Ha on You: An Open Pimp Thread

Posted on November 16, 2006    Posted by      127 Comments

Two things:

1. I have an advance readers copy of Hal Duncan’s upcoming book Ink and you don’t, so neener neener neener;

2. I’m about to spend most of my day traveling, so unless I’m able to sign on to the airport’s wireless hub, which I never seem to be able to do, I’ll probably be out of communication for a while. While I’m gone, why not talk about you? Which is to say I declare this an “open pimp” thread, in which you can share and promote what’s going on with you. New books? New music? New baby? Tell the class! Also feel free to pimp others who are doing stuff you think is cool and exciting. Pimping is love, people. Pimping is love.

One procedural note: Remember that I’ve got the site set so that comments with more than two URLs in them get sent to the moderation queue, so unless you want your comment to cool its heels while I flit about the nation, don’t overdo the links. I’m just sayin’.

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127 Comments on “Ha on You: An Open Pimp Thread”

  1. Alright, well, I’m not going to pimp my own stuff, but, go out next Tuesday and by the debut album by new band Rock Star Supernova. Now, I know what you’re thinking. “OH! EM! GEE! That band was made on a reality TV show! I’m much too elitest for that!” But, Lukas Rossi is clearly quite talented, as are Gilby Clarke (Gun’s and Roses), Jason Newstand (Metallica), and Tommy Lee. And this is not a metal band. This band is pure rock and roll, baby. So, give it a shot, and just do it. You can go listen to their singles on their website ( intothesupernova.com ) if you’d like. In fact, do it for me. If you like em, get the album! Its self-titled, by the way.

    And while you’re at it, pick up U218, the latest greatest hits album by U2, with sixteen of their greatest hits, plus two new songs, including their cover of The Skid’s “The Saints are Coming”, a collaboration with Green Day.

    One last thing, GO BLUE!!!
    J

  2. The Albuquerque Sunport (ABQ) has free wireless, as apparently does Phoenix. However, the ABQ TSA people are a notch below the average, in my experience. The Austin ones, however, are smart, attentive, and in at least one case remarkably attractive.

  3. I didn’t kill anyone yesterday.

    My pirate in Yohoho Puzzle Pirates has a Master rating in bilging and I’ve cleared over 1000 crabs in about a month of playing. That’s pretty cool.

    I haven’t killed anyone yet today, but I’ve only been out of bed for 20 minutes.

  4. I didn’t kill anyone yesterday.

    My pirate in Yohoho Puzzle Pirates has a Master rating in bilging and I’ve cleared over 1000 crabs in about a month of playing. That’s pretty cool.

    I haven’t killed anyone yet today, but I’ve only been out of bed for 20 minutes.

  7. Well, my prime pimpage must go to our handmade, utterly elegant, Traife Buffet Haute Biblio limited edition of Greetings from Lake Wu.

    Mr. Scalzi has been seen admiring it’s heavyweight Japanese, photo quality paper, it’s silk dupioni cover and matching die-cut slipcase. This splendid volume includes 16 illustrations by two-time Hugo Winner Frank Wu and- of course and not to be missed- an array of stunnning stories from the distended braincase of Jay Lake.

    Limited to 250 copies, each signed by Jay and hand numbered and signed by Frank (with the occasional doodle thrown in for good measure).

    Order right now (or in the next month) for guaranteed holiday delivery!

    Thank you for your attention to this pimpery!

  8. Well, my prime pimpage must go to our handmade, utterly elegant, Traife Buffet Haute Biblio limited edition of Greetings from Lake Wu.

    Mr. Scalzi has been seen admiring it’s heavyweight Japanese, photo quality paper, it’s silk dupioni cover and matching die-cut slipcase. This splendid volume includes 16 illustrations by two-time Hugo Winner Frank Wu and- of course and not to be missed- an array of stunnning stories from the distended braincase of Jay Lake.

    Limited to 250 copies, each signed by Jay and hand numbered and signed by Frank (with the occasional doodle thrown in for good measure).

    Order right now (or in the next month) for guaranteed holiday delivery!

    Thank you for your attention to this pimpery!

  9. I need to figure out a way not to have to sleep. I’m working through “Battle Star Galactica 2.5.” Fellow SF folks, if you didn’t know, BSG is possibly the best TV show on right now, and arguably the pinnacle of SF television, period. To my fellow geeks, a “Sharon” Cylon is on my Christmas list….

