THE CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, 1787

THE CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, 1787

Time...

I blacked out the name of my friend because the post was marked to friends only...

THE CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, 1787

THE CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, 1787

Links

About cats and how they went from a "necessary household appendage" to cuddly companion animals.

Woohoo! N. K. Jemisin's Patreon worked and she'll be writing full time.

While I'd love to get these to put in our driveway, I bet it wouldn't take long for people to catch on that they are fake.

Here's a cartoon for my hubby. Humid days, indeed.

I signed up for the 30-day free trial of Comixology Unlimited, and I'm not impressed. I've always thought the search functions on Comixology are awful, and trying to find all books of a certain series that are offered in the unlimited service is annoying. In addition, it appears that most of the "free" stuff is first issues, not the most current content (in short, very limited). And it doesn't include any DC or Marvel books. So I'll probably drop it in a couple of weeks, before I end up being charged. It's just not worth it to me if there's nothing current. Add in the fact that some creators were never notified their books would be offered on the service, and it's even less appealing.

A comic about being a "nerdy, Mexican, gay, Mormon child of the ’80s and ’90s".

Not all school shootings are modern. Take a moment to remember the 1927 Bath School Massacre.

I love Lego Bricks, but I'd never be able to build a pop-up Lego Castle:

Linkdump!

Did flails even exist?

Here's another article about albinos in Africa. Depressing read, but important, I think.

Atlas Obscura, which has become a favorite destination but threatens to overwhelm with too many articles, had a fun story about a nuclear bomb that was dropped on South Carolina.

So, are there no secret hidden chambers off King Tutankhamun's tomb, or is Egypt suppressing the truth? I don't know, but I'm curious to see how it turns out.

MetaFilter has a history of Looney pyramids. These come from the same guy who created Fluxx.

It seems to me that if police are scared to beat people up because of viral videos, then that should be considered a good thing.

Ever wondered why it's called "drop candy"? Well MetaFilter has a link to a video that explains it (5 minutes in!). I'd love to try the nector candy, but I'm not a huge drop candy fan and I'm broke, so I'll just share it instead.

A story linked on Slashdot says Apple doesn't know why its online streaming service is deleting people's files.

Transgender folks are, sadly, able to tell us about our biases.

DC Comics honors Darwyn Cooke.

Let's finish with Simon's Cat:

Yes, yet more links!

I'm feeling the need for some more links! Let's start with a bit of personal news...

I took the leap today and submitted an application to The DC Writers Workshop, even though I do not believe I quite fit the profile of what they are looking for. I have no published fiction, yet, so my writing samples were news articles. That alone may disqualify me. However, the experience of forcing myself to fill out that application, instead of a boring job application, felt good. And hey, there's a chance they might invite me to the video workshop, which could lead to new writing skills. That's nothing to sneeze at.

In some other happy news, Variety and DC Comics have confirmed the return of Supergirl for a second season. It will be moving networks and filming will likely move to Vancouver, which could mean cast changes. I hope not, since the cast is the strong point of the entire show.

I wish I could afford a catio for Inkwell. And for me. Inkwell really wants to go outside, but is terrified of it. And I don't want to lose him to a car or coyote. Via King5.

I'd like to hang out with these women, but I don't work in comics at the moment.

Enjoy a video at Boing Boing of skipping sodium into a river. Lovely explosions!

There's a very interesting discussion at MetaFilter about the cost to taxpayers of businesses like WalMart that fail to provide adequate security and end up calling the police four times as much as comparable retail stores. This is a form of hidden taxes and corporate welfare, like how many WalMart employees qualify for food stamps. If WalMart were a responsible corporation, it would take care of its employees and not rely so heavily on local police to handle its security. But read the comments... lots of good views and other examples there.

A bunch of white morons got upset when a group of 16 black female West Point cadets raised their fists in one of many photos during a photo shoot to celebrate making it through the academy. The photo pose was determined to be "inappropriate" by an official inquiry because the raised fist (commonly used to indicate "Army strong!" during football games) could also be taken as a political statement. Personally, I think it's a great photo and the lily-livered idiots who got upset are clearly trying to make up for their own deficiencies.

Speaking of deficiencies... definitely not safe for work: Why ancient statues had small penises.

