ahawk

immlass @ 11:25 am: ACL schedule
I'm spending time this morning looking at the ACL schedule, which is finally out.

Friday looks like it will be a long day, involving parking over by School of Seven Bells and staying there until the evening, moving over for the Beastie Boys (ETA: only not because the Beastie Boys have had to cancel due to illness). Saturday has two really tough choices: Citizen Cope vs Flogging Molly, and Devotchka vs the Decemberists. Citizen Cope and Decemberists look like they're on the same stage pair, which may be a deciding factor. Neither of the headliners that night do much for me, so that will probably be a late start and an early night. Sunday looks pretty meh except for the B-52s and Passion Pit, the latter of whom didn't sound that fantastic at the NPR live concert I listened to a while back. I don't know if I like Pearl Jam well enough to hang loose through several hours for them.

The next order of business is going to be finding some good and not too expensive camping chairs, because we definitely need those to do ACL this year. I foresee a trip to some camping store in my future once I figure out who has this kind of stuff.

Tags: event: acl festival, music

makinglight @ 02:03 pm: Forty years on

http://nielsenhayden.com/makinglight/archives/011451.html

A year ago today, Tor.com launched on the thirty-ninth anniversary of the first moon landing. Today, on that web site's first anniversary and Apollo 11's 40th, Tor.com is running a series of memoirs and reflections about the events of July 20th, 1969, by Kage Baker, Stephen Baxter, Greg Bear, Gregory Benford, Ben Bova, David Brin, Jeffrey A. Carver, C. J. Cherryh, Phyllis Eisenstein, Joe Haldeman, Harry Harrison, Nancy Kress, Geoffrey A. Landis, David Langford, Gregory Manchess, L. E. Modesitt, Jr., me, Teresa, Larry Niven, Frederik Pohl, Kit Reed, Rudy Rucker, Pamela Sargent, Robert J. Sawyer, Robert Silverberg, Charles Stross, Michael Swanwick, Jo Walton, and David Weber. The series is going up a post at a time--Teresa's will appear early this afternoon, and mine later in the evening--so drop in a few times during the day.

The site is also giving away various geeky prizes, some worthy and some silly. Kudos to Torie "Yes, That's Her Real Name" Atkinson for pulling together this whole one-day event.

immlass @ 11:12 pm: I think something is missing from the build I got.
How exactly am I supposed to screencap this DVD if VLC isn't giving me the image output option in the menu again?

Tags: this is broken

jmhm @ 07:53 pm: Frank McCourt, RIP
There are teachers who stay with you your whole life. Mr. McCourt was one of mine.

I was one of those neurotic high school kids he talked about in Angela's Ashes whose dramatic little miseries confounded him in the face of his own great one. It's a measure of the man that I never knew that. All I knew was that he was smart and honest and sharp and funny and kind. He occasionally came to first period exuding a faint air of last night's Guinness (which at the time I thought was terribly glamorous) but always on time and prepared and treating his job with respect and ready to pay attention to us.

He was the first person to tell me I was a writer, and I was starstruck enough that I believed it.

I bought his book the first day it came out. To me, it was a celebrity biography. Her Majesty was just born, and I was still figuring out being a parent, and the whole redemption thing really helped. I got a later edition signed. That first one was all mine.

I got a few of his books signed. He seemed at peace, and I was really glad.

I am glad. I'm glad that he had those last years of people listening to his stories, and I'm glad that his last marriage was a happy one, and I'm glad that he got to know the children of his much-beloved daughter.

And I'm really glad the rest of you got to meet him.

Rest in peace, Mr. McCourt.

makinglight @ 04:45 pm: My Sins Make Me the Star of a Cosmic Drama

http://nielsenhayden.com/makinglight/archives/011449.html

Mark Sanford is still sure it's all about the exciting story of Mark Sanford and God:

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) -- South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford, still clinging to office after admitting to an extramarital affair, wrote in an opinion piece released Sunday that God will change him so he can emerge from the scandal a more humble and effective leader.