    The problem is that I’m also reading Thomas Ricks’ “Fiasco” about how we got knee-deep in sh*t in Iraq, and Max (Mel’s son) Brooks’ “World War Z,” a faux collection of survivor’s tales ten years after the ten year zombie war ended. The former is like a chilling, yet engrossing autopsy report, the latter is insightful and entertaining.

    All that, and trying to get all my work finished so that I can go to Australia and not fret for three weeks about stuff sitting on my desk.

  10. I need to figure out a way not to have to sleep. I’m working through “Battle Star Galactica 2.5.” Fellow SF folks, if you didn’t know, BSG is possibly the best TV show on right now, and arguably the pinnacle of SF television, period. To my fellow geeks, a “Sharon” Cylon is on my Christmas list….

    The problem is that I’m also reading Thomas Ricks’ “Fiasco” about how we got knee-deep in sh*t in Iraq, and Max (Mel’s son) Brooks’ “World War Z,” a faux collection of survivor’s tales ten years after the ten year zombie war ended. The former is like a chilling, yet engrossing autopsy report, the latter is insightful and entertaining.

    All that, and trying to get all my work finished so that I can go to Australia and not fret for three weeks about stuff sitting on my desk.

  11. My alarm went off two hours ago and after five hours sleep, the boyfriend managed to get me out of bed and showered and on my way to work. I want to know how he does that because, damnit, anything before 10 am should be considered illegal.

    Unlike Sue, I have killed people already today. Okay, well, not really. Just in my mind because they all were driving like little old men out for a Sunday drive. ANNYOING.

  12. I’d like to pimp my annual collaborative project, now in its seventh year: Holidailies, in which participants pledge to update their blog/journal/personal site every day in December. Registration opens tomorrow (assuming we can get the code to behave properly) and it’s always a lot of fun, both for participants and for people who stop by to read.

  13. I’d like to pimp my annual collaborative project, now in its seventh year: Holidailies, in which participants pledge to update their blog/journal/personal site every day in December. Registration opens tomorrow (assuming we can get the code to behave properly) and it’s always a lot of fun, both for participants and for people who stop by to read.

  14. For the past few years I’ve helped run an annual competition for short works of interactive fiction — text adventures, similar in spirit to Zork. The competition ended last night, and the winners have been announced, so congratulations to Emily Short for her game Floatpoint winning the competition. If you’ve got some time to kill, head on over to the competition site and grab some of the games. They’re playable in two hours or less, and since the competition is over you can see which games were ranked highly and avoid those that ranked poorly.

  15. In the spirit of John Scalzi and his shareware novel, I’m giving away a short story (or, as I term it, a novelette, which sounds much more impressive, doesn’t it?) right here:

    http://www.barkingaardvark.com/wordpress/?page_id=928

    It’s a mildly creepy story in that paranormal fantasy genre of which John spoke in the previous post. But don’t let that put you off.

    It’s in .pdf format, and it’s free. Free!

  21. I’m starting a private psychotherapy practice, online and in a real office! The culmination of like, a lot of education and supervision, dude.

    That said, I’m interested in knowing what people on Teh Intarweeb (did I speel taht wright?) would want in an online therapy session/online web page describing said services. Obviously you can post here, but if you prefer, feel free to send me thoughts at toddfox2@yahoo.com.

  22. I suppose if I ought to pimp something, my two choices are
    Austin Bergstrom International Airport (AUS), which has some of the finest food around, and all from local eateries. Also, decently intelligent TSA employees, from all I can tell.

    The US Fencing Association for one of the coolest and most fun sports around.

  26. Pimping my coworker’s band:

    http://www.myspace.com/cultofdionysis

    The Cult of Dionysis has several songs available on its MySpace site. I’d describe their music as sometimes hard rock, sometimes Lovecraft-inspired, and sometimes possessing political themes (at least one song is especially topical).

    Brenta, A Fan of The Cult

  28. Okay, I’ll take a shot at this. I’m rather bad at it, due to an overdeveloped modesty reflex, which allows me to rave about anyone else’s work but my own. I’ve been told I need to get over this and, by looking at how things have tracked in my so-called career to date, yes, perhaps I should.

