"Fiction is dangerous, of course, 'cause it lets you into other people's heads. Fiction is dangerous because it gives you empathy. Fiction is dangerous because it shows you that the world doesn't have to be like the one that you live in. Which is an incredibly dangerous thing for the world." Neil Gaiman's talk at Book Expo of America.
Elizabeth Shack shares some of the writer podcasts she listens to.
The Oxford Comma infographic.
Twenty-two maps that show how we are a nation divided by a common tongue. And, damnit, it is a fargin' hoagie (actually a hoagie is a specific type of sandwich, one which I can't find here in the wastelands of Subway). And what, no map for those people who pronounce the "r" in "wash"? That's just ridiculous. (Pointed to by John)
So, I hear you ask (you didn't know I could hear you, did you), what should I eat come the zombie apocalypse. Why, bug salad is the answer. (Grokked from Matt Staggs)
"And before you think this isn't a problem, consider this: Ann Aguirre writes about the problem of sexism in our genre, and immediately receives hate mail. Silvia Moreno-Garcia writes about the problem and receives hate mail. Starting to see a pattern?" Jason Sanford on why rooting out sexism isn't just the "ladies'" problem.
And if you don't think it's a problem, don't worry. Daniel Tosh doesn't get it either. I've never really understood his form of "humor". To be it's very belittling and demeaning. And this is what happens when you go down that road. It's the reason I don't listen to Dennis Miller anymore, and Jeff Dunham is getting close. Eventually the angry young man who will offend "everyone they've ever disagreed with" schtick gets old and it just turns in to an ass being an ass for the sake of being an ass. Mostly at the expense of women.
While many people won't see the connection here, Tobias shares a story about a prostitute in Texas who was shot by a John because she refused and is then acquitted. There's a little more to it, but, as Tobias says, WTF?! Well, if you start from the premise that women's lives aren't important to begin with, it starts to make sense. But seriously, this guy killed her because he was "trying to retrieve stolen property"? Um, no, you go to the police for that (of course, the police aren't going to have much sympathy for losing money while in the progress of another crime).
You're also looking for someplace to put your keys and the Bath and Beyond solutions are working for you? Okay, here's three key racks you can use. (Grokked from Dan)
Tips for negotiating your first salary. My addition is ask for what you think you should be earning 5 years from now? Why? Okay, if you haven't had much experience working, let me reveal one of the secrets. Raises (for the most part) suck. If you think you'll start low and then you can get more later, think again. Chances are you will go for years without a raise at some point in your career. Most raises will be "cost of living" (which don't actually cover the increases in your costs of living), and they might be cut by increases in your healthcare costs (shared premiums and or adjusted terms which increase your co-pays). In over 24 years of working professionally in design I have had only one raise that was more than cost of living that didn't involve either a new job (knocks on wood here) or a new title (I've also had change of title without a raise). I've only had one major raise (for any reason) that really did alter my economic condition.
Wait, the Mars icecaps are water ice with a thinner layer of carbon dioxide (dry ice)? Why didn't I know about this before? (Grokked from Tor.com)
It's a whole new battery type. Mainly it uses sulfur (one of the cheapest and readily available materials) in a solid form to make a solid electrolyte. Plus is has some serious power density. I'm starting to feel like an old man when I talk about the batteries of my youth. (Pointed to by Dan)
Where do all those greenhouse gases come from? A somewhat convoluted info graphic. (Grokked from Tor.com)
Are you upset about what happened in Benghazi? Okay, why weren't you upset about all these attacks on our diplomats and embassies?
Congress is shocked, shocked to find out that the administration is using their (many times renewed) powers under the Patriot Act. Which puts them in a strange position that they need to both protect the mainstream media (after years of attacking them) and to say what they approved under the Patriot Act was wipe away our basic protections and civil liberties. Don't expect them to bring up those points during testimony. They'll be just as glad if no one remembers. But on the plus side, at least this administration got a warrant from the FISA courts, unlike the previous administration who felt it was too time consuming to do so.
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