Jay Lake: Writer

[links] Link salad, right in the kisser

The Importance of Mind-Wandering — (Snurched from @lilithsaintcrow.)

How to spot psychopaths: Speech patterns give them away — Does this have implications for writing dialog?

France is bacon — Funny as hell. Paging Lady Mondegreen.

Giant Waterworld Confirmed Around Naked Eye Star — The innermost planet around 55 Cancri A is almost certainly an exotic waterworld with a radius about twice Earth’s, say astronomers.

Dwarf planet Eris surprises astronomers — The planet that led to Pluto being downgraded is one of the brightest objects in the solar system, and smaller than expected.

FTC Study Finds that in FY 2011, Pharmaceutical Industry Continued to Make Numerous Business Deals that Delay Consumers’ Access to Lower-Cost Generic Drugs — Nope, no need for healthcare reform when the market is so efficient. Move along, citizen, nothing to see here but your rising insurance premiums. (Via danjite.)

Oakland Police Turn on #OWS With Tear Gas, Flash-Bang Grenades — So armed Tea Partiers get a friendly smile from the police, but peaceful OWS’ers are rushed like bank robbers?

Income Inequality Is Not a Myth — Ah, facts. Juan Cole with a a striking graphic that illustrates this point.

Tea party hoopla fades on the Hill — We should be so lucky.

Paul Ryan and Social Mobility — Paul Ryan reports on American and European social mobility c. 1900. Unfortunately, he seems to think that it still applies to the present. Hahahahahah. Conservative commentator Daniel Larison on Rep. Ryan’s most recent ideologically-driven economic delusions.

I am a Scientist — Science and global warming. A terrific read that unfortunately will probably never be seen by the people who most need to.

The Republicans’ war on science and reason — GOP insanity by the numbers. To my conservative friends: What the heck is wrong with you guys?

The next front in the abortion wars: Birth control — Mississippi debates a “Personhood” initiative that could ban the pill — but ultimately aims at Roe v. Wade. Are you ready to give the Christianists this much control over your personal sexual choices? Not to mention the choices of all women regardless of their situation or personal beliefs? Because if you support conservative causes, this is your reality. It’s wretched, inhumane ideas like this that make it very hard for me not to simply hate the conservative movement and everything it stands for. How do you people sleep at night?

?otD: Ralph or Alice?

10/27/2011
Writing time yesterday: 0.0 hours (chemo fatigue)
Body movement: 30 minute stationary bike ride
Hours slept: 7.25 hours (solid)
Weight: 218.2
Currently (re)reading: Guards, Guards by Terry Pratchett

Tags: Culture, economy, healthcare, Language, Links, Occupy Wall Street, Personal, Politics, Process, Science, sex

Posted: 5:25 am Thu October 27 2011 | Comments(0) |

[links] Link salad wakes up on hump day

My “Don’t have much to say” generated some fairly entertaining comments: [ jlake.com | LiveJournal ]

The Language of Science Fiction — Various and sundry in an audio hour. (Thanks to scarlettina.)

The World’s 12 Most Beautiful Train Rides — I’ve taken the train from Beijing to Ulaan Baatar, through the Gobi Desert. That was pretty damned impressive.

A Machine-Driven Way to the Stars — Centauri Dreams on (among other things ) uploaded minds. Some great world-building nuts and bolts here for you skiffy types.

Social Media for Scientists Part 1: It’s Our Job

Transgender kids: Painful quest to be who they are — From my male, cisgendered perspective, this actually seems like a fairly aware and sensitive piece for something in the mainstream press. Curious what my LGBTQ friends think of it.

Love in action — 80 percent of unmarried evangelical young adults (18 to 29) said that they have had sex. How’s that whole abstinence education thing working out, then? And I wonder what the STD rate is among this group. Maybe a little rethinking based on the realities of human nature is in order.

‘We know how to get out of this mess’ — Slactivist Fred Clark on how we continue to not fix the economy.

Billionaire Owner of Washington Wizards Wants Obama to Stop Calling Him Rich — The questions asked in this blog post are very, very sharp.

O’Reilly Happy To Let “Totalitarian” NPR Promote His New Book — In which one of the Right’s leading media lights displays an astounding lack of self-awareness.

Government shutdown averted: Why did Congress get this close? — Three letters. G. O. P.

Why No GOP Candidate Can Soothe The Angry Elephant — Good luck with that, guys.

?otD: What’s the worst thing that ever happened to you?

9/28/2011
Writing time yesterday: 4.0 hours (WRPA)
Body movement: 30 minute stationary bike ride
Hours slept: 7.5 hours (solid)
Weight: 224.0
Currently reading: The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer by Siddhartha Mukherjee

Tags: audio, Christianism, economy, gender, LGBTQ, Links, media, Personal, Politics, Process, Religion, Science, sex, trains, Writing

Posted: 5:17 am Wed September 28 2011 | Comments(1) |

[links] Link salad prepares to head into the Orient

An open dinner in NYC, 4/22

reviews “Rolling Steel” by me and

The Hidden Spring and the Abandoned Hog Farm — looks back in time.

Yuri’s Night 2009

Quantum setback for warp drives — Include quantum mechanics in the calculations and faster-than-light drives become unstable Darn. There goes my Saturday night…

Shrinking airlines park more planes in the desert — (Thanks to .)

WaPo on health care reform

Deadly rampages wrack the nation — Wall Street Journal on the recent spate of shootings. NRA was “unavailable for comment.” Is it possible they’ve finally developed a sense of shame? No, wait, they’re conservatives, they can’t be wrong.

?otD: Where does China shop for bulls?

4/6/2009
Body movement: 30 minute stationary bike ride
This morning’s weigh-in: 219.8
Currently reading: The Confidence-Man: His Masquerade by Herman Melville; Making Money by Terry Pratchett

Tags: Calendula, Cool, economy, Food, guns, healthcare, Links, New York, Personal, Politics, reviews, Science, stories, Travel

Posted: 4:07 am Mon April 06 2009 | Comments(0) |