(1) EMMY CAMPAIGN. Comicbook.com spotted these “For Your Consideration” videos touting Star Trek: Discovery for costuming and makeup Emmy nominations.
(2) WISCON PROGRAM NOTES. Yes, there were other panels at WisCon… Lady Business has launched a series of posts to tell you about them, beginning with – “WisCon 42 Panel Writeups: ‘Positive Representations of Masculinity’”.
I didn’t think to say this during the panel itself, but I’ve seen the “helping hand” ethos more and more on reality tv lately. I’ve been watching a lot of Face Off, which is a makeup/special effects artist competition show, and once of the great sellings points of that show for me is how often the competitors help each other. On that show there’s often an element of “this person’s idea for the makeup is so good and it would be a shame if they didn’t manage to realize their vision because of [impediment of the hour].” It’s great to see this approach spreading through more and more competition shows. It’s not just a question of what kinds of contestants are on these shows, but deliberate editing decisions about choosing to play up cooperation rather than conflict. Face Off started out playing up the conflict a lot more in early seasons, but as the show went on they chose more and more to highlight the collaborative aspects and the artistry. I think this is a really important trend in terms of what producers and editors predict or perceive audiences reacting well to, and it’s a trend we can and should reward.
(3) WISH FULFILLMENT. C.E. Murphy’s friends made it happen — “Agent Carter Kisses”.
I have, from time to time, made noises about how much I wanted the Agent Carter kit from Besame Cosmetics, all with a “maybe someday I can buy it” wist.
Well, some of my friends conspired and got it for me as a birthday gift! In fact, I got the package from the Lead Conspirator, my friend Mary Anne, and I thought “???” and turned it to see ‘cosmetics’ written on the customs form, and, as Young Indiana will attest, said, “Oh, she didn’t,” right out loud.
… Later, after everybody said BUT WHAT ABOUT THE OTHER ONES I went to try them, too, and holy carp.
Me, looking at the color of the 2nd lipstick (“Forget Me Not”): oh, this will definitely by my least favorite of three colors.
Me, putting it on: holy shit if this is my LEAST favorite this is gonna be an AMAZING trio!!!
The products are still available from Besame Cosmetics’ Agent Carter Shop.
We are overjoyed to introduce our 1946 Agent Carter collection. This labor of love was sparked by Marvel’s use of our popular shade, 1946 Red Velvet, on the iconic Agent Carter. Peggy’s fierce independence, glamour, and intelligence — as well as our love for the series — inspired us to create a collection dedicated to the show.
(4) GUFF. Congratulations to Donna Maree Hansen for publishing her GUFF Trip Report so quickly!
My GUFF trip report is complete at 62 pages comprised of 26,000 words and photos. The report contains the account of the trip I made to Finland for Worldcon 75 and my adventures meeting fans around northern Europe, Ireland and the UK.
If you would like a copy then please order below. All money raised from the report goes to the GUFF to support other SF fans to travel to SF cons in Europe and Australasia.
I’ve set the minimum donation to $7.00.
Thank you in advance.
(5) IT COMES IN THE MAIL. Seen at ~12:00 in this video, Campbell (best new writer) nominee Jeanette Ng sent a copy of her book with a thank you note to the creators of a wrestling podcast she thanked in the acknowledgements.
DMS, who sent the item, says “And, yes, I do watch a show about opening mail.”
(6) A PEEK AT THE BALLOT. Joe Sherry resumes his Nerds of a Feather series with “Reading the Hugos: Novella” —
River of Teeth: From my review: “Um, did you know there was a serious plan to bring hippopotamuses to America to alleviate a meat shortage? I didn’t either, but Sarah Gailey did. I’m so happy that she knew this because it grew into this insanity of a novella that delivers a fantastic story that feels like the wild west as seen from hippoback. River of Teeth is glorious, but it is more than just the wonderful idea of using hippos as beasts of burden and transit (and oh, this idea is so well excuted) – it is also filled with striking characters like Winslow Remington Houndstooth and Regina Archambault, but the whole cast, really. It’s great.” The fact that this is my least favorite of the finalists does not denigrate River of Teeth at all, but rather it shows just how high the bar is in this category.
