Two Onion stories I found amusing, and thus wanted to share:
MythBusters Team Struck Down By Zeus
and
RIAA Bans Telling Friends About Songs
You can read the stories, which are short and amusing, but as with most Onion pieces, the headlines say it all.
This Friday, December 2, at 10 PM, Showtime will be airing the latest installment of its Masters of Horror series, which will be an adapataion of Dale Bailey’s International Horror Guild Award-winning story, “Death and Suffrage” (F&SF, Feb. 2002). Also, rumor has it Showtime will be doing one of its free weekend previews just in time, so you should be able to watch the episode even if you don’t subscribe.
SCI FI Wire just published a news story I wrote about what Gardner Dozois has been up to since leaving Asimov’s.
I came across a disturbing quote today–completely innocently and free of context, in a short piece on quotes from military leaders. The quote was disturbing not because of the content, but of who is saying it, and how it sounds eerily like our present situation here in the United States:
Of course the people don’t want war. But after all, it’s the leaders of the country who determine the policy, and it’s always a simple matter to drag the people along whether it’s a democracy, a fascist dictatorship, or a parliament, or a communist dictatorship. Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism, and exposing the country to greater danger.”
And who said this? Herman Goering at the Nuremberg trials.
SCI FI Wire just published a news story I wrote about Richard K. Morgan’s new five-book deal with Del Rey, which will include a trilogy that will be his first foray into fantasy.
Ug.
Decided this week to try to cut down on my caffeine consumption, and to eventually all but cut it out of my diet. Even though I haven’t gone cold turkey–I’ve just cut way back, I’m already feeling the effects of withdrawal. I’ve got that nasty, localized caffeine headache that comes and goes, and sometimes just comes and stays.
Science Fiction Weekly just published my interview with New Orleans-residents Albert Cowdrey, Andrew Fox, and Poppy Z. Brite. They were asked to talk about their evacuation of New Orleans and to speculate on the future of their beloved city.
More cross-posting from the Asimov’s forum.
I just learned how to do take my pulse today; it’s easy.
What you do is, place the tips of your index and middle finger on the underside of the opposite wrist, right at the top. If you’re doing it right, you’ll feel the pulse pounding right away.
Now, get a watch (or other timepiece), and for a full minute count each pulse you feel. The number of pulses in a minute is, surprise, your pulse.
SFWA announced today that William F. Nolan will be named the 2006 Author Emeritus, and Harlan Ellison will be named a Grand Master.
Congrats to both!
On the Asimov’s forum, someone was asking for Ellison recommendations. Here’s what I said:
For my money, you’ve absolutely GOT to read “The Deathbird.” Oh, and “Jefty is Five.” Also high on my list of Ellison faves are “A Boy and His Dog” and “I Have No Mouth But I Must Scream.” Of his lesser known stuff, “Along the Scenic Route” is one of my faves. He’s such a master at the short story length though, he’s got a lot of great ones to choose from. There’s one up at SCI FICTION “All the Sounds of Fear” which I liked a lot, though it doesn’t hold a candle to some of his other work listed above.
I note with glee that I’ve been mentioned on Boing Boing. Cory posted a note about his new podcast serial, “When Sysadmins Ruled the Earth” being complete, then mentioned that the story will be published in Baen’s Astounding Stories. However, Baen’s recently changed the name of the magazine to Jim Baen’s Universe, to avoid any conflict with the rightholders of the name Astounding Stories (Dell Magazines, one would assume–the publishers of Analog, which was formerly known as Astounding Stories). So, I pointed out this change, and Cory updated the post.
I haven’t started listening to the podcast yet, but it sounds pretty damn cool. Cory sez: “[it’s] about the sysadmins surviving in data-centers after the apocalypse.”