Jay Lake: Writer

[links] Link salad sits at the bar and puts bread in your jar

The Darth Vader Burger is Here — (Via my brother.)

Airline pilot startled by flying shark — Life imitates, uh… I got nothing. (Via David Goldman.)

The Apollo 11 lunar landing, told through data.

The Greatest Paper Map of the United States You’ll Ever See — Made by one guy in Oregon.

Center produces chimeric monkeys — That’s a hell of a headline. Interesting story, too.

Indonesia’s underwater masters of disguise — Meet the fish that mimics the octopus that mimics scary sea creatures.

Google Earth’s Lessons in Wave Mechanics — A close look at Google’s virtual globe reveals almost unlimited examples of the way waves behave.

X-37B spaceplane ‘spying on China’ — America’s classified X-37B spaceplane is probably spying on China, according to a report in Spaceflight magazine.

Extinctions from Climate Change Underestimated — Hmm. Actual hypotheses from actual data. I’d better tune into Rush Limbaugh to clear my head of these pesky facts.

L.A.-area bishop, father of two, resigns

I Was Shitting You People – A Message From Ayn Rand — Ah, satire. (Via danjite.)

Gay couple win suit over names on birth certificate

The Irrelevance of the Broccoli Argument against the Insurance Mandate

Magna Carta and Wingnut Legislation — I can understand, if not agree with, the conservative impulse to require all legislation to state its Constitutional basis. (I disagree simply because there are far too many issues in modern government and society which are not explicitly, or even implicitly, contemplated in the Constitution. Like many beloved conservative talking points, it’s a simple-minded attempt to solve a complex problem that doesn’t really exist.) But the Magna Carta. Really, guys? Is there a “nuttiest GOP politician” contest going on?

Here’s What Romney’s Unreleased Tax Returns Almost Certainly Hide — Every major presidential candidate for decades has released their tax returns routinely. Not Romney. Nothing to see here, citizen. Move along.

Santorum Becomes Millionaire in Six Years After U.S. Senate Loss — Former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum describes himself on the campaign trail as a frugal man of faith and limited means. Right, Senator Frothy Mix. Limited means. And Mitt Romney is unemployed, while Newt Gingrich is middle class. What kind of idiot do you have to be to believe this crap? (I know, the question answers itself.) Not that I object to wealth in politicians or anyone else. I do object to blatantly false claims.

Rick Santorum claims same sex marriage is comparable to polygamy — Santorum is a fool and a moral leper. The more I learn about this man, the more I despise him. And mind you, this in a race where Newt is running.

Rick Santorum’s Google problem remains — As well it should, given his despicable comments on the gay community. I for one am happy to continue to support “Santorum” search results defined as “The frothy mix of lube and fecal matter that is sometimes the byproduct of anal sex”. It’s the least he deserves. See also spreadingsantorum.com.

?otd: Man, what are you doing here?

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1/6/2012
Writing time yesterday: 0.0 hours (chemo fatigue)
Body movement: 30 minute stationary bike ride
Hours slept: 9.0 (fitful)
Weight: 214.2
Currently reading: A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness

Tags: China, climate, Cool, Food, gay, healthcare, Links, nature, Oregon, Personal, Politics, Religion, Science, Tech, Travel, Videos, weird

Posted: 6:16 am Fri January 06 2012 | Comments(0) |

[links] Link salad slopes into Monday

Advice on Writing from Modernity’s Greatest Writers — I like (but do not agree with) Mark Twain’s: “Write without pay until somebody offers pay; if nobody offers within three years, sawing wood is what you were intended for.” (Snurched from Curiosity Counts.)

Defining Words, Without the Arbiters — Unmediated lexicography. (Thanks to Dad.)

BFTP: The myth of bra burning feminists — (Via @tansyrr.)

A Nigerian criticizes the ‘First World problems’ meme — As I have as well. (Via danjite.)

Boston’s Brain Drain: The Cost of Being America’s Drunkest City — Speaking of legal drugs.

States say it’s time to rethink medical marijuana — I haven’t bothered with recreational drugs in over a quarter century, but I still strongly favor legalization. Prohibition has been a disaster for everyone except law enforcement budgets and criminal profits.

12 Hangover Cures From Famous Heavy Drinkers — And speaking of drinking… Back when I occasionally drank enough to worry about hangovers, my cure was some vitamin C or orange juice, two aspirin or Advil, a Pepcid AC and a huge glass of water before going to sleep. Seemed to work pretty well for me. How about you?

International Linear Collider race starts in physics — Ah, big science. Too bad the US abandoned our leadership role in this stuff with the SSCL cancellation.

Will China Outsmart the U.S.? — The value of research and intellectual property. You know, that science stuff that the GOP voting base hates.

