I got my dates confused in my head, and thought today was Veteran's Day. I'm embarrassed and a little ashamed that I completely missed it yesterday. So even though it's one day late: Thank you, veterans, for your service.
And now, some various things, most of which I came across while Propelling today:
Researchers in Russia found what they believe to be the impact crater of the Tunguska Event.
I keep hearing this ridiculous line of bullshit that writers make massively inflated salaries, so nobody should support them and their greedy strike. It's the same tired line of crap that's thrown out at any group of skilled workers who have the audacity to expect a fair wage from our employer, and are forced into a work stoppage to get those employers to negotiate with us in good faith.
I hope to be a WGA member one day, but even if I didn't, I would completely support the writers. John Rogers has written several great posts that lay out, in simple but passionate terms, why the WGA has to strike against the AMPTP. He also linked a video that is quite effective in helping the WGA make their case to a skeptical and misinformed public.
Sean McDevitt reviews The Happiest Days of Our Lives:
The Happiest Days of Our Lives is all about surrounding yourself with people you care about, interests you enjoy and finding the passion in the "every day." It’s why people come in droves to read Wil’s blog and why he has been as successful in nearly every endeavor he has pursued. The book is a collection of the happiest parts of his day. I’m glad he put it all together.
Flickr'r *Out of My Mind* took a very cool picture, with a little Geek in it.
Mental Floss is one of the greatest magazines in the history of life. Their website pointed me to The Nerd Handbook, which I think WWdN readers will enjoy (and Propel, maybe?):
Written as sort of a "Nerds are From Mars..." guide for nerds' Significant Others, The Nerd Handbook explains nerd habits and motivation. While the article seems focused on computer nerds specifically, many of the nerd behaviors described are applicable to the entire nerd spectrum.
Reader B sent me a link to an awesome polyhedral dice desktop image.
John Scalzi's brilliant and wonderful The Sagan Diary was just made available online, in its entirety, from Subterranean Press. In announcing this news, John says something I've believed for a long time, but was never able to articulate in print:
I think the story just lives better in book form. One of the things you learn when you get published is that a book isn’t just about the text; there’s a whole aesthetic that goes with the book, and that esthetic matters. This is one of the reasons I think that printed books are going to be around for a while, in some form or another.
Okay, now I'm going to try: I like to read things online, and I believe that publishing online is part of the future of any writer's life, but nothing compares to actually holding a book in my hands. Books just feel right, magazines just feel right, and I hope that readers of my blogs and books will agree, so I don't have to make the difficult business decision to save all the stories people tell me they love from my blog for my books, so I can make a living and support my family by writing.
What They Play seems like it could be a cool and useful resource for parents, if the editors steer clear of Thompsonesque hype and pandering. [via game politics]
If you enjoyed my Geek in Review from last week, and are interested in Interactive Fiction as a result (or if, like me, you got to the end and really wanted to play Lurking Horror again) you may want to stay away from the Interactive Fiction archive. It's an easy (and awesome) way to lose an entire day.
The cake is a lie, but I'm still alive.
And now I'm going outside. It's a spectacularly beautiful day here in Los Angeles.