    My last novel, REMAINS (from BenBella Publishing) qualified in August for the Preliminary Nebula Ballot. Some very nice people recommended it, people whose opinion I rather trust, so I shall take their word for it that the thing has legs.

    It is from a small press, however, and has therefore not received any wide press, reviews, or glorious marketing campaign, so may, if it fails to make the final nebula ballot, sink into oblivion. So self-pimpage, now that it has been invited, may be in order.

    REMAINS is a mystery. It’s near future (a century or so hence) SF. It’s a bit of noir, a bit of cyberpunk, a bit of this, of that, and a little of this other thing over there–all of which is to say that it’s a fairly well-rounded novel, with lots of neat stuff in it. Charlie Stross likes it. Monsieur Scalzi has allowed that at some point he would offer a review of it.

    Small press publishing, I have learned, is a curious thing–it draws a lot of respect despite low sales. People think it’s cool, but unless they find it right there up front in the superstore they tend not to go out of their way to find it and buy it. There are exceptions, but.

    In any event, REMAINS is still very much available and would be a great Holiday Gift for someone looking for something different to give in reading matter.

    As for others in my estimation recently, I just finished a novel called RECURSION by Tony Ballantyne. Very good. It reads like a first rate nanotech thriller, but it’s not about nanotech. This one is about Von Neuman machines, which made for a nice change.

    I’d also like to recommend Andrea Hairston’s MINDSCAPE–another small press effort that may pass unnoticed in the flurry of product. It’s something of a singularity novel, but with a hell of a different perspective.

    There. I pimped. I self-pimped. Will I respect myself in the morning?

  30. Mark Tiedemann:

    “There. I pimped. I self-pimped. Will I respect myself in the morning?”

    Well, did you respect yourself the night before, is the real question.

    I’ll second Mark’s self-pimpery, incidentally. Remains is a fine book, which in fact I do keep meaning to write about more, although I apparently keep getting distracted by shiny bits of foil or something. Since Mark neglected to put it in himself, here’s an Amazon link for the book.

    Yes, I’m at the airport. The airport has no wireless, but it does have kiosks where you can plug in your laptop if you have an ethernet cable with you. Which I do!

  31. Mark Tiedemann:

    “There. I pimped. I self-pimped. Will I respect myself in the morning?”

    Well, did you respect yourself the night before, is the real question.

    I’ll second Mark’s self-pimpery, incidentally. Remains is a fine book, which in fact I do keep meaning to write about more, although I apparently keep getting distracted by shiny bits of foil or something. Since Mark neglected to put it in himself, here’s an Amazon link for the book.

    Yes, I’m at the airport. The airport has no wireless, but it does have kiosks where you can plug in your laptop if you have an ethernet cable with you. Which I do!

  34. MIDNIGHT CREATURE FEATURE my public domain movie program (in metro Detroit Comcast channel 20) just celebrated it’s 24 show, 2 years yahoo! My favorite featured movie so far; THE BRAIN THAT WOULDN”T DIE and THE DEVIL BAT featuring Bela Lugosi. Check out the site for the show http://www.borlag.com

  35. I’m going to say a big hi to the Tooth Fairy.The poor thing is having to make regular visits to our house. My son’s teeth are falling like rain at the moment.If only every fairy was as reliable.

  36. I’m not doing a single thing today. I’m sick as a pooch. Yesterday, I was thinkin’ Arby’s. And, somewhere around midnight, I was thinking Arby’s betrayed me. A pox upon the Cowboy Hat! Ptooey!

  39. O.K….Let the Self-Pimpage begin.

    After years in the Movie Biz, I’m looking for a NEW CAREER.

    Think you might have use for someone who has:

    -Coordinated with more than 100 City, State and
    Federal Agencies all over the U.S. and Canada?
    -Arranged the feeding and movement of 6500 extras,
    45 security guards, 25 cops,
    and 10 camera crews? (“Private Parts” rally
    scene)?
    -Arranged to get cast and crew to an inaccessible
    barrier island via WWII Landing Craft?
    (“Paradise”)?
    – Transported and placed snow for scenes to be
    filmed using MN State DOT and
    privately- owned equipment including a fleet
    of dump trucks, plows, front-end loaders,
    10-ton truck mounted snow blower, railroad
    gondola cars and clamshell cranes?
    (70% of “Iron Will”).