(7) ON FIRE. Paul Weimer’s latest Nerds of a Feather contribution is “Microreview [book]: Fire Dance, by Ilana C Myer”.
In 2015, attracted by it’s cover and premise, I became interested in the work of then debut novelist Ilana C Myer. Her Last Song Before Night was a triumph of poetry, language and worldbuilding that immersed me from the first page and refused to let me go. I was left wanting to learn much more about Lin and her world of Court Poets, returning magic, and vivid language.
Fire Dance, although not strictly a sequel to Last Song Before Night, returns us to that same world, set not longer thereafter. The consequences of Lin’s unleashing of long suppressed magic in the land of Eivar is only starting to be felt, with none understanding what this will truly mean….
(8) VACATIONING FROM THE NEW AND SHINY. Book Smugglers’ Ana Grilo turns back to “Old School Wednesdays: The Amulet of Samarkand (Bartimaeus #1) by Jonathan Stroud”.
This is another entry in a series of Old School Wednesdays posts, brought to you by the amazing folks who supported us on Kickstarter. As one reward level, backers were given the opportunity to pick an Old School title for one of us to read and review online.
It starts with the summoning of one of the most powerful djinn in history, Bartimaeus. He is tasked with stealing the Amulet of Samarkand from Simon Lovelace, one of England’s greatest and most powerful magicians. Bound and controlled by the magician who summoned him (and WHO could have that kind of power?), Bartimaeus sets out to accomplish the deed.
(9) TIMESCAPE IMPRINT. James Davis Nicoll reminds Tor.com readers “Why Editors Matter: David Hartwell’s Extraordinary Timescape Books”.
Thanks to Asimov’s repeated admonitions that editors matter, I began at an early age to pay attention to the humans responsible for the books I consumed en masse. When I knew which editors were behind the works I liked, I would follow them from company to company. Thus I first became aware of Hartwell as the person behind Pocket Books’ remarkable Timescape imprint1.
(10) MAREN OBIT. Jerry Maren, the last of The Wizard of Oz’ Munchkin actors, died in May. The Hollywood Reporter has the details: “Jerry Maren, Last Surviving Adult Munchkin From ‘Wizard of Oz,’ Dies at 98”.
He also appeared in ‘Superman’ and Marx Brothers movies, as well as on television in ‘The Gong Show’ and ‘Seinfeld.’
Jerry Maren, the last surviving adult Munchkin from The Wizard of Oz, has died. He was 98.
The actor, who stayed active in show business long after Dorothy had returned to her home in Kansas, died last month, a niece and his nephew reported in separate Facebook posts.
Maren had been residing in an assisted-care facility in the San Diego area, Steve Cox, co-author of the 2006 book Short and Sweet: The Life and Times of the Lollipop Munchkin, told The Hollywood Reporter.
At age 19, Maren (at 3-foot-4) appeared as one of the three Lollipop Guild Munchkins (the green one in the middle) in the classic 1939 movie. He had been spotted by an MGM scout while performing in a show at the Bond Hotel in Connecticut and was the youngest of the 124 adult actors to suit up as a Munchkin. (A few children were used as a well.)
(11) PEW PEW. The Pew Research Center has published a new study of how Americans view the roles of NASA and of private companies in space endeavors: “Majority of Americans Believe It Is Essential That the U.S. Remain a Global Leader in Space”
Despite the increasing role of private companies in space exploration, most believe NASA’s role is still vital for future.
Sixty years after the founding of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), most Americans believe the United States should be at the forefront of global leadership in space exploration. Majorities say the International Space Station has been a good investment for the country and that, on balance, NASA is still vital to the future of U.S. space exploration even as private space companies emerge as increasingly important players.
…And, as the private sector increasingly ventures into space – through companies such as SpaceX, Blue Origin and Virgin Galactic – 65% of Americans believe NASA should still play a vital role in the exploration of space, while a third (33%) say private companies will ensure enough progress in this area even without NASA’s involvement.
