The Author Exploitation Business — A commentary on Penguin and Author Solutions. Penguin has been looking under the Author Solutions hood for 10 months now. Its conclusion was this: we can make this bigger. We can take this scam on the road and start exploiting writers all over the planet.

The Kitten Setting: An Experiment — On trollery, pace John Scalzi.

San Diego-Tijuana Region — A satellite photo from NASA’s Earth Observatory site. Mildly ironic, because I woke up this morning in San Diego. I think I can see myself waving from my hotel window.

Sunday Fun: Vintage Cockroach Racing Game — Uh…

Telomeres Affect Gene Expression — As telomeres shorten with age, genes as far as 1,000 kilobases away could be affected, including one responsible for an inherited muscle disease.

Why gamma-ray burst shocked scientists — I believe that Dr. Bruce Banner is on the case.

Mars Expedition Possible in 20 Years — Do you really want to go to heaven?

Gearing up to search for gravity waves — Hunt will be on in 2017, but finding the source may still be a challenge.

Government Lab Reveals It Has Operated Quantum Internet For Over Two Years — A quantum internet capable of sending perfectly secure messages has been running at Los Alamos National Labs for the last two and a half years, say researchers. I am deeply suspicious of any claim of “perfect security”.

Organic vapors affect clouds leading to previously unidentified climate cooling — Interesting.

No charges to be filed in accidental shooting of Davidson County 10-year-old — Because guns make us all safer. (Via danjite.)

QotD?: What did you have for dinner last night?

5/6/2013
Writing time yesterday: 0.0 hours (Con activity all day long)
Hours slept: 6.0 hours (fitful)
Body movement: 0.0 hours (foot hurts)
Weight: n/a (away from home)
Number of FEMA troops on my block digging for fossils in the yards of God-fearing Republicans: 0
Currently reading: The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents by Terry Pratchett