    If you think you have use for a Solver of Odd-ball Problems, someone who’s fearless about making cold-calls, someone who thinks no assigned challenge is impossible, someone who can coordinate and plan a major event….and then calmly pick up the pieces when everything turns to shit….then contact me.

    n-dot-gen-at-verizon-dot-net

  40. Nothing to pimp. My life is very dull. Closest thing I have is that I got a pair of NFD CDs in the mail from Amazon UK about a week ago and they’re really good.

  41. Nothing to pimp. My life is very dull. Closest thing I have is that I got a pair of NFD CDs in the mail from Amazon UK about a week ago and they’re really good.

  42. No pimpage, but a bit of snark-spotting on fark.com:

    Trent Lott selected as Senate Minority Whip, because if there’s one thing that Trent Lott likes, it’s whipping minorities

    Man arrested for “overt sexual activity” on a plane when found with his head on his girlfriend’s lap. Lawyers say he was just nauseated. Don’t worry, buddy, it’s an acquired taste

    Mother who left her kid in a running car only to have said car stolen, shocked, SHOCKED when cops want to chat about her parental skills

    Wild turkey stops traffic on New York bridge. Jim Beam, Jack Daniels and Jose Cuervo sent in to investigate

    Homeland Security report: Shell corporations provide an opportunity for criminals to engage in crimes while concealing the identities of the persons involved. The findings also show that water may be wet while grass is probably green

  44. BIGGER THAN KING!
    HAIRIER THAN KOONTZ!
    MORE BUTCH THAN BARKER!
    LESS ABSTRUSE THAN STRAUB!

    Visit “The Dark Bard of New Hampshire,” the online clearinghouse for news and information about mega-bestselling horrormeister Rex Stephens, author of “Blood of the Night Beast,” “Night of the Blood Beast,” “Geekshow” and “The Vast Waste of Tyme” fantasy series.

    http://www.darkbardnh.blogspot.com

  45. BIGGER THAN KING!
    HAIRIER THAN KOONTZ!
    MORE BUTCH THAN BARKER!
    LESS ABSTRUSE THAN STRAUB!

    Visit “The Dark Bard of New Hampshire,” the online clearinghouse for news and information about mega-bestselling horrormeister Rex Stephens, author of “Blood of the Night Beast,” “Night of the Blood Beast,” “Geekshow” and “The Vast Waste of Tyme” fantasy series.

    http://www.darkbardnh.blogspot.com

  46. Actually, I have an ARC of Ink, too.

    So neener right back atcha.

    As for self-pimpage, I’ve written a few things over at Vox that I’m pretty pleased with; I’ll leave it as an exercise to the reader to determine which things they are.

  47. I’d pimp the cool stuff I’m reading, seeing, or listening to, but I’m pretty certain that your readers being the way they are, they’ve already arrived at these conclusions. Or as is often the case, even been responsible for the recommendation that lead me to X in the first place. For example, I’m listening to Rock Kills Kid, which was pimped on this very blog. And I know I’m really late coming to the party on Deadwood. And one of my SF/F blog reads pimped Blindsight by Peter Watts already.

    But thanks for all the recs, folks. :)

  50. my friend nicole galland (she of the crusades novel) has published her second novel, called revenge of the rose. it’s a very cool, very fun medieval court intrigue story with lotsa plot twists i didn’t see coming. check it out.

  51. As the excellent Mr. Scalzi has graciously given permission to do so, I would like to pimp my personal website, kentonkilgore.com. Visitors will find my attempts at kid’s lit, plus silly rants (e.g., NFL helmet designs) and rants of a more serious nature (what it’s like raising a disabled child).

  52. I don’t have anything to self-pimp. But I’ll add to the uber-geek Battlestar Galactica bandwagon and second that it is the best show on television.

    Also, an acquintance of mine, Jacob, writes just awesome summaries of BSG on Television Without Pity. You haven’t watched the show unless you’ve also read Jacob’s summaries as a companion. They are funny but they’ll also make you think and you may even learn something. That’s a tall order for a snarky TV show summary, but the way he writes is amazing. The joke is that Jacob turns Battlestar Gallactica into Battlestar Didactica.

    http://www.televisionwithoutpity.com

  53. I don’t have anything to self-pimp. But I’ll add to the uber-geek Battlestar Galactica bandwagon and second that it is the best show on television.