The Zipper Merge is the only way to drive, but for some reason, it's considered rude by people who don't know how to drive. The Minnesota DOT is trying to teach people how to use it, even including a video of why it works and a video of how to do it. These links are from MetaFilter, which has quite a long and heated discussion on the issue. Personally, I'm for proper zipper merging, but since the majority of Washington state is not, it's too dangerous to do it. People will literally try to kill you if you follow the law and use the open lane until the merge.

Inkwell believes this website is the most annoying thing online.

I really hope this archive is being digitized and preserved for posterity, because it sounds like it might be invaluable when looking at history.

Linkages for Tuesday

No, a kid did NOT find an ancient Mayan city by comparing ruin locations to the stars.

Weapons of Math Instruction?

Ursula K. Le Guin writes about her cat.

Huh. Wizards of the Coast has some tournament judges suing them, claiming they were effectively employees and should have been compensated as such.

The Chronicles of Cisco continues for fans of The Flash tv show: Part One (in which Cisco tries to improve the Flash suit and falls asleep), Part Two (in which Cisco tries to find an intruder at 3:45 a.m.), Part Three (in which Cisco makes a mistake), and Part Four (in which we learn... well, watch and see).

Boing Boing has a list of disappearances that still make people scratch their heads. Some fascinating stories there.

More fascinating stories came out of Remote Year, a social experiment that didn't turn out perfect, but certainly makes for good reading.

Here's a brutal Fortean topic: The terror of albinism in parts of Africa. In short, if you are albino, you do not exist and are constantly at risk of death.

This piece from Popehat has to be read to be believed. This guy seriously wanted an amendment declaring only people descended from white Europeans to be allowed to be citizens? Now the guy is a Trump delegate... what a surprise.

Hugo Corner:

• Boing Boing on Chuck Tingle's epic troll of the rabid puppies.
• GRRM on other awards.
• Bujold on her Locus nomination.
• A review of one of the works I don't plan to bother reading, because it's from the rabid puppies' master's publishing house (It sounds about as worthless as I suspected it would, building strawmen based on scant facts). The reviewer then responds to the morons who support the original piece.
• And lastly, a painful piece on the current status of the comic book industry, which also mentions the Hugo mess.

And now, a four-minute video that will make you cry. Maybe.

The Present from Jacob Frey on Vimeo.

Thursday afternoon Linkdump

Well, crud. A frozen vegetable recall due to possible listeria contamination has expanded and now includes all the veggies we get from Costco, including one bag that's half eaten. Ug.

Syrian refugees in Canada have very little, but what little they have they are giving to help people affected by the massive wildfires. Via MeFi.

One thing I hated about importing some of my music into Amazon's music app is that, if it thought it knew what song it was, it would replace my music with a "higher quality" version. Because computer algorithms are imperfect, I would sometimes either get a different version of the song or, in one case, a completely different song. An example would be a live duet version of a song replaced by the more popular single singer version that I didn't like as much. Well, at least Amazon didn't delete my original songs. Apparently, Apple Music deletes original song files when you import them into it. Yikes. That's some serious damage to many people's music collections.

Supergirl is in danger of not being renewed, mostly due to the cost to make the show. I really enjoyed the first season, despite some clunky writing and plots. The cast is terrific and I want to see more of it.

How about some ghost stories? Here's a tale of ghosts on a plane. I'm not sure whether to believe the tales or not, but they are fascinating. I'm moderately sure I would freak out if I experienced something like this, seeing as I already have massive anxiety attacks on planes. The last time I flew, from San Diego to Seattle, I needed some serious help to stay calm. I'm not entirely sure I could force myself onto a plane again if there is any other option for getting to where I'm going.

Another interesting story I read today is about two women who just wanted to live without men in a time when women weren't really allowed to do that. But they managed their happily ever after despite the forces around them (and despite being a bit silly with finances).

Trying to trick drivers with an optical illusion might work for a bit, but it generally wears off once drivers figure out what they are.

A woman paints an octopus using 95 million-year-old octopus ink (Google Translate version). Original article in Norwegian. Via MeFi

This story doesn't comfort me regarding medical procedures in our high-tech world. I'm just wondering why the software was set up to do a scan at that point in time.

Every single authority figure failed this child who lost out on her lunch and was accused of a crime for trying to spend a legal $2 bill. The fact that the cop had to go to a bank to figure out it was real shows such ignorance I can hardly stand it. My former boss at Math 'n' Stuff used to get $2 bills on purpose from the bank to hand out as change. I swear I'm going to start getting them myself and spending them everywhere to raise awareness that they exist and are legal tender.

