but supported himself by working at Starbucks and other nine-to-five jobs. In 2009 he died ofcardiac arrhythmiaat the age of 34.[1]
Books
[edit]His first book, a collection of science fiction short stories titledIllumined Black,was published by Phantom Press Publications in 1995, when Tonnies was in college.[2][3]It carried a cover blurb byBruce Sterlingand was positively reviewed inBooklist.[2]His second book,After the Martian Apocalypse,was published by Simon & Schuster in 2004.[4]His third book,The Cryptoterrestrials,was published posthumously by Anomalist Books in 2010.[5]
In November, 2012, Redstar Books published the first volume ofPosthuman Blues,which contains excerpts from Tonnies' long-running blog of the same name.[6]In the introduction, historian Aaron John Gulyas writes that, "Posthuman Bluesis of a piece with the Lost Generation of the 1920s and the Beat Generation of the 1950s. Tonnies spoke for his generation with passion, eloquence, and a rare insight. " [7]
Other media
[edit]In 2007 the playDoing Time,which he co-wrote with Canadian filmmakerPaul Kimball(who was working on a documentary about Tonnies),[8]premiered inHalifax,Nova Scotia.[9]He also appeared in the documentaryBest Evidence: Top 10 UFO Sightings,[10]and an episode of the Canadian television seriesSupernatural Investigator.[11]
His blog, "Posthuman blues" was described byThe Pitchas "one of Kansas City's best blogs, filled with well-written, intelligent takes on offbeat news items and humorous rants from a left-leaning political perspective."[2]
He appeared onCoast to Coast AMin September 2009,[12]and was a frequent guest onThe Paracast.[13]
Cryptoterrestrial hypothesis
[edit]The cryptoterrestrial hypothesis was developed in Tonnies' blog, and later published posthumously. It proposes that the beings that are speculated to be behindUFOsandalien abductionsare actually mysterious and secretive races of earthly origin, technically speaking a type ofcryptid(hence the name, fromAncient Greek:κρυπτός,kryptós"hidden, secret" andLatin:terrestris,"related to the Earth" ). According to Tonnies' theory, these races have existed on Earth for at least as long as humanity, and present themselves as extraterrestrials or occult beings. This theory has some elements in common with certain aspects of theInterdimensional UFO hypothesis,such asJacques Vallée's control system,[14]something Tonnies himself remarked in his work multiple times.[15]Some[who?]have also suggested that it is an extension of the ideas ofRichard Shaver.
See also
[edit]- Conspiracy theory
- John Keel
- Jacques Vallée
- Extraterrestrial hypothesis
- Interdimensional UFO hypothesis
- Psychosocial hypothesis
- Space animal hypothesis
- Time-traveler hypothesis
Notes
[edit]- ^abWalker, Rob (5 January 2011)."Cyberspace When You're Dead".New York Times.
- ^abcdOrtega, Tony.Space Case: Attention, aliens: Please return our science-fiction writer..The Pitch.November 25, 2004
- ^Tonnies, Mac (1995-05-01).Illuminated black and other adventures.Phantom Press Publications.ISBN9780964475908.
- ^"Mac Tonnies".Simon & Schuster.
- ^"Anomalist Books - simply phenomenal - The Cryptoterrestrials".www.anomalistbooks.com.
- ^"Redstar Books - Posthuman Blues".redstarfilmtv.com.
- ^Tonnies, Mac (2012),Posthuman Blues, Vol. I (2003 - 2004): Dispatches From a World on the Cusp of Terminal Dissolution,Redstar Books, p. i,ISBN978-0991697526
- ^Cyberspace When You're DeadJanuary 5, 2011 New York Times Magazine
- ^"Blog Gone RFM".Archived fromthe originalon 2013-11-04.Retrieved2010-03-17.
- ^Best Evidence: Top 10 UFO Sightings
- ^"Supernatural Investigator".visiontv.ca.
- ^"Alien Hypotheses - Shows - Coast to Coast AM".Coast to Coast AM.
- ^"Mac Tonnies - The Paracast — The Gold Standard of Paranormal Radio".www.theparacast.com.
- ^X, Ram (Dec 15, 2022)."The Shape Of The Phenomenon".Fortean Winds.RetrievedJan 10,2024.
- ^Tonnies, Mac (2010),The Cryptoterrestrials: A Meditation on Indigenous Humanoids and the Aliens Among Us,Anomalist Books, p. 59, 88, 103, 159, 167, 184,ISBN978-1933665467
External links
[edit]- Official website
- Posthuman Blues.Tonnies' blog
- Redstar Books
- Posthuman Blues
- Aaron John Gulyas
- Paul Kimball
- Mac Tonniesat theInternet Speculative Fiction Database
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
- 1975 births
- 2009 deaths
- Writers from Independence, Missouri
- Ottawa University alumni
- American bloggers
- American science fiction writers
- Novelists from Missouri
- American male novelists
- American male short story writers
- 20th-century American novelists
- 20th-century American short story writers
- 20th-century American male writers
- American male bloggers