Jay Lake: Writer

[links] Link salad watches the Child hit the boards

Skungy Art. “Surfing the Gnarl.” Read Feb 7, Feb 11. — Rudy Rucker on (among other things) the February 11th reading in San Francisco, where K.W. Jeter and I will be sharing the stage with him.

Author C.J. Marsicano is running a Kickstarter campaign to get a book out — Go check it out.

Penguin Further Narrows Library Access, Suspending Availability of Audiobook Titles — Hmmm. (Via danjite.)

25 Things I Learned From Opening a Bookstore — (Via willyumtx.)

The Hill Approach — Seth Godin on creativity.

The Story of a Suicide — Two college roommates, a webcam, and a tragedy. Tyler Clementi and Dharun Ravi.

Brains may be wired for addiction

Blood test accurately distinguishes depressed patients from healthy controls — Interesting. (Via @jackwilliambell.)

The Secret of Ant Transportation Networks — Just how ants create the highly efficient network of trails around their nests has never been fully understood. Now researchers think they’ve cracked it.

With Risk, Japanese City Takes On Once Accepted Fact of Life: Its Gangsters

Restored Edison Records Revive Giants of 19th-Century Germany — Talk about your obsolete formats… (Via my Dad.)

A case study of the tactics of climate change denial — But notice what he’s done. He’s taken what is clearly a minor point and blown it up as if it’s my main point. He’s used shady words (predictions, models) to cast aspersions, and to make someone (me!) look bad. Then, by “refuting” this minor issue he can then poison the well, strongly implying that all my arguments are wrong. That’s kind of a big no-no when trying to argue a point. But it packages well. A pretty neat summation of typically wrong-headed conservative discourse on a lot of issues.

Happy days are here again — Roger Ebert on Newt, Mitt and the evolution of political party nominating conventions. Entertaining and interesting bit of history, regardless of where you fall on the political spectrum.

The Invincible Nobility Of The Middle Class — Ta-Nehisi Coates on a modern political meme promulgated by both major parties. But the implication of a middle-class patriotism holds that the poor do not work hard, and do not play by the rules. Their poverty is a moral stain. It’s rather sad to see ostensible progressives reinforcing this message.

The Politics of Cancer — This Komen-Planned Parenthood business is one of the more disgusting maneuvers on the part of the conservative movement. I am beyond appalled. Bluntly, the Right has made it clear that they find it preferable for poor women to die of cancer than have any potential access to abortion. A stark indictment of the forced pregnancy movement.

Romney: Context for me, but not for thee — Typical Republican. “Do as I say, not as I do.” Romney brags about mining Obama quotes deeply out context, but protests the unfairness when Gingrich does precisely the same thing to him.

Bush beats Obama’s deficit spending by 5 to 1, but Romney targets the wrong guy to whine about — Much easier to complain about a black Democrat that acknowledge the Republican party’s responsibility for its actions when last in power.

Mitt Speaks. Oh, No!

Blending politics and religion, Obama says his policies are an extension of Christian faith — Ok, I find this kind of thing alarming whether it comes from Republicans or Democrats. This is a secular nation in a secular world, and rational thought should be the basis of our governance.

?otd: What’s the last game you played?

2/3/2012
Writing time yesterday: 1.0 hours (Sunspin revisions)
Body movement: 30 minute stationary bike ride
Hours slept: 8.0 (solid)
Weight: 230.2
Currently reading: The Man in the Moone, and Other Lunar Fantasies ed. Faith Pizor

Tags: Books, Cancer, climate, Conventions, Culture, healthcare, Japan, Links, nature, Personal, Politics, Publishing, Religion, Science, Tech

Posted: 6:35 am Fri February 03 2012 | Comments(2) |

[conventions|personal] The SFWA Portland Reading Series, other miscellany

the_child and I attended the SFWA Portland Reading Series last night. Mary Robinette Kowal introduced, John Pitts hosted and read, while Ken Scholes and David D. Levine rounded out the bill. It was a lot of fun, and we heard some great fiction.

I also had a lot of fun watching the_child work the room, both at the pre-dinner and during the pre-show and intermission breaks at the reading. She was cruising around being friendly and articulate both to old friends and to new folks she’d never met before. Whatever life has in store for her, this girl’s ease with people will be a big part of it.

