Monthly Archives: June 2013

The Crossposting Penumbra

So, when I am dealing with contentious comment threads, I will occasionally have to deem a particular conversation on the thread as something derail-y or not germane to the actual topic of the thread, and tell people to move on from it, or (more bluntly) that if I see any more comments on the subject, […]

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Reporting Harassment at a Convention: A First-Person How To

My friend Elise Matthesen was creeped upon at a recent convention by someone of some influence in the genre; she decided that she was going to do something about it and reported the person for sexual harassment, both to the convention and to the person’s employer. And now she’s telling you how she did it […]

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Hanging Out in the Gray City

I’m in Chicago this weekend for the American Library Association conference, where I’ll be doing all number of events. So if you’re a librarian at ALA this weekend and you want to see me, check your ALA schedule to see what I’m up to. Me, I’m just happy to have another excuse to be in […]

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The Big Idea: Jason Sheehan

Sometimes, when an author meets a piece of obsolete technology, it can change the way he looks at the world — or at least, a world.  Just ask Jason Sheehan about that, and about aircraft, and his debut science fiction novel, A Private Little War. JASON SHEEHAN: I figured I was in trouble when I […]

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The Big Idea: David Nickle

Today, with his novel The ‘Geisters, author David Nickle goes to a dark place. Want to come with him? DAVID NICKLE: I wanted to write a book about kink. This was around the time that Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight books were getting popular; well before the time that E.L. James’ Fifty Shades of Grey took Edward […]

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Ding Dong, DOMA’s Dead (and So is Prop 8)

In one of the better days for the United States recently, the Supreme Court of the United States knocked down the “Defense of Marriage Act,” pointing out, quite reasonably, that you can’t actually defend marriages if you’re telling some people that their unquestionably legal marriages are less marriage-y than others. Here’s the full decision (pdf […]

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Note About Big Idea Pieces for July

I should have posted this earlier, but, hey, I’ve been busy: Since I am taking at least a semi-vacation here in July, with the exception of a July 2nd Big Idea piece (which was scheduled before I decided on a vacation), there will be no Big Idea pieces for July. I’ll pick things up again […]

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The Big Idea: Madeline Ashby

What do an artificial person and a lost (and important!) government document have to do with each other — and Madeline Ashby’s latest novel, iD? You’re about to find out, from Ms. Ashby herself. MADELINE ASHBY: It’s funny, the things your book can tell you about yourself. When I wrote vN: The First Machine Dynasty […]

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Announcement: July To Be (Mostly) Vacation Month

The headline basically gets the gist of it: I plan to have a very light schedule of posting here at Whatever in July — “very light” meaning anything from “maybe once a day” to “not at all for most of the whole damn month.” I’m being vague because I haven’t entirely figured out what I […]

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My Brain is Apparently Taking a Vacation Day

And I’m not going to argue with it about the fact. So, to keep you amused, a question for you to answer and discuss in the comment thread: Name a favorite “deep cut” from a band you like. A “deep cut” meaning a track that was never a single or radio/video hit and wouldn’t generally […]

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Zeus Tries Out the New Recliner

And his expression of “what?” does seem to suggest that he believes he has full, rightful claim to it. For the moment, Zeus. For the moment. For those of you who have been asking what kind of recliner this is, here’s a listing for it. I would note that Krissy says she got a rather […]

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The New, Somewhat Ridiculous Chair

I noted yesterday that the old recliners in the front room were being taken out to make space for new furniture. Here’s one piece of that furniture: A new recliner whose proportions seem better suited for Andre the Giant than me. Seriously, I look even more like a hobbit in this thing than I usually […]

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Enjoying It While It Lasts

Although the cats don’t know it, they are on a clock; in about 24 hours, those chairs are to be carted off and replaced with a couch, around which my wife will then redecorate the front room. This may be of some consternation to Ghlaghghee and Zeus, both of whom enjoy the chairs and indeed […]

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For Future Reference: SnailQuake Art

The SyFy Channel announced today that it would be releasing a film called Sharknado, about, yes, a tornado filled with sharks. Naturally enough, I had a comment about that on Twitter: Sharknado. SHARKNADO, PEOPLE. @syfy is officially trying to bring about THE END OF DAYS. http://t.co/Nb6W9l7UPY — John Scalzi (@scalzi) June 20, 2013 AND YET […]

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The Big Idea: Ramsey Hootman

Writer Ramsey Hootman grew up loving one literary genre but writing in an entirely different one for her debut novel Courting Greta. But don’t think that doesn’t mean her first literary love wasn’t an influence anyway. She’s here to explain how it was. RAMSEY HOOTMAN: I first read The Martian Chronicles at age 12. This […]

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Guilt, Mine, and Paying It Forward, Me

You know, every now and again some dude will read my “Straight White Male” piece or one of the similar follow-on pieces, decide to put me in my place, and barf up a blog nugget consisting of straw men, bad logic, projection and anger issues with me as its target. This is fine, of course. […]

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