Saturday, March 14, 2009
The Education of a Pulp Writer: BTAP #14: Identity Theft by Robert Weibezahl
The Education of a Pulp Writer: BTAP #14: Identity Theft by Robert Weibezahl: "The latest weekly punch from Robert Weibezahl is up at BEAT to a PULP and Elaine has a nice write up at Ashedit."
Joe Hill's Love Your Indie Contest
Love Your Indie: The Contest : Joe Hill Fiction: "Okay, been thinking about this whole March-is-love-your-Indie-Bookstore month, and I realized trying to guilt people into going shopping with their local guy sucks. We don’t need guilt here; we need a contest.
So here’s introducing March-is-love-your-Indie-Bookstore: The Contest.
How to Play: Go to a local independent bookstore. Buy something. Save the receipt. Send a photo or scan of the receipt to this address: indie@joehillfiction.com. Make sure either your e-mail or your receipt includes the name and phone number of the bookstore in question.
Prize: At the end of March I’ll have a random drawing, and send the winner a signed slipcased copy of GUNPOWDER."
So here’s introducing March-is-love-your-Indie-Bookstore: The Contest.
How to Play: Go to a local independent bookstore. Buy something. Save the receipt. Send a photo or scan of the receipt to this address: indie@joehillfiction.com. Make sure either your e-mail or your receipt includes the name and phone number of the bookstore in question.
Prize: At the end of March I’ll have a random drawing, and send the winner a signed slipcased copy of GUNPOWDER."
Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?
Struggling Americans call tent cities home - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation): "Tent cities are springing up in California as thousands of people hit hard by foreclosures and big job losses say they have nowhere else to go.
Many of those seeking shelter had good jobs and stable family lives until the economy spun out of control.
Some 300 people call a tent city in Sacramento home, including Tracy Vaughan, who moved to the city with her husband six months ago."
Many of those seeking shelter had good jobs and stable family lives until the economy spun out of control.
Some 300 people call a tent city in Sacramento home, including Tracy Vaughan, who moved to the city with her husband six months ago."
The Title is "Pull My Finger"
Classic gags discovered in ancient Roman joke book | Books | guardian.co.uk: "We may admire the satires of Horace and Lucilius, but the ancient Romans haven't hitherto been thought of as masters of the one-liner. This could be about to change, however, after the discovery of a classical joke book.
Celebrated classics professor Mary Beard has brought to light a volume more than 1,600 years old, which she says shows the Romans not to be the 'pompous, bridge-building toga wearers' they're often seen as, but rather a race ready to laugh at themselves.
Written in Greek, Philogelos, or The Laughter Lover, dates to the third or fourth century AD, and contains some 260 jokes which Beard said are 'very similar' to the jokes we have today, although peopled with different stereotypes – the 'egghead', or absent-minded professor, is a particular figure of fun, along with the eunuch, and people with hernias or bad breath."
Celebrated classics professor Mary Beard has brought to light a volume more than 1,600 years old, which she says shows the Romans not to be the 'pompous, bridge-building toga wearers' they're often seen as, but rather a race ready to laugh at themselves.
Written in Greek, Philogelos, or The Laughter Lover, dates to the third or fourth century AD, and contains some 260 jokes which Beard said are 'very similar' to the jokes we have today, although peopled with different stereotypes – the 'egghead', or absent-minded professor, is a particular figure of fun, along with the eunuch, and people with hernias or bad breath."
Tweaked on a Good Book Lately?
newsminer.com • Couple arrested in connection with meth bust at Fairbanks Correctional Center: "FAIRBANKS — A Fairbanks couple is accused of smuggling methamphetamine into jail by hiding it in the binding of books."
They're Watching You
Pentagon plans blimp to spy from new heights - Los Angeles Times: "Reporting from Washington -- The Pentagon said Thursday that it intends to spend $400 million to develop a giant dirigible that will float 65,000 feet above the Earth for 10 years, providing unblinking and intricate radar surveillance of the vehicles, planes and even people below.
'It is absolutely revolutionary,' Werner J.A. Dahm, chief scientist for the Air Force, said of the proposed unmanned airship -- describing it as a cross between a satellite and a spy plane."
Link via Boing Boing.
'It is absolutely revolutionary,' Werner J.A. Dahm, chief scientist for the Air Force, said of the proposed unmanned airship -- describing it as a cross between a satellite and a spy plane."
Link via Boing Boing.
Friday, March 13, 2009
This Blog is Fabulous!
Shirley Wetzel give me this award, so now I'm supposed to pay it forward. I'll name five fabulous blogs below, and it's up to them to add the award and name five favorites (or not).Here are the rules:
You must include the person that gave you the award, and link it back to them.
You must list 5 of your Fabulous Addictions in the post. You must copy and paste these rules in the post. Right click the award icon & save to your computer then post with your own awards. To my way of thinking, this is not only a nice tribute, it widens the reading audience.