Due to the various time commitments yesterday, I barely squeaked in an hour of Sunspin revision. Still, I am drawing close to being done with these — perhaps another week of effort, I’m not certain. I’m beating the bushes for another few first readers, because I’d like one more reality check before submitting this to la agente for send-out.

Today I’ll be fairly busy, and most of the weekend will be taken up with supervising the_child‘s labors on her eighth grade project, about which more anon when the time is right.

Tags: Books, Child, Conventions, friends, Personal, Sunspin, Writing

Posted: 6:31 am Wed February 01 2012 | Comments(1) |

[personal] Dreaming of Japan, and other updates

Sometime in the last few days, in conversation with someone (I cannot recall who now) I made the observation that I am very rarely lost. I don’t always know where I am when walking or driving in a strange-to-me place, but I always know how I got there and how to get back to wherever I started from. I really do have a very good sense of direction.

So naturally last night my subconscious decided to serve me up some humble pie. I dreamt that Mother of the Child and I were in Japan, walking through a Tokyo neighborhood that looked suspiciously like Portland’s West Hills, admiring the classical architecture. We wound up being invited into one of the houses, which was the home of an absent yakuza crime lord. For some reason, I borrowed one of the yak’s cars — a tiny, ancient Subaru — to head back to our hotel to pick something up, leaving Mother of the Child behind. I got to the hotel, a Best Western in a location that looked suspiciously like Nebraska, and realized I had no idea how to get back to the yakuza mansion. Not only had I lost the_child‘s mother, but I had in effect stolen a car from the Japanese mafia. I had a rented Japanese cellphone, but no matter what I did with it, I couldn’t seem to make an outgoing call. Panic ensued.

Anxiety much? I don’t find that dream so hard to interpret.

In other news, the_child‘s basketball team lost last night 43-28. It was only their second loss of the season, and they fought hard, but the other squad were demon shooters, not to mention quite a bit taller.

Also, I’m making a lot of progress on Sunspin. I expect to have Calamity of So Long a Life out to my last few first readers in another week or so, well ahead of schedule. This will give me time to work on Little Dog, I think, given my production scheduling.

This evening, the_child and I are going to the SFWA Northwest Reading Series. David Levine, J.A. Pitts and Ken Scholes are reading:

Tuesday, January 31
7:00 PM – 8:30 PM
McMenamins Kennedy School, 5736 N.E. 33rd Ave. Portland, OR 97211

Note they’re also reprising, with a slightly different cast, in Seattle tomorrow night.

Wednesday, February 1
7:00 PM – 8:30 PM
Wild Rover Restaurant and Pub, 111 Central Way, Kirkland, WA 98033

If you’re in the area, turn out and support live, local literature!

Tags: Books, Calamity, Child, Conventions, dreams, family, friends, Japan, Personal, Sunspin, Writing

Posted: 6:27 am Tue January 31 2012 | Comments(1) |

[links] Link salad lies in bed way too long

Writer, Professional, Good — John Scalzi on what it means to be a writer. An excellent piece, even by his usual high standards.

Angered, Disturbed or Frightened: Can’t Tell — jimvanpelt on aging and authors.

We’re filling up! — If you’re interested in the Cascade Writers conference this coming summer, they’re almost full.

The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore

Lone Wolf Commands a Following — A wolf in California. (Thanks to Dad.)

Roadside Dinosaurs — Mmm, pop culture.

The science and engineering behind Lego Man’s balloon voyage

Banks Taketh, but Don’t Giveth

?otd: Oversleep much?

1/29/2012
Writing time yesterday: 1.25 hours (Sunspin revisions)
Body movement: 30 minute stationary bike ride
Hours slept: 9.75 (solid)
Weight: 226.0
Currently reading: The Man in the Moone, and Other Lunar Fantasies ed. Faith Pizor

Tags: Books, California, Conventions, Cool, Culture, Links, Personal, Politics, Process, Science, Videos, Writing

Posted: 8:29 am Sun January 29 2012 | Comments(0) |

[conventions] Announcing JayCon XII

In celebration of my natal anniversary, JayCon XII, my 12th annual 37th birthday party, is Saturday, June 9th, 2012 from 2 to 5 pm at the Flying Pie in SE Portland. We’re partying because I was born, and because I have beat cancer again and again.

If you can read this, you’re invited. Prior JayCon experience not required.