Pew summarizes their findings as regards NASA with this graphic:
Three news sources provide their own takes on what the Pew research “really” means (note the variability in headlines, in particular):
- The Register (which calls itself “a leading global online tech publication”): “USA! USA! We’re No.1! And we want to keep it that way – in spaaaace”.
A study published today by the Pew Research Center has found that a majority of Americans reckon that staying on top of the space pile should be a US priority, with NASA still attracting a lot of love.
However, party poppers are unlikely to be fired within NASA’s scattered spaceflight centres since the idea of putting boots back on the Moon or on Mars doesn’t attract quite the same levels of affection.
While previous studies, like this one by the National Science Board, found that 25 per cent of Americans felt too much was spent on space exploration (45 per cent said it was OK and 21 per cent wanted more), the new research focussed on where US citizens think space priorities should lie and who – NASA or the private sector – should be doing the work.
- Axios: “Americans want NASA to focus more on our home planet: Survey”. This article leads with a redone version of the Pew graphic above, then adds:
Americans rank monitoring Earth’s climate and detecting asteroids and other objects that could hit the planet as top priorities for NASA, according to a new Pew Research Center survey. Lowest on the list: returning astronauts to the Moon — a top priority for the White House.
For the future: Half of the 2,541 Americans surveyed think people will be routinely traveling to space as tourists in the next 50 years. But 58% of respondents said they wouldn’t want to orbit Earth.
The Trump administration has vowed to make America great again in spaceflight, and the centerpiece of its space policy to date has been a re-prioritization of human spaceflight as central to NASA’s activities. As part of this initiative, the White House has sought to reduce funding for satellites to observe environmental changes on Earth and eliminate NASA’s office of education.
However, a new survey of 2,541 Americans by Pew Research Center, which aims to represent the views of US adults, finds that these views appear to be out of step with public priorities.
(Special thanks to Mike Kennedy for pulling this item together.)
(12) MEANWHILE, BACK AT REALITY. NPR reports “Space Station For Sale: NASA Administrator Is In Talks With International Companies”.
Soyuz MS-09 spacecraft is scheduled to blast off Wednesday morning with its three-member crew to begin what is billed as Expeditions 56-57 at the International Space Station.
But new NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine, this week is talking openly about a very different future the International Space Station and space travel in general. The big idea is less government and more private investment.
In an interview with the Washington Post published Tuesday, Bridenstine says he is in talks with international companies about commercial management of the space station.
Bridenstine, who was sworn in this past April, says there are many large corporations that are interested the commercial potential of the ISS.
(13) FROM HERE TO THERE. Camestros Felapton became positively obsessed with working up a list of all the possible ideas about “How To Teleport”. Amazing! Here are three examples –
- Transport only your consciousness, transmit into clone or robot bodies somewhere else. Obviously has a potential duplication issue. Seems a lot like demonic possession the more you think about it.
- Quantum tunnelling. Fundamental particles can do this so why can’t you? There’s a chance that you might be somewhere else and so sometimes you are somewhere else. Requires messing with the fundamentals of probability.
- A wormhole/portal. You physically move but through a piece of space that is a shortcut. The implication is that places in space ae all physically closer than they appear.
Then he followed up with a 19-paragraph set of model “Terms and Conditions” for using such a device — highly entertaining!
Teleport-buffer Terms & Conditions
1 You must access and use the HereThere!(tm) teleport-buffer (“teleport-buffer”) only in accordance with these terms and conditions (“Teleport-buffer Terms and Conditions”) the Energiser/De-energiser Terms and Conditions and any instructions for use provided or made available by Tel-E-Port-U Centauri Pty Ltd or its affiliates (“Tel-E-Port-U”) or Engineering Officers from time to time.