Here are Five Fab Blogs:
1. http://swetzel.wordpress.com/
3. http://docbenton.com/wordpress/
4. http://thrillingdaysofyesteryear.blogspot.com/
5. http://averyhappylife.blogspot.com/
And of course the rest of the blogs I read are fabulous, too, but I can list only five.
5 addictions: 1. The Internet (not really; I can quit any time I want to); 2. Books, especially old paperback books; 3. Reading; 4. Jogging; 5. Chocolate.
Get Ready for Pi Day!
Ya can't make it up: House praises pi - David Rogers - POLITICO.com: "With the world swirling about it, the House took a moment Thursday to honor pi, the Greek letter symbolizing that great constant in mathematics representing the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter.
An irrational number that has been calculated to more than 1 trillion digits, pi is a concept not totally foreign to today’s Washington. But in this case, the goal was to promote efforts by the National Science Foundation to improve math education in the United States, especially in the critical fourth to eighth grades.
Rounded off, pi equates to 3.14, hence the designation of March 14 as Pi Day under the resolution. Informal celebrations have been held around the country for at least 20 years, but Thursday’s 391-10 vote is the first time Congress has joined the party."
An irrational number that has been calculated to more than 1 trillion digits, pi is a concept not totally foreign to today’s Washington. But in this case, the goal was to promote efforts by the National Science Foundation to improve math education in the United States, especially in the critical fourth to eighth grades.
Rounded off, pi equates to 3.14, hence the designation of March 14 as Pi Day under the resolution. Informal celebrations have been held around the country for at least 20 years, but Thursday’s 391-10 vote is the first time Congress has joined the party."
Croc Update (Galloping Edition)
Aussie crocs could hold key to ancestors: "Australia's freshwater crocodiles could hold the key to understanding their prehistoric ancestors.
And scientists say it's all in their gallop.
Freshwater crocodiles in the Northern Territory are one of the last crocodile species in the world which have retained an ability to run over land."
And scientists say it's all in their gallop.
Freshwater crocodiles in the Northern Territory are one of the last crocodile species in the world which have retained an ability to run over land."
Formal Dress Required?
Hoffman: The Whopper Bar and rodeo food awards | Ken Hoffman | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle: "Burger King has opened its first upscale Whopper Bar in Orlando — at Universal City Walk, along restaurant row with comparatively sophisticated eateries like Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville, Hard Rock Cafe, Emeril’s, Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. and Pat O’Brien’s.
What’s a Whopper Bar? It’s like a regular Burger King, except the menu, to borrow a phrase from a neighboring joint, is kicked up notches unknown to mankind.
Guests can order a Whopper, a Double Whopper or debuting burgers like the Steakhouse XT, an extra thick premium hunk o’ meat, or a Bourbon Whopper, or Three-Cheese Steakhouse XT. There is a topping bar, resplendent with 22 burger accessories, from onions to A1 Steak Sauce to guac.
Here’s where it gets just plain silly. Your burger will be prepared by a highly trained and suitably snobby “Whopper-ista,” dressed in a flattering tailored uniform."
What’s a Whopper Bar? It’s like a regular Burger King, except the menu, to borrow a phrase from a neighboring joint, is kicked up notches unknown to mankind.
Guests can order a Whopper, a Double Whopper or debuting burgers like the Steakhouse XT, an extra thick premium hunk o’ meat, or a Bourbon Whopper, or Three-Cheese Steakhouse XT. There is a topping bar, resplendent with 22 burger accessories, from onions to A1 Steak Sauce to guac.
Here’s where it gets just plain silly. Your burger will be prepared by a highly trained and suitably snobby “Whopper-ista,” dressed in a flattering tailored uniform."
Doomed Again
High IQ Linked To Reduced Risk Of Death: "ScienceDaily (Mar. 13, 2009) — A study of one million Swedish men has revealed a strong link between cognitive ability and the risk of death, suggesting that government initiatives to increase education opportunities may also have health benefits."
Luckily my Mind is a Blank
FT.com / UK - Scientists a step closer to ‘reading minds’: "A machine to read the mind came a step closer on Thursday, when scientists at University College London released the results of an experiment in which brain scans revealed the location of people moving around a virtual reality environment.
Demis Hassabis, co-author of the study, said it was “a small step towards the idea of mind reading, because just by looking at neural activity we were able to say what someone was thinking”."
Demis Hassabis, co-author of the study, said it was “a small step towards the idea of mind reading, because just by looking at neural activity we were able to say what someone was thinking”."
Mr. Monk Goes to Germany -- Lee Goldberg
As I keep saying (here, here, and here), I get a big kick out of the Lee Goldberg's series of Monk tie-in novels, in spite of the fact that I still haven't ever seen the TV show. I know many of you have recommended in the comments that I watch it. Maybe I will, one of these days. But right now, I want to talk about another book.In Mr. Monk Goes to Germany, Monk has a crisis. His shrink, Dr. Kroger, is going to Germany for a conference. This means that Monk will have to miss his weekly meetings. Monk pretty much falls apart at the prospect, so much so that Captain Stottlemeyer fires him. Monk determines that his only way out is to go to Germany for his regular meeting with Dr. Kroger. To face the 12-hour flight, he takes the experimental drug Dioxynl, which eliminates his symptoms and turns him into the life of the party, which is what the flight becomes. Monk in lederhosen? You betcha.
