internet

How good the world is now

Standard

Years and years ago, I saw an animated version of A CHRISTMAS CAROL that impressed the hell out of me. The ghosts looked like ghosts and some care was taken at the start of the show to establish that this was a haunted story.

Plus, it had the scariest Jacob Marley ever.

Of course, this was back in the pre-information days, when I’d have no idea which “A Christmas Carol” it was, or when it would air again. There were several years when I spent the weeks before the holiday studying the TV Guide, searching for half-hour versions of the show in case I could fine The One.

I did, once. It aired on The Family Channel (the only time I ever watched that channel) and there was Jacob Marley, speaking out of his gaping, unmoving mouth. There was the ever-shifting Ghost of Christmas Past. There was Ignorance and Want, depicted as though they were already dead.

Then I couldn’t find it again.

Of course, now we’re living in the information age, and an obscure supernatural cartoon is content. Can the internet resist content? I think not:

Facebook users click this link.

Chuck Jones produced it. Alistair Sim is the voice of Scrooge, and he plays him differently than most actors do–less gruff and hostile, more weak and aggrieved. And of course there are the ghosts.

Hey, I realize the holiday is pretty much over, and being Christmas most of you are probably sick of it. But if you like really well done ghosts, check this one out.

Randomness for Christmas Eve!

Standard

Let’s go with a theme today:

1) Christmas gift warning! HP Computers: Racist? via mightygodking, who called this a FAIL, and I have to agree.

2) Give yourself a gift! The writer’s bible for Batman: The Animated Series. And here’s some analysis by Chris Sims.

3) Have some glad tidings! How Earth 2 Will Save Publishing.

4) Why does “A Christmas Carol” have to play every year? “Evocriticism” or Evolutionary literary criticism–an evolutionary explanation for the appearance of art.

5) More gifts! And prOn! It’s book pr0n. via James Macdonald on the Absolute Write forums.

6) Norad Santa Tracker. ‘Nuff said.

Randomness for 12/22

Standard

1) Five Facebook Status updates by Star Wars characters.

2) It’s a Wonderful Night of the Living Dead! In 1992, when IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE was still in the public domain, the director of 976 EVIL 2 used it in a dream sequence, where one of the leading ladies mixes IAWL up with NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD, with cheesy and hilarious results. via Bill Martell at sex in a sub.

3) Parkour Santa! Warning, kids: Do not try this at home!

4) An amusing story of Christmas “murder.”

5) The Jeff Dunham Show is the Worst Thing in the Entire World.

6) And here’s the runner-up for the second-worst thing: Um, yeah. That’s “I’m Gonna Spend My Christmas With a Dalek”. It’s one of those YouTube videos with the song playing under a static album cover image and, as bad as you think it’s going to be, it’s actually much much worse.

Another interview with me

Standard

Actually, this will probably be the last one, and it’s text rather than an audio file. It’s at Write On Online, and it was done by Debra Eckerling.

It’s a writing site, so there’s writing advice on there, for those who are interested in that sort of thing.

God, it’s been a weird day for me. Is it weird for you? I’m doing the preliminary work on Next Project and polishing Man Bites World, and I canceled our cable TV. It’s been a decent enough day, but I feel all disjointed.

Huh. I just realized that it’s 9:45. I woke at 4:20 this morning after an horrifying nightmare, and I forgot to eat. I’m going to make a bit of food, and then we’re going out. Keep the internet interesting while I’m gone, please.

Avatar = Battle for Terra

Standard

As I suspected, Avatar is crazy similar to Battle For Terra, not to mention a few other films.

Skipping it. I’d rather watch BfT again.

Busy today. My son’s birthday party starts as soon as the first kid arrives, and I have to sneak out later to mail off the completed agent-draft of Man Bites World (Yay!).

Randomness for 12/18 (this is a funny one)

Standard

1) iBox 2.0 God, how I laughed at this, and I never even saw the movie.

2) A Christmas webcomic by Chris Sims. Also with the laughing.

3) This would have been better as a single shot, but it’s still pretty cool. via TNH’s Particles.

4) EpicWin wins epically. Also via TNH’s Particles.

5) Batman as written by PG Wodehouse (and more).

“Religious symbols don’t give you superpowers.”

Standard

In a weird quirk of fate, two audio interviews I’ve done has gone live on the same day.

One is an interview I did with Author Magazine associate editor Jeff Ayers. It’s the longer of the two interviews, but since I’m the only interviewee, it’s a shorter listen. Hear the advice I give to aspiring professional writers! Long-time readers of the blog will not be surprised to discover that it involves self-recrimination.

The other is the interview I did with Seattle Geekly. I’m the first of four authors interviewed (the others are Ben Thompson, Ken McConnell and Caitlin Kittredge,) and they cover other geeky topics, too, including the Jet City Improv Christmas Show. The world, it is small.

You always wondered what my voice sounds like, yeah? Well, it’s no great shakes, but you can hear it at either place.

in which being a jerk is fun

Standard

Okay, I wasn’t that much of a jerk on the regular human scale, but on my personal scale, I have been unusually jerkish.

First, I laughed at this Author’s Big Mistake. You can, too! It’s refreshing to laugh at stupidity, and it makes me glad I never, ever respond in any way to reviews (except for the linky).

Aside from the laughs, I acquired useful information: I hadn’t realized that Harriet Klausner occasionally posts as many as 90 book reviews a day. Now, I think less of her, assuming she is only one person.

And, just now, our manager just went around the office handing out Christmas cards. I made sure to open mine slowly, so I’d be the last one in my area to see the gift card, then exclaimed “Hey, a [actual $ value x 3] gift card!”

All heads immediately swiveled toward me, and no one was smiling. Heh.

Finally, a co-worker asked my advice about picking a stocking stuffer for her grown son, and I actually suggested my own book. Shameless! Admittedly, we did talk about a lot of other options first, but once I reminded her the option existed, she didn’t feel the need to ask me for additional ideas… which is benefit enough even if she doesn’t buy him a book.

Win a copy of CHILD OF FIRE

Standard

Even better, win a copy of many, many, many other books on Pat Rothfuss’s blog. Here’s the blog entry where CoF is mentioned, but don’t start there.

In case you’ve been on a media fast or something, Pat Rothfuss is having a second fundraiser for Heifer’s International, a charity that provides livestock for the world’s poor. Read this FAQ to find out more along with a critique of Batman (heresy!)

Seriously, it’s a great cause, and some of the prizes are big time–signed ARCs, marked up manuscripts, critiques of unpublished novels by industry pros, and lots and lots of books. I only wish I could have sent more than one book–that was literally my last copy. (I’ve ordered more from Random House, but these things take time.)

Check it out. Celebrate the season by helping those who need it. Get book-related swag in return. Seriously, this is what the internet was created for.

Child of Fire reviews, part 7

Standard

I honestly didn’t think it would keep getting reviews for so long.

Behind the cut. Continue reading