Monthly Archives: December 2006
Comment Moderation, Etc
Posted on December 26, 2006 17 Comments
I’ve gotten a couple e-mails on this recently from folks concerned when a comment of theirs drops into the moderation queue and then doesn’t eventually show up. So I’m going to post this and let it stand as a resource going forward. First, understand that this site gets a huge number of spam comments a […]
Modeling Only the Finest in Modern Sheep Wear
Posted on December 25, 2006 16 Comments
This was a gift from my friend Karen, who I adored before but now adore just that much more. It’s definitely my new favorite t-shirt. How was your Christmas and/or Monday?
Merry Christmas
Posted on December 25, 2006 12 Comments
Here are two wonderful gifts I have this Christmas Day. I hope wherever you are, you are with those you love, or at the very least are holding them close in your heart.
NYT Review Fallout
Posted on December 24, 2006 23 Comments
There’s been some interesting commentary and discussion following Dave Itzkoff’s NYT Book Review piece on me and my books, so I thought I’d post links to some of them I’ve found, for the edification of Whatever readers. In no particular order: * Instapundit notes the piece, and has some thoughts on the idea of Starship […]
Whatever Best of 2006
Posted on December 24, 2006 4 Comments
We’re now officially in the final week of 2006, which means it’s time for my annual “Best Of” list of Whatever entries, highlighting the entries I think were the most notable of the last calendar year. As it happens, this year’s list seems to be heavy on entries about writing, but all things considered I […]
Blindsight 2nd Printing; TAD Review in Flint Journal Review
Posted on December 24, 2006 12 Comments
Congratulations to Peter Watts: His book Blindsight is indeed headed for a second printing, giving more folks an opportunity to check it out. As you may recall, the second printing appeared in some doubt earlier, so I’m glad to see the book has reached that milestone. Watts has graciously given some credit for this to […]
Greetings From the Politburo
Posted on December 23, 2006 10 Comments
To answer a couple of e-mails I’ve gotten about the John Hersey illustration accompanying the NYT Sunday Book Review article about me and my books, yes, I think it’s supposed to be me, and as evidence of this, I have paired it above with what I suspect was its model, the picture on my bio […]
Exit Interview From the Seventh Year
Posted on December 23, 2006 28 Comments
Athena, you are eight years old today. How does it feel to be eight? I’m not eight yet. What do you mean? Because I’m not eight until 3:31. Fine. Today is your eighth birthday. How does it feel to have reached such a momentous milestone? I feel fine, except that you were just being sarcastic. […]
On the New York Times Sunday Book Review Piece
Posted on December 23, 2006 44 Comments
The New York Times Sunday Book Review piece on me and my books is now up, so I thought I’d make a few comments on it: 1. As to your first question of how do I feel about it: oh, come on. I just had a full page devoted to me in the New York […]
Last Chance
Posted on December 22, 2006 9 Comments
This is the final boarding call for those of you who want to get your name in the limited edition version of “The Sagan Diary,” as members of the doomed Company D; after today no more name requests can be taken. So get those orders in. I’m looking at the pdf of the page layout […]
Oh Noes! I Caught Teh Izlam!
Posted on December 22, 2006 57 Comments
First, a quote from Virgil Goode, US Representative, in his press conference yesterday, in which he defended sounding the alarm against the prospect of more Muslims coming to the US and — brace yourself — possibly being elected to Congress: “I fear that in the next century we will have many more Muslims in the […]
Happy Family
Posted on December 22, 2006 11 Comments
Hey, I’m lucky. Just thought I’d put that out there.
One of the Great Moral Quandaries of Our Time
Posted on December 21, 2006 78 Comments
Let’s say that you are struck with the need to relieve your bladder, as so many people are this time of year. You go to the bathroom, only to find the dog first in the active process of drinking from the toilet bowl, and then looking up at you as if to say “do you […]
Are Short Stories Necessary?
Posted on December 20, 2006 37 Comments
Justine Larbalestier is thinking about short stories and whether they are a necessary part of every writers’ writing diet: Given that I can’t write a decent short story to save my life and have sold three novels I don’t think short stories are not necessary to build a career as a novelist. Short stories and […]
On Carl Sagan
Posted on December 20, 2006 20 Comments
When I was eleven, I thought Carl Sagan was the coolest guy in the world. And that was because he was speaking right at me. At the age of 11, in 1980, I was a kid utterly convinced that he was going to grow up to be an astronomer — I loved the stars, I […]
Congratulations Chad Orzel!
Posted on December 19, 2006 5 Comments
My friend Chad just got tenure. Now he can sleep in and let his grad students do all his work! And really, that’s the academic dream. Go congratulate him, why don’t you.
Unveiling My New Signature Quote
Posted on December 19, 2006 21 Comments
After a run of five good years, the current quote in my e-mail signature file (“You are a man too lazy to fail” — Kristine Blauser Scalzi) is being honorably retired, to make way for the new signature quote, uttered last night, to me, by my daughter, Athena: “Your insolent mind will never rule this […]
Two Upcoming Events of Interest
Posted on December 19, 2006 16 Comments
Here’s a couple of things you might want to think about over the next couple of days: 1. Tomorrow marks the 10th anniversary of the passing of Carl Sagan, who aside from being a personal hero of mine and the namesake of one of my favorite characters, was probably the single greatest popularizer of science […]
Joseph Barbera
Posted on December 19, 2006 16 Comments
Joseph Barbera, one half of the Hanna-Barbera animation team, passed away yesterday, and that pretty much puts the cap on the golden age of theatrical animation, the one that birthed Bugs Bunny, Mickey Mouse and Hanna and Barbera’s own Tom & Jerry. Of course, Barbera is also of the TV animation generation: after theatrical animation […]
Housekeeping Notes
Posted on December 18, 2006 29 Comments
A couple of notes relating to the Whatever, books and what have you: 1. First, for those of you who are still thinking having your name inserted into the limited edition of “The Sagan Diary,” as members of the doomed (but valiant!) Company D, Subterranean is planning to send the book to the printer very […]
Whatever Everyone Else is Saying