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| 2009-07-12 05:59 |
| [links] Link salad wakes up with a clear head, finally |
| Public |
| audio, culture, funny, links, personal, politics, reviews, science, stories, tech |
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A reader reviews "Rolling Steel" by ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) calendula_witch and me — Specifically, she talks about the podcast version, read by Sean Farrell and Mur Lafferty.
The soda-pop map — I used to say "Coke" generically, these days I say "soda." Where do you fall on this continuum? (Thanks to garyomaha.)
Bridge to Nowhere: a Map of Golden Gate Jumpers — Another odd one from Strange Maps.
Solar for Dark Climates — I love the headline alone, but the article is interesting as well, about hybrid solar systems for northern latitudes. Mmm, Stirling engines.
Evidence based revenge — Ben Goldacre on revenge and bitterness. Money shot: Put very simply, if we desire it, does revenge work? People certainly believe in it, from modern thrillers such as Hamlet and Moby Dick, to classics like Kill Bill and Death Wish I-V.
Get Fuzzy on American political parties — Hahahahahahahahahaha.
?otD: Soda or pop?
7/12/2009 Body movement: 30 minutes on stationary bike, 10 minutes of meditation and stretching This morning's weigh-in: 218.2 Currently reading: Brothers in Arms by Lois McMaster Bujold
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| 2009-07-11 11:12 |
| [links] Link salad, largely creative edition |
| Public |
| art, books, cool, funny, links, personal, process, science, tech, writing |
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Scale tip — Art writing guru James Gurney on telling details.
Barbie heals space martians, and cures interspecies racism! — Um, yah. (Thanks to mikigal.)
A field guide to reproductive health — Art madness.
Welcome to Lunarville — Ah, me. Missed opportunities.
Robot land-steamers to consume all life on Earth as fuel
?otD: Virus or bacteria?
7/11/2009 Body movement: n/a (overslept due to ongoing chest cold) This morning's weigh-in: n/a (no scale at beach house) Currently reading: Cetaganda by Lois McMaster Bujold
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tor.com on Steampunk Tales — In which I have a story.
How to tell a riveting story — (Thanks to goulo.)
Toy ray guns of the world
Portable DNA Purifier for Poor Countries — A new handheld device isolates DNA from human fluid without the use of electrical power. Like Bill Gibson said, you have "to be pretty technical before you can even aspire to crudeness".
Hemingway as failed KGB spy? — Weird.
A Housing Market Built on Mud Takes Off, and Then Goes Thud — Ironic, sad and darkly funny story about housing in West Africa.
The invisible hand of god — Pace Adam Smith. (Snurched from Scrivener's Error.)
Hannity again crops Obama's comments abroad in order to smear him — Your Liberal Media, hard at work bending the truth for the GOP. And conservatives wonder why the rest of us see you as crazy and deceitful. Hannity isn't some fringe figure, he's a major spokesperson for your philosophy with an audience of millions.
?otD: What would Heinlein have titled a sequel to Friday?
7/10/2009 Body movement: n/a (overslept due to ongoing chest cold) This morning's weigh-in: n/a (no scale at beach house) Currently reading: The Vor Game by Lois McMaster Bujold
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The "blog" of "unnecessary" quotation marks — The name says it all. (Thanks to corwynofamber.)
10 weird uses for vodka — (Thanks to garyomaha.)
First Drug Shown to Extend Life Span in Mammals
LRO won't convince the Apollo deniers — Apollo denial is just as mentally fractured as Intelligent Design, supply side economics or vaccination denial — batshit faith-based thinking pretending to a rational basis. It just doesn't have the same massive policy implications, and nobody dies from it.
?otD: Why do we call it a 'cold' when it makes us hot?
7/9/2009 Body movement: n/a (overslept due to ongoing chest cold) This morning's weigh-in: n/a (no scale at beach house) Currently reading: n/a (Just finished The Warrior's Apprentice by Lois McMaster Bujold (re-read))
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Coffee 'may reverse Alzheimer's' — Guess I need to take up a new habit. (Thanks to danjite.)
