Monthly Archives: May 2006
Whatever & Mac Firefox
Posted on May 13, 2006 15 Comments
Someone who reads the Whatever via the latest version of Firefox for the Mac says he’s having trouble bringing up the page on his browser over the last day or so. If you’re reading this on Mac, and have the latest version of Firefox, could you fire up Firefox and see if you have any […]
Friday Night Open Thread
Posted on May 12, 2006 17 Comments
I’m stepping away from the computer because it’s Friday night, and I’d like to spend time with my wife. Chat amongst yourselves, about whatever it is you chat about when I’m not around. Catch you later.
Birdie Birdie Birdie
Posted on May 12, 2006 24 Comments
My father-in-law put up a bird feeder on our front porch the other day and the birds figured it out about a day later; now they’re sucking down birdfeed at a truly astounding rate. They’re also availing themselves of the birdbath, as you can see here. I have some mild concern that the cats will […]
29%
Posted on May 11, 2006 58 Comments
That was quick. We didn’t have to wait for my prediction that Bush would drop below 30% approval rating in a major national poll to come true: President Bush’s job-approval rating has fallen to its lowest mark of his presidency, according to a new Harris Interactive poll. Of 1,003 U.S. adults surveyed in a telephone […]
I Can’t Talk Now. This Line is Being Watched.
Posted on May 11, 2006 106 Comments
Bush: We’re not trolling your personal life President Bush says the government is “not mining or trolling through the personal lives of millions of innocent Americans” with a reported program to create a massive database of U.S. phone calls. USA Today reports the government has been secretly collecting records of ordinary Americans’ phone calls in […]
Robert Sawyer, American
Posted on May 11, 2006 19 Comments
Here’s a good rule of thumb for those of you running a science fiction convention: If you screw up your Guest of Honor’s travel arrangements so badly that he or she is unable to attend your convention, don’t imply to others that the reason that the GoH will not be appearing is because he or […]
37
Posted on May 10, 2006 77 Comments
Part of me feels young as ever. Part of me is not so sure. Part of me wants a pony. All of me is 37 today. And I’m off. You kids have fun with the rest of your day. I plan to.
Specials, Plus Free Pimp Zone
Posted on May 10, 2006 26 Comments
As long as I’m on the subject of books, Scott Westerfeld’s latest kick-ass book Specials was officially released yesterday and is kicking ass in the Amazon rankings (it’s at #270 as I write this). The simple reason for this: Scott writes the YA you wish you could have had when you were a young adult: […]
Your Wednesday Author Interview is Live
Posted on May 10, 2006 4 Comments
The first of my Wednesday Author Interviews is up over at By The Way: I’m interviewing Chris Roberson about his new book Paragaea, which came out last week. Check it out. Or, you know, I’ll cry. Also check out Paragaea itself, because it’s fun as hell. Also, if you’re an author who has a book […]
PlayStation 3 Pricing
Posted on May 9, 2006 30 Comments
From the e-mail bag: Any thoughts on the PS3 pricing? I think the lack of HDMI for the “cheap” version is interesting. Yeah, I have a few thoughts. First, background for you folks who aren’t video game geeks: Yesterday Sony formally announced the shipping date and pricing of their upcoming PlayStation 3 Console. The PS3 […]
Now You Know
Posted on May 8, 2006 66 Comments
Why? “President Bush’s approval rating has slumped to 31% in a new USA TODAY/Gallup Poll, the lowest of his presidency and a warning sign for Republicans in the November elections.” Because. “President Bush told a German newspaper his best moment in more than five years in office was catching a big perch in his own […]
Next Year in Jerusalem
Posted on May 8, 2006 13 Comments
Old Man’s War has sold in Israel. I am almost absurdly excited by the idea of seeing the book in Hebrew. That is all.
Heinlein Centennial
Posted on May 8, 2006 25 Comments
Some appearance news: I have been offered and have very happily accepted an invitation to be an honored guest at the Robert A. Heinlein Centennial, which will take place July 6 – 8, 2007 in Kansas City. As the title of the event suggests, it is a celebration of RAH’s 100th birthday (which falls on […]
Amazon Rankings and Non-Fiction
Posted on May 8, 2006 20 Comments
A question from the Nebula Award Winners thread: John: Congrats that the paperback version of OMW is now in the top 600 in terms of Amazon sales rank. I have a question about your non-fiction books, though. I read Rough Guide to the Universe and thought it was great. And my boyfriend has promised me […]
Nebula Award Winners
Posted on May 7, 2006 15 Comments
For those of you on the edge of your seat wondering who won the Nebula Awards this year, you can now fall off your seat: Novel: Joe Haldeman for Camouflage Novella: Kelly Link for “Magic for Beginners” Novelette: Kelly Link for “The Faery Handbag” Short Story: Carol Emshwiller for “I Live With You” Script: Joss […]
My 1998 Meandering Essay on Coca-Cola
Posted on May 7, 2006 55 Comments
Here’s another piece from the Scalzi.com archives, this one from waaay back in the day: 1998. Yes, it was one of the very first things I put up on the site. In it I discuss: I’m in a mixed marriage: I drink Coke and my wife drinks Pepsi. Normally, this isn’t much of an issue; […]
Take Me Out, Etc., Etc.
Posted on May 6, 2006 15 Comments
Athena’s baseball season began today, and I believe she’s in the “let’s feel good about ourselves” league, because in this variation of baseball, the entire side gets to bat, the coach pitches, and everyone is out on the field whether they need to be or not. I’m not entirely sure they even keep score. I […]
Cue the AC/DC
Posted on May 5, 2006 27 Comments
More good news for Old Man’s War: it’s in the black. I received my latest royalty statement from Tor today, and in it came glad tidings in the guise of a royalty check. Whoo-hoo! I’m all earned out! The nice wrinkle in this is that when I signed the two-book deal with Tor that included […]
I Am Router, Hear Me Roar
Posted on May 5, 2006 11 Comments
Behold the new router, a Linksys Wireless-G Broadband Router With 4-Port Switch (I’m reading off the label in front). I determined that the former router had, in fact, fried its litle routing brain out, and took the opportunity to upgrade. The old router was 802.11b capable and this one is 802.11g capable, and that’s six […]
Fiddle, Fiddle
Posted on May 5, 2006 5 Comments
All right, I suspect my router might have gone bad, on account that if I jam the cord that comes out of the DSL modem into either computer, it works just fine, whereas if I put it back into the router, I get nothing. I’m going to fiddle with this a bit more; you may […]
Whatever Everyone Else is Saying