    Also, an acquintance of mine, Jacob, writes just awesome summaries of BSG on Television Without Pity. You haven’t watched the show unless you’ve also read Jacob’s summaries as a companion. They are funny but they’ll also make you think and you may even learn something. That’s a tall order for a snarky TV show summary, but the way he writes is amazing. The joke is that Jacob turns Battlestar Gallactica into Battlestar Didactica.

    http://www.televisionwithoutpity.com

  56. I’m secretly the ruler of the world.

    Bwahaha.

    I realize there are some problems, but I’ve been busy reading John Scalzi’s books, so I’ve been ignoring things for a bit. Hopefully everyone has been playing nice.

  65. I just signed up to write comedy for the radio program my high school’s going to make. I’m very excited, yet very very nervoous. I’ve never written for radio, and I’m just a 16 year old girl who really dosn’t know what to write about anyway. Eek.

    Anyone have suggustions? My email’s in the url.

  66. I just signed up to write comedy for the radio program my high school’s going to make. I’m very excited, yet very very nervoous. I’ve never written for radio, and I’m just a 16 year old girl who really dosn’t know what to write about anyway. Eek.

    Anyone have suggustions? My email’s in the url.

  67. I’m in this quirky-indie-pop band and we’re just releasing our second (rather good) album, and can’t be assed to print more copies of our first (rather good) album, so we’ve put up (rather good) mp3s of the whole thing on our website.

    Please note: $0.

  68. I just want to say that the hardest part of college is coming to recognize that everything you ever thought was true isn’t and once you realize it, find you have nothing to replace it with. It is a way of throwing the dice on your mind in the hopes it doesn’t come out craps but when it does, having no one to blame but how everything you ever thought was true actually wasn’t. The only people you see succeeding are the ones who just came to get the paper and you feel sorry for them in an envious way (like seeing someone get into a car wreck and thinking how at least for them they have an excuse for not being where they were supposed to be and not doing what they were supposed to be doing).

    This semester sucks. One more to go and then I can start looking to pay off the loan I took out to learn all the things I learned so I can know how little I knew and how little it matters.

    Yay me! The only thing I have to look forward to is Grad-school and debt…possibly a job serving coffee to people who went to college for the paper and learned nothing, ignorant of how little they know and loving it!

  73. Neener neener neener?

    And I’ll take advantage of your generosity to recommend some books that I’ve recently read. First is a mystery series called “Murder-A-Go-Go.” It’s set in 1964 New York City, and the heroine can best be described as charmingly naive. In the first book, she thinks the Mile High Club is a group of people who have been to Denver. (She can’t quite believe it when her roommate corrects her misbelief.)

    There are two books in the series so far — IT’S A MOD, MOD, MOD, MOD MURDER, and TWIST AND SHOUT MURDER.

    Currently, I’m reading THE UNHANDSOME PRINCE by John Moore. It’s about a young woman who spends several weeks trapping frogs (and kissing them) to find a prince who had been put under a spell, only to find out that he’s not particularly handsome. And this is only in the first three or four pages . . .

  74. Neener neener neener?

    And I’ll take advantage of your generosity to recommend some books that I’ve recently read. First is a mystery series called “Murder-A-Go-Go.” It’s set in 1964 New York City, and the heroine can best be described as charmingly naive. In the first book, she thinks the Mile High Club is a group of people who have been to Denver. (She can’t quite believe it when her roommate corrects her misbelief.)

    There are two books in the series so far — IT’S A MOD, MOD, MOD, MOD MURDER, and TWIST AND SHOUT MURDER.

    Currently, I’m reading THE UNHANDSOME PRINCE by John Moore. It’s about a young woman who spends several weeks trapping frogs (and kissing them) to find a prince who had been put under a spell, only to find out that he’s not particularly handsome. And this is only in the first three or four pages . . .

  77. Rachel, Comedy, high school, don’t really know what to write about? Heck, HS is where I developed my comedic traits. I mean, cafeteria food, that’s always good for laughs. Just remember to poke fun at the situation, not the person.