Vintage ads for women's fragrances — Uh huh.
Donnie's Deusie: 1924 — Mmm. Duesenberg. Mmm.
Best to only ever fight wars you already won. — The Edge of the American West on conservatives, Obama and library cards. Also William Ayers. Funny stuff.
?otD: What time did you wake up?
7/8/2009 Body movement: n/a (overslept due to incipient chest cold) This morning's weigh-in: n/a (no scale at beach house) Currently reading: The Warrior's Apprentice by Lois McMaster Bujold (re-read)
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| 2009-07-07 04:58 |
| [links] Link salad yawns into another Tuesday |
| Public |
| books, cool, green, health, links, personal, politics, publishing, religion, reviews, science, travel, videos |
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An interesting review of Green [ Powell's | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Borders ]
A "dumb copy editor" story from George Lakoff — Don't get me wrong. Copy editors are my friends, both figuratively and literally. But this is hilarious.
The Astronomer's Dream — A short animated film.
The blue and the green — Awesome color spiral illusion... (Thanks to willyumtx.)
Fixing airport security
Blinded Man Regains Sight With Tooth For Eye — Um... (Thanks to tetar.)
A Pound of Cure — The federal government is about to spend big on health-care IT. Too bad the medical industry has a vested interest in inefficiency. I find the viewpoint of this article overly cynical, but some interesting stuff here nonetheless.
Arizona is 6000 years old? — Pssst. Hey. Conservative America. Listen up. Religion doesn't have to make you stupid.
What The Right Means When They Say "America"
?otD: How many roads must a man walk down? Show your work.
7/7/2009 Body movement: 40 minute beach walk, 10 minutes of stretching and meditation This morning's weigh-in: n/a (no scale at beach house) Currently reading: The Warrior's Apprentice by Lois McMaster Bujold (re-read)
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bravado111 with a photo spread on Green [ Powell's | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Borders ] — Heh.
Flags of forgotten countries — Dark Roasted Blend with one for the vexillologists among you. Actually, I remember most of these countries.
Igniting Fusion — Mmm, warm.
Centauri Dreams with a roundup — I draw your attention to the subsection entitled "Superluminal Radio Waves and their Uses", in turn referring to this article. Paging Sam L. Tannaity to the office. I'm just a poor little low-rent SF writer with a liberal arts degree, so maybe it's just me, but I'm really struggling with this one. Comments from the better informed?
?otD: How long is Long Beach?
7/6/2009 Body movement: n/a (will beach walk later) This morning's weigh-in: n/a (no scale at beach house) Currently reading: n/a (just finished P.S. Your Cat is Dead by James Kirkwood)
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maryrobinette is liking of the Green [ Powell's | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Borders ].
newroticgirl liked Green maybe a bit too much
Moving the goalposts — My last Tor.com guest blog post from the recent run.
Carnivorous Clock eats bugs, begins doomsday countdown — Brings a whole new meaning to the idea of a "mainspring". (Thanks to lillypond.)
The danger of safety — Road, rail and air crash comparisons.
?otD: Where is Mendocino County again?
7/3/2009 Body movement: 60 minute urban walk (Buena Vista Park and back) This morning's weigh-in: n/a (forgot to get on the scale before I showered and ate) Currently reading: P.S. Your Cat is Dead by James Kirkwood
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The toaster project — A British artist tries to build a toaster from scratch. More here. (Snurched from Freakonomics.)
Stunning new technology allows parents to hold a life-size model of their unborn child — Weird. And cool. (Thanks to danjite.)
Can Aging Be Solved? — Gerontology pioneer Leonard Hayflick discusses the biological causes of aging.
Volcano awesomeness from Bad Astronomy Blog
You say Burma, I say Myanmar — A post on the ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/community.gif) cranky_editors group, pointed out to me by garyomaha. The action is in comments, with special guest appearances from danjite.
