Monthly Archives: January 2016
The Scamperbeasts Rule
Posted on January 31, 2016 38 Comments
The Scamperbeasts Twitter account passed the 5,000 followers milestone today, which is a nice round number considering it’s only been around for a little over three weeks. People love kittens. In commemoration of this achievement, and also for the betterment of the Twitter experience in general, I made the following announcement: New rule for jerks trolling me: […]
Impostor Syndrome, or Not
Posted on January 30, 2016 115 Comments
At ConFusion last week, I had a great many conversations with a great many folks on a large number of topics, but there was one topic that seemed to pop up more than usual: Impostor Syndrome. Impostor Syndrome, briefly put, is the feeling that one’s achievements and status are a fluke, and that sooner or later one […]
New Books and ARCs, 1/29/16
Posted on January 29, 2016 11 Comments
And now, to carry us off into the weekend, here’s a dozen new books and ARCs that have come to the Scalzi Compound in the last couple of weeks. See anything here that floats your proverbial boat? Tell me what it is in the comments!
2016 Hugo Nominations Open
Posted on January 29, 2016 30 Comments
For those of you of a science fictional and/or fantastic bent, the nomination period for the Hugo Awards has now begun and will run until March 31. You can nominate if you were a member of last year’s convention (Sasquan), if you are a member of this year’s convention (MidAmeriCon II), or are a member […]
Facebook and Your Friends
Posted on January 28, 2016 56 Comments
Over on Facebook I see a fair number of people linking to the story that although the average Facebook user has 155 “friends” on Facebook, there are also on average only four of those “friends” that a Facebook user would call in a genuine crisis, suggesting that just because you are “friends” with someone on […]
The Battle of the Scamperbeasts: An Epic Poem, Translated From the Cat Tongue
Posted on January 28, 2016 45 Comments
Once upon a time There was a kitten on a stairwell Basking in the light of the sun As kittens are known to do. And all was peaceful in the land of kittens. Or so it seemed. But then another kitten Jealous of her sister’s place in the light Decided that the light should be […]
The Big Idea: Jennifer Brozek
Posted on January 28, 2016 4 Comments
A question that authors often ask themselves: Who am I writing this book for? For Never Let Me, a compilation volume of novels by Jennifer Brozek, the author discovered who she was writing her series for — which included, among others, a very specific set of people. JENNIFER BROZEK: My Big Idea hid from me […]
Tom Louis, 1946 – 2016
Posted on January 27, 2016 25 Comments
A brief note here to note the passing of Tom Louis, Kristine’s uncle (shown here with Richard Alvarez, my brother-in-law, at family gathering), whose memorial service I’m about to head out the door for. Tom was pretty much the definition of “salt of the earth” and cared deeply about the family, and was always kind and […]
The Rental Muscle Car
Posted on January 27, 2016 109 Comments
For various reasons that are not relevant at the moment, we needed a rental car for the next several days, so Krissy ordered one. I think she ordered up something along the lines of a Honda Accord; the rental place, however, spontaneously and without additional cost upgraded her to the brand new Ford Mustang convertible that […]
Big Idea Status Post for February and March
Posted on January 26, 2016 4 Comments
Here’s the status: February: All February slots are filled. I’m doing three a week for the first three weeks because during the fourth week I’ll be on a big ass boat in the Caribbean. If I have not already contacted you about February, assume I’ve passed on your Big Idea query. March: Partially filled; I […]
The Big Idea: Charlie Jane Anders
Posted on January 26, 2016 16 Comments
How many times have you heard a new book, or movie or TV show, described as “X meets Y” where the two variables are something super-popular, jammed into one? As Charlie Jane Anders discovered in thinking about her new and already widely-lauded debut novel All the Birds in the Sky, there are limits to all […]
The Scamperbeasts Get Mail
Posted on January 25, 2016 44 Comments
And it’s from Time Warner Cable, offering them business class Internet. Damn it, Time Warner! You never offered me business class Internet! It’s a lie anyway, as TWC doesn’t string out cable to where we are, otherwise I would have it and be rid of my appallingly slow 5mbps DSL from CenturyLink, which is indeed […]
Sweet Dreams Are Made of This
Posted on January 24, 2016 31 Comments
It’s been a long day. In other news, Krissy and I are back from ConFusion, the science fiction convention in the Detroit area that we attend annually. We had a fabulous time, as we usually do, hanging out with friends and fans. We’re probably going to crash early, because we’ve been up late all weekend. […]
View From a Hotel Window, 1/21/16: Novi, MI
Posted on January 21, 2016 24 Comments
Look! Air conditioning units and a parking lot! This view has all the classics. I’m here for the ConFusion convention, my “home” convention, which promises to be a blast as always. If you’re in the area and have the weekend free, then, hey, come on down. We’re fun.
Clinton and Sanders and Me
Posted on January 20, 2016 188 Comments
Question in email: A couple months back you posted about the GOP presidential candidates but you haven’t said anything about the Democratic candidates. Any thoughts? My thoughts are thus: I suspect that despite people getting hopped up about Bernie Sanders that the nomination is still going to go to Clinton in the end, and I’m […]
David Hartwell
Posted on January 20, 2016 23 Comments
Very bad news about David Hartwell, one of most important editors of science fiction and fantasy: According to Kathryn Cramer, David has had a massive bleed in his brain and is not expected to recover. Patrick Nielsen Hayden, who has known and worked with David for decades, has further thoughts and information. I’ve also known David […]
In Which the 18-Year Old John Scalzi Tackles “The Great Questions”
Posted on January 19, 2016 39 Comments
My high school alumni office sent me an interesting email — the last essay assignment I wrote for one of my classes in my senior year of high school, in which I was asked, essentially, to write about what it meant to be human. It was for my AP Modern European History class, and the teacher […]
Into the World of Travel Once More Plus a Question to Keep You Occupied
Posted on January 19, 2016 254 Comments
Athena and I have had a delightful time at Arisia, but now it’s time to hop on a plane and head back to Ohio. We’ll be in transit all day. In the meantime a question for you to ponder: What’s your favorite obscure soda flavor? “Obscure” in this case can mean a) not always available […]
Glenn Frey
Posted on January 18, 2016 25 Comments
Damn, it’s January 18th, and it’s already been a hell of a year for musician deaths. If you’re a musician who was even marginally popular in the 70s, please keep an eye on yourself, okay? In the meantime, as we’re thinking of Glenn Frey passing along to the great gig in the sky, enjoy this […]
Early Oscar Predictions, 2016
Posted on January 15, 2016 49 Comments
As most of you know, my first gig out of college was as a film critic, and since then I keep up with the field. So every year when the Oscar nominations come out I go ahead and make an early guess as to what’s the frontrunner for the statuette that year. It’s 2016, the […]
Whatever Everyone Else is Saying