This is, remember, the guy who earlier, resisting statewide calls for his resignation, compared his involuntarily-outed affair-at-state-expense to King David's with Bathsheba, explaining that David "fell mightily, he fell in very very significant ways. But then picked up the pieces and built from there." An Orthodox priest who blogs as "Father Stephen" had some interesting comments a few days ago about this particular maneuver:

[T]his past week's revelations of yet another politician's infidelity offered one aspect worthy of comment (or so it seems to me). That is the use of the Bible as a means for reflecting on one's personal situation in life.

There is a long history of just such usage. The pilgrim fathers who came to America read their situation into the Bible (or the Bible into their situation) with the result that white pilgrims were seen as fulfilling the role of the Israelites in this, the Promised Land, while native Americans were cast in the role of Canaanites. Thus generations of Joshuas arose feeling Biblically justified in the genocide of America's native population. Some of that Biblical reading continues to echo in the popular imagination to this day. It was bad theology in the 17th century and it is bad theology today. Stated in a fundamental way: you are not a Bible character. [...]

The problem with such use of Biblical imagination is that it simply has no controlling story. Nothing tells us which story to use other than our own imagination (which is generally a deluded part of our mind). A governor gets to play King David, and, surprise, he should be forgiven and not resign his office. A group of white settlers get to play conquering Israelites and feel no compunction about murdering men, women and children. A priest, likely in need of therapy, plays the role of Jonah before a crowd who has no idea they are in a play. The gospel is not preached--souls are not saved--the Bible is simply brought into ridicule.

Or, as that equally perceptive theologian Jon Stewart said to Governor Sanford the last time he did this, "God killed Michael Jackson to save your ass and you gave another interview?"

makinglight @ 02:37 pm: Eggbeater

http://nielsenhayden.com/makinglight/archives/011448.html

Fruit-obsessed pastry chef Shuna Fish Lydon writes about food and cooking like someone who's fallen uncontrollably in love, in a verging-on-the-catastrophic way. At the same time, she's a disciplined line cook who knows her profession and techniques backward and forward. It makes for good reading.

I discovered her weblog Eggbeater while looking up fruit/sugar/thickener ratios for summer fruit pies, and was instantly seduced by her mixture of lyricism and technical chops. Why Do Cakes Sink? is more of the same. Secret Recipes and Pastry Chef Am I are about the life of a chef, what kind of chef she wants to be, and a couple of dozen related issues. Pierre Herme Macarons, Fall 2006 reads like a cross between erotica and an attempt to describe an ineffable religious experience. Since the comment thread for that entry is full of people saying "Yes! That's it exactly!", I think she must have gotten it right.

(Note: there's an index to her online recipes here. I'm going to try the Melon Gazpacho immediately.)

divalea @ 04:30 am: Let's Push Ping.fm Again!
Howdy. These test posts will be deleted soon.

divalea @ 04:28 am: @b Now testing Ping.fm
Yeah, how about that?

divalea @ 02:10 am: Yet Another Test!

Testing copying and pasting from one app to another, and thence to LJ. Please stand by!

The idea bring a workaround because livejournal.app on the Touch doesn't support drafts. Boo.

How is everyone? Staying cool? (Or warm, hello Queenie!)

Posted via LiveJournal.app.

Tags: via ljapp

makinglight @ 03:37 am: Similes of our Times

http://nielsenhayden.com/makinglight/archives/011447.html

This weekend, the Schott's Vocab column in the New York Times is running a competition to come up with similes for our times. Trouble is, Schott's sample similes are drab--

This weekend, co-vocabularists are invited to nominate new similes fit for the times in which we live. These can be adaptations of classic similes (as good as Goldmans) or novel comparisons (as generous as a stimulus package). It is hoped that co-vocabularists will take to this competition like a politician to pork but, please, keep 'em as clean as a Prius.

--and the entries in the comment thread are almost all dead lame (vide passim). I felt so bad for them that I posted a batch* of topical figures of speech there. I'll link to it here if it ever gets out of moderation.

In the meantime, I'll bet we can play this game a lot better than the NYTimes.

makinglight @ 07:02 pm: Greatest Corporate Press Release in the History of Civilization

http://nielsenhayden.com/makinglight/archives/011445.html

"We completely understand the public's concern about futuristic robots feeding on the human population, but that is not our mission," stated Harry Schoell, Cyclone's CEO.

krisdresen @ 12:38 pm: Nowhere. Now. Here.

