Wow.
Let's see...
I cracked myself out of bed around 8 am yesterday, did my usual morning routine, before discovering that the reading I thought I had at 1 pm was actually at 10 am. Oops. Still, I made it there in good order, and had a pleasing turnout given that [a] it was the first hour of programming on day three of a Con and [b] this isn't a book-focused Con. I read "The Lollygang Save the World on Accident" and did Q&A for a while. It was fun and worthwhile.
Afterwards I diddled around with some folks, before hitting the League of S.T.E.A.M.'s parlor show. Twice. Basically, they were working in character, demo'ing some of their props and gadgets and whatnot. Hilarious fun, though my favorite hands down was the net cannon, a/k/a the H.U.G. gun.
After that I started to wander about, when Lady Ameliorette Potts texted me to come back if I wanted to get shot with the H.U.G. gun my own self. Hijinks ensued.
(The Facebook comment thread on that image is hilarious, by the way.)
Then it was time to go off to the author panel, where I shared stage space with Gail Carriger, G.D. Falksen, Michael Lee and John White. That was a good hour of moderated Q&A with a pretty full house.
Evening devolved an impromptu birthday party in the Green Room for Captain Robert of Abney Park. After that, the evening unfolded. I caught part of League of S.T.E.A.M.'s review of their Web series, and about half the set of Steam Powered Giraffe. I finally decided their music was a fusion of high lonesome, three part harmony and stage comedy. Pretty wild stuff.
Further screwing around ensued, culminating in the League of S.T.E.A.M. conducting an impromptu stage raid on Abney Park during their encore of their concert set. Captain Roberts was H.U.G.ed, then spanked with the punchy fist for his birthday. I went along on this raid as the blogger embed, and it was one of the funniest things I have been part of in a very long time.
Afterward, more partying and dancing and whatnot until after 2 am.
Today is a slow, short day. I'm off to the airport at 3 pm to fly home, arriving about midnight. I do have some serious thoughts about my World Steam Expo experience, specifically about working a Con cold, and about being a very minor sideshow in someone else's world, but for now I'll just say this has been the most fun I've had in a very, very long time. My thanks to the World Steam Expo con com and volunteers, to old friends like @howardtayler and Evelyn Kreite, and to new friends very much including League of S.T.E.A.M..
What a weekend. Now I need a vacation to get over my vacation.
Photo © 2012 Ellie Copperbottom, used with permission.
A Christmas Carol (Doctor Who style).
Great as this special Christmas episode was (I'd put it up there with The Next Doctor in quality and fun), I enoyed the DVD's special features almost as much. Doctor Who at the Proms, featured music from the series, along with guest appearances by Dr Who cast members and villains, performed at the Royal Albert Hall in front of a delighted audience of parents and children - a night those kids will remember for the rest of their lives .
We ended up watching the first Matt Smith episode again. This new Doctor's episodes are like Firefly, in that I seem to find them even more enjoyable with each viewing.
Christmas returns tonight, when we'll watch last year's special, The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe.
I'm really excited about Matt Smith's third season as the time travelling troubleshooter. It's a shame we have to wait awhile to see it. Still I can't get too upset at the delay. After all, Steven Moffat, who writes most of the episodes these days, does have an excuse. When he's not writing screenplays like last year's TinTin, he's busy writing Sherlock.
Here's the trailer for the Doctor's next season. You get extra points if you can spot Ben Browder (who played Stargate SG1's, Cameron Mitchell) and blink and you miss it appearances by two Harry Potter alumnis, Dominic Coleman (aka Arthur Weasley) and David Bradley (aka Argus Filch).
- Mood:
cheerful
Rock balanced by
![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif?v=1){kind=small}
the_childThe current photo series is from my 'favorites' file, hence the dates jumping about
This work by Joseph E. Lake, Jr. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.
The moon: look but don't touch, says Nasa — "He stuck a sign on every tree, saying this is private property…"
It Took Earth Ten Million Years to Recover from Greatest Mass Extinction — Warning, facts not valid for Young Earth Creationists and likely Republican voters.
Glenn Beck in Exile — Don’t cry for the former Fox star—he’s building a 24/7 media empire in his loopy image. I'm pretty sure most conservative media and political figures are cynical opportunists who really do know better and really just don't care. Rush Limbaugh, for example. Beck, though, he strikes me as a true believer with a fervor and distorted internal reality bordering on mental illness.
GOP blames Obama for student debt in swing-state NH, ignores origins of problem — Really, that headline could just be "GOP blames Obama, ignores origins of problem" and it would pretty much cover the past four years.
?otd: Huh? What?
5/28/2012
Writing time yesterday: 0.0 hours (Con time)
Body movement: 30 minute stationary bike ride
Hours slept: 6.25 (solid)
Weight: n/a
Currently reading: Shattering the Ley by Benjamin Tate; Of Blood and Honey by Stina Leicht
As much as I love and cherish your beautiful visage, I think we’ve run our course. There was a time when you were the perfect face of Marshall’s Super-Sekrit Clubhouse, and I’ll always be grateful for that, but those days are gone. I’ll still use you on the occasional comment when appropriate―in fact I have three of you in my cache―so don’t think you'll be forgotten. Not that I’ve decided whether to keep your current replacement on full time, but we’ll see how it goes.
Sincerely,
MP
I've been keeping myself busy. Getting out for long bike rides-- after buying the new bike last month, I missed two weekends of good weather by being away, and then another because I had a house guest, so I hadn't put all that many miles on it. This weekend I've corrected that problem, so I can bring it in for the free new bike checkup this week without shame.
