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We Interrupt This Tuesday To Bring You This Extremely Important Picture of a Dog Rolling About On the Grass
Posted on May 31, 2022 14 Comments
Really, it might be the most important photo you see today. Look at this happy dog. Just look at her. Back to your regularly scheduled Tuesday. Thank you for your attention. — JS
A Twitter Thread: OMW and “Best Of”s
Posted on May 29, 2022 20 Comments
From earlier today. Posting here for archival and conversational purposes. 1. I saw someone posting the “Best of 21st Century” Locus Poll from more than a decade ago (on which Old Man’s War topped the SF list) and wondering how the top tier of the books on the list have held up in the time […]
Iris, 5/28/22
Posted on May 28, 2022 5 Comments
It’s been raining on a more or less constant basis for the last couple of days here, which is no fun for various reasons but at least allows me to get in a couple nice photos of droplets on the irises in the front of the house. The good news is the rain is meant […]
New Books and ARCs, 5/27/22
Posted on May 27, 2022 9 Comments
As we amble into the Memorial Day weekend here in the US, here is a nicely eclectic stack of new books and ARCs for you to consider. What here do you want to take into summer with you? Share in the comments! — JS
RIP, Andy Fletcher
Posted on May 26, 2022 13 Comments
Andy Fletcher of Depeche Mode has died, and it’s a sad day for everyone who went to high school when I did (and at my high school in particular, where Depeche Mode was worshiped as unto gods). Andy Fletcher would not have been my bet to be the first DM member to leave us, and […]
Housekeeping Note Re: Search
Posted on May 26, 2022 5 Comments
Several of you have noted that the search widget in the sidebar appears to have gotten bunged up and was offering up 404s when you tried to search something. Indeed it was, so I uninstalled the search widget and then reinstalled it. Now it seems to work fine. Whether it will continue to do so […]
Post-Creative Lassitude
Posted on May 23, 2022 14 Comments
The writing on the new novel is coming along; it needs to be soon(ish) and now that I’m actually home from promoting The Kaiju Preservation Society, making progress on it is moving along more efficiently, which is nice. I’m in the zone where I will write a chapter (more or less) and then, when I’m […]
View From a Hotel Window 5/20/22: Gaithersburg, MD
Posted on May 20, 2022 11 Comments
No parking lot, but there is an auto dealership across the street, which makes up for it, I think. I’m in Gaithersburg for the city’s book festival, and tomorrow I am being interviewed at 3:15 at the Dashiell Hammett Pavilion. I’ll be talking about The Kaiju Preservation Society and anything else I’m asked about, I […]
When Everything Goes Right
Posted on May 20, 2022 16 Comments
By the time you read this, Love Death + Robots Vol. 3 will be live on Netflix, and those of you who subscribe to the streamer will be able to dig into its nine episodes and enjoy the varied and wildly contrasting stories, styles and aesthetics of each segment. One of those episodes is one […]
Here, Have a Full-Episode Sneak Preview of the New Season of Love Death and Robots
Posted on May 18, 2022 23 Comments
How long will this be up? Who knows! Enjoy it while you can. Also, I wrote this. Update: No longer available, sorry. But now it’s up on Netflix, if you are a subscriber (or know someone who is). — JS
“Straight White Male: The Lowest Difficulty Setting,” Ten Years On
Posted on May 18, 2022 86 Comments
Ten years ago this week I thought I would write a piece to offer a useful metaphor for straight white male privilege without using the word “privilege,” because when you use the word “privilege,” straight white men freak out, like, I said then, “vampires being fed a garlic tart.” Since I play video games, I […]
Whatever News: The Return of Athena
Posted on May 16, 2022 44 Comments
A housekeeping note that makes me pretty happy: Athena is coming returning to the regular rotation here at Whatever, for the summer at least. You can expect more of her particular brand of writing, with reviews of products and entertainment, personal essays and various other things she’s thinking about and wants to share. You know, […]
This Cat Represents Where My Brain Is At This Friday Afternoon
Posted on May 13, 2022 13 Comments
Seriously, I could so totally take a nap right now. Maybe I will! But before I do, a reminder to people in and around Chicago that I am taking part in the American Writer’s Festival this this weekend, specifically on Sunday, where I will be interviewed by my friend and noted SF/F editor Michi Trota. […]
An Observation on Audiobooks
Posted on May 12, 2022 49 Comments
Over on MetaFilter, there’s a conversation thread about this opinion piece on audiobooks in Vulture, where the author has a personal preference about how audiobooks should be performed, and wishes to suggest their preference is actually the best way, which it isn’t really (as with many things in life, the answer is not clear cut, […]
RIP, Pixelbook
Posted on May 11, 2022 28 Comments
I regret to say that after four and a quarter years, my Google Pixelbook has up and stopped working. I suspect it might have something to do with the battery, but it’s difficult to tell without cracking it open to have a look, and even if I did that I would have no idea specifically […]
53
Posted on May 10, 2022 60 Comments
Not the birthday portrait I intended to post, but thanks to American Airlines, I’m still stuck in transit instead of at home with family and pets. It’s not actually the first time I’ve spent at least part of a birthday at an airport, but those other times were not because a plane had an engine […]
I’m Trapped in Travel Hell So Here’s a New Love Death + Robots Trailer For You
Posted on May 9, 2022 12 Comments
Enjoy while I’m suffering through the incompetence of American Airlines. For those who will ask, the Three Robots episode is mine. — JS
View From a Hotel Window, 5/8/22: Berkeley
Posted on May 8, 2022 6 Comments
I’m here in town for the Bay Area Book Festival, and as always happy to be back in my original home state of California, if only for a day or two. Berkeley is lovely, and it’s a lovely day. My event, with Charlie Jane Anders and Mike Chen, will be a 2pm at the San […]
Hello From Cincinnati
Posted on May 6, 2022 20 Comments
I am here to be in conversation with author Holly Black tonight at the Joseph-Beth bookstore, which is great, because Holly Black is a genuine delight. And then tomorrow I am off to Berkeley, California, where I will be part of the Bay Area Book Festival, on a panel with Charlie Jane Anders and Mike […]
In Which I Try the Latest Coca-Cola Creations Flavor
Posted on May 5, 2022 21 Comments
It is the Byte Limited Edition Pixel Flavored Coca-Cola Zero Sugar, which you cannot get in the stores; you have to order it off the Coca-Cola Web site, where it comes in a specialty boxed package (which you can see in the background) featuring two cans, a sticker and a QR card for a video […]
Whatever Everyone Else is Saying