"The only chance we have as a country right now is" for bin Laden to "detonate a major weapon" in U.S. — And conservatives wonder why the reality-based community thinks they're crazy. Remember, Beck is a major figure in Your Liberal Media. Amazing what that liberal bias gets up to.
?otD: Why not Minot?
7/2/2009 Body movement: 60 minute urban walk (Twin Peaks!), 10 minutes of stretching and meditation This morning's weigh-in: 215.5 Currently reading: P.S. Your Cat is Dead by James Kirkwood
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Finding life in the ice — Exobiology!
Japanese Ironsmith Creates Bulldozer Out Of Fiat 500 — Automotive madness at its finest!
The Chaplain General — Cool art from Ellis Nadler.
To everyone who wants prayer in American public schools — What he said.
?otD: Is it hump day again?
7/1/2009 Body movement: 60 minute urban walk (Twin Peaks!) This morning's weigh-in: 220.0 Currently reading: P.S. Your Cat is Dead by James Kirkwood
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| 2009-06-30 04:35 |
| [links] Link salad goes to the oncologist today |
| Public |
| art, books, cool, funny, green, links, movies, personal, reviews, science, stories |
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A reader with small love for Green [ Powell's | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Borders ]
The New Space Opera 2 is out [ Powell's | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Borders ] — Including my novelette "To Raise a Mutiny Betwixt Yourselves", set in the Sunspin universe.
Images from Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland — Wow.
Silhouette Masterpiece Theatre — Hahahaha. Serious art humor. (Thanks to goulo.)
Daguerre, Painter — Some awesome apocalyptic art.
Enceladus: Riddle of the Plumes — Centauri Dreams on oceans in space.
Igniting Fusion — Technology Review with some very big science, indeed.
?otD: Have you ever been to heaven?
6/30/2009 Body movement: 10 minutes of stretching and meditation (overslept for walking) This morning's weigh-in: 220.5 Currently reading: P.S. Your Cat is Dead by James Kirkwood
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| 2009-06-29 04:30 |
| [links] Link salad comes back from Iron Springs |
| Public |
| books, cool, culture, escapement, green, links, personal, photos, politics, reviews, science |
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Jay Lake's Green: A Departure for the Clockwork King — ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/syndicated.gif) jeffvandermeer with a brief interview of me about Green [ Powell's | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Borders ].
mordicai comments on Escapement [ Powell's | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Borders ]
1909 Russia in living color: The photos of Sergey Prokudin-Gorskii — A piece of history most of us don't see much of.
7 Man-Made Substances that Laugh in the Face of Physics — (Thanks to jaborwhalky.)
SETI: A Detectable Neutrino Signal? — Oooh. With bonus Antarctic science pr0n.
To fight deflation, abolish cash. Could Japan make reality of 'science fiction'? — Curious news from the economic front.
The Redder They Are, The Harder They Fall — WaPo somewhat disingenuously asks why Democrats "get away" with more sex scandals, apparently ignores their own answer - it's the hypocrisy, stupid.
Ante Up or Leave The Table — Conservatives and climate change denial, specifically the low cost of such denial in personal, political and social terms. One thing this analysis leaves out is how conservatives have been dead wrong in their opposition to just about everything in the past century or more — child labor laws, women's rights, civil rights, minimum wage, interracial marriage, opposition to entry in WWII, support for the Iraq War. An America run on the principles espoused by conservatives in every one of those losing battles would be a much bleaker, harsher place. Why do they have any credibility on climate change?
?otD: Who put the "Mon" in Monday?
6/29/2009 Body movement: 30 minute stationary bike ride, 10 minutes of stretching and meditation This morning's weigh-in: 221.4 Currently reading: P.S. Your Cat is Dead by James Kirkwood
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Good cover art gone bad — A reader discusses the cover of Green [ Powell's | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Borders ].