Saturday was consumed with a charity benefit for a local family-- four kids whose mother was murdered by their father while the kids were in the house. It's the type of tragedy that could be the launching point for a story, but in real life you flail and wonder what you can do to help. In this case, because it happened in a small town, the answer was to hold a benefit dance / silent auction / raffle. I leaned on a few friends to donate autographed books for the silent auction, and our book basket was the subject of a bidding war. The event raised over eleven thousand dollars-- I know since I was there after midnight, helping count the takings. This was just one of several events being held in the surrounding communities. Money can't replace what they lost, of course, but it's a way of saying that the community cares, as well as making it easier for their grandparents to provide a home for the kids.
Both real life and the internets have provided plenty of ammunition for the arguments "People suck" and "People are great". Today, I think I'm going to lean towards the "People (on the whole) are great" side of the fence. And with that conclusion, it's time to get organized so I can run errands and try to squeeze in a bike ride before the thunderstorms roll through.
in war and peace
who took the burden
whatever their reasons.
We Remember.
Here is a list I've compiled on my website of Blogs that review Spec Fic self-published books specifically.
Hope it helps all you wonderful indie writers.
http://whatever.scalzi.com/2012/05/27/th
http://whatever.scalzi.com/?p=18712
Because, you know, high school. Done with. Somewhere in there is my niece. It was a good day for her and for the family.
Over at the Kirby Museum, Robert Steibel has something to say about a post I wrote a year back which explained how, when I was working for Marvel in the ’70s, I disliked the work Jack Kirby was doing upon his return there, and how I dislike that work still. By work, I don’t mean the energetic as always images Kirby was drawing, but the text he supplied once he was responsible for both words and pictures, without Stan Lee to complement him. As I wrote in that post, “The art could still be the stuff of dreams at times, but the words that came out of his characters’ mouths seemed more like a nightmare.”
When it comes to the Stan vs. Jack wars, I am a partisan of neither. Once the duo disbanded, I don’t think either of them ever worked separately at the level they did when together. They needed each other. So I wasn’t slamming Kirby to elevate Lee, merely making an observation that when the King tried to do it all, it was far from satisfactory.
But let’s leave for another time the debate as to who’s right about the quality of Kirby’s prose. (Though it looks like that time won’t be too far off, as Steibel’s post, after all, was the first of two, and his second will deal with exactly that issue.) What I’d like to address here, and what it seems as if Steibel is most interested in having me address, is my behavior when I was on staff at Marvel in the ’70s, whether there was a conspiracy of some kind to cause Kirby to be fired, and if we were trying to get the scripting duties of his books for ourselves.
Steibel wrote:
Clearly they were all ambitious kids who wanted to take Jack’s place. They wanted to write comics and pointing out what they considered flaws in Jack’s work was a step in that direction. Push Jack aside and move in.
No, no, a million times no.
But to be more specific …
( Read the rest of this entry » )Originally published at Scott Edelman. You can comment here or there.
Just a few more days until the voting for the Gemmell Morningstar Awards closes and my friend and high fantasy writer Helen Lowe's "The Heir of Night" is in the final round of voting for the category Best Fantasy Newcomer.
Please make your vote before May 31st.
All you have to do to vote now is click Here
Then click again in the circle immediately above "The Heir of Night -- Helen Lowe"
By way of added incentive, no book by a woman has yet won in either the Legend or Morningstar categories. Your support could well make that a thing of the past.
My job was to sell instant tickets, which paid money, or could be exchanged for more instant tickets. Some of the tickets had prize drawing numbers on them, too. I walked a LOT up and down the tables, which was good for my health. I wore my ankle/foot brace to make sure I didn't stress or strain it, and so far, so good; it doesn't hurt this evening even after walking for five straight hours. I think I did some MILES.
( BINGO was the game-o )
- Mood:
weird
Seriously — when I know what I’m doing, what I’m about to write, I have the easiest time writing it. I just wrote the next chapter all in one go. It’s 3546 words. Took me 3 1/2 hours.
I typed the chapter straight into the computer because I’d spent so much time thinking about this chapter, about these scenes, that I knew exactly what I needed to write. That almost always helps. (My normal process is writing out by hand and then typing. Sometimes I don’t need to do that, like today. It also helped that this chapter was FUN, and so the writing of it was fun.)
Now, I’m going to get back to Zydeco Queen. And possibly finish that sooner than I’d originally anticipated.
Tomorrow I have the day off. I’m going to try to replicate today: spend the morning thinking and plotting and planning the next chapter, then write it all in one go in the afternoon. That would be a good thing, as I only have two more weeks left that I can work on this novel, before I have to put it aside for the short story workshop.
This morning I saw “The Avengers.” That was really, really fun. I enjoyed it. I only see about 2 movies per year, and I’m glad this was one of them.
But now — dinner, then back to work.
Crossposted from my website. If you'd like to comment, you can do so here or there.(Crossposted from Jennifer Brozek)
Here is my Origins schedule. If I’m not in one of these panels, I’m in The Library at my table in Exhibit Hall C (PDF), top left corner near concessions. As Cherie Priest likes to say, there is a “No Shyness” zone around me. Come up and say Hello! I’m happy to chat while I sell books. I’m bribable—take me out to lunch or for a drink and I’ll talk your ear off.
THURSDAY
3 p.m. Flash Your Fiction: In how few words can you tell a story? Flash fiction has been gaining in popularity, but it’s not an easy art form. Brevity is tough to tackle, but if you can master it, there are markets for your scant words. Learn the secret to “Kissing Your Fiction.” KISS . . . keep it short, sister. Then consider entering our flash fiction contests Friday and Saturday.
Donald J. Bingle, Jennifer Brozek, Kelly Swails
4 p.m. Writing For Games: Writing opportunities about in the game industry for persistent and talented freelancers. Our panelists found success writing for various game companies, and they provide helpful hints for landing work amid the dice and battlemaps.
Jennifer Brozek
FRIDAY
3 p.m. The Care and Feeding of Your Editor: Award-winning editor Jennifer Brozek has published dozens of authors in her many anthologies. She explains what it takes to get an editor’s attention and respect, offering suggestions that will move your submissions higher in the slush pile and closer to publication.