Originally published at kris dresen draws. Please leave any comments there.

immlass @ 11:58 am: Wibbly wobbly timey wimey stuff
We finally watched Blink today. After seeing it, I'm glad that Moffat is taking over as showrunner from RTD. That was one of the best episodes of New Who I've seen so far. I'm also glad I waited to watch it during the day.

Despite cycling through and alternating properly with Bond movies and Sarah Jane Adventures, we've managed to get two discs of Torchwood S1 at the same time. Part of the problem is that we have a rule about watching Torchwood while we eat after the Wales Chainsaw Massacre episode. Since we watch episodes while we eat, Dr. Who and Sarah Jane Adventures get watched more regularly. The other possibility is that I may not like Torchwood very much for all that I like some of the characters. It's kind of like all the things I don't like about New Who wrapped up in a little ball of soap opera sometimes. While I may end up watching more seasons of it, I can tell it's never going to have the reservoir of good feelings Who can tap even during a crap episode like the finale of S2.

In good news, for those who didn't see it on my tumblr or my facebook feed, Tom Baker is returning to Dr. Who, if only by audio. I hope Moffat can lure him back to video, which would cement my love for him.

Tags: fandom, tv

dianamcqueen, posting in girlamatic @ 11:29 am: GIRLAMATIC LAUNCHES JULY 31st!!!
GIRLAMATIC RELAUNCHES JULY 31ST!!!

BE THERE!!!

(stay tuned for Launch Party specifics.)

-Diana

Tags: gam

krisdresen @ 07:07 pm: Not here? No. There.

Test-driving a new drawing technique before I launch into she said. I’m quite pleased with the results. The above has nothing to do with anything, really. I’ll probably use it as my “out of office” sign on my day-job office door when I take time off.

Originally published at kris dresen draws. Please leave any comments there.

slg_news @ 03:57 pm: Comic-Con Tips
I realize I'm posting this a bit late, but a couple of weeks ago, my column at Publishers Weekly Comics Week was on meeting editors and showing your work at Comic-Con: Tips for Aspiring Comics Pros at Comic-Con.

You might not be able to get replies to your emails to publishers right now, but you still can do some research on them and their submissions policies before you launch yourself into the shuffling crowd, portfolio under your arm.

-JdG



Tags: comic-con

maelie, posting in girlamatic @ 02:54 pm: Hey peepsters! Am interviewing Ms. Whiz Lady Diana McQueen about Girlamatic & ComicSpace. I think a special "questions from readers" section would be great, so send in your questions now! Either post here or e-mail lynn@tentative.net.

slg_news @ 12:22 pm: Review of Wonderland
I just have to pause in my preparations for Comic-Con (Seriously, why are so many people calling the office right now -- and for silly reasons, like to check on a submission sent two weeks ago or to ask about an obscure comic someone else published in the '80s? Unless you work in the industry, I guess you just don't that now is Not a Good Time to Chat.) to link to this marvelous review of Wonderland at Girls Entertainment Network.

There's ample praise for both writer Tommy Kovac and artist Sonny Liew, with perhaps none higher than this: "If Lewis Carroll were alive today, he would have written Wonderland." And later: "I cannot stress enough how deftly Kovac emotes Carroll’s wit and charm. He’s not just copy and pasting here, he’s added a whole new layer to an already rich universe. Sonny Liew’s art goes the extra mile to make that universe a reality."

Tommy and Sonny will be at Comic-Con, so be sure to check out Wonderland and perhaps a copy to get signed if you're going to be there!



Tags: reviews, sonny liew, tommy kovac, wonderland

makinglight @ 04:37 am: In Siberia?

http://nielsenhayden.com/makinglight/archives/011443.html

I was browsing the hypnotically fascinating English Russia website and came upon a photo article about an archaeological find:

An Ancient Fortress on the Island

Deep inside Siberia there is a lake, one of thousands others. And in the middle of this lake there is a small island. And on this island people have found an ancient fortress, which is dated more than 1500 years old. Excavations are needed in order to reveal all its view for visitors, but even now from the air its a nice site in different times of the year. First part of photos were made during short Siberian summer ...