    If it’s sketch comedy I’d say check out Firesign Theater, there are albums. Not many US stations do comedy anymore, but Canadian Stations do (I’m sure there are streams form the CDC). Listen to pacing. Jokes are all about timing. Run it by friends and see if they laugh, if so, great. If not, get different friends! Or try to pace the joke differently, or dump the joke and come up with something else.

  78. “The Unhandsome Prince” is a great book, as is the one before it, “Heroics for Beginners”. Very funny, great fantasy parodies. “Bad Prince Charlie”, John Moore’s latest, isn’t as good, but was still a fun read for me. Maybe I’ve just oversensitive to the waste of a redhead.

  79. “The Unhandsome Prince” is a great book, as is the one before it, “Heroics for Beginners”. Very funny, great fantasy parodies. “Bad Prince Charlie”, John Moore’s latest, isn’t as good, but was still a fun read for me. Maybe I’ve just oversensitive to the waste of a redhead.

  80. My crossover is ankle-breaking fast. The ladies like it.

    And oh yeah, here is a story about me teaching an island-village in Honduras how to play baseball:

    “Baseball, the Universal Language” as read in the Christian Science Monitor.

    Note: My baseball game isn’t nearly as pimp-worthy as my basketball game.

    GO BUCKS!

  83. I want to pimp Steven G’s pimpage of the IFComp 2006 for interactive fiction — I forgot that was coming up, and I have a nice interpreter on my PDA and a long-ish commute…

  84. I want to pimp Steven G’s pimpage of the IFComp 2006 for interactive fiction — I forgot that was coming up, and I have a nice interpreter on my PDA and a long-ish commute…

  92. Steve Buchheit-

    Haha, good point. I guess my mind is so stuck on Douglas Adams-y radio (He’s my hero. Definitely). But I could write about everyday things. Thanks!

  93. Jury duty is over and we have mete out justice with a mighty…mighty… well the pen is mightier that the sword and so we handed out money. I highly recommend the experience. I have a new respect for judges, ours was focused even during what we in the jury called the “beating a dead horse” days of testimony. No cat has ever followed a piece of string as intently as our judge followed the defenses droning; I don’t know how she does it. I did not expect my fellow jurors to understand some of the subtleties of the case involving foreign scientists, research grants spanning several institutions, calculating damages both real and abstract, but they did…really well. Holey crap the system works.

  94. Rachel: Find The Comic Toolbox by John Vorhaus (try your library, but I’d recommend buying it because you might want to write in it). I took a few improv and writing classes at The Second City when they had a theater and training center in Cleveland, and this was one of our texts. It is clear, concise and thorough about creating comic characters and situations.
    Main thing to remember: Comedy is truth and pain.
    And weiner dogs.
    And the word “turd.”

  95. Rachel: Find The Comic Toolbox by John Vorhaus (try your library, but I’d recommend buying it because you might want to write in it). I took a few improv and writing classes at The Second City when they had a theater and training center in Cleveland, and this was one of our texts. It is clear, concise and thorough about creating comic characters and situations.
    Main thing to remember: Comedy is truth and pain.
    And weiner dogs.
    And the word “turd.”

  96. Thanksgiving wombats floating through what we laughing call our minds?
    Why not try Dum Luks?
    Click on the link and then on the blogger label: Feast of Holidays
    –ml

  97. Thanksgiving wombats floating through what we laughing call our minds?
    Why not try Dum Luks?
    Click on the link and then on the blogger label: Feast of Holidays
    –ml

  98. The Town Drunk has my story “One Million Years B.F.E.: Diary of an Anthropologist in Exile” up. If you are determined not to read it, you could listen to it instead at Escape Pod, which I shall not link to in fear of Scalzi’s fierce moderation of hyperlinkage.

    Anyway. It’s the blow-off steam version of a story I was trying to write too seriously. I didn’t finish the serious version. And at least three anthropologists agree that it is hilarious. You gotta trust the anthropologists on this one.

  99. Plugging my consulting business: http://www.prologmgr.com, where we assist construction companies with projct management software.

    So being in construction, I’m really interested on how the OMW beanpole got built, theoretically taking tons of resources and face it, without having a big wooden wall to hide the process, with no one on earth having WATCHED the process & reasoned out at least part of what was happening. That was my dues ex machina I couldn’t handle, since you know there are tons of space-happy kids with telescopes on your world.

