wondering wtf happened...'s Friends
Friday, May 9, 2008
2:19PM - think I'll buy me a football team
I have VH1 Classic on here in the office, and the show "Classic Albums" is on. It's a show where each ep is dedicated to one single album. Right now its Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon".
They just did a segment on "Us and Them" where they were at a mixing board and they were playing parts of the song... just the lead vocals all alone, then maybe just the piano, then lead vocals and female background singers, then the whole thing together. It just struck me how absolutely gorgeous this album is. It's always been a favorite, but hearing pieces of it peeled away really makes it much clearer how special this album is.
I'm also feeling nostalgic. I listened to this album incessantly in my freshman year of college.
for the music10:24AM - Dork Tower, Friday, May 9
Anybody have a Secret Power that could get me in a position to have a picture taken with Jemaine at Sunday's Flight of the Conchords show in Milwaukee? There's be much Dork Tower goodness in it for you, if you can help Make This Happen.
It's be a hoot.
Separated at birth. Well, birth plus ten years...
The Army of Dorkness has accomplished many amazing things over the years. This would be a rare feat, indeed.
***
It was a week of repeats on DorkTower.com, due in no small part to lots of large things going on, both in Real Life and Work Life.
Here's today's strip:
Happy Anniversary, honey!
And here's Monday's strip.
And Wednesday's strip.
busy
amusedThursday, May 8, 2008
11:16PM - Have some wangst
( You are about to view content that may not be appropriate for minors. )
zomgosh angst!11:08PM - Iron Man
Last night my good buddy Marty and I headed out to the ol' Logan 5 cineplex and saw the new "Iron Man" movie.
I liked it. It was lots of fun even if some of the science was off. It had a good plot, the action was hot, and I didn't feel like my $7 was ripped off. I also liked the ending, pretty sweet. In all, 2 thumbs up and I suggest you go see it. If you don't like comic book movies, wait until the video. If you do and you haven't seen it yet, go see it.
satisfied10:59PM - El Talko
Shortpacked!: This is why we can't have good things.
Preorder Shortpacked! book 2 now!
Vote for Cobra Commander!
No, seriously, vote for Cobra Commander.
Maggie had the genius idea to print out dialog balloons on our handy new sticker maker. Then we adhere them to the original art, and when people buy original art, they can have the dialog, too! It'd be sweet!
First, though, I gotta test how durable these stickers are. They're printed on high-quality paper, but the adhesive worries me a little. I'm gonna roll this up, simulating me mailing it in a tube to some lucky reader, and in a few days, I'll see how well it holds up. Then I'll auction this bad boy. See you on Monday.
1:27AM - Leaving Downunder
Dinner last night with Margo Lanagan arranged by Allen and Unwin, where she reassured me about Clarion and told me about her new novel (I am excited) and we talked about words and about Australia and about a story I mean to write this year. Then back to the hotel and had a three hour phone call to Bloomsbury in London, calling in the copy-edits on The Graveyard Book. My copy editor was very patient with me, despite the oddness of The Graveyard Book meaning that sometimes things would be a bit counter-intuitive: I had to explain to her how a ten year old (dead) boy could have a twenty year old (dead) grandmother. But most of her queries were wise and smart and (this is important) will make me look good.A flood of letters from Australians who inform me that I was having my leg pulled over the hamburger thing -- and if you read what I posted and imagine the chef as a dry-humoured assie bloke, that's just how it reads. For example:
> (Unconvinced Five Star Hotel Night Chef.) "If you say so, sir. It's just people here complain if their hamburgers aren't made of ham.
Major possibilities:
a) chef was sadistic or insane
b) chef had quirky sense of humour
c) balance of your mind disturbed by excessive book signing
d) you were unwitting participant in 'candid camera' equivalent
e) you had accidentally wandered into a neighbouring universe
f) other
In Australia, hamburger means ground up cow. Always.
Saw your talk at the State Library in Melbourne btw - very enjoyable, and The Graveyard Book sounds like it's going to be a good one.
cheers,
Steve
I'd go for f). Honestly, she sounded very young, very defensive and, I'm afraid, a bit upset, like someone who had actually been told off a few weeks ago by a hotel guest for the lack of ham in his hamburger and had been determined not to make that mistake again, and now here was a smartarse pom late at night telling her she'd been right all along. And I felt a bit sorry for her.
