Monthly Archives: February 2011
First Person Sledding
Posted on February 3, 2011 35 Comments
Because I think you want yet another sledding video, even if you didn’t say so out loud. This is us going down the hill in our front yard. We spend most of it going backwards. This makes the trees in the yard a refreshing surprise! Hope you’re having a good day wherever you are.
The Big Idea: Walter Jon Williams
Posted on February 3, 2011 14 Comments
Every author wants to have the book that’s in the right place at the right time — the one that for whatever reason captures a moment precisely. It’s not something you can predict or plan for, but when it happens, it’s a strange and wonderful thing. Walter Jon Williams is having one of those moments […]
Three Small Notes About Punctuation, On the Internet or Otherwise
Posted on February 3, 2011 101 Comments
They are: 1. When a single word or phrase is placed inside quotation marks, it is possible that it has been placed there as a direct quote from someone else, and not in some other fashion, for example, as a scare quote. 2. If you confuse the former for the latter and then send the […]
A Small Compensation
Posted on February 2, 2011 24 Comments
Yes, I know I said I wouldn’t post again today. Sue me. Besides, I know you don’t want to miss this: What you get to do when your entire yard is encased in ice. We also did this on the two big hills on the back side of the house. Tons of fun. At least […]
This Is How Bad It’s Gotten
Posted on February 2, 2011 22 Comments
I just got an e-mail from the WordPress VIP folks (who are the ones hosting Whatever) that power issues in Texas due to the storm may force some of their servers to go temporarily offline. So if in the near future you have problems accessing Whatever, a) that’s probably why and b) don’t panic, it’ll […]
Warming Up, the Science Fictional Way
Posted on February 2, 2011
Seeing that my world is one currently encased in several inches of ice, my Filmcritic.com column this week wisks us away to some of the warmest planets of science fiction film, making the case for each as a vacation destination (while not omitting their drawbacks, of course). It’s not the deepest column I’ve ever written, […]
How to Piss Off a Bunch of YA Authors
Posted on February 1, 2011 1 Comment
It’s easy, really: 1. As a feminist magazine, create a list of “100 Young Adult Books for the Feminist Reader,” as Bitch magazine recently did. 2. Include Margo Lanagan’s really fabulous book Tender Morsels on the list. 3. When someone complains in the comments to the list that Tender and a couple of other books […]
February One Notes and Reminders
Posted on February 1, 2011 28 Comments
As we at the Scalzi Compound prep ourselves for the second half of Icepocalypse ’11, I have a few notes to get out there today, mostly involving things relating to science fiction. 1. If you were thinking of applying to the Clarion writing workshop this year, at which I will be teaching for a week, […]
Krissy Gets Icy
Posted on February 1, 2011 22 Comments
Krissy grabbed the Nikon and took some pictures of the ice — you know, before the true brunt of the storm hits us and the polar bears come from the north to eat us all. You can see her pictures here.
The Big Idea: Andrew Lane
Posted on February 1, 2011 26 Comments
Everyone knows what Sherlock Holmes does — he’s a detective, he detects things, thanks to his amazing powers of observation and his near-encyclopedic level of knowledge about even the most trivial of things (which become more than trivial when he applies them). But then there’s another question about Sherlock Holmes — one that author Andrew […]
Welcome to the Deadly Ice Planet of Death AKA February
Posted on February 1, 2011 36 Comments
It’s not much to look at, admittedly. It’s the mundane ice planet of death. But those apparent bald patches of lawn there are actually encased in ice, thick enough that Krissy and the dog both had difficulty walking across the lawn this morning. The roads are a mess, school is canceled and Krissy is staying […]
Whatever Everyone Else is Saying