Some stuff I don’t wanna break into their own posts:

* Google Reader is getting the ax, to the wailing and howling of nerds everywhere, including me, because I use it and like it because it’s simple to use, displays what I want to read via RSS how I want to read it, and otherwise doesn’t suck. But Google apparently couldn’t figure out a way to monetize it, so out it goes. This is a trenchant reminder to everyone that the only thing permanent about the Internet is that nothing on it is permanent, including the stuff you think will last forever because you and everyone you know online uses it. This is especially the case when you’re using something offered for free. This is why at the end of the day I keep (and pay for) my own domain, e-mail and everything else. Because you never know. Actually, you do know. You know it’s going to end.

* I have no real thoughts on the new pope other than the news reports suggest like he likes his humility, and he seems at least somewhat engaged with his church working for the least of its followers, and on the surface both look like a good thing to me. He’s also apparently generally conservative on social issues (women/gays/abortion), which also doesn’t really surprise me at all. If I were Pope and I could only focus on a single thing, it would be dealing with the Church’s child abuse issues, so it would be good if Pope Francis could at least take on that. But then, I’m not a Catholic; Francis doesn’t have to listen to me.

* It’s been noted to me that I’m not writing a whole lot on politics at the moment, to which I’d say, nope, I’m not. In fact, since I’ve gotten back from the JoCo cruise, I’ve cut out almost all of my political site reading entirely. I pop in to Talking Points Memo about once a day out of school loyalty to Josh Marshall, but otherwise I’ve taken mostly a pass on everything else. Why? Because mostly at this point my brain looks at politics and goes waaaaaaaaaaaah NO. And why not listen to my brain, for a change? I’m keeping up with the basics via the news sites, and I’m sure at one point or another something will annoy me enough to comment on. But the the moment: Meh, pass.

* As I mentioned on Twitter not too long ago, tackling the Random House stuff over the last week was, from the point of view of being an advocate for writers, totally worth my time — but from the point of view of being a writer, was a week’s worth of time I wasn’t writing pay copy, which, you know, boooooooooo. This was the year I was supposed to catch up on all my writing! Don’t mind me, I’m just whining. About the things I do to myself.

No, not the Mallet pictured above. That’s mine.

BUT: The Mallet of Loving Correction, my hardcover collection of Whatever posts from 2008 through 2012, is now available for pre-order at the Subterranean Press Web site. This is is a huge collection — nearly 500 pages — and it’s going to be a limited (1,500) edition. In other words: Totally deluxe and very cool.

Subterranean was also the hardcover publisher of the previous Whatever collection, Your Hate Mail Will Be Graded, and it sold that one in relatively quick order, and once the limiteds are gone, they’re gone for good (it’s why they’re called “limited editions,” after all). So if you want to be assured of getting a copy, hop to the pre-ordering.

When does the book come out? September 13 — which is also, and not in the least coincidentally, the 15th anniversary of Whatever. That’s right! The Whatever is a moody teenager! Which explains so much, actually.