(This was at the Four Seasons Sydney in George Street -- a nice enough hotel, although the rooms are tiny, but also the first Four Seasons I've stayed in that felt more or less like a Mariott - as if they'd bought someone else's hotel and put a Four Seasons logo on, but not really changed anything else.)
I'm off to the US today, via Narita airport. A few people kindly wrote and offered to show me around during my 9 hour layover, and I was going to take at least one person up on it, but I now strongly suspect that instead of doing anything at all I'll get a local hotel room and try and sleep -- horizontally, rather than sitting down -- between two ten hour flights.
Let me point you at this Boing Boing Entry and this Locus Article, in which Cory Doctorow talks about dandelion and mammalian reproductive strategies and how these things relate to selling things or giving them away on the web -- some of this came out of a wonderful conversation last Christmas between Cory and Rob Brydon and me, which Cory and I carried on the next time we saw each other, at Eastercon. (The ideas are all Cory's. All I did was say, "What exactly do you mean by that?" and "But for Heaven's sake, Cory, what about...?" a lot.)
...
Hi Neil,
Quick question about The Graveyard Book - do you have plans to release signed copies in cardboard dumps as you did with American Gods and Anansi Boys?
I offered, but that's no longer possible for some logistical reason I never quite understood.
Neil,
I'd just like to thank you for your appearance at Books Kinokuniya in Sydney on the 6th. It was a great night, and truly inspiring to see that despite the 500-odd people eagerly queued, you still had time for each one of us.
Thank you also for posing for a photo with a sign expressly prohibiting personal photos (which can be quite shamelessly found at my blog; http://chasinggeese.blogspot.com/2008/05/p
Now that's all taken care of I'd like to ask if your short story 'Orange' is in print anywhere, as I've only seen it as a video of a live reading (or memorably first hand, when you were in Sydney in 2006).
Kind Regards,
Luke
Why thank you. "Orange" is in The Starry Rift. You can learn more about it at http://thestarryrift.com/
...
Michael Zulli sent me http://englishrussia.com/?p=1808#more-18
...
Despite following instructions on stripping this computer with Windows Vista down to its work and memory undies, it's still like working with a computer in 1986, in terms of slowness and pauses and delay. Dynamism.com helpfully sent me Windows XP to do a downgrade on it, which I'll do when I get home... I still love the computer, though: it weighs about half of a Mac airbook, and has a DVD drive to boot. But I can't simply type and keep typing - it suddenly stops to inspect itself for fleas or something and loses anything I typed while it was thinking, or squashes words together, or I find myself randomly typing somewhere else in the paragraph... argh.
...
And before I forget, a big, big thank you to everyone at Allen and Unwin, especially Sarah Tran, to all the booksellers (Ellison Hawker, Dymocks in Melbourne and Sydney, and Kinokuniya (who gave me the new edition of A Humument as a thank you for signing there, which made me unspeakably happy), and to the staff and organisers of the CBCA, the Melbourne State Library folk, to various old friends who waved or helped (you know who you are) and all the people who showed up at the signings and made it so pleasant...
And yes, in 1998, I brought the "stick" home with me.
11:14AM - Breaking Radio Silence
Things have been quiet on the Casa De Muskrat Interwebs, for some good reasons (and a few less good, but there you go).
Judith and I celebrated our 12th wedding anniversary this past weekend, with a short trip to Kohler, WI. It's an odd little holiday town, and pleasant as all get-out. Few cities in the world can claim to be top-flight resorts, built with the riches only the bathroom plumbing supply industry can accumulate.
Yes, Kohler is the home of Kohler Kicthen and Bath, But Mostly Bath, Inc. Judith uncovered a bargain stay at the usually exclusive American Club, and -- for a short time, anyway -- we lived like kings. Or at least Toilet Magnates. Which is better than Refrigerator Magnates any day.