Note that I am announcing this early because people always tell me, “You should have told me sooner!” Except for the people who tell me, “It’s too soon, remind me later.” (Sometimes these are the same people.)

Flying Pie Pizzeria
7804 SE Stark Street
Portland, 97215
(503) 254-2016

http://www.flying-pie.com/

[ Google Maps ]

As is traditional for JayCon, Paul M. Carpentier is specifically not invited.

Tags: Cancer, Conventions, health, JayCon, Personal, Portland

Posted: 6:30 am Thu January 26 2012 | Comments(0) |

[conventions] I will be reading at SF in SF, February 11th, 2012

Ok, not really a convention, but I don’t have a tag for ‘events’ or ‘readings’. I probably should, huh?

At any rate, I’ll be reading at SF in SF on Saturday, February 11th, 2012, along with K.W. Jeter, hosted by Terry Bisson — two of the more interesting people I know. My appearance there is being sponsored by my publisher, Tor Books, as part of a tour for the recent release of my second Green novel, Endurance [ Powells | BN ].

We’ll be appearing at The Variety Preview Room at 582 Market St. @ Montgomery, 1st floor of The Hobart Bldg. [ Google Maps ] Doors open at 6:00 pm and the event starts at 7:00 pm. I believe I’ll be reading something connected to Sunspin. If you’re in the Bay Area, come on down for an evening of live science fiction reading and discussion.

Hope to see you there!

Tags: Books, California, Conventions, Endurance, Green, Sunspin

Posted: 6:44 am Wed January 25 2012 | Comments(1) |

[links] Link salad has one foot on the platform

Ten Bits of Advice Writers Should Stop Giving Aspiring Writers — nihilistic_kid is wise.

The Sky is Falling – Not — Richard Parks on the state of the short story market.

I will be a guest at World Steam Expo, May 25-28, Dearborn, MI — Along with G.D. Falkesen, Gail Carriger and Cherie Priest.

Author D&D Game — Myke Cole reports on the misadventures at Epic Confusion. Brent Weeks on the same.

Lewis Hyde on work vs. labor and the pace of creativity

What if there were another advanced species? — A little AH courtesy of your morning news.

Cute storm trooper photos — Really. By my friend JD Hancock.

Penguin with Russian aircraft — I love the photos x planes has been running lately.

Seattle museum gets ‘keys’ to shuttle trainer from NASA — Wait. “Bypass the Rocky Mountains.” What?

Eternal Monuments Among the Stars — Centauri Dreams on a new approach to SETI.

Scientists at MIT replicate brain activity with chip — Scientists are getting closer to the dream of creating computer systems that can replicate the brain. (Via @Mari_Kurisato.)

Dog skull found in Siberia is 33,000 years old – and hints that man’s best friend didn’t come from one single ancestor — Arf.

100 years of the war on drugs — From the British perspective. (Snurched from @amendlocke.)

Yes, We Have No Tomatoes — Portland’s indoor gardening shops sell all you need for homegrown medical weed—except advice. Ah, the hypocrisy of the War on Drugs.

Muslim Men Rescue Bagel Shop And Keep It Kosher

Graphic of World Military Spending (Iran’s too Small to Show up) — Defense spending isn’t really an issue that ignites me, but this does make me think.

Scalia: Blame Congress For My Decision To Turn Campaign Finance Into The Wild West — I don’t think so, Justice Knucklehead. Coincidentally, the free spending money enabled by the Citizen’s United decision overwhelmingly favors Republicans. Who knew? (Via @twilight2000.)

Arkansas Democrat’s cat killed, painted with “liberal” — Stay classy, conservative America. It’s what you do best.

Could A GOP Victory In 2012 Mean The End Of Roe v Wade? — Remember, the GOP is the party that doesn’t want the government to come between you and your doctor.

Mitt Romney’s Father Palled Around With Saul Alinsky — Oops. Newt’s got his boogeyman doubled down.

Romney, Interrupted — Way to go, Mittens.

?otd: Where is this train bound?

