My “Don’t have much to say” generated some fairly entertaining comments: [ jlake.com | LiveJournal ]

The Language of Science Fiction — Various and sundry in an audio hour. (Thanks to scarlettina.)

The World’s 12 Most Beautiful Train Rides — I’ve taken the train from Beijing to Ulaan Baatar, through the Gobi Desert. That was pretty damned impressive.

A Machine-Driven Way to the Stars — Centauri Dreams on (among other things ) uploaded minds. Some great world-building nuts and bolts here for you skiffy types.

Social Media for Scientists Part 1: It’s Our Job

Transgender kids: Painful quest to be who they are — From my male, cisgendered perspective, this actually seems like a fairly aware and sensitive piece for something in the mainstream press. Curious what my LGBTQ friends think of it.

Love in action — 80 percent of unmarried evangelical young adults (18 to 29) said that they have had sex. How’s that whole abstinence education thing working out, then? And I wonder what the STD rate is among this group. Maybe a little rethinking based on the realities of human nature is in order.

‘We know how to get out of this mess’ — Slactivist Fred Clark on how we continue to not fix the economy.

Billionaire Owner of Washington Wizards Wants Obama to Stop Calling Him Rich — The questions asked in this blog post are very, very sharp.

O’Reilly Happy To Let “Totalitarian” NPR Promote His New Book — In which one of the Right’s leading media lights displays an astounding lack of self-awareness.

Government shutdown averted: Why did Congress get this close? — Three letters. G. O. P.

Why No GOP Candidate Can Soothe The Angry Elephant — Good luck with that, guys.

?otD: What’s the worst thing that ever happened to you?

9/28/2011
Writing time yesterday: 4.0 hours (WRPA)
Body movement: 30 minute stationary bike ride
Hours slept: 7.5 hours (solid)
Weight: 224.0
Currently reading: The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer by Siddhartha Mukherjee

Originally published at jlake.com. You can comment here or there.