Anyway, upon returning to Muskrat Central, I leapt right into a full-day Out of the Box meeting. It was exhausting, but as always somewhat exhilarating. It looks like OTB will be producing another game I designed: a party game that's been playtesting shockingly well. I'll run it by a few more local groups before seeking outside playtesters. But, fingers crossed, I think this has the potential to go really well. The concept is simple, the rules are straightforward, and I'm not sure anything like it has quite been done before.
In the mean time, after two brilliant weekend concerts in a row (Kids in the Hall and Jonathan Coulton (who's just a terrific guy, by the way, on top of being embarasingly talented)), we've got a third show, this Sunday.
I utterly surprised the Lovely and Talented Judith on our anniversary, getting her Flight of the Conchords tickets for their Milwaukee show. She had no idea they were on tour, let alone they would be so close to home.
Actually scoring the tickets meant getting on a special mailing list that then gave you a secret password to let you bribe your way onto a web site that let you press buttons frantically at noon the day before tickets went on sale to the general public. Get yourself a ticket, go through the gate. At seven forty-five precisely, don't be late If anybody follows don't hesitate: Keep on walking.
The show sold out in some insanely short period of time, so although our seats aren't the best in the house, I'm just glad we'll be there. And Judith is over the moon.
Now to see how many Conchords fans think I'm somehow related to Jemaine, come Sunday.
busyWednesday, May 7, 2008
8:17PM - Iron Man
I have to admit, the part I enjoyed the most was making fun of Tony Stark's chest.
You know, Tony Stark's chest is 99% effective in preventing unwanted pregnancy.
Tony Stark's chest does not protect against sexually transmitted diseases.
Tony Stark's chest should not be taken by women with a history of heart problems, or women who are trying to get pregnant.
Please advise your doctor if you are taking Tony Stark's chest, as it can cause complications when combined with other medications.
Some women prefer the Today sponge to Tony Stark's chest.
Tony Stark's chest can also help clear up your skin!
The best part was when he upgraded to the newer version of Tony Stark's chest that eliminates periods. Then he had to go back to the old one because he was having hormonal problems.
1:46PM - Classic sci-fi is disappointed in us, too...
I'm re-reading the Arthur C. Clarke "Rama" series, in which humanity has an encounter with an advanced alien ship, whose purpose is revealed over the course of several novels. I was a voracious reader of Asimov, Bova, Ellison, ("What about Ray Bradbury?" "I'm aware of his work.") and so on, and as I grew older and technology got more advanced, it became harder to relate to the "future" portrayed in much of the golden age of sci-fi. These novels had galactic empires that ran on tape recordings, where paper was the primary means of information dissemination, and computers were still larger than cars. Some readers are turned off by that kind of thing, but what gets to me is how dumb I appear in comparison to the casts of these stories.Let me explain: the characters in these tales, even children, are usually way smarter than me. They can do orbital mechanics in their heads, spout equations at will, and recite Shakespeare as readily as I can quote "Office Space." They can generate mathematical languages to communicate with alien races, navigate legal loopholes in offworld laws, and still find time to exchange pleasure-nodes with the Violet Queen of Mammarite D (who is a very nice person, I hear) as they explain the physics of solar radiation.
I'm sure a lot of it had to do with the authors often having a background in science; you write what you know. In the aforementioned "Rama" series, I can only think of two characters that weren't book-smart (one was a crewmember of the Newton spaceship, and the other was a child with a mental handicap). Even a reporter who came with the crew of a ship to cover events was able to quickly learn how to function as an engineer. I can barely do math without my cell phone or "calculator.exe" handy. Some might say that a page describing the geometry of a spaceship's course is boring. To me, it's a reminder I'm lucky I can still remember how to do "long divison." I love seeing smart and professional people do their jobs in my fiction, don't get me wrong. I can even imagine myself saving a spaceship from plummeting into a black hole... until the author has the hero solving the problem and "showing his work." Maybe that's why I like the answer to everything being 42. :)
In other sci-fi schtuff, last week's first-run UK episode of Doctor Who wrapped up a very satisfying two-parter. Classic who-fans got an old villain to enjoy, as well as the mention of another one (harkening back to some old continuity! Yay!). The teaser for next week is compelling, but I REALLY hope it's not mis-handled by the writers. Battlestar Galactica continues to both advance yet seemingly stay in one place at the same time. Not that it isn't enjoyable, but I'm hoping for a little forward motion towards a blue-green planet called "Earth."
