Monthly Archives: April 2008
Suddenly It All Makes Sense
Posted on April 30, 2008 16 Comments
Of probably no interest to anyone but myself, but someone pointed me in the direction of knowing why my MT4 install went kerblooey last year: it wasn’t MT4, it was my host, which apparently chokes off script calls after about ten seconds, which is no good when you have a site as large as mine. […]
Also, I Woke Up With A Sudden Desire to Collect Tom of Finland Postcards
Posted on April 30, 2008 46 Comments
I woke up with this song in my head, and now I can’t get it out. So now I’m giving it to you. Sorry, man. It just had to be done.
A Simple Question
Posted on April 30, 2008 63 Comments
So, if you’re the cat who left the bottom half of a rabbit on my doorstep this morning, with said hemi-rabbit’s liver and intestines each artfully laid out to the side, will you raise your right paw? Yes, well. That’s what I thought.
The Scalzi/Doctorow Mashup You’ve All Been Waiting For
Posted on April 29, 2008 39 Comments
Update: video is down. I expect they’re fixing the sound/video disconnect in the last part. I’ll repost when it’s fixed. Fixed! Last month Cory Doctorow and I met in Chicago — to fight crime! — and also to sit down and interview each other about our respective upcoming books, Little Brother and Zoe’s Tale. And […]
Another One From the “People Who Really Should Know Better” File
Posted on April 29, 2008 36 Comments
University of Florida English professor James Twitchell caught plagiarizing others in his books. His is excuse? “Fluke acts of sloppiness.” Well, yes, it is sloppy to lift whole paragraphs of other people’s work without attribution, but as the linked article suggests, when you do a lot of it, it’s not really a fluke. Writers should […]
One Star Challenge Roundup, Part the First
Posted on April 29, 2008 30 Comments
Last Thursday, you may recall, I posted a bunch of my one-star Amazon reviews and challenged other authors to do the same, the idea being, you know, that there are worse things in life than a negative Amazon review. And what do you know, authors have begun taking me up on the challenge, posting choice […]
The Return of Ghlaghghee
Posted on April 29, 2008 19 Comments
Those of you who live for the appearances of my pets on Whatever will note that it’s been a while, relatively speaking, since Ghlaghghee was last seen here. The reason for this is pretty simple: Ghlaghghee, being a longhair cat, has had some serious matting issues, which have required some serious and, shall we say, […]
The Big Idea: Cory Doctorow
Posted on April 29, 2008 28 Comments
Last year my editor at Tor Books, Patrick Nielsen Hayden, gave me a manuscript copy of Little Brother, Cory Doctorow’s young adult thriller, to see if I might want to blurb it. About halfway into it, I wanted to stop reading it — not because I didn’t like it, but because I wanted to jam […]
Why Yes, My Backyard Does Overlook Mordor
Posted on April 28, 2008 24 Comments
Why do you ask? Honest, it didn’t look this menacing in real life. But the camera sees something different than the human eye. Makes for interesting pictures.
Because I Feel Like Starting Yet Another Pointless Word Usage Holy War
Posted on April 28, 2008 89 Comments
The sort of person who would use the phrase hoi polloi is also the sort of person who ought to know not to put “the” in front of it. That is all.
Today’s Free Advice
Posted on April 28, 2008 27 Comments
Never answer a mysterious e-mail which begins: “Attention, Dear Trusting Friend.” You’re welcome.
Pronouning Your Hermaphrodite
Posted on April 28, 2008 90 Comments
Here’s a writing issue I suspect is largely confined to the realm of speculative fiction: I’m editing page proofs of Zoe’s Tale at the moment and catching a significant number of errors — why is why we edit page proofs, so we see them, but you don’t. The largest class of errors? Me calling either […]
Gulf of Araby
Posted on April 27, 2008 29 Comments
One of my favorite Natalie Merchant songs. It helped me get through this, for which I am grateful, because I didn’t know to at first. Enjoy.
Nice Try
Posted on April 27, 2008 40 Comments
Today Amazon suggested The Last Colony to me for purchase. Yeah, you know, I’ve read that. But it’s nice to know Amazon’s algorithm thinks I might like my own stuff.
The Stupidly Obvious Phrase of the Day
Posted on April 27, 2008 57 Comments
“The Poor Suffer the Most” Used, for example, in this news header today in a story about food shortages: “As a brutal convergence of events hits an unprepared global market, and grain prices go sky high, the world’s poor suffer most.” Really? The poor suffering the most? It’s hard to imagine. Because, you know, usually […]
This Year’s Nebula Winners
Posted on April 26, 2008 17 Comments
They are: Novel: The Yiddish Policemen’s Union by Michael Chabon Novella: “Fountain of Age” by Nancy Kress Novelette: “The Merchant and the Alchemist’s Gate” by Ted Chiang Short Story: “Always” by Karen Joy Fowler Script: Pan’s Labyrinth by Guillermo del Toro The winner of this year’s Norton Award for best young adult novel is Harry […]
SFWA Passes Its Gut Check Moment
Posted on April 26, 2008 37 Comments
Greetings, gentlebeings! Little birdies flying to Ohio from down Austin, Texas way tell me that the incoming president of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America is Russell Davis, who won the position by a rather substantial margin over Andrew Burt. Also on the upcoming SFWA board: Elizabeth Moon as vice president, Mary Robinette […]
Going Sidewise
Posted on April 26, 2008 12 Comments
This is neat: A short story of mine has been nominated for the Sidewise Award, which annually honors the best alternate history stories and novels. Here are the full list of nominees for this year: Best Short Form: Elizabeth Bear, “Les Innocents/Lumiere” (in New Amsterdam, Subterranean Press) Michael Flynn, “Quaestiones Super Caelo Et Mundo” (in […]
The Closeted Cat
Posted on April 26, 2008 8 Comments
Here’s a funny thing about Lopsided Cat: He’s a closet affection whore. When the other cats are around he hates being touched or picked up; you reach down to pet him when the other cats are around and he literally flattens himself down the floor to avoid being touched. Because being petted around the other […]
It Has Begun
Posted on April 25, 2008 74 Comments
Yes, yes. It has. Arrangements have been made. Wheels set into motion. At this point, it is inevitable. Unavoidable. Implacable would not be too strong a word. What has begun? I cannot tell you. Suffice to say it is evil. And yet awesome, in its way. And it will be visited upon one of you. […]
Whatever Everyone Else is Saying