  101. Hello, pimps, hoochies and hos.

    We’re ramping up a screening series of my film SUMMER RUNNING (featuring Sissy Spacek), with the net proceeds going to cancer research.

    Hope you Scalzites on the east coast will attend and show me some pimptastic love.

    -Mactavish

  102. I’ve recorded my first podcast of a short story I wrote, “See”. It’ll appear in Variant Frequencies early next year.
    :)

    For laughs: I’m currently “MSTing” one of my cheesiest old novels, here.

  103. I’ve recorded my first podcast of a short story I wrote, “See”. It’ll appear in Variant Frequencies early next year.
    :)

    For laughs: I’m currently “MSTing” one of my cheesiest old novels, here.

  104. I’d like to pimp The Orphan’s Tales: In The Night Garden by Cat Valente, who’s a good friend, and an *astounding* storyteller.

    The tales weave back in on each other in an awsome tapestry of myth. The characters are heroic, but real. They’re accessable and able to be empathized with. I love them all.

    Cat has done a few readings here in NYC, and I was spellbound every time I heard her.

  105. Rita:

    “So being in construction, I’m really interested on how the OMW beanpole got built, theoretically taking tons of resources and face it, without having a big wooden wall to hide the process, with no one on earth having WATCHED the process & reasoned out at least part of what was happening.”

    Who says it has to have been constructed on Earth? It could have been largely assembled elsewhere and then shipped into Earth space and then put into place. Which would, of course, only add to whole “don’t mess with us because we have serious technology” vibe.

  106. I recently was told- by a doctor- that my brainscan “showed nothing.” He meant it as good news, but I took it poorly.

  107. I recently was told- by a doctor- that my brainscan “showed nothing.” He meant it as good news, but I took it poorly.

  108. Scalzi, “then shipped into Earth space and then put into place. Which would, of course, only add to whole ‘don’t mess with us because we have serious technology’ vibe.”

    That and, “we have good relations with our Teamsters.”

  110. John:
    Now the physics of off-site construction and on site installation of the beanpole would REALLY be curious. Good save.
    -Rn

  111. John:
    Now the physics of off-site construction and on site installation of the beanpole would REALLY be curious. Good save.
    -Rn

  112. Scott: No pun intended as far as I am aware. (But my subconcious undoubtedly leans in that direction, as I am my father’s daughter, and he is an inveterate punster.)

  113. This one’s for J:

    O, we don’t give a damn for the whole state of Michigan
    The whole state of Michigan, the whole state of Michigan
    We don’t give a damn for the whole state of Michigan, we’re from Ohio
    We’re from Ohio…O-H
    We’re from Ohio…I-O
    O, we don’t give a damn for the whole state of Michigan
    The whole state of Michigan, the whole state of Michigan
    We don’t give a damn for the whole state of Michigan, we’re from Ohio

  117. Johnny: If you like puns, and figuring ’em out, you may wanna check out Brandon Sanderson’s (author of Elantris) weblog. He posts puns every Wednesday, I think.

    And since we’re pimping, Brandon also posts exerpts from his latest novel in progress for people to read, along with notes on his writing process. (He’s got extensive annotations to his novels, Elantris and Mistborn. If his name sounds slightly familiar, it’s because he was one of Mr. Scalzi’s fellow Campbell nominees.)

  118. Johnny: If you like puns, and figuring ’em out, you may wanna check out Brandon Sanderson’s (author of Elantris) weblog. He posts puns every Wednesday, I think.

    And since we’re pimping, Brandon also posts exerpts from his latest novel in progress for people to read, along with notes on his writing process. (He’s got extensive annotations to his novels, Elantris and Mistborn. If his name sounds slightly familiar, it’s because he was one of Mr. Scalzi’s fellow Campbell nominees.)