Manhunt in Mount Rainier park after US ranger shot dead — Another fine citizen exercising his Second Amendment rights to his defense of essential liberties. Aren’t you proud of your NRA for helping make this kind of patriotism so much easier?

?otd: Back to work today?

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1/2/2012
Writing time yesterday: 0.0 hours (chemo fatigue)
Body movement: 30 minute stationary bike ride
Hours slept: 10.5 (solid)
Weight: 210.4
Currently (re)reading: The White Dragon by Anne McCaffrey

Tags: China, Culture, gender, guns, Language, Links, Nigeria, Personal, Politics, Process, Science, Writing

Posted: 8:50 am Mon January 02 2012 | Comments(0) |

[links] Link salad trips over its shoelaces

gerryhuntman reviews The Fathomless Abyss — Moderately with the liking.

Online Merchants Home In on Imbibing Consumers — Am I the only one who thinks this article is ridiculous? (Via my Dad.)

North Korea not the only offender: 6 official photo fudgings

China plans to put astronaut on the moon — And good for them.

We should scour the moon for ancient traces of aliens, say scientists — Online volunteers could be set task of spotting alien technology, evidence of mining and rubbish heaps in moon images.

Astrophysics and cheese — There are 2.455 x 10^54 dietary calories in a cubic light year of cheese. As Greg Feeley says, “This is an abuse of cheap calculating power.” (Via danjite.)

Doh! The top 10 tech ‘fails’ of 2011

Award Time for Ideas That Shine — (Via my Dad.)

South Pole Reaches Its Highest Temperature Ever Recorded — Weather is not climate, but still… (Via danjite.)

Looking to Streamline Airport Security Screenings — And this: President Obama and the Spread of Security Theater (Both via The Infrastructurist.)

The Big Lie — Wall Street has destroyed the wonder that was America.

Vote Obama – if you want a centrist Republican for US president — Because Barack Obama has adopted so many core Republican beliefs, the US opposition race is a shambles

The Pointless Search for New Republican Candidates Continues — Romney Romney Romney.

?otd: Socks with sandals?

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12/30/2011
Writing time yesterday: 0.0 hours (chemo fatigue)
Body movement: 30 minute stationary bike ride
Hours slept: 10.0 (solid)
Weight: 208.0
Currently (re)reading: The White Dragon by Anne McCaffrey

Tags: Antarctica, China, climate, Culture, Funny, Links, Occupy Wall Street, Personal, Photos, Politics, reviews, Science, stories, Tech, Travel, weird

Posted: 8:22 am Fri December 30 2011 | Comments(0) |

[links] Link salad thinks it’s going to be a long, long time

Examining the New Weird

Thin people may be at greater risk for post-surgery death — Hmmm.

Eight vintage Popular Science magazine covers — Mmmm.

Russian probe misses Mars trip

Undercover Researchers Expose Chinese Internet Water Army — An undercover team of computer scientists reveals the practices of people who are paid to post on websites.

Newt Gingrich: Child labor laws ‘truly stupid’ — Stay classy, conservative America. You do it so well.

Rule of Lord — The Republican plan to nullify the courts and establish Christian theocracy. It’s very rare to see major media acknowledging the emerging Christian Shariat in the GOP.

?otd: Are you a rocket man?

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11/22/2011
Writing time yesterday: 0.0 hours (chemo fatigue)
Body movement: 30 minute stationary bike ride
Hours slept: 10.0 (fitful sleep plus napping)
Weight: 217.6
Currently (re)reading: Unseen Academicals by Terry Pratchett

Tags: China, Christianists, Cool, healthcare, Links, Personal, Politics, Publishing, Religion, Russia, Science

Posted: 6:15 am Tue November 22 2011 | Comments(2) |

[links] Link salad recovers from a disk error

400 Trillion Miles Away, a Comet Storm Waters a World

Kurzweil Responds: Don’t Underestimate the Singularity — Last week, Paul Allen and a colleague challenged the prediction that computers will soon exceed human intelligence. Now Ray Kurzweil, the leading proponent of the “Singularity,” offers a rebuttal.

Scientists are from Mars, the public is from Earth — A squib on how scientists could better talk to the “evolution is only a theory” crowd.

Waiting for Lightning to Strike: A Wobbly Agnostic among the Atheists — The screenwriter of this season’s big movie on faith and doubt goes underground at a huge atheist convention. A rather odd essay on atheism from a religious point of view. (Via scarlettina.)

Chinese Jews feel more at home in Israel — Descendants of Persian traders in Kaifeng, China, move to Israel with the help of a religious group and finally learn Jewish rules and traditions.

?otD: Backed up your hard drive lately?