Augie reports that some Marx Brother Movies have been restored, including cut footage. I think I wouldn't mind seeing one of these all cleaned up... movie night!

If I had more money, I'd definitely be supporting a bunch of people on Patreon. One I'd support is Otis Frampton, creator of Oddly Normal. Unfortunately, I'm worse-than-poor at the moment (cash flow is good right now, but soon to be a right mess). So the best I can do is pass this along and hope someone else supports him until Eric and I get our feet back under us.

People who are thinking about trying to break into writing for comics could do worse than looking into this DC Writers Workshop. I am considering applying, although I suspect I a) do not qualify and b) wouldn't be able to afford the trip if I got accepted. Folks have until the end of the month to enter.

Linkdump for Wednesday

Canada is burning. Well, one town. But it's a scary type of burning.

Honestly? I'm really wishing lab-grown meat would happen more quickly. I would be delighted to switch to food grown this way. It would save water, save land, not hurt animals and still satisfy our carnivore side... if it all pans out. I hope it does.

Metafilter has a frightening story: one person moving out of New Jersey put the state's budget at risk. In other words, the super-rich are so rich that they can devastate a region just by leaving. I don't mind people getting rich, but this is obscene.

On a lighter note, Metafilter finds a jewelry ad to be The Greatest & Most Enigmatic 2-Minute Horror Suspense Film of Our Time. It's... wow. I think it is truly impressive that an ad featuring Gwyneth Paltrow could have so many continuity errors that it inspires crazy theories.

Having recently read a book on the history of Hawaii (I really should review it), this article makes perfect sense in a pathetic way. Yes, people really were that racist and greedy.

Students are now exempt from stringent FAA standards regarding flying drones. I still want a little drone to use inside the house.

Comic book writer Peter David writes about his weight loss battle.

And in other comics, Previews seems to indicate that Rebirth is a reboot after all. I guess I don't mind having my comics rebooted every 20 years, but every five years or so is getting tiresome.

Some links and a rant

NASA is trying to grow potatoes on Mars. According to a Wall Street Journal article, scientists are trying to find a potato that will grow at cold and low-pressure conditions, and is also good for food. Of course, they can't grow in the open air on Mars:

the temperature averages minus 84 degrees Fahrenheit, with lows of minus 284 degrees, according to NASA. It has high levels of radiation and over 60% less gravity than Earth. Its atmosphere has 96% carbon dioxide, with only a tiny amount of oxygen. Then there are the dust storms and salty water.

Still, to test the soil conditions, scientists are planting crops in soil from the Pampas de La Joya Desert in southern Peru. If the tests are successful, then a simulator will be made that mimics the conditions the plants would endure in a dome on Mars.

When I first read this headline: Wolverines Are Now Being Trained to Find Avalanche Survivors, I thought it was some sort of Marvel Comics promotion. D'oh. No, it's an actual effort to use wolverines, the actual animals, to hunt for people in avalanches. Wolverines are small, smart, and work well in the snow. The trick is getting the wolverines to imprint on humans soon after birth, as well as breeding them in captivity.

My friend Michael Sensei went spelunking and took some photos and video of Yugen Cave. Makes me want to head up to Bellingham and visit that cave I went to with friends once.

Children have been doodling all throughout time. I love these scraps of art by a 7-year-old boy named Onfim living in 13th century Novgorod, Russia.

Optical illusions are not universal, which was a surprise to me. There's a couple of examples of how people perceive illusions differently in the article. Be sure to read the comments, lots of insight and some corrections there.

This documentary sounds fantastic. I wish I lived near enough to an IMAX theater to go see it.

George R. R. Martin has an epic response to a writer who thinks, for some bizarre reason, that because Martin once purchased a story from him that Martin must therefore love everything that writer has ever written. The reasoning is so twisted and wrong it hardly bears giving any thought to, but Martin calmly and completely demolishes it and the writer (who, incidentally called Martin a liar, to boot). Nicely done, Martin.

Spacefaring, Extradimensional Happy Kittens has a round-up of people's responses to being included on this year's rabid puppies slate. Many asked to be removed and were not. Some support the rabids. Because this year the rabids included "human shields" in their slate, the overall situation is much more complicated than last year, in which a near-total rejection of the slate was reasonable, as very few of the nominations were Hugo-worthy. This year the rabids included works that would certainly have made it to the final ballot... but other good works were still kicked off. Voters are going to have to decide if it's more important to them to punish the slate or more important that a good work get the Hugo. It will not be an easy choice.

