I watch the ripples change their size
But never leave the stream
Of warm impermanence
And so the days float through my eyes
But still the days seem the same
And these children that you spit on
As they try to change their worlds
Are immune to your consultations
They're quite aware of what they're goin' through

Wednesday, January 20, 2016

Linkee-poo hopes your brother’s El Camino runs forever

Patrick Nielsen Hayden on David G. Hartwell. I met Mr. Hartwell, and was kinda gobsmacked that he talked to me and took me seriously as a nascent author and proffered advice in both direct and obtuse ways (this was many moons ago). We talked at several cons (although none recently). As of this writing his body still lives, although he isn't expected to recover from his brain bleed (I haven't seen if it was trauma or an burst aneurism). While the spirits may, and his heart still beats, thank you Mr. Hartwell. Thank you for taking me seriously and offering advice to a no-name wannabe. Thank you for all the great works you helped bring forth. Thank you for making SF/F stronger. Now wishing Kathryn Cramer (who is also an amazingly wonderful person) strength and comfort while she deals with this. I'm sorely tempted to buy a loud tie and checkered sports coat to wear this weekend.

Why aren't there more women authors in bookstores? Mary Robinette Kowal tracks it down. "It’s the result of a ton of decisions, each of which is probably fueled by unconscious bias and then reinforced by a feedback loop." Also, she calls for crowdsourcing a solution including a list, which you could also use to expand your reading selection.

The Creative Pen podcast with Joanna Penn and Jane Friedman on 2016 publishing trends. YMMV. (Grokked from Mrs. Tadd)

That Atlantic article on the age of stories (or how long ago we started telling fairy tales) that all the cool kids are pointing to. I disagree somewhat with the methodology (what parts are explained), including the application from biology to anthropology/sociology, but that's happening a lot these days. (Grokked from a lot of people)

Think our children should eat healthier in our (government funded) schools? The Senate is about to say, "Hell no." Let's feed them the same crap we've been feeding them since the late 70s. I'm sure our obesity/type II diabetes/hypertension epidemic won't mind.

That moment when your asked for your design rational and you realize "because I wanna" isn't a good enough answer. In this case, the NSA tries to defend their planet-eating octopus mission-patch. Yea, I know BS when I see it. So sure, in most stories it's the Nazis or Soviet Union that makes a deal with the Elder Gods. However in most political thrillers there comes the time when you realize the "good guys" organization has been suborned. Could it be, Cthulhu?

More on the bullshit response from the toy industry, Disney and Lucasfilms on the absence of Rey from many toys. Let me also comment that retooling a game within the first year is a sign of "opps, we fucked up" because it's hideously expensive, and of the first release wasn't marketed as "limited" you've now just created a collectable that hardly anyone will collect. Also, toys normally have half-a-year or longer lead times (orders are now being made for next Xmas). This "rush" is costing them extra money. (Grokked from Yanni Kuznia)

How far to the right has the whackaloon contingent dragged the GOP? So far that John McCain, the one-time presidential nominee, is now too liberal for some in his home state.

"The lawyer for a California man sentenced to one year in jail for making threats towards the Council on American-Islamic Relations said Tuesday that his client was provoked by alcohol and a week of binge-watching Fox News, local TV station KFMB reported." I'm sure there's more to it, but it says something that a lawyer is going to try this tactic.

"In the latest video (from the whackaloons in Oregon) two men with vastly unmatched lung capacities blow their horns in a callout to 'CHRISTIANS.'" Pretty sure those are shofar, not battle horns. Just unbelievable.

See, it's really for their own good and for their home-country's good that we export all the illegal aliens. At least according to Ricky "Don't Google That Number" Santorum. I really try not to draw Hilter/Nazi parallels, but damn they're making it hard not to. See, the holocaust started by "euthanizing" the mentally (and physically) handicapped because "if they were in their right minds they would really want us to." It's a blessing. I think I'm going to need to make a Godwin Stamp graphic to use for the coming 10 months.

"Washington state Rep. Mary Dye (R) asked a group of teenagers visiting her office in Olympia for a Teen Lobbying Day if they were virgins, according to a Tuesday report from The Seattle Times." Seems kind of inappropriate. But "(t)he students, who were accompanied by a Planned Parenthood representative, were advocating for expanded insurance coverage for birth control, according to the report." Gee, I wonder if that had anything to do with it? "'In hindsight, a few of the thoughts I shared, while well-intended, may have come across as more motherly than what they would expect from their state representative,' Dye said." Um, no. Neither well-intended, nor motherly. More like creepy old-lady thinking "why you must be whores for lobbying for birth control." Even though the students said yes they were virgins, she insisted at least one of them wasn't. Can we have grownups in government, please?

Sarah Palin endorses the Trumpster. One low-class trash recognizes another. I hate talking like my grandmother, but in this case I feel it's on point. And thanks for Sarah jumping back in the spotlight, just in time for us to hear about Track's arrest for domestic violence.

Tweet of my heart: @TheGladStork It's so cold out that if you throw a VHS of "Waterworld" in the air it turns to a DVD of "Frozen" before it hits the ground.

Double dip: @wilw Rick Snyder is the guy who gives the exhaust port contract to a crony, then blames the destruction of the Death Star on Stormtroopers.

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