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10/20/2011
Writing time yesterday: 0.0 hours (chemo fatigue)
Body movement: 30 minute stationary bike ride
Hours slept: 6.5 hours (fitful)
Weight: 217.8
Currently reading: Snuff by Terry Pratchett

Tags: China, Links, Personal, Religion, Science, Tech

Posted: 5:33 am Thu October 20 2011 | Comments(0) |

[links] Link salad would sooner kiss a wookie

The Horrible, Amazing, Odd Story Behind the Stories of Thackery T. Lambshead — A book everyone should buy and read! Full of weirdos and weirdnesses.

Rainbow: Victorian meets sci-fi in steampunk — Omaha’s view of the world. (Thanks to garyomaha.)

A Trip to China Can Make a Guy Hate His iPhone — My trip to China two years ago gave me a lot of frustration for completely different reasons than described in this piece. Basically, on the Chinese domestic cell networks, it worked way better than ever on AT&T in this country. Much cleaner sound, no dropped calls, no ‘dials of death’ instant five bar service in any urban or built up areas.

Octophilosophy — When it comes to studying cephalopod brains and behavior, it helps to have a philosopher around.

When the Nurse Wants to Be Called ‘Doctor’

Common Ground for Legal Adversaries on Health Care — (Thanks to my Dad.)

Gotta Revolution: Video Mix of Occupy Wall Street Protest And Police Reaction

The Round and the Oval — WaPo on Chris Christie, politics and weight. Like people criticizing McCain for being computer illiterate, criticizing Christie for his weight is a red herring.

Chris Christie’s Presidential Baggage

Michele Bachmann’s campaign is sputtering in Iowa — And it couldn’t happen to a more deserving loon.

Herman Cain denies GOP’s horrible history with blacks — One again, those liberally biased facts don’t count in the conservative narrative.

?otD: Can you arrange that?

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10/3/2011
Writing time yesterday: 0.75 hours (WRPA despite chemo)
Body movement: 30 minute stationary bike ride
Hours slept: 8.5 hours (7.5 hour overnight, fitful, plus napping)
Weight: 221.4
Currently reading: The Years of Rice and Salt by Kim Stanley Robinson

Tags: Books, China, healthcare, Links, Nebraska, occupywallstreet, Personal, Politics, Publishing, steampunk, Tech, Videos

Posted: 5:30 am Mon October 03 2011 | Comments(0) |

[links] Link salad finishes a novel

Don’t forget the new Endurance ARC contest: [ jlake.com | LiveJournal ]

Jane C. Hines — Jim C. Hines with a sad, thought provoking post on gender experience in the public lives of writers.

Culture, Representation and Diversity — A European perspective on the ongoing USAnian discussion, from German writer and academic Cora Buhlert.

Organizing Your Writing: Three Authors Share Their Approaches (with Guest Bloggers Jay Lake and J.A. Pitts), Part 2 — From the mighty kenscholes.

I, Singularity… — Ebear on the Singularity, gender and SF.

Scrivener’s Error is interesting about both writing process (Heinlein’s rules, specifically) and the politics of discontent

From Scroll to Screen — A history of the reading device by Lev Grossman, of all people. (Thanks to sheelangig.)

Long hospital wait times can be deadly — Tackling treatment delays is vital as health-system pressures mount. I’ve never had significant delays for scheduled treatments, but bizarre ER triage rules brought me within a minute or two of dying after a five hour wait to be seen.

5 Cities That Are Ripoffs of Other Cities

Check out the clearest photos yet of humanity’s tracks on the moon

Solar Interior May Reveal Modifications to Gravity — We know lots about gravity in a vacuum but very little about gravity inside extremely massive objects. But astrophysicists say the Sun could reveal all.

China’s spilled secrets — A remarkable YouTube video shows how hard it is to maintain control in a wired world.

?otD: What did you finish yesterday?

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9/7/2011
Writing time yesterday: 1.75 hours (3,300 words on Sunspin)
Body movement: 30 minute stationary bike ride
Hours slept: 6.0 hours (fitful)
Weight: 226.4
Currently reading: Excession by Iain M. Banks

Tags: Books, China, Contests, Cool, Culture, Endurance, gender, healthcare, Links, Personal, Photos, Politics, Process, Publishing, Science, Tech

Posted: 5:32 am Wed September 07 2011 | Comments(1) |

[links] Link salad overflows the bowl

Poetry, Politics, Law or Fiction — Urban fantasy author J.A. Pitts with a moving essay on why he became a writer.

The Trivialities and Transcendence of Kickstarter — Crowdfunding creative projects. Hmm. See also @timpratt‘s efforts in this regard.

Glorious Socialism: Chinese Ladies in Propaganda Posters — I wonder if I should show these to the_child?

Experimental Mach-20 aircraft set for launch at Vandenberg AFB

Genetically-Engineered Spermless Mosquitoes Offer Malaria Hope — “Spermless Mosquitoes” would be a great name for a rock band.

Surprise! Underwater volcano has erupted — Right here in my neighborhood. (Thanks to danjite.)