2 The teleport-buffer is designed for HereThere!(tm) VIP Club members (“Members”) to contain their own thoughts, DNA-profiles, matter states and continuity of persistent existence profiles. The materials holding thoughts and opinions contained on this teleport-buffer (including the responses in the ‘HereThere!(tm) Help Panel and the ’DNA-check sum’ area) are the thoughts and opinions of the teleported parties and not those of Tel-E-Port-U. Tel-E-Port-U does not endorse or support any buffered thoughts or opinions or guarantee the accuracy of any of the information, beliefs or perceived facts stored on the teleport-buffer no matter how brief or protracted storage in the buffer might be.
(14) CONCAROLINAS. Author Jason Gilbert, who ran ConCarolinas’ film festival, told Facebook readers why he won’t be involved anymore.
On a professional level, it was one of the easiest decisions I’ve ever made.
ConCarolinas was the first con that ever accepted me as a guest, and I have considered it my “Home Con” for years. But the past few years have shown the con to be moving in a direction that I cannot go. The event itself and the past few days have made my decision easier. Where I was originally going to resign from running the film festival since I only agreed to do it for one year, I cannot make myself return in any capacity. I have seen ConComm members treating guests and vendors with disrespect. I have seen scheduling that made any form of professional development almost impossible, and turned what could have been good panels into a conversation led by people who have no knowledge in that particular subject, and are questioning why they were placed on the panel in the first place when they never signed up for it. Filmmakers who worked hard on their projects and were rewarded with recognition and awards were treated as an afterthought.
But, beyond that, I have seen horrific behavior from the ConComm on social media. A disabled guest was openly mocked in two separate Facebook threads, which disgusted me to my core. I have screenshots. Complaints about John Ringo’s fans using the ConCarolinas page to hunt down Guests and Attendees in efforts to troll and harass them on their own walls to the point of abuse and hate speech were ignored. I have screenshots. The conchair went to David Weber’s page and offered discount passes to next year’s event if those on the “Right” could tell stories of actions taken against them by those on the “Left.” I have screenshots. Two con security volunteers, both with no more than the basic, required 8-hour training in order to receive a permit to carry a concealed weapon in North Carolina, were carrying over the weekend. One of them the head of the team. I have screenshots. I have contacted the hotel and gotten their policy. Based on my conversation with them, they had no idea that, not only were there loaded guns at the event, but that there have been loaded guns at the event for years. One guest will be having a conference call today over this, as management is apparently floored.
(15) TREK ACTORS REUNITED. GeekTyrant has this story covered: “First Trailer For The Sci-Fi Thriller 5TH PASSENGER Brings Together Several Fan-Favorite STAR TREK Actors”
The first trailer has been released for a new sci-fi thriller 5th Passenger and the cool think about this film is that it brings together several fan-favorite Star Trek cast members.
…The cast of the film includes Doug Jones (Star Trek: Discovery), Tim Russ (Star Trek: Voyager, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine), Marina Sirtis (Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: First Contact, Star Trek: Generations), and Armin Shimerman (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine).
5th Passenger was funded through Kickstarter and they ended up raising a little over $80,000. The goal was to create the film centered around a strong female lead. The director of the film, Scott Blake, had this to say about his film:
“I directed 5th Passenger because it’s a film I wanted to see. It is inspired by my love of the science fiction genre, The Twilight Zone, and Alfred Hitchcock Presents. All twisted storylines with principled characters thrown into extreme situations where society breaks down and their morals and values are tested.”
(16) KISSY-FACE. Iphinome hit it out of the park with these two scales for measuring literary displays of affection:
Having given it some thought, here’s a kissy-face scale.
0 – No kissy face
1 – rare and chaste kissy face
2 – What you would expect from two people who date
3 – Delectable, some people do like to make kissy face and it is wonderful but that’s not the main plot
4 – There’s a lot of kissy face here. Might be uncomfortable.
5 – They’re kissing again. Is this a kissing book?And a second scale for grownup sexy times
0 – Eww no keep your cooties out of my reading time
1 – This book contains grown ups and you should assume they like sexy times from time to time but it isn’t really talked about.
2 – Implied grownup sexy times. I hate a great time last night. Come to my room later. Cut away to another scene after the kissy face.
3 – On page low detail grownup sexy times.