Jennifer Brozek
4 p.m. Write What You Don’t Know: We remember English teachers lecturing: “Write what you know.” Well, we think you ought to write what you don’t know. How else can you write about space travel and alternate history and fire-breathing dragons and vampire detectives? We’ll discuss how a little research and common sense can give you just enough background to really write what you don’t know.
R.T. Kaelin, Jennifer Brozek, Bryan Young
6 p.m. Reading: Jennifer Brozek: Award-winning editor Jennifer Brozek offers up a serving of one of her favorite fantasy tales.
Jennifer Brozek
SATURDAY
10 a.m. Slaying Writer’s Block: There’s debate whether there is such a beast as writer’s block. We’ll not argue that point here. Rather, we’ll show you what you can do to knock down the barriers that are keeping you from typing away at your keyboard. Writer’s block . . . or whatever you want to label it . . . we’ve faced it and beat it to a bloody pulp.
Aaron Allston, Jennifer Brozek, Bryan Young
11 a.m. Practice Makes Perfect: How can you tell if you’re getting better as a writer? How can you judge your progress? And what does it take to get to that next level of expertise? We’ll talk about benchmarks, writer’s groups, and how to analyze your fiction. You have to grow as a writer to compete in the marketplace; we’ll teach you how to measure your skills and to improve them.
Kelly Swails, Jennifer Brozek, Brad Beaulieu, R.T. Kaelin
(Crossposted from Jennifer Brozek)
Just a reminder, this is a link to my Origins convention schedule.
Grants Pass review by Felicia Dowker. It is always nice to get one of these unexpectedly. I love the fact that we are still receiving reviews years after publication.
Industry Talk review by the “Shroud of the Ancients” Avocations website. The first review for this book in the wild. I’m pleased with it. I should be. It’s a 9/10 review.
We, as parents, all want our children to be happy. I take that as a given. We do not always make our children happy - but at base, we want our children to lead happy, long lives.
Given the way life works, life is not predictable. We are adults, our children are not. We know the things that caused us pain - and we want to help our own children avoid that pain, and avoid bearing those scars.
( But... )
And now, I am running out of the house because it’s our 23rd anniversary :)
The young guy was really excited about it, but I wasn't, so we quickly moved over to The Avengers and its various sub-movies. (Young Guy agreed that Thor was only "OK" but that Captain America rocked, and neither was as good as The Avengers.)
All that set aside, I've been trying to decide why I couldn't care less about the reboot of Spiderman. Not interested in going to see it. Probably won't even rent it...Sad, huh?
So here are my tentative reasons:
Reason the First:
I've never been a big Spiderman fan.
Reason the Second:
Didn't we just do this???
In this decade of endless reboots and 'reimaginings', I've warmed to some and not others. Star Trek was a great idea, and well done. I loved that first Batman movie (not the second, though.) I'm looking forward to Prometheus. I'm even curious about the possible reboots of Bladerunner and Highlander (although Ryan Reynolds? Seriously?)
But it just seems too soon to 'reboot' Spiderman. It almost seems disrespectful. Tobey Maguire's not even dead yet.
Of course, I'm out of the loop...so I suspect there are a lot more reboots out there. Which ones should I plan on watching?
Yep. Still spinning this faux cashmere. But I MIGHT finish the singles this coming up week. If I do nothing but spin. Heh. This yarn is thiiiiin.
My mom’s birthday is coming up and I told her I want to knit her something for it. What did she want? She immediately said, “I want a hat like yours.” I got to see her during the Dark Days tour in Austin and she DID seem jealous of my hat. So I said I’d make her one. (The pattern is Spring Beret. Rav link.)
Here it is finished, but unblocked.
I used handspun merino wool in a colorway called “Stardust.” Neither of these pictures are accurate, but the second is a little closer.
Here is the hat blocking on a plate and posing with Bob the Spinning Wheel. The lace stretches out a lot!
Since I have a little time before I visit her, I might knit something else for her out of the rest of Stardust. Hmmm.
Originally published at Jodi Meadows. You can comment here or there.
Alyx Dellamonica’s photostream on Flickr.
Enjoy!
Originally published at A.M. Dellamonica. You can comment here or there.
Originally published at Cassie Alexander. You can comment here or there.
I am having such a good time at Wiscon!
My final panel (of three) was this morning, and everything went very well, and I’m getting quality hang time with some of my favoritist people in the world :D. Plus, some people here (Na’amen, *cough*Na’amen) have even read Nightshifted already and said super positive things, and are telling other people about it completely of their own accord, which is awesome and amazing to watch. I guess books do, if you’re lucky, go on to have a life of their own? But it’s very odd — and wonderful! — to see it happening to your own book. Even in a small way. After all the solo writing I’ve done in the dark, it’s very strange to see my book out in the day ;).
I have some more people to shout out now too!
I don’t think I linked to Book Sake‘s review a few days ago, and I should! While she’s not over the moon about the vampires in Nightshifted, she feels the hospital stuff is spot on, which I’m am so happy to see. I think half of my book related anxiety is fear of other medical professionals finding holes in my stuff, or thinking that I stretched things too far, so it’s nice when other nurses (or nursing students) feel it passes muster :D.
And there are two Nightshifted giveaways running right now, if you want to try to win a copy for free –
My Bookish Ways did an interview with me and they’re giving away a copy of Nightshifted and a very cool syringe necklace for one lucky enter-er. :D
And the Nocturnal Library also interviewed me and they’re also giving away a copy of Nightshifted — this one I can ship internationally! (I’m also very fond of this interview because I answered the questions late at night, maybe a little more honestly than I should have, heh.)
I’m positive I’m missing stuff, and I already know I’m not caught up — it’s probably going to take me a good week or two to get all the links I need down and emails responded to, so sorry if I missed your review or I’m linking/responding too slowly. I still have page proofs on Moonshifted to do when I get back home, not to mention going back to work, so it’ll be a process — but I swear I’ll get there :D.
