John Scalzi on the Brandon Sanderson kickstarter all the kids are talking about. Sanderson isn't the first writer to run a kickstarter by any means, but this runaway success was a long time in the making. But his will be the story talked about (in the same way John Scalzi's multi-million dollar deal with Tor is talked about) as some goal for new authors. Frankly, I'll be very surprised if either's success is duplicated in any meaningful way in the next decade. That doesn't mean there isn't money to be made in either path, but I think I'm on firm ground saying the trails they both blazed (and other authors have blazed) aren't going to be fully trod by others anytime soon. But in general, while I am jealous (without any right to be, starts crying in Scrivener) I'm happy for both. Scalzi makes Tor a fuckton of money, which they can then use to bring up other writers (many of whom I also like to read). Sanderson's money will employ a lot of people and his readership will be hungry for "the next Sanderson". Both authors (and others) make the poll wider and deeper for the rest of us, as well as give us great entertainment in the process. And my jealousy of Sanderson is also matched with the thought of "boy howdy, son, you just saddled yourself with a hellofalotta work." Hopefully what remains in 2024 makes it worth his time and energy.
"A 40,000-year-old archaeological site in northern China has unearthed the earliest evidence of ochre processing in east Asia, researchers say… The site was discovered at Xiamabei in the Nihewan Basin, in the northern Chinese province of Hebei."
"The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship and the United States Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service on Wednesday confirmed a positive case of highly pathogenic bird flu in Pottawattamie County."
"Across the state, more than 1,500 people who suffered catastrophic injuries in car crashes have lost their care, according to an independent study conducted by the Michigan Public Health Institute… Changes to Michigan's auto no-fault insurance law have slashed insurance company payments to long-term care providers by nearly half. People rely on those providers to stay alive after their crashes, but the cuts are so deep that some are going out of business." Killing Peter to pay Paul.
"The White House released a 96-page plan on Wednesday to shift the fight against Covid-19 and 'help move America forward safely', past a crisis footing to a new 'normal'… Announcement of the plan follows promises made in Joe Biden’s State of the Union speech late on Tuesday, which emphasized rapid rollout of a new 'test to treat' model with free anti-viral pills after a positive test."
"A booster shot of either the Pfizer or the Moderna vaccines increased the protection back to levels seen after two doses, before it starts to wane again after about two months, according to the researchers." Not good, Maynard. I'm sure the right-wing will spin this as vaccines aren't needed (they are), a failure of Biden's administration (the vaccines were developed by the Trump administration), or a failure of the mRNA vaccine product (even the ones produced by the older technology see this decline). This is what's known as "coronaviruses are hard to gain and keep immunity to." As a reminder, most colds are caused by various coronaviruses.
"Ron DeSantis is apparently not above scolding high school students to make his, uh, point about Covid-19… The Florida Republican governor approached a group of students wearing masks who were standing behind a podium at the University of South Florida, where he was scheduled for a news conference Wednesday… 'You do not have to wear those masks. I mean please take them off,' DeSantis said to, at first, polite laughter. But he wasn't kidding around… 'Honestly, it's not doing anything. We've gotta stop with this Covid theater. So if you want to wear it, fine. But this is ridiculous,' he continued."
"Initial claims for unemployment insurance totaled 215,000, the lowest tally since the beginning of the year and fewer than Wall Street estimates, the Labor Department said Thursday… Economists surveyed by Dow Jones had been looking for first-time filings to come in at 225,000 for the week ended Feb. 26."
"Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell still sees interest rate hikes coming, but noted Wednesday that the Russia-Ukraine war has injected uncertainty into the outlook… Powell said he sees a series of quarter-percentage-point increases coming, though he left open the possibility of moving more aggressively should inflation persist."
"How a wrinkle in the oil futures market has clogged America's oil pump."
"A JetBlue pilot was removed from the cockpit of a Fort Lauderdale-bound flight by police at Buffalo Niagara International Airport in New York on Wednesday after registering a blood-alcohol level of 0.17%, more than four times the Federal Aviation Administration's limit of 0.04%."
"Two weeks after catching fire, a mammoth ship that was transporting thousands of luxury cars sank on Tuesday morning about 253 miles off the Azores, according to the company that managed the vessel… The ship, the Felicity Ace, went down at about 9 a.m. local time after tilting starboard, plunging about 4,000 cars — including more than 1,000 Porsches and 200 Bentleys — into the sea, according to the company, MOL Ship Management."
"The American Civil Liberties Union, the ACLU of Texas and Lambda Legal have filed a lawsuit seeking to block a statewide directive that transgender rights advocates describe as an attempt to persecute trans children and their families."
