I'm not a member of Worldcon this year, which is kind of a shame because I'd like to vote against the slate nominations (both Sad Puppies and Rabid Puppies), even in the instances where I might otherwise have considered a nominee (e.g., Toni Weisskopf for Editor, Long Form; Guardians of the Galaxy, Dramatic Presentation, Long Form; or Skin Game by ( Read more... )

As with so many other people, I celebrate the life and grieve for the death of Leonard Nimoy, Star Trek's Mr. Spock.

I never met him; by all reports, he was a mensch. For example, this piece he wrote in 1968 for a girl who was of the two worlds that seemed irreconcilable in the US at that time. And Spock, too, was a mensch, who worked hard to be ( Read more... )

Posted this at FB, and realized it should be here as well ( Read more... )

Tomorrow is the NY primary, which will largely determine who the candidates are for state office. I recommend that anyone in NY who's registered with a party (NY's primaries are strictly per party, unlike many other states) get out and vote.

Of course, I recommend that Democrats vote the same way as me, i.e., for Zephyr Teachout and Louis Tim Wu. ( Read more... )

No spoilers, though skirting the edge ( Read more... )

All the Kool Ckids are doing it, and it got me thinking, which is the whole point. So nu, here are ten-plus books that have stayed with me throughout the years. They're in no particular order (except that some of them are associated in my head with others), and I reserve the right to could-have-had-a-V8 and add to the list ( Read more... )

As everyone, their mother, and their cats have noted today, musical and actiivist icon Pete Seeger passed away early this morning of natural causes at age 94. It's not a tragedy, because of the rich legacy he leaves in both music and conscience, a higher ideal than many of us can aspire to reach (though an excellent one to aim for ( Read more... )

One of the best explanations of the genre I've read, by Kameron Hurley.

Pull quote: "When I looked at what I’d call ‘‘breakout’’ books - books that everybody I know is reading, not just my trusted SF/F circle of buddies - I started to notice a common thread. No one ever tried to sell me on Carrie by say­ing, ‘‘You really need to have a solid ( Read more... )

Have you heard this song yet? (It won't embed without me logging into Vimeo, which I don't want to do. Besides. the information is about the song on that page ( Read more... )

If you've ever wanted a voice in the MLB Hall of Fame election, you're in luck! The website Deadspin has persuaded (read: purchased) a BBWAA voter to vote the way the site's readers tell him to. There are numerous reasons each of them has done this, though the one they go on about is "to make a mockery and farce of the increasingly solemn and ( Read more... )