Naturally Monk drags Natalie Teeger, his assistant and the narrator of the books along, and naturally there's a murder for him to solve when they get there. It's connected to a man with six fingers that Monk spots in the town of Lohr, where the conference is held. It was a six-fingered man who planted the bomb that killed Monk's wife, Trudy, and caused him to become the person he is.
If that sounds like a lot of plot, it is, but the book reads smoothly and quickly, with plenty of laughs and a smile on every page. Which is quite an achievement, considering that Monk is in reality a sad case, a slave to his phobias and compulsions. Even Natalie loses control in this one, but to good effect. And at the end, well, she pulls quite a stunt. I'm not spoiling anything by telling you that the next book in the series is set in France. Sitting in hospital waiting rooms is no fun at all, but Mr. Monk Goes to Germany brightened my time in them this week, and it might brighten your day, too. Check it out.
Friday the 13th
The Writer's Almanac: "Today is Friday the 13th. The superstition that Friday is unlucky has been around for hundreds of years. Chaucer mentioned it in his Canterbury Tales, and by the 1800s, there was a whole list of things that were unlucky to do on a Friday, including needleworking, writing letters, beginning a sea voyage, moving, getting married, and going to the doctor. As for 13, its status as an unlucky number probably comes from the Bible — Judas Iscariot was said to be the 13th guest to sit at the table at the Last Supper. By the 1700s, it was a common superstition that if 13 people sat down at a table together, one of them would die. Eventually the number 13 became unlucky in any circumstance. Many hotels still skip the 13th floor, labeling it as 14. At some point, these two superstitions were combined into a fear of Friday the 13th."
Out of the Gutter is Open for Submissions to Issue 6
OUT OF THE GUTTER 6 is underway and accepting submissions.This is the "Sexploitation" issue so if you've got delicate sensibilities, stop reading now. If you don't have delicate sensibilities, neither do we, and you're more than welcome to craft a sick, filthy, disturbing--yet ingenious--piece of fiction and send it our way. Get the details by going to www.outoftheguttermagazine.com and clicking Submissions.
Anna Nicole Smith Update
My Way News - Anna Nicole Smith's boyfriend, doctors charged: "LOS ANGELES (AP) - Anna Nicole Smith's death may have been from an accidental overdose, but prosecutors say her ex-boyfriend and two doctors were responsible for feeding the Playboy Playmate's addiction.
Howard K. Stern, her lawyer-turned-confidant, and Drs. Sandeep Kapoor and Khristine Eroshevich were charged in an 11-count felony complaint on Thursday, including conspiracy, unlawfully prescribing a controlled substance and prescribing, administering or dispensing a controlled substance to an addict."
Howard K. Stern, her lawyer-turned-confidant, and Drs. Sandeep Kapoor and Khristine Eroshevich were charged in an 11-count felony complaint on Thursday, including conspiracy, unlawfully prescribing a controlled substance and prescribing, administering or dispensing a controlled substance to an addict."
Forgotten Books: THE DARK LIGHT -- Bart Spicer
The Dark Light won the Edgar for Best First Novel in 1949, and Bart Spicer went on to write six more novels about p. i. Carney Wilde. In what was a first for a p.i. series (and maybe a last), Spicer's story arc covers Wilde's entire career, from his lowly beginnings, his marriage, and finally his ownership of a big detective agency.
Spicer wasn't hesitatant to deal with racial issues (see also, and especiall, Blues for the Prince). In The Dark Light, Wilde is hired by a deacon in a black church to find his minister, who's disappeared. Almost immediately, people start dying, including the deacon. Spicer was a fine plotter, and the disparate elements that make up the mystery include a diamond earring, a tough cop, and a beautiful woman.
Bart Spicer's been criminally overlooked in the last few decades, but he wrote one of the best p.i. series of the '50s, or for that matter any of the decades afterward. If you like tough but compassionate ops, careful plotting, well-developed characters, and good writing, you owe it to yourself to read Spicer's novel.
Spicer wasn't hesitatant to deal with racial issues (see also, and especiall, Blues for the Prince). In The Dark Light, Wilde is hired by a deacon in a black church to find his minister, who's disappeared. Almost immediately, people start dying, including the deacon. Spicer was a fine plotter, and the disparate elements that make up the mystery include a diamond earring, a tough cop, and a beautiful woman.
Bart Spicer's been criminally overlooked in the last few decades, but he wrote one of the best p.i. series of the '50s, or for that matter any of the decades afterward. If you like tough but compassionate ops, careful plotting, well-developed characters, and good writing, you owe it to yourself to read Spicer's novel.
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