One last Hugo rant after the fold. Feel free to skip it.

Here I Go A-Gathering Links...

My friend Lou Anders has had a short story published in Boys Life. I used to steal my brother's Boys Life magazines and read all the fiction and cartoons before he even got a chance to glance at them. I still want to read the entire comic adaptation of the Tripods trilogy... I never saw the whole thing.

Ancient footprints are already pretty cool artifacts, but now they are even cooler since professional trackers have been brought in to make sense of them. I love this type of history story... looking at a problem from a different, yet totally obvious, direction.

How about a tale of a very long-running experiment? I've heard of some experiments that have been going for many years, but this is a bit of a surprise. Seeds in bottles, buried in an effort to see how long the seeds would last.

So, Free Comic Book Day is coming. Here's some sneak peeks of Doctor Who comics. I need to figure out what comics we already ordered from DCBS so I know which ones to get when Eric and I go to the store next week.

I stayed up until 2 a.m. reading a book the other night/morning. I haven't done that for ages because I've been too responsible to risk being dead at work, for all the good it did me. But I really enjoyed the book and will be writing about it soon, probably not for tomorrow's reviews, but maybe next Sunday. It was Castle Hangnail by Ursula Vernon, and I strongly recommend it for any young woman, ages 8-18, who isn't very princess-y or girly and likes snakes and slugs and dirt and work. It's very good.

David Gerrold has a post about Hugo asterisks. I just want to say, the asterisks were there the instant the puppies gamed the Hugos. Putting them into physical form didn't make it any worse, since the damage was already done. On the contrary, the asterisks let some of us have a physical memento of their first time voting in the Hugos (me!) and raised money for a worthy cause. The people who were hurt by the asterisks deserved to be hurt because they are the ones who put the asterisk there in the first place by gaming the Hugo nominations. The fact that they still don't get it only proves the point. And it still amazes me that they are stupid enough to think that people gamed the Hugos before they did. The utter willful ignorance of the puppies is astounding.

Below the fold, depressing stories...

Some Links

Promising new treatment for leukemia. I hope this one pans out, but I do wonder about the patients who didn't have a positive response to it.

Here's a creepy tale of a mysterious body found after the Blitz in Liverpool.

Ancient Engineering So Advanced It Is Like Magic. I'd read about these before, but this Metafilter post brings the links together nicely. Ancient Peruvian wells served as part of an irrigation system to use wind power to drive water where it needed to go. Wow.

Atlas Obscura looks at some folks on American money. There are definitely some interesting individuals whose portraits were on currency!

Check out this way cool tale of Victorians who nearly got themselves killed by flying too high in a balloon. In their defense, they really had no clue what they would face up there.

How about a bit of girl power before I get into depressing topics?

Once again, anti-vaxxers are risking the lives of their children from complications of measles because they think they understand science better after 20 minutes of Googling than people who have been studying it all their lives. Measles was eradicated from the U.S. more than a decade ago, but because of anti-vaxxers, it keeps being brought back. If they knew what vaccines were preventing - if they only knew the pain and suffering of "childhood diseases" - those anti-vaxxers would be ashamed of themselves. But they don't, and the only way they are going to learn is when their own children suffer and die from preventable diseases, which is horrible and unfair to the innocent children. It's a pity the anti-vaxxers, who were vaccinated by their parents, won't be the ones to suffer instead.

And my other pet peeve: a woman is forced out of a hotel's public bathroom by male police officers (youtube link) because she doesn't fit their stereotype of "female" (warning, strong language in the video). She should sue that hotel. I spent half my life being told I looked like a boy because I wore baggy clothing and kept my hair cut short. Having a security guard throw me out of the bathroom while I was waiting in line would have been an absolute nightmare for me. This woman said, in comments on a post of the video, that this happened at the Freemont Hotel Lobby bathroom, "not the casino" (so I'm assuming it's in Las Vegas, maybe?) and that she wasn't expecting to have to show ID to use the restroom. Usually she just assures people she's female and that's enough. In addition, she had friends with her, so no one would be stupid enough to just assume she was male, right? Ha. The security guard with his "papers, please" attitude was disgusting. Her word alone should have been enough, but with several other women vouching for her, the fact that they threw her out is obscene. We aren't Nazi Germany and people are NOT required to carry ID with them everywhere. At least not yet. And, by the way, she looks and sounds female to me.

I'm still trying to remember where I put all my links...