Is Tor Books seeking to become the Amazon of science fiction and fantasy? — Simon Owens talks to Pablo Defendini. Interesting stuff about publishing and business models.
The Writer's Bathtub — Return of son of analogy. Useful metaphor for writers contemplating their careers.
Steorn perpetual motion machine, amazingly, may not work: independent jury resigns — Clearly a conspiracy is afoot.
In Every Black Man's Eyes--Death To The Rebel — Ta-Nehisi Coates with one of the more profound meditations on the black experience that I've ever read. Long but well worth it, especially for us white guys.
This outbreak of Three Panel Soul reminds of something I'd forgotten — An old story about how residents of Provo, Utah, are "disproportionately large consumers" of pornography. Which they prosecute in others, such as video store owner Larry W. Peterman. Ah, the consistency of moralism in conservative family values.
?otD: How do you spell Wednesday?
6/24/2009 Body movement: 30 minute stationary bike ride, 10 minutes of stretching and meditation This morning's weigh-in: 216.2 Currently reading: n/a (finished Cordelia's Honor by Lois McMaster Bujold)
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John Clute on Green [ Powell's | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Borders ]
Me guest blogging at Tor.com on "Telling Stories with Character"
A good book ain't all you need. — Lilith Saintcrow on writers and agents.
Layers Upon Layers Of Fail — "English only": coming to an idiot near you. Hmm, wonder how many progressives are in favor of "English only" policies?
?otD: Should we speak pure Anglo-Saxon?
6/24/2009 Body movement: 50 minute workout at gym This morning's weigh-in: 219.4 Currently reading: Cordelia's Honor by Lois McMaster Bujold (reread of omnibus edition)
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A reader reacts to Mainspring [ Powell's | Amazon thb | Barnes & Noble | Borders | Audible ] — They couldn't finish it. As I said in comments recently, I find bad reviews far more interesting than good ones. This is no exception.
I before E — Language Log on (misconstrued) grammar silliness. I say "potato", you say "potatoe".
Who decided the day should be divided into 24 hours? — A Straight Dope classic. As usual, blame the Babylonians. I'm personally more fascinated by the consistent persistency of the seven day week cycle.
Painted Green — Some thoughts on Iran. (Via A Tiny Revolution.)
?otD: How many Mondays in a month of Sundays?
6/22/2009 Body movement: 30 minute stationary bike ride, 10 minutes of stretching and meditation This morning's weigh-in: 220.0 Currently reading: Cordelia's Honor by Lois McMaster Bujold (reread of omnibus edition)
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| 2009-06-21 06:15 |
| [links] Link salad says happy Father's Day Solstice |
| Public |
| books, cars, cool, culture, links, personal, photos, politics, publishing, science, writing |
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Booking the future — One view of the next generation of publishing. (Thanks to lrcutter.)
The Latke number thread — In case you were wondering about literary collaboration with me.
What Amazon Does Not Want You To Know About The Kindle — More DRM hell. (From a mailing list I'm on.)
The Unevenness of Space-Time Convergence — Strange Maps with a rendering of travel times which is pretty interesting, and also somewhat reminds me of the most famousest New Yorker cover EVAR.
Brute-Force Engineering and Climate — Centauri Dreams with some unsettling speculation. Also more fodder for near term futurism of both the apocalyptic and optimistic flavors.
Sunrise over the Parthenon — More photographic coolness from APOD.
io9.com with a visual gallery on the evolution of spaceships in movies — Cool stuff.
Maytag-Mobile: 1939 — Shorpy with home-made car from the pre-WWII era. I'm fascinated by the tiny wheels. That thing must have ridden like holy hell. And speaking of hell, Shorpy has this bus image, a 1938 Greyhound ready for the Gehenna run for certain.
ericjamesstone answers my question from yesterday about the Robert court ruling on DNA testing — Ok, not batshit. Still not happy about it, but I understand the point now. (And wish the reporting on this had done a better job of conveying that point, or that I'd done a better job of reading the reporting, or both.) Thanks, Eric!
