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

Monday, May 2, 2016

Linkee-poo think maybe manager wanna write goddamn login page himself

May on the moors.

Mary Robinette Kowal on having sensitivity readers and the importance of their feedback. It's one way to try and avoid the most common of pitfalls when writing about "the other."

K. Tempest Bradford on fears of writing the other and how to get over it. Originally posted in 2013, there have been some updates. (Grokked from Mary Robinette Kowal)

Nikki Steel gathers a list of 100 must read SF/F novels by female authors. (Grokked from Elizabeth Bear)

George RR Martin responds to John C. Wright's objections over his statement about last year's Hugos. (Grokked from Jason Sanford)

For your nightmare fuel, the Rat King. (Grokked from Dan)

A vending machine for books. Okay, well, if done right I wonder if this could bring back the dynamic of the spin-racks of books everywhere? It's often true that vending machines are owned by someone else than the business property owner. I made the comment before about how the industry sold more books when books were available everywhere. Some romance imprints keep to this trend, but few others do (although you can buy some books in WalMarts now). But, merging this technology, with traditional vending routes, may actually bump up sales (and make a tidy profit for the person who implements it). (Grokked from Warren Ellis)

Some cool science photos. (Grokked from Jim Hines)

A trio of stars around a nearby dwarf star means "(t)he dwarf star’s size and brightness make it particularly suitable for 'transit spectroscopy', perhaps with the upcoming James Webb Space Telescope." Living in the future. Oh, and all three are in the Goldilocks Zone.

"But in the years since, more than 100 pounds have crept back onto his 5-foot-11 frame despite his best efforts. In fact, most of that season’s 16 contestants have regained much if not all the weight they lost so arduously. Some are even heavier now." How the experience of the contestants on "The Biggest Loser" sheds light on the dieting and weightless craze, despite everything else, most people gain all their weight back. Why, because here's the secret, once you start a diet and exercise regime you need to keep dieting and exercising for the rest of your life. "'The key point is… you can lose enormous amounts of weight, you can go on for six years, but you can’t get away from a basic biological reality,' said Dr. Schwartz, who was not involved in the study. 'As long as you are below your initial weight, your body is going to try to get you back.'" Ain't that a pisser?

Good news, everyone! "Three years ago, Canavero, now 51, had his own Dr. Strange moment when he announced he’d be able to do a human head transplant in a two-part procedure he dubs HEAVEN (head anastomosis venture) and Gemini (the subsequent spinal cord fusion)." Uh, yeah. Look, I think we have enough Fox Network executives to make Torgo's Executive Powder and just have heads in a jar. (Grokked from Dan)

"Philip Kives, master of the infomercial, has died… Kives started reeling in customers when he founded K-Tel International in the 1960s." I wonder if he'll be buried in the Vault-o-matic 2016?

So after we somewhat fixed the school lunch programs to not shame poor people (and maybe do actual good) the Republican Congress wants to say, "Nope." (Grokked from Laura J Mixon)

The Pentagon gets a little testy with the Benghazi Committee's fickle and bizarre requests. But the election isn't over yet and Hillary still is showing strongly in the polls. So yeah, if some anonymous person calls unto some third market conservative radio show claiming to be an expert and that they heard some radio traffic that totally proves Hillary Clinton was responsible for Chris Stevens' death by probably pulling the trigger, well we should have the Pentagon use all of its resources to track that person down. Well, at least while it's hot in the news.

https://mediamatters.org/blog/2016/04/29/wayne-simmons-right-wing-media-s-benghazi-expert-pleads-guilty-fraud/210145 And then one of the "experts" who testified at the Benghazi hearings, and then went on as an "expert" at Fox New just plead guilty to not really being an expert. I'm sure he was an expert at those other things, no worries. (Grokked from Laura J Mixon)

Tweet of my heart: @JohnFugelsang The Amurkans who once berated you for not supporting W are the same Amurkans now berating you for not supporting Trump.

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