So this isn't going to be much of a linkdump. I'll remember how to do it eventually, I'm sure!

First, today was the first day I left the house since Monday. Eric took me out to lunch and then we hit the local Bi-Mart to check some prices. Yeah, not a huge trip, but enough to get me out and about. I thought Inkwell was relieved to see me finally go, but when we got back he was sleeping under my chair. Hrm.

I also chatted with my sister a bit. Since I am no longer constrained by my job, it might be possible for me to go see my family this week. That would be nice.

I got a strange call this morning from a number I didn't recognize, and it turns out there's a recall on some veggies we purchased at Costco. I checked the batches and figured out which ones are affected. We have two large bags of peas that are in the recall. I'll be taking them back to Costco some time this week, probably.

I was impressed by this story of how someone cannot visualize and wonder how many other people perceive the world differently than I do. I mean, does my orange actually correspond to what someone else is seeing as orange? But this is even deeper. This is a completely different way of thinking. How can a person not picture things in their mind?

Speaking of picturing things, I want to see this guy's version of Aquaman.

How about a little bit of Judi Dench and Benedict Cumberbatch? I love how, once Benedict gets up on stage, everyone in the audience seems to be recording it with their tablets and phones. Lovely. I also love how he's not really sure what he's supposed to be doing... he just goes with the flow and jumps off the stage at the end.

Judi Dench and Benedict Cumberbatch from Hay Festival on Vimeo.

Note: Yes, I know a new Doctor Who companion has been announced. I don't intend to talk about it much, since until I see the character in action (in more than just a teaser) I won't really know what to think. If I could have avoided the news, I would have. But those kind of spoilers are often impossible to get away from, sadly.

In more grim news, the story behind a well-known photograph, which might change your perception of the photo. Or it might not, hard to say.

From an Old Newspaper...

"Sourpusses Wanted"
The manager of the Liberty theatre is looking for "the five gloomiest people in the city of Sunnyside (professional mourners and house haunters included) to sit thru a special preview on Sunday, Feb. 23rd. of "The Marx Brothers in 'A Night at the Opera'" without laughing, for a prize of six passes. If you can't hold your laughs till you get out of the lobby of the theatre, you will be disqualified. Those wishing to enter this contest, see Mr. Baldwin between the hours of 2 and 4 Saturday afternoon. Remember, only five will be selected for this contest, so put on the best deadpan face you have.

- The Sunnyside Sun, 1936

People Tend to See What They Want to See...

How did this:

Become this?


Answer: very faint artwork "enhanced" by people with chalk trying to see what they want to see instead of what's there. Check out the story and look at more photos to see how people can deceive themselves into believing weird things...

Personally, I think the newly distinguished figures are much more interesting. What is that snake thing, anyway? And is that a guy using a dog to round up a goat? What stories are being told here?

Star Wars Tapestry...

The Daily Mail has a report on an obsessive Star Wars fan who created a Bayeux-style tapestry that tells the story of the first six Star Wars films...

I admit, it's awesome. However, I would want one without the prequels if I were to invest in something like this. And with the new movie about to be released, I have to wonder if another tapestry will be in the making at any point? Check out the artist's website for more of his work.

A Sunday Review

My book this week was Karen Memory by Elizabeth Bear.

This book was recommended in the comment sections on File 770 and in Renay's Hugo Spreadsheet of Doom.

Like last week's book, I came to this one completely cold. I didn't even know it was steampunk until I got a few pages in. I haven't been in the habit of simply trying books without finding out it they are "my type", but with a desire to nominate for the 2016 Hugos, I feel like I just have to try some new stuff out. So far, I feel I'm doing ok taking other people's suggestions.

First up: the completely non-spoiler review. If you don't like steampunk, you may have some issues with this. I, personally, love well-done steampunk and found this to be a great read. In addition, if you have any hang-ups about sexual issues, you'll probably want to avoid this book, as it's set in a *ahem* seamstress's shop in a frontier town. A shop with a nice parlor downstairs and a lot of men who visit regularly. It took me some time to get into the book, as the first-person voice is idiosyncratic and the word usage is intentionally wrong in places to convey it. But I came to really enjoy the main character the more I read, although my writer instincts sometimes flinched at the use of language.