4 – Grown up sexy times with detail, low frequency. One or two such events in a novel length work.
4.5 – Outlander
5 – You’re reading this story because you really like reading detailed depictions of grown up sexy times.Swordspoint gets three kissy face emoji.
[Thanks to Chip Hitchcock, JJ, DMS, Mike Kennedy, Martin Morse Wooster, Carl Slaughter, Andrew Porter, Cat Eldridge, and John King Tarpinian for some of these stories, Title credit goes to File 770 contributing editor of the day Daniel Dern.]
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@Lee
I don’t think the green ones existed yet but definitely brown in any case:
Van Halen and the brown M&M’s
Ugh. Time travel. I’m getting sick of time travel.
(I’ve been having a conversation on the subject in another forum, taking the apparently incomprehensible position that Paradox Is Not A Thing, even with a single timeline, because the whole “the universe erases the time traveler who goes back and kills Grandma in her crib” idea makes no sense. I refuse to believe in langoliers!)
Im betting 5€ that the head of ConCarolinas will blame the Left if they cant find a venue in the future.
@Lee
Good for them! I’ve heard so many horror stories of fan cons that have treated hotel workers like trash, engaged in clearly inappropriate behaviour, and actively gone out of their way to damage property and harass non con guests because they believe the space is theirs alone that I instinctively assume venues prepare for cons like troops laying in supplies and digging in ahead of an invasion. It’s nice to hear something positive.
I discovered Face Off after it had been running for a couple of seasons, and yes, the fact that it was a “reality show” competition where the participants would regularly cooperate and help each other was one of the big things that struck me, and made the show actually seem appealing. (The other, of course, was the fabulous makeup effects.) It’s the only reality show I’ve regularly watched.*
And yes, I went back and watched some of the earlier seasons, and was not really surprised to see they’d played up conflicts and personality clashes at first. But I was very glad to see they’d recognized that the show had other appeals. Because I don’t find that sort of thing at all appealing.
* Technically, I’ve watched a couple of short-lived spinoffs as well. They had one for set designers, which only lasted a season, but which I quite enjoyed. My guess is that it ended up being too expensive to make, but I’m not sure.
@Dex: I suspect that fan cons only rarely achieve the depths that cheerleading groups do.
Whoops, forgot to tick the box.
C’mon, baby, light my file!
@Rail
I understand any group made up of middle-aged men is hard on hotels.
@PJ Evans
Despite all my rage, Im still a bit hard on hotels
(to misqote the smashing pumpkins)
Tick!
Re: 14 – There’s now a petition to remove Jada and Luis from the concom:
https://www.ipetitions.com/petition/removal-of-jada-and-luis-diaz-from-concarolinas
I’ve stayed at this specific hotel for a MACE gaming convention. I do not recall it banning weapons. Many hotel chains in NC do not ban weapons if the person has a valid concealed carry permit or is carrying a broken down long gun. I’ve traveled with shotguns several times in NC hotels to shoot clays with buddies during my visits. The hotels were in cities ranging from medium sized to the largest cities in the State (Charlotte is one).
There is no ban on weapons on the web hotel policy page – where is usually where you will find it.
See: http://www3.hilton.com/en/hotels/north-carolina/hilton-charlotte-university-place-CLTHUHF/about/policies.html
Many of you seem to have a gun phobia and lack understanding of what firearms laws are or how to look them up.
What Ringo was accused of and the reason he was dropped by ConCarolinas is being conveniently ignored. What he was accused of was outright libel. Cease and desist letters were sent by Ringo’s attorney. You could actually look this up – instead of ignoring the actual issue involved.
Glyer always selectively edits & screens when I post. So this will probably not be seen by anyone except Glyer.
To whom were these letters sent? I didn’t get a letter. Or even a phone call. The commenter couldn’t have gotten a letter — he wasn’t posting here under his real name. They had to doxx him to track him down — and they did.
Organic material found on Mars!
LINK
MODERATOR’S COMMENT: This site is having a DDoS attack today. It has been down, and may go down again. I am working with the ISP.