- Sat, 12:57: My tweets http://t.co/PSEHUyeB
- Sun, 01:54: The Sky Warrior Books Daily is out! http://t.co/nhACZzmW ▸ Top stories today via @cecilia_lansing @G6Chronicles @Epiloguereview
I need to interview the couple in person and have them fill out a questionnaire. It should take about half an hour to forty minutes. I will buy you both lunch or coffee.
- Must be available before about 4:00 PM TODAY or TOMORROW.
- Must have been a couple for at least six months.
- Must be willing to let me know about your couplehood. No detailed questions about your sex life, but the questionnaire asks about stuff like how satisfied you are with your sex life, your time spent together, how you handle your finances, etc.
Crossposted to http://rachelmanija.dreamwidth.org/1041
I spent yesterday at Balticon, doing a shared reading with Danielle Ackley-McPhail and John Mierau (you can see me and John in Adam Corbin Fusco‘s photo below) and taking part in a panel on The Walking Dead, in which we compared the two seasons so far and speculated on what’s to come in season three. We also gave our opinions as to how long the series would last and theories as to how it would end.
While at the con, I broke bread with Karen and Charlie Newton, Sandy and Risa Stewart, and Patrick Darby, and chatted with the rest of the usual Balticon suspects.
I find myself surprisingly worn out from having spent one day at what I generally consider a relaxicon, especially since last weekend’s Nebula Awards, at which far more partying and schmoozing went on (as captured below by James Patrick Kelly), didn’t leave me a fraction as tired. John Ordover speculated over on Facebook that I’m older now, but … by one week?
Am I deteriorating that quickly?
And that word “deteriorating” makes me think of zombies again, so I’ll toss out what I’d presented yesterday as my thoughts on how The Walking Dead would come to a conclusion, which should only be read by those who don’t care whether I might accidentally spoil something for you.
( Read the rest of this entry » )Originally published at Scott Edelman. You can comment here or there.
"I have been successful probably because I have always realized that I knew nothing about writing and have merely tried to tell an interesting story entertainingly." - Edgar Rice Burroughs
- Mood:
busy
http://whatever.scalzi.com/2012/05/27/gr
http://whatever.scalzi.com/?p=18708
Away from the Internets for most of the day because my niece Cecilia is having her high school graduation ceremony. See you all tomorrow. In the meantime, here’s “The Paper Chase,” one of my favorite graduation-themed songs, from the (now defunct) The Academy Is… (the ellipsis is part of their name).
I wrote about Fast Times at Barrington High, the album this song is on, here.
Have a good Sunday.
Walking back from lunch, we passed a pretty radical steampunked car.
More photos later when I have the bandwidth to upload them. (That would not be right now, unfortunately.)
Back inside, I hooked up with Ellie Copperbottom of the League of S.T.E.A.M. to host a High Tea. Which was a blast, and very odd at the same time. After that, I recorded a brief podcast interview with them. Then I wound up down in the Vendor Room signing books, where we all but sold out of my stock at the table of Off the Beaten Path Books. Gail Carriger and I crossed paths there again.
Dinner consisted of me and a very helpful concom rep making a White Castle run. Sixty dollars later, the League and I were pigging out hard. From there, things devolved into an evening of music, hot tubbing (well, warm tubbing), drinking, and electroshock therapy. I managed to enjoy an electric kiss with a lovely young woman, as well as try out the new sport of electric motorboating. Plus people were doing shots off Boba Fett's icy head, but I eschewed that particular pursuit.
Today I have an author panel and a reading and a day of hanging out.
So, yeah. A lot of fun here. A lot of fun.
Photo © 2012 Howard Tayler, used with permission.
San Francisco houses, 2006. © 2006, 2012, Joseph E. Lake, Jr.
The current photo series is from my 'favorites' file, hence the dates jumping about
This work by Joseph E. Lake, Jr. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.
CSR project aims to create a high-speed, carbon-neutral steam-powered locomotive — Oh, cool. (Thanks to David E. Vincent.)
Egos and Immorality — Paul Krugman on the Wall Street fairy tale.
Scientist: Evolution debate will soon be history — This is stupid. The evolution debate has been history for a long time. What you have today is a combination of religious willful ignorance and conservative political opportunism. It's not a "debate" in any meaningful sense of the word, as the anti-evolution side has no evidence, logic or credibility.
Conservatives used to care about community. What happened? — They lost their fucking minds.
?otd: Ever been electric motorboated?
5/27/2012
Writing time yesterday: 0.0 hours (Con time)
Body movement: 30 minute stationary bike ride
Hours slept: 6.5 (solid)
Weight: n/a
Currently reading: Shattering the Ley by Benjamin Tate; Of Blood and Honey by Stina Leicht
I love hanging out with other writers. Aside from all the useful information I get to hear, I always come away from group events inspired to write better (and for longer) than what I usually does, so I was disappointed yesterday, when I was unable to attend this month's GLVWG (Greater Lehigh Writer's Group) meeting.
On the bright side, I still get to venture into Pennsylvania this weekend when I travel to the Writers Coffee House meeting later today. It takes place at the Barnes & Noble store in Willow Grove (102 Park Avenue, Willow Grove, PA 19090), hosted by the always impressive, Jonathan Maberry.
The meeting starts at noon. If you'd like to come along, I'd love to see you there.
How about you?
What are you up to today?
- Mood: cheerful
![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif?v=92.1){kind=small}
spiffikins asked:Looking back at our own efforts, we had lots of battles :) I've love to hear how you applied these rules to situations where your son didn't want to do something, like have his bath or get dressed/put his shoes on for school or participate in the day to day activities of helping out (setting the table, doing dishes, doing homework) - it seems we always had conflict, and the majority of it with my brother was getting him to do something that he didn't want to do, but that needed to be done.