Ok, Spoilers ahead (use rot13 to read). Bx, gur svefg guvat V bhtug gb zragvba vf gung V irel zhpu rawbl fgbevrf frg va sebagvre Frnggyr. V qba'g xabj jul, V whfg qb. Naq juvyr Encvq Pvgl vf abg, grpuavpnyyl, Frnggyr, gurer vf ab bgure cynpr vg pna ernyvfgvpnyyl or. Vg'f tbg gur Nynfxna Tbyq Ehfu, vg'f tbg gur Fbhaq, vg'f tbg fxvq ebj, vg'f tbg gur envfvat bs qbjagbja naq vg'f whfg irel zhpu Frnggyr. Fb gur frggvat fhpxrq zr vg irel dhvpxyl, rira vs V unq n uneq gvzr trggvat vagb gur fgbel vgfrys. V'yy abgr gung Obarfunxre jnf nyfb frg va n fgrnzchax Frnggyr, juvpu znqr zr yvxr vg rira zber guna V zvtug unir bgurejvfr. Frnggyr naq fgrnzchax frrz gb jbex jryy gbtrgure, sbe zr. V erpbtavmr gung bgure crbcyr qba'g unir gur fnzr srgvfu, ohg guvf vf qrsvavgryl bar bs zvar.

Frpbaq, V qba'g zhpu pner nobhg gur frkhnyvgl bs punenpgref nf ybat nf gurl ner cbegenlrq nf erny crbcyr. Guvf obbx qbrfa'g, gb zr, znxr n ovt nqb nobhg gur punenpgref' cersreraprf, vg whfg gnyxf nobhg vg naq zbirf ba. Naq gur ybir orgjrra Xnera naq Cevln vf angheny naq, V gubhtug, jryy-qrirybcrq. Lrf, gurer'f ybir ng svefg fvtug, gur byq pyvpur, ohg Xnera jbexf cnfg vg. V yvxr gung.

Gurer'f fbzrguvat greevoyr naq terng nobhg n obbx gung pna znxr lbh srry fb fgebatyl sbe n zvabe punenpgre gung lbh trahvaryl uheg jura gung punenpgre qvrf. Guvf obbx znantrq gung. V jnf ebbgvat sbe gur tbbq thlf orsber gura, ohg nsgre gung? V jnf pynzbevat sbe n fbyvq cnlonpx jvgu xnezn gnxvat vgf gbyy.

Hagvy V tbg gb gur Nhgube'f Abgr ng gur raq, V jnf abg njner bs gur fgbel bs Zbgure Qnzanoyr, naq abj V'z tbvat gb or fcraqvat ragveryl gbb zhpu gvzr ybbxvat hc Znel Naa Pbaxyva gb svaq bhg jub fur jnf.

This book has a decent chance to make my Hugo nomination list. I feel it was a pretty slow read, which counts against it. However, it was nicely goofy, very well told and fun in a way that only steampunk is truly capable of being. I'll be thinking on it for awhile, I can tell.

---

A novella I read recently but haven't yet reviewed is "Penric's Demon" by Lois McMaster Bujold. I bought it as soon as it was available and read it as soon as I was able. Bujold is, at the moment, the only author I would buy a work from by the strength of her name alone. I learned about this novella from Bujold's Goodreads Blog.

Did I like it? Oh yeah. Penric is a good character who is, like many of Bujold's characters, hemmed in by other people's expectations. He's able to break out of it entirely by the unhappy/happy accident. In short, it's a typical Bujold story in a lot of ways. I found the story to be the perfect length, covering just what we need to know about both Penric and his new guest. The promise of potential untold stories is often the most frustrating part of Bujold's work... this is no different. I'd love to revist Penric in the future in some manner, but I know that this is the story the author chose to focus on, so it's probably the best one in Penric's life. This will be on my Hugo nomination form.

---

And here's a novelette I read:

• "Folding Beijing" by Hao Jingfang. It is in the nature of science fiction to be fantastical, but I really found this one hard to swallow. The world, as presented, just doesn't make physical sense to me. The whole "folding" of space just doesn't work for me. The rest... well, I have mixed feelings. The main character is a bit of a cipher until the end, while the others are all cardboard cutouts he's just dealing with. Yeah, it's a novelette, not a novel, and there's little time to develop characters - but I didn't feel much of a connection with any of them. And the political situation as described, which leads to the folding city, also doesn't seem realistic or believable to me. I can suspend my disbelief as well as anyone else, but this particular story did not work for me. No, it won't make my Hugo nomination form.