"Supporters of the bill argued that allowing transgender athletes to play puts cisgender women at a disadvantage. Transgender kids and their parents said participating in team sports is about more than winning… The Missouri Senate Education Committee heard testimony on Tuesday on a bill that would bar transgender women from participating in sports teams that match their gender identity."
"More than 1 million people have fled Ukraine in a rapid exodus after a week of war, as Russia’s military bombarded key cities across the country amid staunch resistance to the invasion… The conflict has fueled a growing humanitarian crisis in Europe and left those who have remained in Ukraine facing an intensifying assault from the air and the ground."
"The United Nations has voted overwhelmingly for a resolution deploring Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and called for the immediate withdrawal of its forces, in a global expression of outrage that highlighted Russia’s increasing isolation… In an emergency session of the UN’s general assembly, 141 of the 193 member states voted for the resolution, 35 abstained, and five voted against. The only countries to vote no in support of Moscow were Belarus, North Korea, Eritrea and Syria. Longstanding allies Cuba and Nicaragua joined China in abstaining."
"Russia intensified its offensive on four strategic cities: Kharkiv, Mariupol, Kherson and Kyiv, with a mileslong military convoy continuing to threaten Ukraine’s capital, though it appears to be stalled, a senior U.S. defense official said Wednesday."
"Over the weekend, Russian President Vladimir Putin gave orders to his nation's nuclear forces. On Monday, the U.S. said it would not respond with changes to its own nuclear posture… 'At this time we see no reason to change our own alert levels,' White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters on Monday." Because Putin's order was meaningless and amounted to less than saber rattling. And again, there is no such thing as a "limited" nuclear exchange. All roads lead to escalation and a full "exchange."
"Ukrainian authorities say they are working to remove road signs in a bid to confuse any Russian military forces on the roads, while other public signs direct expletives at the invading soldiers… Ukravtodor, Ukraine's government agency for roads, posted a message on Facebook saying Russians could not navigate the terrain. 'Let's help them get straight to hell,' the agency wrote on Saturday."
How's that "keep NATO from Russia's border" strategy working out for Putin? "Through the Cold War and the decades since, nothing could persuade Finns and Swedes that they would be better off joining NATO — until now… Russia's invasion of Ukraine has profoundly changed Europe's security outlook, including for Nordic neutrals Finland and Sweden, where support for joining NATO has surged to record levels."
"Alexei Mordashov, Russia's wealthiest oligarch and one of the individuals sanctioned this week by the European Union, has transferred control of a $1.1 billion stake in a mining company to his wife, Bloomberg first reported." In case you thought the sanctions weren't having any effect.
"As hundreds of thousands fled Ukraine, some immigrants and students of color fleeing Russian attacks reported being stuck in limbo at the borders… Adeyemo Abimbole, a Nigerian student studying in Ukraine, told ABC News on Sunday that he and a group of African students had been waiting for a train to cross into Poland for nearly three days, but were told to wait."
"President Biden's first formal State of the Union address focused on Ukraine, inflation, the coronavirus pandemic and a four-point 'Unity Agenda.'… He urged world unity in standing up to Russia, listed ways he's trying to address rising prices (even if they will likely have limited to no effect in the short term) and offered an optimistic outlook about the end of the pandemic."
"At least six legislators announced Tuesday that they had tested positive for the coronavirus ahead of the evening's State of the Union address… To attend Tuesday's speech, guests — even those who are fully vaccinated — are required to produce a negative test."
"Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., heckled President Biden during Tuesday’s State of the Union, just before he recalled his late son Beau Biden’s brain cancer."
"The House is poised to pass legislation that would dramatically boost health care services and disability benefits for veterans exposed to burn pits in Iraq and Afghanistan… The bill set for a vote on Thursday has the backing of the nation's major veterans groups and underscores the continued cost of war years after the fighting has stopped. If passed into law, it would increase spending by more than $300 billion over the next decade, according to the Congressional Budget Office."
"The Arizona State Senate, in a bipartisan vote, has censured a Republican lawmaker for calling for violence against her political opponents, saying state Sen. Wendy Rogers 'has damaged the reputation of the Arizona State Senate by her actions.'… The move comes days after Rogers spoke at a conference organized by a well-known white nationalist in which she called for her political rivals to be hanged. She later used antisemitic tropes to describe Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, whose nation is being invaded by Russian troops."
"Former President Donald Trump and a right-wing lawyer were part of a 'criminal conspiracy' to overturn the 2020 presidential election, the House select committee investigating the January 6 Capitol riot alleges in a court filing Wednesday… The filing is part of an attempt to convince a judge to allow the panel access to emails from lawyer John Eastman, who is claiming attorney-client privilege. The committee said he helped to orchestrate the plot."
No comments:
Post a Comment