@Mike Glyer, someone’s having a temper tantrum that you post publicly available SF news?
*sigh*
This is why we can’t have nice things.
Assuming our visitor is referring to the accusation of illegal activities, that was part of the conversation quite late. It was not part of what people initially objected to about Ringo’s presence, and I’m half-sure that it was only commented about after he’d already been asked not to attend. Bit hard to check that while a DDoS attack is cludging things up, though.
But I guess it’s nice for his supporters to be able to ignore all the real criticism in favour of complaining about the false one.
Green M&Ms have always existed. They’re one of the original colors. According to common wisdom in my junior high school, they were supposed to have special powers, but there was some confusion over what these were.
I lived through the great Red M&M Scare when you didn’t get red M&Ms because of red dyes #2 and #4.
I’m still angry that the Carlton Blues changed their colors for a match to promote the arrival of blue M&Ms.
MODERATOR’S COMMENT: I have done what I’ll term the first level changes to see if that ameliorates the problem. Those of you who are regular users — let me know if you have any problems with your accustomed experience accessing and using this site.
If I have to go to the second level, it will involve another DNS change. And we know how much fun they are. But more fun than having the site burned down.
Cool your jets, Avery, I’m in NC and a firearm owner, and I still say this stinks on ice. The convention’s own code of conduct says “All “Real” weapons prohibited.” Security is supposed to enforce the code of conduct—and yes, I’ve worked security too, before you accuse me of having a security phobia or whatever. When I find out that the head of Security is A) breaking the CoC and B) publically bragging about it, then I start wondering why I trust him to enforce any OTHER rule in the CoC.
Security are supposed to be the guaranteed adults in the room. This isn’t that behavior. Period.
ETA: Couldn’t access the site earlier, Mike, and was wondering about that. Sympathy.
Mike: no issues accessing the site.
Mike, no issues with access. Testing commenting…success.
Editing a comment…some churn but it works.
I had issues accessing the site earlier, but it seems ok now.
I have a question, and I want to make sure it’s not me being stupid. I went to the http://www.worldcon76.org/wsfs/site-selection WorldCon Site Selection page and tried to buy a token, but didn’t see any way to do it. Then I went to the PDF, since it says there are instructions there, and it said to go back to the Site Selection page. Am I being stupid or is there no way to buy a token posted yet?
It used to be that hotels loved British fans because they booked the hotel during a dead period (Easter), and in the words of a friend of mine who negotiated with them, “drink like rugby fans and fight like chess fans”.
I told this to the (Italian) head waiter of the evening shift during one Eastercon, and when I added that we don’t drink like we used to, he begged to differ and said that the current crowd certainly could put them away. He also added that the staff was much taken with fans, finding them polite, reasonable, good tippers, and in general giving the vibe of people who are having a good time. This was, he said, a completely different experience that the concentration of entitled arrogant and angry assholes that tend to make up your average management conference.
@Mike Glyer
It’s running a hair slow but it’s back up. Yay!
Sorry you’re having to deal with this!!!
@Mike Glyer: I’m behind on comments but just came here and saw a couple of recent ones. Sorry you’re having evil jerks attack the site!
Avery Abernethy: I’ve stayed at this specific hotel for a MACE gaming convention. I do not recall it banning weapons. Many hotel chains in NC do not ban weapons… There is no ban on weapons on the web hotel policy page – where is usually where you will find it.
One of the commenters stated that they themselves had talked to hotel staff, who said that weapons were not allowed. I’m going to rely on that, rather than on your memory and your assumptions. 🙄
Avery Abernethy: What Ringo was accused of and the reason he was dropped by ConCarolinas is being conveniently ignored.
Actually, what he’s been accused of has been cited and discussed here extensively, and many people have read Ringo’s own account of his harassing behavior. Sorry you missed it all — but you can go back and read it by clicking on the ConCarolinas tag and the John Ringo tag.
Avery Abernethy: Glyer always selectively edits & screens when I post.
