[links] Link salad will strain once again to the sound of the gulls

Tor Books has provided some very generous support to JayWake — Thank you Tom, Beth and everyone.

Deadlines — Writers talking about their own deaths. (Thanks to AH, via tillyjane, a/k/a my mom.)

The Intoxicating Fear of Language Immersion — Ta-Nehisi Coates continues to wax brilliantly on his time in Paris.

The N-word on the 4th of July — The flight home to see my family for the holiday was a tearful, shameful affair. I had to say something. But what? (Via Slacktivist Fred Clark.)

Physics and the birth of the emoticon — Carnegie Mellon University alumni trace the origin of the smiley to a group of computer scientists discussing a physics puzzle in 1982. (Via David Goldman.)

What’s Your Social Media Genotype? — Your pattern of behaviour on Twitter can be defined by a simple “genotype” and used to predict your future behaviour, say network researchers.

The Scrotum Is Nuts — Why are testicles kept in a vulnerable dangling sac? It’s not why you think.

DNA analysis suggests Lake Vostok harbors animal life — This is cool. So to speak.

Parts installed “upside down” caused Russian rocket to explode last week — Umm...

Why the insurance industry won’t save us from climate change — As Fred Clark says, "Insurers and reinsurers have too much skin in the game to mess around with the lies and legends and delusions of climate denialists. They can’t afford to play partisan games with the data because their whole business model depends on getting the facts right." (Via Slacktivist Fred Clark.)

FBI Discriminates Against American Muslims & lets White Terrorists Off the Hook — Right-wing extremists have committed far more acts of political violence since 1990 than American Muslims. That law enforcement across the country hasn’t felt similarly compelled to infiltrate and watch over conservative Christian communities in the hopes of disrupting violent right-wing extremism confirms what American Muslims know in their bones: to be different is to be suspect. Duh. Any Republican will tell you it's not terrorism if conservative white men do it, it's patriotism. Eric Rudolph, anyone?

An Egyptian boy explains the politics of his country — This kid is awesome. (Via danjite.)

Indiana GOP passes law making it a crime for clergy to perform gay weddings — That whole separation of church and state thing is clearly for liberal pussies. The strict Constitutionalists in the GOP have made it so. Are you proud of your Republican party?

QotD?: Will you beg for strength? For gentle power?

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7/10/2013
Writing time yesterday: 0.0 hours (vacation)
Hours slept: 5.75 hours (solid)
Body movement: 0.5 hours (stationary bike)
Weight: 250.2
Number of FEMA troops on my block building mandatory gay marriage halls: 0
Currently reading: Real Happiness: The Power of Meditation: A 28-Day Program by Sharon Salzberg; Snuff by Terry Pratchett