A home built out of an old missile silo! This is possibly the coolest thing to be made out of old military crap ever! Do I want it? Yes, oh god yes!Can I afford it? Nope. It’s probably millions upon millions of dollars and I doubt they’d take my old book from the 1800s as collateral. Someone buy it for me. Please. I want it! (Don’t click the read more, there isn’t any more after this!)
Check out http://www.troglodyterose.com and check out ‘Who is Troglodyte Rose?’. Further updates to follow every week.
So, apparently William Sanders noticed my blog post about him the other day, which was partially in response to some things that Joe Sherry posted. And, in typical Sanders fashion, he’s opened up a lovely discussion about me, even though he claims to not care what I think. We all believe that.I don’t much care to go into a rant about his comments this time around, partly because I’ve already discussed it in the comments section of the original thread he’s upset about. A few points do need to be made, though, but I’ll be relatively brief. I think at this point we’re more than aware of Sanders’s (yes I used the correct apostrophe this time) attitude and the manner in which he addresses people, particularly those he doesn’t like. Sanders may very well be a nice guy in real life, Internet personas being what they are, but professionalism is certainly not his strong suit.So, to the points: Yes, I was aware that the “interview” that Sanders did was a mock interview. That’s sort of the whole point, isn’t it? Am I the only one that finds it remarkably pathetic that someone has to create a fake interview with themselves in order to do whatever it is that Sanders is doing? Setting the record straight, perhaps? Sanders isn’t nearly as clever as the people over at The Onion, who actually do trick people from time to time. But, I’m glad he got a sense of joy out of it, silly as it is. There’s certainly plenty that was not correctly understood about Sanders’s statements in his rejection. Still, the word “sheethead” is not the same as “shithead,” as he so aptly claims, and rightfully shares similarities to slang terms used for blacks or certain groups of Asian descent. Perhaps one should look at the comments in this post to get a clear idea of what “sheethead” means to some people. Sanders may very well think that he’s just referring to a small group of people, but other people can’t possibly know at any time what he’s actually thinking, and for him not to realize that many people are aware of the more negative aspect of the term he used, or at least not to acknowledge it when it was brought to light, is one his failings. So Sanders meant something else by the term, but he wasn’t man enough to acknowledge that other people don’t see it the same way and that it was an error in judgment, or at least a moment of educational clarity and that he was at least sorry for the misunderstanding? Apologizing for something that simple is really not that hard. This is like the Don Imus of the interwebs. Wait, no it’s not. Imus publicly apologized. I did incorrectly state “ads” in my original post. I meant to say links. That was an incorrect assumption on my part when I read a blog post referring to the removal of advertising for Helix. What they meant was link advertising–such as a blogroll. I said “if” Sanders works in this business, not when. Whether he wants to work in it again or not is irrelevant, as is the fact that he’s retired. One can still work and be retired. Helix might have been a non-profit venture, but work was still done on the project. It’s not like Sanders just went, “Poof. There you go.” Unless he’s Jesus or something, which is highly unlikely. I’m actually quite happy that Sanders took the time out of his day to open a discussion about me, being so unknown as I am. I’m glad he got a laugh too. I certainly laughed at his post about me, and the previous things he’s said in regards to this whole issue. He wouldn’t be saying the things he says if he wasn’t enjoying it would he? Well, maybe, but so be it.I also appreciate the free traffic. True, it’s negative publicity, but I checked my feed thing today and I’ve gained several new readers on both email and RSS. So, that makes me happy. I think it’s pretty silly that one of the things being discussed is my first name, as if Shaun is really the worst thing to happen to English-language names. Really, there are worse names to be concerned about, like Apple or Pilot Inspector. Shaun is a relatively common spelling and really not that big of a deal. It’s not like I’m named Schauwnne. I was criticized for my misuse of copyright stuff at the bottom of my site. I admit, I don’t know a whole lot in regards to copyright or Creative Commons. I’ve changed it a bit, but if anyone still has suggestions on how to improve that section, feel free to let me know. I have been misusing the apostrophe. Having been corrected and having researched it, I can say that I was improperly taught on the use of apostrophes at the end of names with Ss. Now I know and knowing is half the battle. Thanks for the help–to the people who left comments on my original post. Mr. Sanders: it’s not too late to grow up, even just a little. Really. I think that’s all. If anyone else has something to add, go for it.
I recently took this silly little test to see how good my color vision is and got a perfect score, which means that I apparently have perfect color vision. It’s kind of strange, I suppose. I thought I would do decent, but not great. Take the test and see how you do! (Don’t click the read more, there isn’t any more after this!)
So today I was reading one new author’s account of how she struggled as a starving artist in New York, even after receiving her first advance. Then I heard one of the magazines a colleague regularly contributed to was no longer able to pay him. The London Magazine, too, which was initially set up by T. S. Eliot, is unable to pay any more, since the Arts Council ceased their funding. Whilst this last is directly attributable to the London Olympics swallowing much of the funding, I’ve had to ask myself, with Lloyds TSB and Halifax Bank of Scotland today announcing a drastic merger to avoid another Northern Rock scenario–with writing being merely ‘entertainment’, will writers continue to suffer in today’s economic climate? I remember someone telling me that rates of pay for spec fic writers have remained the same since the 1920s. Non-fiction rates aren’t always what they should be if you’re freelance, either. Usually, unless you get a cushy job behind a desk in a glossy mag, you can never expect much anyway. Or you can become Anne Rice, but it’s very difficult to predict which authors will become big. So we’re already at the mercy of whim and circumstance. But aren’t we just fluff anyway? How necessary is the job of the writer–particularly the fiction writer–in a world of increasing literacy but without the disposable income to afford aspirational magazines and glossy new hardback books? Journalists will always be needed, but there are many different types and a true journalist is different to a writer. They get out there, find stories, please their editors and only write incidentally. The news is more important than the writing, and the journalism more important than the writer. I haven’t bought a non-literary magazine in a long time. They never appeal to me any more when much of the stuff I used to read in them can be found online for free. I buy lots of literary magazines, but often grimace at the contents or commend their effort and tuck it away only partially read. I buy them more for display, these days, because there are so many writers and too few great stories. So will we begin to struggle even harder to find the few meagre jobs we need to pay the rent? If banks are folding, it’s only a matter of time before frivolities like books begin to decline in sales. Or is literature immortal? Will we need it whatever time period we’re in? You’re thoughts are welcome.
I got this from Peggy over at Biology in Science Fiction. What’s amazing about this isn’t just that it’s the most bizarre and hilarious things to ever be said about Disney (and I really hope Disney was behind this), but that everyone in the video are absolutely, 100% dead serious. They don’t crack up or anything. I can just see kids thinking this is real all over the place and wishing they could be genetically grown by Disney too.Watch it, because it’s hilarious: Disney Lab Unveils Its Latest Line Of Genetically Engineered Child Stars (Don’t click the read more, there isn’t any more after this!)