I’ve been thinking about this today while at work shelving books - which hopefully will not result in too many mis-shelved novels.
( This answer was too long for the comment thread, which is why it’s a post. )
“Well, son, since you haven't learned to respect your elders, it's time you learned to respect your betters.”
There wasn’t a better man than John Wayne, when it came to not taking crap off…
- Mood:
chipper
http://whatever.scalzi.com/2012/05/26/mu
http://whatever.scalzi.com/?p=18704
It may just be me, but I think the lead characters of these respective and currently popular songs deserve each other. Listening to the lyrics will help to explain why.
http://whatever.scalzi.com/2012/05/26/do
http://whatever.scalzi.com/?p=18701
If you’re a vegetarian, that is, because the standing freezer down there is now full with roughly 250 pounds of beef. Krissy went in with a co-worker on half of a locally bred and butchered steer, and her quarter of a steer is now taking up several shelves in the freezer. Athena, who is our resident vegetarian, registers her (entirely posed) horror.
Actually, this is a fine moment to note that Athena recently passed her one year anniversary of being a vegetarian a few weeks ago. She started doing it to see what she thought of it and has kept at it ever since, with all of us doing a bit of research to make sure she’s getting all the nutrients she needs and so on. It does take some effort to keep a vegetarian lifestyle around here — Athena is one of the very few in her school who does — so I’m pretty proud of her for making the choice and sticking with it.
Massive purchase of beef notwithstanding, we’ve all cut down our consumption of meat here at the Scalzi Compound (the massive purchase will last us quite a long time), and Athena’s commitment to not eating the stuff is the major reason why. So good on my kid.
Compassion in Action: Setting Out on the Path of Service
Crossposted to http://rachelmanija.dreamwidth.org/1041
I particularly liked the lengthy section in which he makes his case that autism is not increasing, but seems to be because we are more aware of it. I don't have time to lay out his detailed explanations of how he came to each of his conclusions, but the reasons for the perceived increase are as follows:
- It is only comparatively recently that autism, like many other mental and developmental disorders, has become understood as a unique phenomena rather than lumped in with every other disorder else as "mad" or "simple" or some such. That is, autism has always existed, but was not called "autism."
- Parents and researchers agitated for more awareness of autism. Once people became aware, they started noticing it more: laypeople recognized kids with autism, and doctors became able to diagnose it. Previously, the same kids would have been labeled mentally retarded or schizophrenic or something other than autistic.
- Due to improved services for autistic kids, pressure arose to diagnose kids with autism rather than with some other diagnosis which entitled them to less or inferior services. Hence, kids who previously would have been labeled mentally retarded are now labeled autistic. (Autism is also less stigmatized than mental retardation.) For the same reason, kids who have less severe problems, who previously would not have been diagnosed at all but would have struggled and been called weird, stupid, or lazy, now tend to get an autism diagnosis so they can get help.
- A misprint in an early edition of the diagnostic manual DSM-IV - "or" instead of "and" - led to many kids qualifying for an autism diagnosis who otherwise wouldn't have gotten it. (Basically, it should have been "must have this symptom AND this symptom," but it was printed as "must have this symptom OR this symptom."
Unstrange Minds: Remapping the World of Autism
Crossposted to http://rachelmanija.dreamwidth.org/1040
- Fri, 12:41: My tweets http://t.co/MkCLPpzM
- Sat, 01:54: The Sky Warrior Books Daily is out! http://t.co/nhACZzmW ▸ Top stories today via @philipyung @JensHildebrand
And then I thought about what I'd said in an earlier entry, how my apartment didn't seem quite 'right' to me when I got back, and thought about past periods of distraction, and went "oh." Because I'm very smart, but sometimes not so bright.
So today - in between passes of writing - has been all about cleaning and sorting and the usual summertime rearranging of furniture (moving the sofa so it doesn't block the AC, etc). Because I am very fond of CatSitter B, but her staying here had made it not-quite-so-much-my-own-place. And now it's mine again, properly sorted and everything where I want it to be.
I suspect the focus will be much more, well, focused, going forward.
(it had BETTER be. So damn much to do OMG)
shelly_rae joined me for the movie.Stephen Kessler, the director, approaches the story as a fan would: I thought Williams was dead; turns out he's very much alive and well; what's he up to? Williams is not an especially willing or cooperative subject for a documentary. He comes across as baffled by Kessler's interest and a little cantankerous about the project. But once he proposes that Kessler step in front of the camera with him, that they just talk about stuff, things begin to change as does the nature of the project. The film goes from being a documentary about Williams' rise, fall, and recovery to a sort of road movie/buddy flick about the filmmaker and the musician getting to know each other, with Kessler's almost Woody Allen-esque voice-over telling the story. The film, of course, is rich with archival footage of Williams in movies and on television, live performances, and contemporary footage of him, his wife, his longtime music director, and Kessler on the road traveling from gig to gig and talking about Williams' life and career. The movie doesn't dwell overmuch on Williams' addiction and recovery, though pretty revealing moments in the interviews show just how much that experience has colored and changed Williams as a person (he's now a certified recovery counselor and speaks on the subject). But he's also still very much active as a composer and performer, and is the current president of ASCAP about which he is quite passionate. Overall, the documentary isn't anything usual--it's funny and poignant and, in embracing the serendipity of Williams' proposal to step into the frame, Kessler has created a very personal story about two guys--who just happen to be idol and fan--getting to know each other in a unique way. I definitely recommend it.
Kessler and Williams were at the theater for Q&A after the movie, and I stayed to listen. Williams talked with conviction about his work as the president of ASCAP defending the rights of artists. He talked about how "Rainbow Connection," "Evergreeen," and "With One More Look at You" (from A Star is Born) were all written. He talked about working with Brian de Palma on Phantom of the Paradise. He was funny and generous with the audience. Kessler pretty much ceded the stage to Williams though he'd had his moment before the film began, and was very sweet about the whole project.