  119. MIT students along with other students from around the world are trying to launch a small research spacecraft. They hope to launch from Earth in 2010 but they need more funding. They have begun selling space on the spacecraft on which you can have anything engraved. The starting donations are for $35. http://www.yournameintospace.org

  120. MIT students along with other students from around the world are trying to launch a small research spacecraft. They hope to launch from Earth in 2010 but they need more funding. They have begun selling space on the spacecraft on which you can have anything engraved. The starting donations are for $35. http://www.yournameintospace.org

  122. Thanks for giving people the opportunity to talk about their projects. I help out on this one.

    *Frames Per Second third annual online charity auction to benefit Canadian Cancer Society*

    The Frames per Second third annual online charity auction will begin on Wednesday, November 22, on eBay. Readers were asked at the beginning of the year to select the type of charity they wished to donate to and the answer for a second year in a row was to raise money for cancer research.

    From Wednesday, November 22 to Wednesday, November 29, 2006, anyone can bid online on animation-related items put on eBay by fps. These items include books, CD soundtracks, animation software, posters, DVDs, original artwork and more.

    Some of the items for auction this year include:

    * Original artwork from Steve Rude, Joel Trussell and Dave Alvarez, donated by the artists
    * 2D and 3D animation software
    * A signed copy of Amid Amidi’s book, Cartoon Modern: Fifties Animation Design, personalized for the bidder
    * A signed copy of Jeff Smith’s Bone Volume One in hardcover
    * Anime DVDs, UMDs, CDs, and posters
    * The Norman McLaren 7-disc box-set
    * Ninja Tune’s ZenTV compilation DVDs, including animated videos from Mr. Scruff and Kid Koala

    Auction information, including a list of auction items and donors, is available on the Auction page, http://www.fpsmagazine.com/auction.php.
    Items were donated by fps and a number of generous people and organizations, including Dave Alvarez, Steve Rude and Joel Trussell, the Ottawa International Animation Festival, Geneon, Anchor Bay, Tokyopop, e frontier, and 3DTotal.com.

  123. Thanks for giving people the opportunity to talk about their projects. I help out on this one.

    *Frames Per Second third annual online charity auction to benefit Canadian Cancer Society*

    The Frames per Second third annual online charity auction will begin on Wednesday, November 22, on eBay. Readers were asked at the beginning of the year to select the type of charity they wished to donate to and the answer for a second year in a row was to raise money for cancer research.

    From Wednesday, November 22 to Wednesday, November 29, 2006, anyone can bid online on animation-related items put on eBay by fps. These items include books, CD soundtracks, animation software, posters, DVDs, original artwork and more.

    Some of the items for auction this year include:

    * Original artwork from Steve Rude, Joel Trussell and Dave Alvarez, donated by the artists
    * 2D and 3D animation software
    * A signed copy of Amid Amidi’s book, Cartoon Modern: Fifties Animation Design, personalized for the bidder
    * A signed copy of Jeff Smith’s Bone Volume One in hardcover
    * Anime DVDs, UMDs, CDs, and posters
    * The Norman McLaren 7-disc box-set
    * Ninja Tune’s ZenTV compilation DVDs, including animated videos from Mr. Scruff and Kid Koala

    Auction information, including a list of auction items and donors, is available on the Auction page, http://www.fpsmagazine.com/auction.php.
    Items were donated by fps and a number of generous people and organizations, including Dave Alvarez, Steve Rude and Joel Trussell, the Ottawa International Animation Festival, Geneon, Anchor Bay, Tokyopop, e frontier, and 3DTotal.com.

  127. I noticed you guys had been talking about high heels and I wanted to share something with you that you may be interested in…

    A little over 2 years ago, my husband and I were married in Los Angeles, California. Unfortunately, the day of our wedding was spoiled with rain. We were having the wedding out on the grass and believe it or not, I was wearing high heeled shoes! They have been ruined by the end with the day :(

    Although this was one from the worst experiences I’ve ever had with my shoes, it actually led my sister in law to create a merchandise which is just awesome! It’s already been featured on TV shows like the Girls of the Playboy Mansion, and also the show Kendra.

    Heels Above will support you protect your expensive heels from sinking in mud, slipping in cracks, and walking on sand and gravel. It is a new merchandise, and I thought I’d share it with all of you.

    They’re taking orders now. You can order one pair, or a few dozen for your big wedding day.

    I hope you guys like it… If you have any questions, feel free to drop them an email on their website:
    Heels Above

    Here’s a photo of it in action:
    http://www.heelsabove.com/images/carousal_big/7.jpg

    Lex

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John Scalzi, proprietor – JS
Athena Scalzi, contributor – AMS
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