Many of you lucky people have seen "Iron Man." Even if you haven't (like some poor sods that look a lot like me), this little gem from the "I'm a Marvel, I'm a DC" series should raise a grin. His promo for MvDC's season two is a great send-up for all of us that like to laugh at the "buddy cop" genre. I can't wait to see what else is in store.
Another side note about the upcoming G.I. Joe film, regarding the "international" flavor: Joe went international a while ago, it seems. I wonder if any of the Joe code-names changed when they sent the show overseas? Were any of them even more ridiculous-sounding in Europe?
Cristi and I are Seattle-bound for this weekend's Emerald City Comicon. I should have net access (at least in the evenings) unless my rusty ol' laptop is incompatable with local routers (I've had that happen more and more lately. 5 years is, like 500 in laptop years, so I figure I've gotten some good milage out of it). I plan on taking some snapshots and perhaps a little video, if time allows. We'll see you there!
The madness of linKing George:
- We've got lots of games this week, so let's hop in with Chronotron, a game that requires that you play the game with your past selves. Doctor Who "paradox" fans should dig this one.
- 8-bit dinos try to outrun "doom" from an asteroid in Dino Run. You can get points for "doom surfing" on the edge of the blast-cloud, but it's easy to trip up, too...
- The site is in Portuguese, and it's a little slow, but scroll down for a really nice flash-based hero-maker. It's very "Paul Dini"-esque.
- Back to the games, and this one is a strategy favorite: Proximity is a kind of Risk game mixed with Go. Give it a try, and watch the hours whiz past...
- An oldie from the depths of the internet (at least, it looks like it's been a while given the banner ad at the top), The Happy Poster Project has some printables that will look nice and confusing in any office, I think.
- Finally, let's all relax with some Diet Coke and Mentos... at 1200 frames per second. Ahhhh...
9:46PM - Got lost in his own museum.
Yeah, I finally found the deluxe set that has "Raiders of the Lost Ark" Indy and his horse. I found a buttload of them, plus multiples of every other toy. Woo! I only got the horse set, though, despite the way the "grab the idol" mini-playset tugs at me.
The horse is pretty damn articulated. He's got a little bit of motion at the base of the skull and at the bottom of the neck, swivel shoulders and hips, and universal joints at all four elbows elbows and all four... heels? His tail also sways. "Raiders" Indy fits on him pretty well, despite his legs not being splayed very far apart at the hips. His feet fit into the little stirrups, and he's got some reins to hold onto. The only other thing I could ask for is a little lateral head and neck motion, but that woulda been tough. 
As I expected, "Raiders" Indy and "Crystal Skull" Indy share some parts. The only thing that really differs between them are the thighs, crotch, and head. "Raiders" Indy's hat isn't removeable, his hips are slightly wider, and his "purse" is underneath his coat, rather than over it.
Haha, purse.
5:49PM - May News
This month is Mental Health Awareness Month, so the LiveJournal team is offering users a chance to support the Depression and Bipolar Alliance, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping improve the lives of those suffering from mood disorders. Proceeds from purchases of the Emerging Sun v-gift during May will be donated to the DBSA, so feel free to buy one. Or, if you really want to rack up some good karma points, get a bunch!
And don't forget: Mother's Day is this Sunday. Be a dear and check out the v-gifts shop. Send something that'll make her smile.
L to R: Emerging Sun, #1 Mom, Gift Basket, Chocolates, A Dozen Red Roses
We know how you salivate over the prospect of new themes, especially when they're designed by users with a unique handle on both form and function.
L to R: Shiny, River at Night, Live and Learn, Vector Drips.
( Winners of the HP 'What Do You Have to Say?' Theme Design Contest )
We'd like to remind you that the nomination process for LiveJournal Advisory Board user-representatives has begun. If you think you're fit for the job, now's the time to nominate yourself! After all, you're the only who can do it. In two weeks, on the 22nd, the voting process will begin; we'll remind you about it again here.
If you're interested in keeping up with the nominations, watch
![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/community.gif){kind=small}
lj_election_en. We'll post the results and announce the winner by the end of the day on May 30th. The new user-representatives will be seated on June 1st. Further details can also be found in lj_2008.