---

I've also read short stories:

• "Pocosin" by Ursula Vernon is a heartbreaking tale about death, second chances and people who know a lot about the world. Like "Jackalope Wives", it's told in a gentle, folksy way. And it has some deeper meaning in it, as well. I'd be lying if I didn't say I wish I could write half as well as Ursula does, but she writes about things I'd never think to write about, so I don't even stand in envy of her so much as happy awe. This one has a very good chance of being on my Hugo nomination list.


• "You Have Always Lived in the Castle" by Cat Rambo is a chilling little piece. Very short, and frightening in its implications. It's told in second person narrative. For some reason, it reminds me of Doctor Who: Warriors Gate. Part of me wants to learn more about this universe, most of me thinks of it as a horror tale. I'll think on it a lot more before deciding if it goes on my Hugo list.


• "The Parliment of Cheese and Curds" by Camestros Felapton is a parody based on one of the awful works nominated for the 2015 Hugos by the puppies. This short story is actually readable, unlike the original, and funny, also unlike the original (which was just a pathetic attempt to be pompous). No, I won't nominate this for a Hugo, but I did find it oddly refreshing, if a bit cheesy.

---

For my current list of Hugo 2016 readings, check out my Hugo 2016 Posts page.

---

Here are reviews of the DCBS comic books that I've gotten around to reading and reviewing, sorted by the original shipping date:

• Jul 8th
• Earth 2 Society #2 - Ah, well, that's why Sloan crashed the ships. But I'm not sure I get all the nitty-gritty about it. I'm guessing we don't know who caused the attack that Sloan was reacting to? And I'm not sure what Sloan's "current" action is going to do to the planet. Ok, I'm interested.
• Justice League of America #2 - I'm not quite as cynical as Aquaman is portrayed here, but I'm kind of with him on the notion that powerful beings from other worlds who arrive and declare they are gods aren't really the kind of thing you can trust. And, looking at what happened to Wonder Woman, I think he may have dodged a massive bullet there with that cynicism.
• Justice League United #11 - That is one bizarre team-up. I found the collection of the team to be neat, with each one being pulled in by a different method. That has got to be the most muscular version of Mera I've ever seen. She's clearly been weightlifting. I'm a little confused by some of the other choices, but... well, I'll have to wait and see.
• Arrow: Season 2.5 #10 - Slade knows far too much. He's like Ollie's dark side. Overall, I'm happy this series is coming to a conclusion soon. With the season after it already over, there are bits that just don't work for me.
• Star Trek/Green Lantern #1 - The visuals of the crew of the Enterprise really threw me for a loop. I don't know if the regular series has switched to the movie version of the crew, but I sure wasn't ready for it. The rest? Good set up. I'll wait and see how it goes before judging the series.
• Secret Wars 2099 #3 - I really don't like this version of Miguel. In fact, I'm not sure I like anything about this version of the Marvel Universe, although Sub-Mariner and Hercules going at each other had its moments.
• Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency #2 - Deadly ancient Egyptians, crazed serial killers and Dirk... I don't know which is the most frightening. It's nice to see an Oz reference.
• Doctor Who 11th #14 - Wait, so is this the end of the Arc arc? Also, nice cliffhanger.
• Grimm Fairy Tales: Oz: Reign of the Witch Queen #3 - Well, in this issue there's a fairly solid narrative of setting up the trap and battle plans, and some little jokes and call-backs to other events... not too bad. I still find this book hard to follow, but this issue holds together fairly well.
• Oddly Normal #8 - I want a closet that big. Heck, I think almost anyone wants a closet that big. Inkwell would sure enjoy it. Anyway, another good issue as Oddly learns just how much normal is appreciated.
• Rebels #4 - I feel like I need to go read the previous issues again because I felt like I'd lost the plot thread in this one. It's a good enough book, and the description of the battle and the famous "whites of their eyes" quote was lovely. But I also felt like I'd skipped an issue or something.
• Mage Inc. #1 - Keira is an intern at a mage's union and her first assignment is to go out with another mage to collect union dues. This was surprisingly good. I wasn't sure what to expect, but I liked how she handled the mundane tasks without fear and took the less mundane in stride. I'm looking forward to the next issue.
• Spongebob Comics #46 - Ooooh, a slightly educational issue! And more of the usual stuff. If you like Spongebob, you'll like it. If not, skip it.
• Extra Review
• Doctor Who: San Diego Comic Con Exclusive - A friend picked this up for Eric and I and I've finally had the chance to read it. Clara wants to go to Comic Con International, and so the Doctor takes her there... only to find out there's a nasty entity that appears in reflections and photos every 1021 years while trying to get back into reality. Fun stuff, and interesting to see what the Doctor was becoming as the entity affected him.

