Monthly Archives: July 2010
Heading Out
Posted on July 31, 2010 25 Comments
And now I’m off for a month and a half. You kids have fun, take care — and take care of each other, okay? I’ll see you in September, on the 12th anniversary of Whatever. Until then, JS
A Pre-Hiatus Gift to You: A Free E-Book!
Posted on July 30, 2010 65 Comments
Before I head off for my six-week hiatus, I thought I’d leave you a little reading material. A decade ago, I wrote a series of entries which I called “That Was The Millennium That Was,” chronicling what I thought were some of the best, worst and weirdest things of the last millennium. It was a […]
Meet the Guest Bloggers
Posted on July 30, 2010 28 Comments
No, Ghlaghghee will not be a guest blogger while I am on hiatus over the next several weeks. I realize that breaks the heart of some of you. You’ll just have to live with disappointment. For everyone else, I am pleased to introduce to you the folks you’ll be spending the next few weeks with […]
Here, Have a Stargate: Universe Season Two Trailer
Posted on July 29, 2010 31 Comments
I see from the trailer that we’re not telling people yet about the Ewok crossover episode. Oh. Damn. FORGET I SAID ANYTHING.
The Big Idea: S.A. Swann
Posted on July 29, 2010 5 Comments
How do you write a sequel for a book that you wrote without thinking of a sequel at all?It’s a pretty puzzle, and one that happens more often than you might think. S.A. Swann faced this problem with Wolf’s Cross, an unexpected sequel to his novel Wolfbreed. His solution to the situation? Read on, dear […]
A Passing Thought
Posted on July 28, 2010 79 Comments
I now have in my possession a pocket-sized computer which, when I speak a question to it (“Who is the author of Kraken?” “Who was the fourteenth president of the Unites States?” “What is the name of John Scalzi’s cat?”) provides me an answer in just a few seconds. If I take a picture of […]
The Upcoming Scalzi Hiatus: What You Need to Know
Posted on July 28, 2010 62 Comments
As I have mentioned earlier, starting this Sunday, August 1, I am taking a six-week hiatus from Whatever, concluding on or about September 12 (9/13 will be the 12-year anniversary of the site). However, Whatever will still be up and running during that time, for your continued reading enjoymentary. Because I realize these two apparently […]
Science Fiction Film Meets the Bechdel Test
Posted on July 28, 2010
Just for kicks, over at FilmCritic.com this week, I applied the Bechdel Test to some of the most popular science fiction films of the last half decade to see if these films a) had two or more female characters b) who spoke to each other c) about something other than a man. And how did […]
Droid X Day II: The Droidinationing
Posted on July 27, 2010 30 Comments
Because I’m getting lots of e-mail from people who want to know more about the Droid X, presumably because they are in the market for a new cell phone themselves, some more thoughts on the thing. Note that some of these thoughts will be about the Android platform in general, not just about the Droid […]
Marjorie M. Liu and Kelley Armstrong Have a Conversation About Writing
Posted on July 27, 2010 5 Comments
In my neverending quest to get other people to do my work for me completely selfless attempt to bring interesting writers and their books to your attention, because I love you, here’s something new for you, and we’ll see what you think: Two authors chatting with each other about their new books, and about writing. […]
Look! I Am Drawing Your Attention to These Things!
Posted on July 27, 2010 9 Comments
Because, you know. Why be subtle about it. 1. To celebrate the arrival of the author copies of Shades of Milk and Honey, and the book’s imminent release (as in, next Tuesday), Mary Robinette Kowal is having a caption contest to give away two signed copies of the novel. Yes! Signed! To you, even! That […]
The Big Idea: A.C.E. Bauer
Posted on July 27, 2010 10 Comments
The great thing about Shakespeare — as if there were just one great thing about him — is that he offers so many opportunities for other writers to explore his work, ask questions and then build their own stories from there. He’s a lodestone of inspiration, and even some of the smallest elements of his […]
Droid X First Impressions
Posted on July 26, 2010 41 Comments
With the exception of having to tap twice to make a comma, I’m liking my Droid X so far. Bear in mind that I’m coming from a BlackBerry Storm, on which nearly app and function was like a wart-bearing, arthritic version of the same app or function on the iPhone or Android phones, so in […]
As Required By the Internets
Posted on July 26, 2010 22 Comments
The first picture from my new cell phone is of my cat. Ghlaghghee does not appear notably impressed with the new technology. I’m still fiddling with it myself. But so far: Pretty cool.
What Hollywood Doesn’t Want to Hear Right About Now
Posted on July 26, 2010 103 Comments
Overheard at a Saturday afternoon showing of Despicable Me in 3D: Woman (sighing): I really wish the theater was showing this in 2D. Man: We all do. Honeymoon’s over, filmmakers.
Sunday is For Counting One’s Fingers
Posted on July 25, 2010 31 Comments
Oh, don’t look at me like that. You can’t tell me none of your fingers has ever gone missing in the night. See you tomorrow.
The Trouble With Mid-Career Advice
Posted on July 24, 2010 24 Comments
Recently Jay Lake, Tobias Buckell and Sherwood Smith have all been discussing mid-career writer advice, and why it’s harder to give advice to people in the middle of their careers (let’s call that 5+ years in the business) than it is to people who are just starting out. Well, there’s a good reason for that, […]
And Now, a Completely Context-Free Quote From My Wife
Posted on July 23, 2010 52 Comments
“I was just checking to see how my hand fit around your neck. It’s not like I was squeezing.”
Whatever Everyone Else is Saying