Archive of posts with tag 'weekest-link'
Feb 2014: The Weekest Link
But first, new blog theme on deirdre.net! I just changed it late last night, so I haven’t lived with everything quite long enough to figure out what I want to change. I need to do some work on the covers on the front page (to make them all the same size and work better within the theme).
Computers & Technology
- WordPress security best practices (video of a conference session)
- Model View Culture print subscriptions A literary mag about the “intersection of tech, culture and diversity.”
- Atari computer demonstration, 1979. Woman in the ad, too, very progressive for that era.
- Five programming tips from a seven year old. Yep.
- They’re breaking ground at the new Apple campus already. Woohoo!
- SelfieCity analyzes all the selfies out there.
- One of my favorite people in the Ruby community, Jim Weirich, passed away suddenly. His last commit. He made me feel welcome.
Writing & Publishing
- How Long Is the Average Book? Also includes relative frequency of POV (1st/3rd), broken by genre. No 2nd breakdown, though that number is probably vanishingly small.
- Considering self-publishing? Out:think group has some really interesting stuff, much of it free. Hearing Tim talk about why he thinks some people’s Facebook and Twitter strategies don’t work is a breath of fresh air. Basically: the real strategy is to have a mailing list.
- SFWA thing post from N. K. Jemisin. “But you don’t get to claim marginalization when you’re at the center of a thing.” If you’re tired of the SFWA train wreck, then just stick with that one pull quote.
- The semicolon’s breezy punctuality.
- Andrew O’Hagan on ghostwriting for Julian Assange. “It was exciting to think, in that very Jane Austen kind of house, that no novel had ever captured this new kind of history, where military lies on a global scale were revealed by a bunch of sleepy amateurs two foot from an Aga.” Note that this piece is 25,000 words, but it really does explain who Assange is. “I’ve never been with anybody who made me feel so like an adult. And I say that as the father of a ten-year-old.”
Arts
- How Olympic photographers get such stunning images
- XKCD, Slippery Slope
- The history of the Marber Grid, better known as the design ratios used in Penguin books of olde.
(http://society6.com/zeruch/the-liason_Pillow#25=193&18=126) (SFW abstract). - VHS vs. Communism Sometimes, we forget the power of art, especially when it’s not Art. This is why.
- Tatyana Fazlalizadeh wages an artistic war against street harassers.
- Photographer shoots one roll of film each week. This week features foggy San Francisco.
Science, Health, & Things Like That
- American Society of Breast Surgeons responds to Canada’s shocking recommendation against mammograms. I want to add that I’m really tired of the no-mammogram and no-PSA exam folks. Yes, there are some points to be made, but….
Miscellaneous Humor
- pnh: “[D]ingbats gonna ding.”
- When God closes a door, he opens a window. Our heating bill is outrageous & six raccoons got in last night. Please God, this has to stop.
- Dear people in the hotel room next door: I can hear you, and it sounds vaguely disappointing.
Feb 2014: The Weekest Link
I’ve been meaning to do a link-salad type post for a long time, and I just never came up with a catchy name for it. So: problem solved. I’m going to post this once a week.
I’ll just put in the links I found interesting or funny or whatever, and I’ll try to keep away from the rage-inducing stuff.
Computers & Technology
- From inception to Apple store in just one year
- The danger of paying a celebrity to tweet about your phone.
- Roses are red Violets are blue Nagios is red OH FUCK THE SITE’S DOWN
- For those of you with domain names, I like the domain ethics of @iwantmyname
- Expectations vs Reality in web development (pic) Also saw this one mentioned about film budgets.
- When You Fall in Love, This Is What Facebook Sees
Writing & Publishing
- If you’re a writer, and you want to know the difference between “show” don’t “tell,” the NBC Olympics coverage is NOTHING but tell.
- Last SFWA mention of the night and why you should join: Cory Doctorow’s “In praise of SFWA’s Grievance Committee”
- Courtney Milan: Some Thoughts on Author Earnings Courtney doesn’t blog much, but, when she does, it’s amazing. See this post on historical romance print sales, complete with Harlequin royalty statements.
- “For best results, your image should be 900 DPI and no larger than 1 MB.” Sigh. #cantmakethatoneup (me, about p. 19 of the Kobo User’s Guide)
- Women Destroy Science Fiction funds big time! $53,136 pledged of $5,000 goal
Arts
- Joys of living in Santa Fe:George RR Martin’s Free Game of Thrones screenings at theater he refurbished & reopened (pic)
- All the #INXS #NeverTearUsApart pics of @ryanjohnsonofoz (that I know of) (pics)
- Sekhmet with her kitties at the #Cairo museum (pic)
- Awesome analysis of typography in Duncan Jones’s MOON. (Spoilers) Bonus robotic hair cutters. LOL @ “Sam has a sexy dream about his wife. It does not, however, contain any typography.”
- Well, I was working and then I was drawing these sexy Photoshop pun valentines, I really don’t know what happened (pic)
- Meowl (pics)
- Ursula V’s honey badger valentine. (pic)
- Lauren Beukes: Mahala’s got a great piece up on one of my favorite street artists, Faith47. (pics) (Twitter link)
- Gull, a short film with @ryanjohnsonofoz and Andrew Ryan, is now on YouTube. (pic, video)
- This Is What a Librarian Looks Like. Awesome photos by @kylecassidy. (pics)
- Coffee condoms in the morning (pic)
- Marc Almond saw the Tainted Love floppy drive rendition, & decided to sing over the top… (video)
- Boldly going where no ring has gone before. Star Trek USS Enterprise ring
- Something warm and cozy for those snowed in this morning. #Catpurrcino (pic) Quite the doubletake.
- Thesaurus club. (pic)
Travel
- My Airplane Depressurized And Dropped 20,000 Feet Awesome tale. Last line FTW.
- Strawberry Field (forever). Highly manipulated sign from Liverpool, 2011. Pic (mine) is below.
Science, Health, and Things Like That
- Addiction doesn’t happen right away & that makes it worse. 5 Unexpected Things I Learned from Being a Heroin Addict
- Melted magma could warn of brewing volcanic eruptions
- Hatching. Baby. Ostrich. (pic)
- Location location location. (pic)
- Critically Endangered Amur Leopards Born at Prague Zoo So. Adorable.
Fandom
- In the ladies’ room, #gally (pic) Probably also in the men’s room….
Culture
- Today especially, remember, “Aloha” can mean “I love you” or it can mean “We’re breaking up.” #hawaiiproblems
- Polite reminder for straight people who say “who cares” when someone comes out: such gestures are addressed to lonely queer kids. not you.
- Seller mistakes Tengwar for Arabic on ring inscription. Not the Lord’s Prayer! Amazon review hilarity ensues.
Miscellaneous Humor
- Rick: “I’m sorry, you’re saying you have a presence on the Internet? I don’t have any understanding of what this is like.”
- “1983 just sent me a push notification” (pic)
- After looking at today’s shirt.woot.com: Rick: I need to go home now. Me: You are home. Rick: No. I think I need to go home now.
- Your shirt is red My shirt is blue Only one can beam up Can you guess who?
- “I’m afraid if I merge all tabs I’ll create a black hole and never be seen again.” (me)
- “I’m convinced cats believe in alternate universes every time it rains. They keep wanting to go out to the DRY outdoors.” (me)
- Rick: “These cannot be my socks.” Me: “Why?” Rick: “Because there’s an odd number of them.” (So, so true.)
- “This cake is vegan AND gluten-free AND soy-free.” … “Oh, that explains it.”
- “Everything happens for a reason” criticism, especially for you non-believers. (pic)