After they finished their Q&A, Williams and Kessler came down to the side of the theater and talked to audience members. And that's when I realized why I was really there. Sure, I'd been a fan of Williams' work, but I was also there for my mom, to whom "You and Me Against the World" had meant so much. So I went up to him, and I told him I didn't want an autograph or a picture, just to thank him for that song and told him why. He asked me my name, and told me that that's the sort of feedback that meant the most to him, that the song touched someone or made a difference to them. He said that, having been mostly a weekend dad, the song meant a lot to him too. He asked if my mom was still with us; I told him no, but that I was there for her. He was gracious and kind, and held my hand the whole time we talked. I thanked him for his time and then took off, since others were waiting to speak with him. I was really very impressed with him, and I'm glad we got to talk.
There are nine heats in all. The winners (or joint winners) from heats one - eight go straight through. The second place finishers battle it out in heat nine to see which title joins the others in the final round.
What's at stake?
Bragging rights for the winner? An interview and/or guest post here on An Englishman in New Jersey, as well as signed copy of my book, Fur-Face, and a couple of I are a writer! pens, as shown in the pic below.
Poll #1842793 2012 MEAGER PUDDLE OF LIMELIGHT AWARD FOR BEST SHORT STORY TITLE: HEAT 8 OF 9
Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: None, participants: 17
From the following list, please select any short story titles which you think should progress to the final round
| THEY CAME BEARING DANGEROUS GIFTS |
   8 (17.4%) |
| TRANSLYMANIC |
| 3 (6.5%) |
| UNDER THE PAPER |
| 4 (8.7%) |
| UNITED WE SOAR |
| 1 (2.2%) |
| VICTIM OF LOVE |
| 1 (2.2%) |
| WARBLING THEIR WAY TO WAR |
| 5 (10.9%) |
| WATER TO SHARE |
| 7 (15.2%) |
| WE CAN REMEMBER IT FOR YOU RETAIL |
| 6 (13.0%) |
| WHAT THE CARP SAW (AND COULDN'T TELL WHILE STILL ALIVE) |
| 8 (17.4%) |
| WHEN THE LIGHT WAS ON |
| 3 (6.5%) |
Links to the other Heats and the final:
Heat one
Heat two
Heat three (now returned from it's little walkabout)
Heat four
Heat five
Heat six
Heat seven
Heat eight
Heat nine
Final Round
Voting in Heats 1 through 8 will close on Sunday, June 3rd 2012 at 6:00pm (US/Eastern). Heat nine will take place soon after.
Good luck to all who take part! Vene, vidi, puddli!
- Mood:
excited
I spent a decent chunk of the day hanging out with the inestimable Howard Tayler, who created a truly impressive steampunk caricature of me. (When I get home, I shall scan and post this, but at the moment it is my badge art.) Howard is his own self hanging out in the Aegis room, which is basically a camp for combat geeks. Inside the Con hotel, these cats have a rappelling tower, weapons training with actual pointy objects, a bunch of Nerf weapons, and a Victorian encampment. They are pretty much a real life incarnation of the Black Briar group in J.A. Pitt's Black Blade Blues [ Powells | BN ]. The Aegis group helped me make a notable entrance to opening ceremonies.
Also spent a lot more time partying with The League of S.T.E.A.M. and a whole bunch of other folks, including briefly running across the few people besides Howard that I actually knew before I turned up here. Specifically, Gail Carriger, G.D. Falksen (who has an important planet named after him in the Sunspin universe) and Evelyn Kriete (who is responsible for me being invited to this convention). I caught the last part of the The Men That Will Not be Blamed for Nothing concert.
I even got a bit more work done on Going to Extremes.
Today I have lunch with Howard, a High Tea to host, and a plan to hear some more excellent performances. A bit more programming tomorrow.
Interestingly, I am way off my normal schedule here, even my normal convention schedule. I'm not sure what clock I'm living on, but it's neither Jay time nor Con time. I'm just going with the flow. Which it turns out is remarkably difficult for me to do. I feel twitchy about not being up at 5 am exercising (hard to do when you're going to bed at 2 am) and why I'm not writing more.
But I'm here to have fun, which I am decidedly doing; and to see and be seen, which I am decidedly doing.
Is this what time off feels like?
Playground equipment, 2006. © 2006, 2012, Joseph E. Lake, Jr.
The current photo series is from my 'favorites' file, hence the dates jumping about
This work by Joseph E. Lake, Jr. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.
The Nebula Awards 2012: A Look Back And A Look Forward — James Patrick Kelly and John Kessel in HuffPo.
Calvin and Hobbes on unfettered creativity as a writer — Hahaha.
War of the Worlds: The True Story — A new indie flick coming out that looks pretty cool.
Star Wars Turns 35: How Time Covered the Film Phenomenon
Red Planet Becomes Blue In New Mars Image
Astronauts enter world’s first private supply ship
Impacts Spreading Life through the Cosmos?
Colonel Sanders resembles Confucius — Chicken, anyone?
?otd: Charles Darwin: Man or monkey?
5/26/2012
Writing time yesterday: 0.5 hours (Going to Extremes proposal)
Body movement: 30 minute stationary bike ride
Hours slept: 7.0 (solid)
Weight: n/a
Currently reading: Shattering the Ley by Benjamin Tate; Of Blood and Honey by Stina Leicht
Quite a thunderstorm rolled through here this evening! Which is rare, in this part of the world.
It was a calm, warm, pleasant day–I was driving around in the Miata with the top down till after 5:00, and working in the yard for an hour after that–but then the sky darkened, and the wind picked up…actually, only part of the sky darkened, while we still had a placid, lovely evening to the west.
It was impossible to capture in a photograph, but this gives some sense, from before it started:
Bright sunshine and deep dark clouds.
And then the thunder! It rattled the windows. I never saw any lightning, but then, I wasn’t outside any more. 
