Linkee-poo is working for the weekend

You can go stuff your Mary-Sue criticism. A little inside baseball on the writing industry and the ongoing conversation about sexism in SF/F. (Grokked from matociquala)

What you don't know about that truck driver you just flipped off. Insight into other people's lives. In my personal opinion, most truck drivers are excellent. They're professional. They have your and their safety in mind and are tired of you compromising their safety in return. (Grokked from Morgan Locke)

The Moth with Tricia Rose Burt on how to draw a nekkid man." "If there are no grades, how will I know if I'm over achieving?" Yes. This is an podcast, you need to listen to it. Art school, not following the rules, and being different. Lots of good things in there about life, relationship, and living the examined life.

Mayor says he was drunk when he signed contracts? Wait. What? And nobody noticed as $1m worth of work was being done for the city? Oh. Serious fail here. Serious fail that 1) nobody noticed work being done, 2) nobody knew the proper course of action and 3) signing something while drunk=something you should never do (and that includes letters for former girlfriends = ie. drunk mailing, it's from before drunk dialing). While it might be a good defense as a way to get out of the contract… seriously, dude, if your residents don't recall you, I don't know what would cause them to do so.

Rules for radicals. A little on the political aftermath of the debt ceiling conflagration and conservative disrespect for compromise. Not recognizing the work of the other side, even when you hate what they are doing, leads to blind spots and shows a lack of understanding. During the Cold War, I hated the Soviets. Still do if you scratch deep enough. However, I respected the professionalism of their life long soldiers (officer corps), I understood the history that loomed large in their minds (they lost more people in WWII than all other participants combined). I appreciated the difficulties they faced (even when their own soldiers would sell their personal AKs to the Chechen rebels to afford food (because not only were they not being supplied fully, they also weren't being paid). And while I think Scorched Earth is reprehensible doctrine, I know why and how it's done. I've also know that, if the situation called for it, I could do it as well. (Grokked from Jay Lake)