- You meddlesome kids get off Richard Schickel‘s lawn!
- That, my friends, is one big bunny. [via]
- There was a lot of talk recently about a new law in South Carolina that would require “subversive” organizations to register with the state. This, of course, put me in mind of a line from Good Morning, Vietnam: “Well, we walk up to someone and say, ‘Are you the enemy?’ And, if they say yes, then we shoot them.” Turns out, it isn’t exactly true. Or, rather, the law’s been on the books for about sixty years. There’s actually a bill before the SC legislature to repeal it. So, you know, that’s good. [via
- Here’s an interesting article from the New York Times last month:
To millions of “Twilight†fans, the Quileute are Indians whose (fictional) ancient treaty transforms young males of the tribe into vampire-fighting wolves. To the nearly 700 remaining Quileute Indians, “Twilight†is the reason they are suddenly drawing extraordinary attention from the outside — while they themselves remain largely excluded from the vampire series’ vast commercial empire. [via]
- And fianlly, ever wonder what the Westminster dog show would look like from the opposite point-of-view? [via]
Month: March 2010
“Shall I walk you through the history?” “I’m going to explicitly say no.”
It was back to work for me today after a three-day weekend, and I think it’s safe to say I prefer snow days to work days. Not that today was particularly bad or anything — far from it — but it’s always nice to have an excuse to sleep late in the morning.
Overall, it wasn’t a terribly exciting day. I did some work, wrote a little, and watched tonight’s episode of How I Met Your Mother. (It was a decent, if unremarkable episode, but that’s been pretty much the norm for this entire season.) I also finished reading China Miéville’s The City & the City, about which I think I’ll have more to say later. I’m not sure what to read next, although my signed copy of Evolve: Vampire Stories of the New Undead did arrive in the mail today. I already read and really liked Heather‘s story in the collection, and the rest look really interesting. Though, after the Miéville, I’m thinking it might be nice to take a short break from genre fiction. We’ll see.
Right now, though, I think I’m just going to go to bed.
What’s in the box?
I’m a big fan of Keith Phipps’ Big Box of Paperbacks project. Here are two reasons why.
On The Metal Monster by A. Merritt:
Beneath the pulp frills, Merritt animates the book with a real—and justified— anxiety about the potential for humanity and nature to get ground down by machines, a future that applied no conscience in eliminating lives because they didn’t fit into some overarching agenda. The term “megadeath,†used to measure human casualties by the millions, wouldn’t be coined until after Hiroshima, but Merritt offers a glimpse of what’s to come here. Godwin never learns the origins of the Metal Things—the novel ends with the working theory that they come from the stars. I think they ultimately come from the same place as the Elder Things envisioned by Merritt fan H.P. Lovecraft: the dark heart of a new century still being born.
On Naked to the Stars by Gordon R. Dickson:
For starters, I think originality gets mislabeled and a bit overvalued. Whether storytellers mean to or not, they usually end up offering another of the infinite variations on a finite number of stories, and with good reason. Here’s a thought exercise: Would you rather watch a well-done movie about a cop investigating a crime that isn’t what it seems, or one about a super-intelligent muskrat who translates Homeric verse, communicates with the ghost of Abe Lincoln, and can teleport to the moon? One has been done many times and lends itself to repetition because of its persistent resonance. The other not at all, and with good reason: It’s a new idea, but it stinks. Often, creators accused of unoriginality have just hung clichéd elements off a reliable structure.
February’s mix
Wondering what I’ve been listening to last month? Wonder no longer:
- “Dreamworld” by Robin Thicke
- “Got Nuffin” by Spoon
- “Bears” by Sam Isaac
- “Break Up the Concrete” by the Pretenders
- “Nemesis Required” by Mavis (feat. Cerys Matthews)
- “Sleep Alone” by Bat for Lashes
- “Gives You Hell” by the All-American Rejects
- “Breathe” from The Heights (Original Cast Recording)
- “Lovin’s for Fools” by Sarah Siskind
- “Fallin'” by De La Soul & Teenage Fan Club
- “Live and Learn” by the Cardigans
- “Summer of Drugs” by Soul Asylum
- “Whiskey in the Jar” by Thin Lizzy
- “Haunted” by Sinéad O’Connor & Shane MacGowan
- “Keys (It’s Alright)” from Passing Strange (Original Cast Recording)
Monday various
- Rats. I missed my chance to put in a request for my very own space shuttle. I wonder if those free engines are still available, though… [via]
- Ever wonder what the U.S. would look like with 50 states of roughly equal population? I’m amused to discover that I’d be working out of state if I continued to live across the border in Long Island. [via]
- Meanwhile, I have read none of the bestselling books in New York City. (Though Under the Dome is sitting in my e-reader, waiting.) Maybe Long Island should secede. [via]
- How did I not know Meat Loaf used to be a Motown artist?
- And fianlly, John Scalzi discusses the pros and cons of being killed by various sci-fi creatures. Of the Alien movies he says:
It’s a perfect killing machine, like a shark or Simon Cowell, so at least you know you’re being killed by the best; nothing says “party” like a chest burster.