Then the fire department came by. Someone had called about a smell of gas; I thought it smelled like the ocean (or, well, a thunderstorm); nobody owned up to having called them; eventually they left.
By that point it was pouring rain, drenching, a dark downpour.
Then it stopped. Now it’s all peaceful out there.
I know this kind of thing isn’t such a big deal in parts of the country where they happen every day, but…here it’s kinda special.
Originally published at Shannon Page: Author. You can comment here or there.
- Location:Witchnest Manor
- Mood:
impressed
Writers write books. And in this age of indie and self-publishing sometimes we design covers for them. Good covers. Bad covers. Covers that attract readers, or repel them. The truth is, not all writers are good cover designers or have the artistic, computer, or technological skill to pull off a good cover.
Sometimes we need to hire someone, but that can be expensive, and where and how does one find a good cover designer?
I am pleased to say, I recently "met" book cover designer Kura Carpenter through SpecFicNZ, the national speculative fiction writers organization I started in New Zealand while I lived there.
Kura is from Dunedin, New Zealand and has designed for authors all over the world, including a recent cover for Steam Press for the novel 'Tropic of Skorpeo' by author Michael Morrissey to be released later this year.
Kura kindly agreed to let me interview her about cover design, so here it is. I asked and she answered. All you have to do it enjoy!
Kura, how did you get into book cover design?
A couple of years ago my friend, Justin Elliot, asked me to create the cover for his YA Fantasy adventure, A Dark Future. I really enjoyed it, but I pretty much wrote it off as one-time opportunity. Then in 2011 I met Peter Jenks who was about to release a non-fiction guide as an ebook, and I increasingly became aware that ebooks were really taking off and that publishing was changing and I could design for anyone, anywhere.
What is your favorite book cover of all times?
I don’t have a single favorite cover, but I do have a favorite design era. I love the Art Nouveau & Arts and Crafts influenced covers of the late 1800s. Will Bradley’s cover for ‘In Russet and Silver’ published in 1894 is a good example.
What is the hardest genre to design a cover for? The easiest?
As I’m primarily a photo manipulator, I find the hardest is Historicals because sourcing photos of models in historically-accurate clothes can be challenging. I find the easiest are those with a strong emotional content, so for example romance and horror.
What is your favorite kind of book to design a cover for?
I enjoy doing thrillers most because I like creating a graphic that will tell its own story, and thinking in terms of visual cues as to the tone of the book is great fun. I also enjoy doing sci-fi because I get a chance to flex my Photoshop muscles and create special effects >> Blue lightning, anyone?
On average, how long does it take you to design a cover?
The length depends on the genre and the number of base photos required to build-up the graphic. A sci-fi/fantasy cover will usually be heavy on props and special effects and therefore they take longer. For example the fantasy cover I created for James E Thomas Reed Butler’s Story’ required ten images, whereas the non-fiction ‘Girls and Dating’ by PM Jenks only required one. But in terms of hours, I’d say on average 8 to 12 hours.
Authors are often surprised at how little say they have over their book cover with a traditional publisher. How hands-on is the process if they commission one with you?
That’s entirely up to the author. I personally like a collaborative effort, and so I encourage the author to have a lot of input. It’s important to me to understand the author’s taste and style, after all I’m creating a cover that needs to fit their individual brand.
Are there any big no-no's of cover design? (Things one should never do, ie- have a relative design your cover, use a certain font for the title, etc)
I think it’s very important to project the right tone, and I think people sometimes forget that fonts also have a tone. To demonstrate this I’ve created a simple graphic where I’ve reversed the normally associated conventions with two fonts.
And as long as your relative works in graphics, I don’t see the problem with getting their help. :p
Are there any key principles for cover design? (things you should always do-- ie- include genre clues on cover, always have cleavage- hehe)
I feel genre clues are extremely important, as they are all about setting a tone. Any adult having grown up as a book lover will have developed an unconscious but very sophisticated ability to interpret and value a cover design through visual cues and symbols. So for me, the key to good covers begins with understanding the market. What a particular audience wants and expects to see, and what those things mean. For example, imagine a man standing in a forest a night. What genre is that? Not enough info? Ok then, he wears a cloak and holds a lantern… Are you thinking Historical about now? But what if I add, the lantern is illuminated by captured Fairies…?
I saw a recent discussion on-line about the use of gender neutral covers for YA versus gender specific covers (covers that feature a guy protagonist, or, more often, a girl protagonist). Books like Divergent, Legend, and Hunger Games had very gender neutral covers. What's your opinion on the roll gender plays in cover design and appeal?
To me this question precedes the design process, it’s really about how publishers calculate their sales. Any time a cover is gender specific the publisher is effectively risking losing 50% of the potential audience. I predict with the prevalence of ebooks, it will become common for YA books to have 2 covers, a solution which isn’t cost effective in traditional print publishing.
How do you balance author input with your own expertise? In other words, what do you do with a client who keeps insisting on bad cover design ideas?
I’ve never had a client like that, but I have wondered what I would do if I was in that situation. On one hand, I’m employed by the author, therefore I should deliver what they want. But on the other hand if I could see what they wanted would be detrimental to their sales, then I would have to say so. I simply couldn’t do something I felt would effectively ruin the purpose of the cover. Every product has a function to serve and fundamentally, Book Covers are adverts.
Can you talk about the components involved in back cover design? What does the author need to bring to the table? Book blurb, a one sentence hook, recommendations and review quotes from other authors, author bio? What about the author photo? Do you recommend one or not, and why?
The more an author can bring to the back, the better. A blurb is essential. A one sentence hook is great for catching the eye and generating intrigue. Recommendations and reviews make purchasing the book easier for someone browsing, because people like to go where others have gone before -- as in, it reduces the risk in their minds. And as for photos, I think they’re a good idea. Readers are naturally curious and sharing a photo will help establish a personal connection with them. I feel a photo has a psychological value similar to a signing your real name to an important document. A value that says, this is the real me, and I stand behind this book.