"Holy bleep," I said, staring at the first photo; "that looks exactly like a Roman camp."

Will someone please step forward and explain that it's a known hoax, or that it's the ruins of an educational recreation of a Roman camp, or something else along those lines? Otherwise it's going to make my brain feel all weird and stretchy to try to figure out what a Roman military unit would have been doing in Siberia.

saltypepper @ 11:08 am: *whew*
Thank you all for the good ass-kicking wishes yesterday. 

Yesterday was a whirlwind.  I went to acupuncture first thing, where she relaxed me, but not too much ("You'll need your wits about you," she said).  As I got uptown I realized that I was cutting it close, and so I called my house and told V to meet me at the place so I wouldn't have to go home and then leave immediately and risk being late, even though this meant I was basically armor-less.

My mom was at the house already so they came and met me.  Since I had time to kill I wandered through the Bronx Library Center and got a couple of things.  We met up at the office, gave in our names and sat down to wait. 

We waited and waited and waited.  It was scheduled as a 1:15 appointment.   At 1:45 I went up to the desk and asked what was up.  I was told the woman was in a meeting which was running over and we "should go out and get something to eat.  Be back at 2:30."  Um, okay.  We took the car out of the astonishingly over-priced parking lot and went to Arthur Avenue which is the most famous part of the Bronx's Little Italy.  They were setting up for some feast day or another.  We ignored all this and got slices of the best pizza I've had in years.  Jaw-droppingly good, a perfect example of New York style pizza, like a crunchy, cheesy, mouth-gasm.    We made a mental note of where it is, had a moment of sadness that we are no doubt too far away for delivery, and went back to the office.   At this point the head of the department came out to the waiting room to apologize over and over for the delay, and see who was still waiting there.  It was us and one other woman, who was there ahead of us.  No one wanted to reschedule since everyone had taken days off of work to be there.  So we waited some more.  Eventually, a huge group of people left, and from the swirl of conversation around them it was clear that they had been there for a very contentious meeting, but had gotten their way.  Whether they were the good guys or the bad guys I could not tell.  I remember thinking, they are either going to have their backs so far up they'll never come down in there now, or else they are going to give me everything I want to make me go away so they can re-group after these other folks.

At nearly 4PM we went in, after being apologized to several more times.  The woman who was the coordinator could not manage to pronounce Mr. Earl's name as we do.  She kept giving it a hebrew accent (which is fair since it's a biblical name), but apologetically, because she knew we say it differently and yet she couldn't remember how.  My mother and I were separately and secretly delighted by this as we suspected it meant she saw him as "hers." She gave him everything we asked for, no fuss no muss, before we could even ask.  A new OT, speech out the wazoo; she referred us to a speech therapist who happens to live in my same co-op and will give him services at his school instead of coming to the house.  It was like the heavens opened on that cramped little conference room and smiled on us. We were out of there in as little time as it has ever taken, once we finally got in.  

V was incredulous at the sheer inefficiency of the place.  The MOUNTAINS of paperwork (and this is a man who's handling the payroll info for nearly 10,000 employees on a spreadsheet because his company won't spring for an HR management software program in this economic climate), always in danger of toppling over into a massive paper avalanche, the non-working fax machines (they had 4, none of which would work yesterday), and so forth.  My mother was less surprised since as a long time employee of the DOE she knows how they do, but it just reinforced the fact that she will NEVER come out of the classrom to do anything administrative nor will she ever work in Special Ed (though she has mainstreamed dozens of kids through her class over the years).  Me, I was constantly on guard for the furniture to start bleeding or some such horror.  I'm telling you, the walls are made of hostility and misery in that place, not drywall and plaster.  I always expect to open a door and find a hellmouth in there.  Always.  And yet, when I walked out I was delighted.  And I didn't have to kick anyone's ass at all. 

What a relief.



Tags: mr. earl, pdd-nos, rant, school, wonders and signs