?otD: Was it a new day yesterday?
6/21/2009 Body movement: 30 minute stationary bike ride, 10 minutes of stretching and meditation This morning's weigh-in: 219.8 Currently reading: n/a (Finished The Human Disguise by James O'Neil)
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A pair of readers with small love for Green [ Powell's | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Borders ]: here and here — In the second case, at length. I firmly believe the story belongs to the reader, but I do sometimes wonder if readers have the story I wrote in their hands.
A reader objects to one of my blurbs — Heh.
Perso-Arabic and Sinitic Literacy — Some cool stuff on Islam in China and writing systems, including this gem: This information is all the more stunning in light of the fact that Muslims in China developed a system of writing Sinitic languages [...] in Perso-Arabic script.
Conservative Justices Strange Enthusiasm for the Punishment of the Innocent — A blog post about a recent Supreme Court decision forbidding a convicted felon from paying for his own DNA test to exonerate himself. The Roberts court found that alowing Osburne to prove his potential innocence risks "unnecessarily overthrowing the established system of criminal justice." Compassionate conservativism my ass. Can someone explain to me why this isn't pure batshit?
One of the Daily Kos diarists on Coburn and Ensign — This guys puts it in a nutshell: If Ensign and Coburn weren't such outspoken crusaders for moral rectitude none of this would be anybody's business except insofar as Ensign's actions constituted sexual harassment or involved public resources. But both Ensign and Coburn have built a political career on passing moral judgment on others. There's an expression about stones and glass houses that they might have considered before trying to foist their own hypocritical moral code on the rest of the country. One could ask the same question of the entire conservative movement, of course.
?otD: How easy it is being Green?
6/20/2009 Body movement: 30 minute stationary bike ride, 10 minutes of stretching and meditation This morning's weigh-in: 220.2 Currently reading: n/a (Finished The Human Disguise by James O'Neil yesterday)
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Stretching My Legs — Me guest blogging again at Tor.com.
The Oscar Mayer Wienermobile patent — With bonus Wienermobile links!
Two Angles on Meteorites — More really cool Deep Time stuff from Centauri Dreams.
Dunhuang Star Atlas — Ancient Chinese star map from APOD. Now this is just darned cool.
A Skin Test for Alzheimer's Disease — Wow.
Did anyone get the number of that Erdos? — xkcd with some deep math geekery.
Ghost Jams — We get those in Portland. I've seen one at 2 am on the Banfield.
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I have audio flash up at the new StarShipSofa — Enjoy!
10 Things You Always Wanted To Know About Robot Sex (But Were Afraid To Ask) — (Thanks to someone who should probably remain nameless...)
Save your eyes, use your goggles
"Human"-Faced Missing Link Found in Spain? — As tetar said when he sent me the link, Out of Europe?
The story of the tell-tale tail
?otD: More green than blue?
6/18/2009 Body movement: 30 minute suburban walk, 10 minutes of stretching and meditation This morning's weigh-in: n/a (in hotel) Currently reading: The Human Disguise by James O'Neil
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SF Signal's "Mind Meld" on real life places that inspire fantastical world building — In which I discuss, among other things, Bulgaria.
Puttin' on daubs. — Art writing guru James Gurney on how art happens one tiny bit at a time. You sure gotta know where to put them daubs words.
9 Chickweed Lane name checks the state of Nebraska — I probably shouldn't be laughing at this, but I am.
The French Aérotrain — Scroll down a bit to see it. Also, the prototype pictured at Wikipedia is deeply awesome.
Ice XV discovered — Man, I missed ice-9!
?otD: How green is your valley?
6/17/2009 Body movement: 30 minute suburban walk, 10 minutes of stretching and meditation This morning's weigh-in: n/a (in hotel) Currently reading: The Human Disguise by James O'Neil
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