Monthly Archives: March 2005
I For One Welcome Our New Storage Overlords
Posted on March 13, 2005 7 Comments
Aieeee! Behold the mighty Max-Tor, avatar of the Storage Gods! In its capacious guts are 250 GB of file-encompassing void, designed to swallow the vast mass of mp3s, jpgs, wav and mov files that so recently threatened to swamp my computer’s hard drives. No more! Bow down, foolish multimedia! Thou art foiled, yea verily, I […]
The Edge of Finances
Posted on March 11, 2005 39 Comments
Here’s a fun exercise for you to consider: What is the least amount of money you need to get by — and by “get by” I mean, not have to move from your current place, can pay bills without having to forgo food, and not have to file for government assistance in some form. Basically, […]
“Patriotic” Dumbasses, Junior Division
Posted on March 10, 2005 41 Comments
Today’s idiocy: Md. teen protests foreign language Pledge A ninth-grader is protesting his school’s decision to broadcast the Pledge of Allegiance in foreign languages as part of National Foreign Language Week. Patrick Linton said he and other students at Old Mill High School sat down rather than stand Wednesday when the Pledge was read over […]
What I Want: Not a Meme, Just a List
Posted on March 9, 2005 69 Comments
Like every man, I have needs. This isn’t about that. This is about my wants — some things I want, that don’t reach to the level of actual need. These wants are specific to me — no “I want world peace” crap here, just things I think would make my life a little cooler. Here […]
Visions of Mad Doctors
Posted on March 9, 2005 13 Comments
One of Athena’s friends is having her tonsils taken out this evening; Athena asked what tonsils were and, having had them explained, was suddenly filled with anxiety that she would have to undergo the same procedure, and quickly sublimated it into the artistic process. The resulting picture, however, is not her going under the knife […]
Mock Up
Posted on March 9, 2005 8 Comments
The Rough Guides folks have sent along an early mock up of the first chapter of The Rough Guide to Science Fiction Film, and I thought I’d share a couple of pages with you. Note it’s only a (forgive the pun)rough guide of what the final layout will be, and missing some bits here in […]
Campbell Awards Trivia
Posted on March 8, 2005 34 Comments
(The following post will be of interest only to SF geeks, so the rest of y’all are hereby warned. Geekery ahead!) I think I may have just been eliminated for consideration for the Campbell Award, thanks to the updating of the eligibility rules of the award. The crux of the issue would be this story, […]
A Snippet From the Edward Gorey Players
Posted on March 7, 2005
What happens when a dramatic six-year-old gets as far as “N is for Neville” in The Gashleycrumb Tinies? Find out, why don’t you.
A Snippet From the Edward Gorey Players
Posted on March 7, 2005 6 Comments
What happens when a dramatic six-year-old gets as far as “N is for Neville” in The Gashleycrumb Tinies? Find out, why don’t you.
Reviews & Interviews, 3/7/05
Posted on March 7, 2005 12 Comments
I’ll be scarce around here today, but here’s some alternate Scalzi for you: An interview of me over at Strange Horizons, in which I discuss Old Man’s War (naturally enough) but also Agent to the Stars and my writing process in a general sense. I think SH may have accidentally posted an early version of […]
Moon River
Posted on March 6, 2005 11 Comments
I was listening to the Petra Haden-Bill Frisell cover of “Moon River,” when Athena walked into the room, listened to the song for a little while and said, gravely, “That song is so sad. It sounds like the very last day we will ever see each other.” Yeah, I needed a hug after that. Listen […]
A New Euphemism For You
Posted on March 6, 2005 59 Comments
Here’s a fun new euphemism for you to learn and share. When you want to suggest someone has their head well up their own ass, but are in a place and time where such a comment would be inappropriate (say, a church service or in conversation with a cherubic group of kindergarteners), use this phrase […]
The Secret Radio Interviews No One Knows About
Posted on March 4, 2005 4 Comments
I thought I had a radio interview today (for Book of the Dumb 2); turns out I had three. They came at one hour intervals, not unlike Scrooge’s three ghostly visitors, although at the end of the third interview, I was not imbued with the Christmas spirit, nor did I throw open the window to […]
First Novel Delirium
Posted on March 4, 2005 3 Comments
Justine Larbalestier, whose excellent novel Magic or Madness is just a couple weeks from official release, sums up perfectly the excitement a new novelist feels when one’s book is mere days from coming out: I’m excited. I’m nervous. I’m happy. My stomach’s in knots. I keep giggling at inappropriate moments. Like while watching this TV […]
Laurence McMillin, 1923 – 2005
Posted on March 3, 2005 23 Comments
News has reached me that Larry McMillin, who was my teacher, has died. Here are some of the specifics of his remarkable life, which I invite you to read and mark. I won’t be dealing with most of them here. Rather, I want to tell you of him as I knew him. He was, first […]
The Virtue of Smaller Markets
Posted on March 3, 2005 31 Comments
(I put a post on submitting short stories to science fiction markets in a message board, and I think it’s interesting enough that I’ll repost it here for discussion. Have at it:) I’m planning to send out some short story work this year, and I’ll tell you why it’s rather more likely that I’ll submit […]
Your Wednesday Open Thread
Posted on March 2, 2005 26 Comments
Another snow day; Athena has a dental appointment; I have some errands to tend to; All play and no work makes the mortgage foreclose. So — here, have an open thread and talk amongst yourselves. As a conversation starter: Orange — better as a fruit or a color? Feel free to ignore that if you […]
Cool Book Club News Which Segues Into Shameless Shill
Posted on March 1, 2005 27 Comments
The cool book club news: The Science Fiction Book Club has sold out of its entire first printing of Old Man’s War and is whipping up a second print run. I’m pleased. If you bought a SFBC copy, thanks. The segue: There is no segue. I thought there would be, but then, suddenly, there wasn’t. […]
Whatever Everyone Else is Saying