1:18PM - Hooray!
The Match it for Pratchett strip sale raised $2,500 in April! Thanks so much to everyone who ordered strips!
Oh, and of course there's a new installment in The Chronicles of William Bazillion! New Li'l Mell page tomorrow, hopefully.
12:44PM - this is wrong
I get this newsletter each day and today's featured item is a pair of shoes from a line named Moschino Cheap & Chic.
The cost of these little shoes (inexplicably named moccasini)? $195.
In what universe is this CHEAP???? I think this is somehow indicative of the problems we have her in America, but I'm not in the mood to psychoanalyze it.
The chic part is in question as well since I think they're fugly, but that's just me.
annoyed1:46AM - KR: Joss, pt 2
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sleepyTuesday, May 6, 2008
10:57PM - We are wasting valueless time here.
Shortpacked!: Everything old is ... old again!
Ultra Car just had to comment on this eventually.
Preorders for Shortpacked! Book 2 continue!
have inappropriate relations become ferocious predators.
More college professors should disappear into the mountains to become lion-dogs. 
I really wish Divebomb (the bright orange bird-thing) had more paint in robot mode. Other than his head, all his paint is dedicated to his sparsely-detailed wings, which are hidden in robot mode. I think I'd love him a whole lot more if that were the case. I love him anyway, what with my orange fetish. It is, after all, a delicious Sunstorm-like orange.
The other guys are cool, too, though less orange, and are much better in the area of paint layout. They manage to get paint in both modes instead of decoing just one.
Poor heroic Decepticons. These dinky dudes are half of their rebel forces.
10:36PM - get your YAs out
I talked about Cory Doctorow's Little Brother here a few months ago, because I loved it. They've used some of what I wrote on the blog, with my permission, as a blurb for the book; I'd stand by everything I said.You can now read it at http://craphound.com/littlebrother/downl
In US bookshops, you'll probably find it shelved in YA -- Young Adult -- unless you are dealing with a smart store that has it on display up the front and has also put it in SF and Fantasy. (Lots of debate on Boing Boing and at Mr Scalzi's excellent blog about this. Not a lot I can add to the debate, other than that I sometimes really wish that all fiction books of all genres for any people over the age of about 12 were simply filed alphabetically by author, because as Patrick Nielsen Hayden once pointed out to me, shelving by genre simply tells people the places in a bookshop that they don't have to go. And Sturgeon's Law suggests that they'll be missing out on some good stuff that's shelved in those places.)
...
This was written last night after the signing, and then not posted because I wasn't sure if it was funny or just me being grumpy late at night after signing for many hours.
I get strangely punchy after a long signing. And it was a long signing, for about 500 people.
Back in my hotel room at midnight, wanting something to eat, I phone room service, after looking at the 24 hour menu, which has the same limited selection as any 24 hour menu...
"Room service?"
"Yes. Could I have a hamburger, please?"
"Ah. We've only got beefburgers here. But I could make you one from scratch."
"Make me one what?"
"Hamburger."
"Which is different from a beefburger in what way?"
"Well, we make them of ground-up ham."
"But a hamburger is a beefburger. It takes its name from the town of Hamburg in Germany. It isn't made of ham. It shouldn't be made of ham. It never has been made of ham."
(Unconvinced Five Star Hotel Night Chef.) "If you say so, sir. It's just people here complain if their hamburgers aren't made of ham. Do you want a slice of beetroot on that*?"
"Not really."
And now I wait in my room, looking at all the bags I've managed to strew all over the bed, and wondering whether, if I glare at them hard enough, they will climb off the bed themselves and arrange themselves tidily on the floor, or if I'm going to have to do it for them.
...
Look, me and Eddie Campbell, all blurry at Eddie's blog. I look like Harpo Marx.
*this is a normal query in Australia and not at all odd.
2:49PM - see an awesome band and support Sesame Street
The Police are playing their final show EVER right here in the capitol of the world. The show will benefit public television..... how can you beat that?
http://www.sting.com/news/news.php?uid=5
goodMonday, May 5, 2008
9:25PM - God is in the details
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