1/25/2012
Writing time yesterday: 1.0 hour (Sunspin revisions)
Body movement: 30 minute stationary bike ride
Hours slept: 7.75 (solid)
Weight: 226.2
Currently reading: Throne of the Crescent Moon by Saladin Ahmed

Tags: Antarctica, Conventions, Cool, Culture, Food, healthcare, Links, nature, Oregon, Personal, Politics, Process, Science, Tech, weird, Writing

Posted: 6:30 am Wed January 25 2012 | Comments(0) |

[personal] A sweet and thoughtful gift

While I was at Epic Confusion, adelheid_p gave me a very nice present:

It’s a medallion made from a spoon that reads ‘Courage’. A sweet and thoughtful gift, and very apropos. Thank you, adelheid_p.

Photograph © 2012, Joseph E. Lake, Jr.

This work by Joseph E. Lake, Jr. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.

Tags: Cancer, Conventions, health, Photos

Posted: 6:39 am Tue January 24 2012 | Comments(0) |

[conventions|travel] Epic ConFusion Day Three, going home

Day three of Epic Confusion was very abbreviated for me, as I had to leave the hotel at 10:30 am in order to make my flight home. Still, I managed to attend a very nice breakfast, courtesy of cathshaffer and various concom folks, and say good-bye to a bunch of people by virtue of loitering in the lobby while my airport transportation ran 40 minutes late.

Which, yes, gave me a bad case of the “oh crap”s.

Nonetheless, I made it into DTW in a timely fashion. The flight down to DFW was uneventful, and I got the first part of what would eventually be 2.75 hours of editing on Sunspin done. I spent the rest of my time divided between Charlie Stross’ Laundry books and Saladin Ahmed’s Throne of the Crescent Moon, both of which I’m enjoying immensely. I don’t normally split my attention between two books, but I have Stross in eBook and Ahmed in dead tree, and the exigencies of air travel caused me to have to switch modes periodically.

In Dallas, we took a long time landing due to the 50 mph cross-winds on the runway slowing air traffic down severely. That also slowed down the arriving flight that would become the equipment for my Portland connection, to the degree of being almost two hours late. So much for my plan of flying through Dallas to avoid winter weather delays in Chicago or Denver. So much for a good night’s sleep, as well.

Anent Sunspin, I got through the first revision pass of the first half of Calamity of So Long a Life, and began embedding the comments for an initial pass through the second half. Right now, I’m actually a bit ahead of schedule for what I expected on this book. I think that’s a good thing, but it might also mean I have been skimming work when I should be digging deeper. We shall see…

Also, I forgot to mention that at Epic Confusion adelheid-p gave me a very nice gift. I need to thank her, and will post photos and a description some time in the net few days as time permits.

This afternoon is another girls’ basketball game, though the_child has been down with a respiratory infection the last few days, so it’s not clear if she’ll be able to play. She gets sick so rarely, this is unusual.

And of course, now that I’m home, Day Jobbery.

Tags: Books, Calamity, Child, Conventions, Sunspin, Travel, work, Writing

Posted: 6:42 am Mon January 23 2012 | Comments(0) |

[links] Link salad is back home

Presenting the Legendary Licked Book of Epic Confusion

FREE Audiobook – METAtropolis: Cascadia

The success of failure: Pulitzer winner’s surprising road to the top — A very interesting article at CNN on the relationship between creativity, failure and success. (Via jimvanpelt.)

McDonald’s proposal divides healthy Loma Linda — The chain wants to open a fast-food restaurant in the Adventist community, a spiritual enclave where liquor is not sold and cigarettes are not smoked. Not sure how I feel about this story, myself.

Russia Says It Is Planning Moon Base With NASA And ESA

The GOP’s South Carolina nightmare — Newt Gingrich just made life miserable for Mitt Romney – and for his party. Hah hah.

Newt Gingrich, Back From the Dead — Zombie Newt!

Analysis: Romney’s Southern discomfort — I can’t decide which is worse, Newt’s arrogant vindictiveness or Romeny’s flaccid pandering.

?otd: Are you home?

1/23/2012
Writing time yesterday: 2.75 hours (Sunspin revisions)
Body movement: 30 minute stationary bike ride
Hours slept: 5.75 (solid)
Weight: 224.6
Currently reading: The Apocalypse Codex by Charles Stross; Throne of the Crescent Moon by Saladin Ahmed

Tags: Books, Conventions, Culture, Food, Links, Metatropolis, Personal, Politics, Process, Russia, Science, Writing

Posted: 6:22 am Mon January 23 2012 | Comments(0) |