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Past Sunday Reviews -- Comics at Amazon.com -- Previews -- My Wishlist -- My Kindle Wishlist -- My Camera Wishlist

A Guide to Strange or Obscure Places

My attention was first drawn to Atlas Obscura by the story of the man who never was. I quickly learned that it's a fascinating site with stories that you aren't likely to read elsewhere. The site calls itself "...the definitive guide to the world's wondrous and curious places," and it seems to live up to the description.

I also enjoyed the articles on the Mississippi River Basin Model, Jefferson Davis Capture Site, the Myra Necropolis and Indian Key... in particular. I've found very few of the articles on the site disappoint me.

I found the report on Jimi Hendrix's Grave to be a bit close to home. Literally. His grave is within walking distance of where I grew up. Well, more like an easy bike ride, but Greenwood Memorial Park is definitely in my old stomping grounds.

This picture doesn't look accurate to me. It's not raining.

A Sunday Review

Here are reviews of the DCBS comic books that I've gotten around to reading and reviewing, sorted by the original shipping date:

• Apr 8th
• Convergence #1 - And... it's just what I feared. A big old arena story. I hate stories in which heroes are forced to fight to the death. I'm hoping for some decent twists in this, or I'm going to be bored out of my gourd by this entire event.
• Convergence: Harley Quinn #1 - I think the most interesting thing about this is how Harley pulls herself together while everyone else around her is falling apart. That, and the fishes swimming around her fingers.
• Convergence: Justice League #1 - This might as well have been the Aquaman Convergence issue... it focuses heavily on Mera and the Flashpoint Atlantis. Good stuff for an Aquaman fan.
• Arrow: Season 2.5 #7 - Still being thrown off by the timing of this, especially since I'm currently watching shows that are a month later than from when this was originally published. My mind is kind of playing ping pong with it all.
• Astro City #22 - Another story about life moving on. I enjoyed the tale, but the hints of a new danger coming are a little frightening. Astro City generally doesn't seem like a book with huge storyarcs, but it's all connected. So when do we get the finish of these plot threads?
• Spider-Man 2099 #11 - Huh. Lots of little plot threads running around being obnoxious... but the best is, of course, no good deed going unpunished. Ouch. Poor Miguel.
• Rebels #1 - Well, that's a good start to the series. I know almost nothing about Ethan Allen or the Green Mountain boys, so I expect this could be an education. I have high hopes for this series.
• Spongebob Comics #43 - Pretty average issue. No Mermaid Man.

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Past Sunday Reviews -- Comics at Amazon.com -- Previews -- My Wishlist -- My Kindle Wishlist -- My Camera Wishlist

Soy Sauce

Back before Usagi Yojimbo went on hiatus in 2012, there was a nifty two-parter featuring Usagi coming to the rescue of a man who brewed soy sauce. Thanks to issue #143, I learned a whole lot about how soy sauce is made and some of the "secrets" to its brewing, including the fact that the cultures of mold and bacteria that help the sauce ferment are unique to each company and have developed for a long time, sometimes over centuries.

Usagi gets a lesson in making soy sauce in Usagi Yojimbo #143 (January 2012)

That's why I was very impressed when I read this story about a soy sauce company wiped out by the 2011 tsunami.

RIKUZENTAKATA, Japan -- When the tsunami warning sounded, workers at the two-centuries-old soy sauce maker in northeastern Japan ran up a nearby hill to a shrine for safety, and watched in disbelief as towering waters swallowed their factory.

They all believed the business, started in 1807, and its precious fungal cultures that give soy sauce its unique taste were lost forever. Everyone except for Michihiro Kono, the ninth-generation son of the founding family.

Turns out Kono had taken the cultures of Yagisawa Shoten Co. and given some to medical research. The cultures survived by what could be called an amazing fluke.

The lab was destroyed by the tsunami, but the containers with the cultures were found nearby by its researchers, intact.

The trick with soy sauce, as I learned from Usagi Yojimbo, is that it must sit for two years before it can be sold. Somehow Kono managed to keep the company intact for four years before the first product could ship. He paid the employees while they volunteered in disaster recovery, with help from crowdfunding efforts. And while they aren't a screaming success at the moment, they are coming back.