Amazon UK’s riot gear sales soar: Aluminum bats up 6,000%

By Helping a Girl Testify at a Rape Trial, a Dog Ignites a Legal Debate

God and Psychology

Evangelicals Question The Existence Of Adam And Eve — Evangelicals have to either face up to it or they have to stick their head in the sand. And if they do that, they will lose whatever intellectual currency or respectability they have. Um… (Via @MatchesMalone.)

Health care reform rules have GOP mum — Except for the Tea Party/lunatic fringe that controls their agenda, of course.

Why Michele Bachmann is no Sarah Palin — Bachmann’s a smart politician with batshit policy positions that border on the insane.

Federal taxes minus spending — Hey, look! The red states mostly take in more money than they generate. Freeloading conservatives! (Also stone idiots, if they really want taxes cut further.)

?otD: How much wood could a woodchuck upchuck if a woodchuck could upchuck wood?

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8/10/2011
Writing time yesterday: 1.5 hours (3,100 words on Sunspin)
Body movement: 30 minutes stationary bike ride
Hours slept: 7.0 hours (solid)
Weight: 225.6
Currently reading: A Victory of Eagles by Naomi Novik

Tags: Art, China, Cool, law, Links, Personal, Politics, Process, Publishing, Religion, Science, Tech, Writing

Posted: 5:16 am Wed August 10 2011 | Comments(0) |

[links] Link salad goes back to work, sort of

Gay Weddings: Is There A New Etiquette?

Crop Circles: Biggest and Most Bizarre Designs — Scientist says they’ve been improved by lasers and GPS.

NASA going green with solar-powered Jupiter probe

Chinese teachers are on a U.S. mission — Dozens of teachers from China are in Los Angeles to prepare for the opportunity of a lifetime: a chance to teach Mandarin in American schools.

DB Cooper may have lived 30 years after 1971 plane hijack as FBI reveal new suspect only died a decade ago

Vonnegut Banned – Again — As Vonnegut himself said years ago, If you are an American, you must allow all ideas to circulate freely in your community, not merely your own. There’s a lesson lost on Christianists and conservatives alike. The free exchange of ideas strengthens us and opens our minds — both of which are demonstrably antithetical to their worldview, especially when it comes to the deliberate miseducation of children as practiced by Republican dominated school boards and state boards of education across the country. It saddens me that our country comes back to this again and again. (Via @icowrich.)

Wake up GOP: Smashing system doesn’t fix it — Conservative David Frum on the GOP’s recent behavior.

Zakaria: Tea Party Tactics Immoral, Dictatorial — Conservatives are brilliant at enacting the tyranny of the minority.

?otD: Whom?

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8/2/2011
Writing time yesterday: 0.0 hours (post-op recovery)
Body movement: 30 minutes stationary bike ride
Hours slept: 7.5 hours (solid)
Weight: 225.4
Currently reading: Use of Weapons by Iain M. Banks

Tags: Books, China, Cool, Culture, gay, Links, Northwest, Personal, Politics, Science, weird

Posted: 5:58 am Tue August 02 2011 | Comments(1) |

[links] Link salad gets ready to vanish down the medical rathole

A review of Green — Definitely not with the liking. And once again, a reviewer has reviewed the dedication, which still seems odd to me.

A nice photo of me and the_child

First Demonstration of Time Cloaking — This story makes my head hurt. In a good way. (Thanks to danjite.)

Editing the Genetic Code of Living Bacteria — A new method for making genomewide changes to organisms could lead to better ways of producing useful new drugs and chemicals.

Earth’s original heat store still burning strongs

The Internet of Things — There are almost twenty Internet-enabled devices in my household. So, um, yeah. (Thanks to David Goldman.)

China’s New Parochialism

Bachmann on debt ceiling: Up is down, black is white — In case you were under the delusion that Bachmann is, you know, rational.

Poll: 71% shun GOP handling of debt crisis — Nice to see that for once the public is correctly identifying the source of the problem. Given that the GOP is now turning down more than they were asking for a year ago in the deficit proposals (and given that whole problem is political theatre anyway), they’ve pretty much jumped the shark.Again. Permanent Majority, anyone?

Spinning the News of the World Scandal at Fox News — Your liberal media. They distort, you deride.

?otD: Got any cutting remarks?

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7/18/2011
Writing time yesterday: 3.5 hours (Sunspin, short fiction, WRPA)
Body movement: 30 minute stationary bike ride
Hours slept: 6.0 hours (solid), plus airplane napping yesterday
Weight: 234.6 (!)
Currently reading: Objects of Worship by Claude Lalumière

Tags: Books, Child, China, Cool, Green, Links, Personal, Photos, Politics, reviews, Science, weird

Posted: 5:01 am Mon July 18 2011 | Comments(1) |