Quote of the Week (1)
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Andrew Wheeler (2)
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The Antick Musings of G.B.H. Hornswoggler, Gent. (2)
5 days, 8 hours
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"Accurate prediction of the future, of its technologies and traumas, has always seemed to me to be the least interesting thing about science fiction. So Arthur C. Clarke predicted the global satellite network -- so what? He also predicted the widespread use of hovercrafts and the dominance by 2001 of the commercial Earth-Moon space trade by Pan Am Airways (d. 1991). Such prescience, or the obligation to display it, is even more than bad writing, ...
Books v. Blogs, Atlanta Style (1)
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John Scalzi (36)
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Whatever (38)
5 days, 14 hours
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Just in time for Dragon*Con and the Decatur Book Festival, Creative Loafing, Atlanta’s alternative weekly, has done a long meditation on the subject of books and blogs and how the two interact with each other, and the article features pithy quotes from Cherie Priest, Rich Tommaso and me. And yes, Bacon Cat is referenced, because I know how much all of you love that. The article is here, and there is no small irony in ...
Obama Speechifying (4)
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John Scalzi (36)
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Whatever (38)
6 days, 15 hours
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Per my earlier discussion of avoiding the conventions, I didn’t watch Obama give the speech last night, but I did read it (it didn’t take the 40 minutes speaking it required), and I thought it was very good. On the GOP character attacks, it seems like he did a bit of a rope-a-dope strategy, taking hits through most of August so he could unload with effect in this speech, deflecting the various stupidities of the ...
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Chris said:
"I understand there are people who mouth the words “but the Democrats would just be worse,” to this and may actually believe it, and the only sane reaction to this is to ask just exactly where they are buying the genuinely primo weed that they are apparently smoking."BWAHAHAHA! <3 John Scalzi.
(Momentary) King of the Kindle (3)
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John Scalzi (36)
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Whatever (38)
1 week, 1 day
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This is nice: It won’t last — Stephenie Meyer fans, outraged that their leader was deposed even momentarily, will no doubt purchase Kindles for the sole purpose of buying electronic copies of The Host, thus putting her back on top. Also, I expect to be visited by a teenage vampire death squad any second now. But until I’m turned into a bloodless husk (or, alternately, a carrier for an alien intelligence — you get options ...
On Writing For “Free” (9)
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John Scalzi (36)
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Whatever (38)
1 week, 3 days
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The science fiction tube of the Internet is having another one of those spasms about “free writing on the Internet” and whether giving away writing actually helps or hurts one’s career: Here’s one of the latest, in which I play a prominent role as an example. And while I understand I am fated to continue to be a prime example in this particular argument (although Cory Doctorow and Charlie Stross, most obviously, are other fine ...
An OMW Universe Chronology (1)
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John Scalzi (36)
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1 week, 5 days
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In e-mail I just got a question about the temporal sequence of all the OMW-universe stories and novels. To date, it goes like this, from earliest events in the universe to latest events: 1. Old Man’s War (novel) 2. Questions for a Soldier (short story) 3. The Ghost Brigades (novel) 4. The Sagan Diary (novelette) 5. After the Coup (short story) 6. The Last Colony & Zoe’s Tale (novels) The Last Colony and Zoe’s Tale ...
Plum Pie by P.G. Wodehouse (1)
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Andrew Wheeler (2)
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The Antick Musings of G.B.H. Hornswoggler, Gent. (2)
1 week, 6 days
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Plum Pie is a short story collection from late in Wodehouse's career, published in 1966 and containing nine stories written in the previous decade, plus two bits of poetry, an afterword on comedy, and a selection of snippets from the American newspapers of the day (probably originally for some British media outlet, either radio or periodical, though the book doesn't explain them), under the collective title "Our Man in America."The "Our Man in America" bits ...
Maddy and Holly Gaiman are babes! (2)
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noreply@blogger.com (Maddy Gaiman) (0)
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Neil Gaiman's Journal (19)
2 weeks
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Hey there everyone!Maddy and Holly Gaiman here. The coolest sisters ever. Our father is in China… how sad is that!?! ?!?!?!?!! (Maddy just felt the need to add more punctuation marks to ‘Give it the Maddy Gaiman touch.’)Since he’s been gone we’ve had crazzzzy parties and practically burned the house down. But it all turned out okay, never fear! You see, it was a dark and stormy night and we were all alone and we ...
Random House UK Wants Morality Clause (1)
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Andrew Wheeler (2)
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The Antick Musings of G.B.H. Hornswoggler, Gent. (2)
2 weeks
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I got this from Boing Boing, so it will be all over the tubes by now, but...Random House UK is currently sending out contracts for children's books that includes a clause declaring:If you act or behave in a way which damages your reputation as a person suitable to work with or be associated with children, and consequently the market for or value of the work is seriously diminished, and we may (at our option) take ...
Totally Weird and Wonderful Words edited by Erin McKean (1)
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Andrew Wheeler (2)
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The Antick Musings of G.B.H. Hornswoggler, Gent. (2)
2 weeks
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I often have a book of words going somewhere in the house; this was the bedside book for the last couple of months. It's an omnibus of the previously published Weird and Wonderful Words and More Weird and Wonderful Words; if you have those two books already, don't bother getting this one, since there's nothing new.If you don't have either or both of those books, and you like words like poffertje (a small doughnut dusted ...
The Fate of Short Fiction Online (1)
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John Scalzi (36)
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2 weeks
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Over at the Fantasy & Science Fiction Magazine blog, F&SF editor/publisher Gordon Van Gelder comments and wants your feedback on short fiction published online. If you’ve got a moment, check it out and give him your thoughts.
Daughters of Ripley (2)
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John Scalzi (36)
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2 weeks, 1 day
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Over at AMC this week, I’m writing about the epochal science fiction character that is Ellen Ripley, and what she meant for strong, competent women (who don’t have to sex you up to get the job done) in science fiction film. Yes, female characters in science fiction have been on my mind recently, why do you ask? As always, I encourage your thoughts and comments on the subject over on the AMC site, where each ...
swivet :: (noun) :: a state of extreme agitation (2) permalink
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