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Randomness for

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1) Now this is a brilliant film trailer: Baby trashes bar. Video.

2) Wildly successful self-published author Amanda Hocking on What It Takes.

3) An appreciation for a show I’ve been watching: The Adventures of Pete and Pete.

4) Samurai fights his own shadow. Video. This is really beautiful and well done.

5) The 50 worst band photos ever. I haven’t looked at all of these yet, but yikes.

6) Facebook ads in a superhero universe. The last one is priceless. I’m tempted to do this for urban fantasy universes.

7) I love this: What happened to the bullies at the end of THE NEVERENDING STORY? Video. Via Matt Staggs at Suvudu.

Second to last antipope post

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My second to last post went up on Charles Stross’s site earlier today. In it, I offer five tricks that are useful in real life, including the Jill Cooper fitted sheet folding video I’ve posted here before. I also talk a bit about my own pain management. Check it out.

Once again, an antipope.org post

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I annoy the locals by embedding a Malcolm Gladwell TED Talk, and talk about the proliferation of subgenres.

Randomness for 2/19

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1) Become a Jedi in 10 easy steps.

2) The Magic of a Good Manuscript Title.

3) The Great Gatsby, as an NES video game.

4) Stonehenge directions via IKEA.

5) Some of you guys like Firefly, right?

6) “Bread Goes In, Toast Comes Out” The Bill O’Reilly meme.

7) This is an important one: Is your favorite Borders closing? Check this list for a nearby indie alternative. via Genreville.

Randomness for 2/12

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1) What it costs for a best-selling ebook.

2) Screwed-up versions of the Star Spangled Banner down the years.

3) The Malcolm Gladwell Book Generator. Just click “Generate New Bestseller.”

4) The Rocky Horror Batman Show. Heh.

5) You know what party cat likes? Parties.

6) Vimeo Video School.

7) Kickstarter, doing what Kickstarter should do.

That NYer Scientology article

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I have an awful lot to write about, but all I have time for at the moment is a link to this extremely long article about writer/director Paul Haggis and his public split with Scientology.

It just confirms my belief that all the easiest ways to become truly wealthy involve hanging around people I want nothing to do with and doing things that would make me physically ill.

Randomness for 2/7

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1) The Facebook comment decision flowchart.

2) Passive-aggressive notes to your readers are probably not a good idea.

3) Cthonians!

4) Want to read the series bible for the modern BSG?

5) The web sit alignment chart.

6) Backyard fight gets out of hand. Video. Dude should have left his light saber at home.

7) Photos of criminals in Sydney during the 1920s. Amazing photos. Just amazing. Taken from this book.

Randomness for 2/4

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1) Detroit, a city in decay. Apparently, the crapsack future will be unevenly distributed. Great source material for art directors planning the next post-apocalyptic novel.

2) Planetary bodies, if they orbited the Earth at the distance of the moon. Video.

3) With these skills, this actor is sure to be a star.

4) Are you ready for marriage? Advice for young women, circa 1971, in comic form.

5) Predator’s teenage son. Video.

6) This is more like Call of Duty than Call of Duty is! Video. This made me laugh and feel pathetic at the same time.

7) Better Book Titles. via James Macdonald on Absolute Write

Reviews, part 24

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1) Chris at the King of Elfland’s Second Cousin liked Child of Fire and Game of Cages enough to write a three-part series on his blog to examine the various characteristics of episodic novel series. Part one is on characters. Part two is on plots. Part three is on the hero’s emotional journey. Pretty cool.

2) K. Bird Lincoln at St. Helen’s Bookshop give Game of Cages four stars out of five; she liked it even though it’s not her usual favorite. “This Book’s Food Designation Rating: Chips and salsa, for the way that you start eating them, and then look up a moment later and realize you’ve eaten the whole bag and your mouth is smarting from the spicy salsa.” I love chips and salsa.

3) DJ Weaver likes Game of Cages enough to award it four “spiders”: “Ray Lilly is an unlikely protagonist in this all-out battle to control or kill the strange predator and he does it with all the finesse of a ne’er-do-well James Bond.”

4) On Twitter, @karmamule liked both books very much: “Look forward to more!

5) Vicki Brown, also on Twitter, said “Intense. I enjoy reading about that world, but wouldn’t want to live in it!”

6) Three stars from Rich Braselle, who calls Game of Cages “Pretty decent stuff.”

7) Ronronia Adramelek at Science-Fantasiction didn’t care for the books one bit: “No character development, no plot, no background, no rithm.[sic] Boring.“

Randomness for 1/29

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1) Best Worst ad placement ever.

2) Marketing ebooks in brick-and-mortar stores. This is pretty damn cool. Too bad I don’t have any of this tech.

3) To respond to a previous Randomness: The United States of Awesome. Fucking Delaware.

4) Wall decorations that prove you’re a total grownup. “I simply haven’t met a boy yet who interests me! And until I do, I’d rather walk alone than date just anyone!”

5) “Hand monster!!!” Video.

6) Why I’ll never eat at a Chick-Fil-A.

7) Axe Cop… The Movie!