Thanks Kura! Be sure to check out Kura's work and website HERE.
http://whatever.scalzi.com/2012/05/25/ga
http://whatever.scalzi.com/?p=18694
You’ll recall that when I lost my Mac and bought the emergency netbook, I also picked up a Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 inch tablet, on the rationale that, damn it, I was grumpy and I wanted a toy. This is not an excellent reason to buy a piece of electronic equipment, I am the first to note. That said, I’d had my eye on this particular tablet for a bit, so it wasn’t entirely impulsive. I’ve lived with it now for a week and I’m ready to mention what I like and don’t like about it.
First, a general note: I like it. We have an iPad here in the Scalzi household (it’s primarily Krissy’s) and while it’s surely a nice piece of equipment, I’m not in love with its size. A ten-inch tablet is too large for my tastes; unless you’re Shaquille O’Neal, it’s not something you can carry around or use in a single hand, and in other respects it’s also unwieldy. I understand the boffins at Apple have decreed that the iPad is the perfect size for a tablet and that if we have a problem with that there’s something wrong with us, not them. But screw them, they’re just wrong. In my case, a 7-inch tablet is just about perfectly sized: Large enough to give you enough space to see a lot of things, but small enough to operate with one hand. It’s paperback book-sized, basically, and there’s a reason paperbacks are the size they are: Because they make ergonomic sense for humans.
I am using my tablet primarily as a reading appliance, and to that respect it’s been pretty great. Both the Kindle and Nook apps look good and perform well on it, and the screen is a high enough resolution (1024×600) that I can read books without eyestrain (and, because its an LCD screen, I can read it without a nightlight). I’m also trying the Next Issue app, which works like a Netflix for magazines, and it’s for me at least a nice way to cruise through various magazines without them cluttering up my house.
Web browsing is fine — text is small in portrait mode (one needs to pinch zoom) and perfectly readable in landscape. One thing I do like that is that things don’t automatically default to mobile versions of Web sites. I also like that I can access my own site’s backend via the browser, so I can go in and moderate comments more completely than I can do on my phone. The Android 4.0 system means all the Google toys work in a fairly optimized manner, which is especially useful with GMail, which I use. The keyboard in portrait mode is easy to operate with two thumbs.
Although I don’t use it much for video, it handles video just fine; I ran a bit of Serenity on it via Netflix and didn’t have any problems. Haven’t played any games on it so far, but that’s not why I got it, so even if it were to choke on that I wouldn’t care much. The camera is definitely meh, but it’s another function that I did not buy the tablet for, so that’s fine.
Things not to like: It only comes with 8GB of resident memory and half of that’s devoted to apps that I didn’t pick and probably won’t use but come with the thing anyway. This is mitigated by the MicroSD slot and the fact that I just got a 32GB card in that format for $20 (and that it comes with a deal with Dropbox for something like 50GB of space for a year, which does not suck). The power button and the volume rocker button are close enough to each other that I’m always pressing the wrong button. This is annoying. The screen is occasionally less than perfect with touch response (particularly with small type websites), and gets smeary real fast. It’s slightly weird to think the 4.5-inch screen on my phone has a higher resolution than this 7-inch screen.
However, to be blunt, these criticisms for me are blunted by the fact that a) I paid $240 bucks for the thing, which is not a lot, all things considered, b) the tablets closest to it in capability/design — the Nook Tablet and the Kindle Fire — have similar or lesser specs and are crimped by design in order to keep you in their respective ecosystems. With regards to a), I was not expecting genuinely top-flight specs for what I paid, and what I got for the price is more than satisfactory. With regards to b), why pay for crimped tools when you can get them uncrimped for essentially the same price?
So, for the price and for what I use the thing for, the Galaxy Tab 2 pretty much hits my needs dead on. If you’re looking for a solid, basic tablet in a smaller form factor and for not a whole lot of cash (relatively speaking), it’s worth giving a look.
I have a bunch of social things this weekend, but I’m still hoping to write at least one more chapter for the week, another 3000 words. I just finished typing up the latest chapter. I have almost 30,000 words in 10 chapters.
I need to think about the next chapter, where it’s going, what it’s doing. It may finally be time to start plotting some.
I got back the edits for ZQ. I want to do those Monday, and start pushing the book out, so it’ll be available the first week of June.
I have a short story to write for the workshop I’m taking in June. Great idea, great character, great voice already nagging at me about it.
And—I think that’s it. Time to go get changed and ready for a night out.
Crossposted from my website. If you'd like to comment, you can do so here or there.But he is still quite interested in what's on MY plate. Because that's got to be better, right?
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Page Summary
- jaylake : [conventions] World Steam Expo, Day Three [+0]
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scalzifeed : The Class of ’12 Flings Their Caps Into the Air [+0] - scottedelman : Revisiting Jack Kirby’s return to Marvel Comics [+0]
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- jaylake : [conventions] World Steam Expo, Day Two [+0]
- jaylake : [photos] Your Sunday moment of zen [+0]
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- jongibbs : What are you up to today? [+10]
- msagara : Answering a question about household disagreements [+22]
- marshallpayne1 : The Duke…famous movie lines and infamous products [+0]
- jimvanpelt : New Collection Cover Art [+6]
- scalzifeed : Musical Synchronicity, Of a Certain Miserable Sort [+0]
- scalzifeed : DON’T GO INTO THE BASEMENT [+0]
- rachelmanija : Compassion in Action: Setting Out on the Path of Service, by Ram Dass [+16]
- rachelmanija : Unstrange Minds: Remapping the World of Autism, by Roy Richard Grinker [+5]
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- calendula_witch : Stormy! [+3]
- rippatton : Cover Design Interview with Kura Carpenter [+0]
- scalzifeed : Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 Notes [+0]
- lrcutter : Moving along [+2]
- suricattus : oy, cats. [+8]
