Monthly Archives: September 2009
On Being the Stargate Universe Creative Consultant: Answers!
Posted on September 30, 2009 73 Comments
Having given you most of a day to ask questions about my gig as the Stargate: Universe Creative Consultant, I will now start answering them. Prepare yourselves! Roger E: I’d like to hear a bit of the story of how you came to get the actual gig. (Are the producers fans of OMW?, etc.) Well, […]
My Comment Deletions Policy
Posted on September 30, 2009 108 Comments
This is another “put it up to point people to later” posts: In the space of 24 hours I’ve been e-mailed by three people asking if I wouldn’t mind deleting the comments they’ve posted here. They have various reasons for the request, not the least of which is that this site has sufficient Google gravity […]
Terrifyingly Plausible
Posted on September 29, 2009 36 Comments
From the horrifying clothes to the Cooper Black typeface, this dead-on fake ad suckered me for a whole 2.3 seconds before I realized it must be fake. Your two hints: 1. The game pictured is actually Activision’s 1980 video game Dragster, which I spent a fair amount of my 11-year-old life playing; 2. The video […]
On Being the Stargate Universe Creative Consultant: Get Your Questions In
Posted on September 29, 2009 113 Comments
Update: First set of answers up here. I may do a second set on Friday, so feel free to pose a question that hasn’t already been answered. As you may have heard, I’m the Creative Consultant for Stargate: Universe, which debuts this Friday night on the Syfy channel here in the US (and on the […]
Liar Out Today
Posted on September 29, 2009 20 Comments
It’s a busy day for excellent books hitting the market — Harry Connolly’s Child of Fire (today’s Big Idea feature) and Cherie Priest’s Boneshaker are just two examples — but I also want to make sure I take a little time to mention Liar, by Justine Larbalestier, which also hits today. I mention it to […]
The Big Idea: Harry Connolly
Posted on September 29, 2009 43 Comments
This is one of those “in the family” moments — Harry Connolly is a long-time commenter here at Whatever, who has also been plugging away at the writing thing all the way. It’s paid off today with the publication of his debut fantasy novel Child of Fire, which earned a big fat starred review from […]
Boneshaker Book Giveaway
Posted on September 28, 2009 18 Comments
UPDATE, 1:36pm: All the copies are claimed. But you should still get a copy for yourself in the old-fashioned “go out and buy one” manner, because it’s excellent. — Hey, kids! My pal and Subterranean Press publisher Bill Schafer is having a giveaway of Boneshaker, the absolutely spectacular new novel by Cherie Priest, which officially […]
The Next Couple of Weeks, Schedulewise
Posted on September 28, 2009 22 Comments
Because I like to get ahead of these things, I should note that this week and next it’s likely to be slow around here, on account that this week, I have a couple of projects I absolutely need to finish up (which will likely involve me yanking out the DSL line for several hours a […]
Martian Sky
Posted on September 27, 2009 14 Comments
The sky this evening being the shade of salmon that makes one suspect one is on Mars, or in Australia after a dust storm. In fact, this is neither; it’s just a lot of haze right after sunset taking pink rather further up the bowl of the sky than it would normally. Still, nice to […]
The Beat Goes On
Posted on September 27, 2009 13 Comments
Out in the world today. Have some (English) Beat to keep you busy until tomorrow.
You Can Tell He Does This A Lot
Posted on September 26, 2009 46 Comments
Barack Obama’s Amazingly Consistent Smile: Yeah, it’s a little freaky. Hat tip: Gawker
Dear Toad in My Front Bushes: It’s Totally Not Safe Here
Posted on September 25, 2009 60 Comments
I mean, dude: Did you not see that three cats live here? And cats, as I’m sure you know, love to take toads like you and do all sorts of horrible, unspeakable things with them. Starting with their intestines. So while I’m perfectly happy to have you around, eating up bugs and look adorable in […]
YBF, PoD and Other Such Acronyms
Posted on September 24, 2009 53 Comments
It was noted to me last week that this year’s edition of Year’s Best Fantasy is published by Tor.com (that is, the Web site, as distinct from Tor Books), and that it is Publish on Demand — which is to say, when you order the book, the call goes out to a printing machine, which […]
The Big Idea: Paolo Bacigalupi
Posted on September 24, 2009 36 Comments
If you read science fiction short stories, the name “Paolo Bacigalupi” has become a familiar one recently, in no small part because it keeps cropping up during awards season: four Hugo nominations in five years, Locus and Sturgeon award wins, and general praise from all quarters. The work in short fiction is the foundation for […]
Moon’s Oscar Chances and More
Posted on September 24, 2009
I’m answering mail in this week’s AMC column, talking about which science fiction movies have a chance at next year’s expanded Best Picture nominee slate (including Moon, pictured above), offering suggestions for good cheap SF films, and speculating on how long 3D will stick around this time. Go on, you know you love to read […]
Distant Early Warning
Posted on September 23, 2009 29 Comments
For Torontonians and others of a Canadian persuasion, I will be in your midst in early April 2010 (specifically, the weekend of the 9th 23rd), when I will speak at the Merril Collection, and do other such things of a public and/or science fictional nature. More information to come as details get sorted and we […]
Bah
Posted on September 23, 2009 42 Comments
Feel like crap. If I’m coming down with something I will be looking for someone to blame. But in the meantime will go take a nap. Do not expect great things here today.
Please to Enjoy My Annual Offering of Natal Felicitations to My Female Sibling
Posted on September 22, 2009 29 Comments
Or, in less goofy terms: Happy birthday to my sis, Heather.
This Is What Happens When the Hobbits Who Have Abducted Me and Forced Me To Act in Their Musical Finally Make Me Angry
Posted on September 22, 2009 31 Comments
Yup. This is about right. (If you’re just coming in at this point, a little bit of context)
The Big Idea: Diana Peterfreund
Posted on September 22, 2009 57 Comments
A word for you: “Unicorns.” Did you roll your eyes? Oh, come on, yes you did. And yet, some part of your brain knew that one point, unicorns were actually cool. What happened to them? Can anything be done to return them to their former status? Diana Peterfreund has a few ideas on the subject, […]
Whatever Everyone Else is Saying