That’s because in the past you have posted some incredibly offensive things here, including the time you went off on a rant against me and calling me names. 🙄
Mike, I’m having trouble accessing some older pages, such as the 2018 recommendations page and I think the June 1 Pixel Scroll (I usually leave pixel scrolls open in a tab for 48 hours from the last comment). When I tried to refresh them, it lost the post number without picking up the post name I see you are now using instead. This page and the Campbell page did switch from number to name successfully. I haven’t tried any others yet. I expect that is an artifact of the switch, and older posts will get converted over time, but you asked for behavior changes.
Good luck. I’m sorry you’re getting stuck with all this work again in addition to all the reporting you do for us.
@Avery: One of the program directors had contacted the hotel prior to the convention to ask about their gun policy because they were concerned (given the level of heat the con was getting over inviting/uninviting Ringo) about the safety of the attending guests and fans. She was told by management they had a “no guns” policy. Two other guests reported calling and being told the same thing (one prior to the event, one after the event).
As far as Ringo is concerned, I have the screencaps from two days ago where he posted repeated, lengthy screeds calling a friend a liar and a fool for recounting an event from several years ago. He insisted she was making it up, that she was an idiot to think anyone would believe her because she didn’t even live in his part of the country. And, then, once folks pointed out which con the incident took place at, proceeded to swank back to his own page to tell his version of the story. (Which was the same version except he didn’t think his “ribald jokes” should have caused offense.) And that’s just this week. The history is long and documented. Much of it consists of his own blogging and other social media activity. (In other words, not word of mouth, but the actual words out of his mouth.)
Peer
Not taking that bet.
No issues accessing the site, but just in case it’s needed, here is the link to the open thread for File 770 refugees on my site again: http://corabuhlert.com/2018/04/27/open-thread-for-file-770-refugees/
@Avery
There is a difference between carrying a broken down and/or packed up rifle into a hotel in order to go hunting or target shooting and walking around with a loaded gun at a crowded convention.
Laura “Tegan” Gjovaag on June 7, 2018 at 3:28 pm said:
Try e-mailing [email protected] if you have questions about the 2020 Site Selection.
Lenore Jones / jonesnori: Yes, that’s the kind of thing I am interested in hearing about.
FYI I had to change the permalink format from default to what you’re seeing now. I tested it myself on an internally-linked post from a recent Scroll and had no problem. However, there are other possible problems I am concerned about.
Re: 14 – There’s now a petition to remove Jada and Luis from the concom:
It just may be me, but I really doubt that a petition with everyone ‘anonymous’ is going to be of much use.
Symbolic or otherwise.
In an non-related chuckle, I see that JDA is claiming that he was bumped off Twitter because of a concerted effort by File770 people. Is there a super-secret level you have to achieve to get be a part of that? like 33rd level Masons?
Well, I checked, and the comment which accused Ringo of illegal activity was a late comment on the post announcing Ringo’s withdrawal, so it is a complete fiction to suggest it was the false accusation that was the reason for people objecting to his presence. Nothing else, so far as I’m aware, was described as libel.
I’m not surprised that history has been so promptly rewritten, given prior interactions with the Puppies and Puppy-adjacent, but I’m a little sad that a false accusation has been seized as an excuse to pretend the real problems (most of which Ringo freely admits to) don’t exist.
@Mike Glyer
Maybe a touch slow but only a little. I might not even notice if I wasn’t checking for it.
Right now I’m not having any trouble.
[click]
Oops. My bad; I thought the instructions on the supplied ballots were more specific. Tokens may be purchased by logging back into RegOnline with the email address you used to register in the first place. The page after the personal information form now offers the tokens for sale. Tick the box for each you want, then click through to the checkout page (you can use the tabs at the top to jump ahead to it) and pay the balance due. You should get your tokens from my regbot software within 10 minutes, if everything is behaving.
I have udpated the web page with more information.
We’ll be using a similar technique to sell tour tickets.
I couldn’t reach the site earlier; let’s hope this goes through.
@Avery: Nobody here has said that it’s illegal to have guns in a North Carolina hotel. We’ve been talking about the likelihood that ConCarolinas signed a contract in which they agreed that people other than police officers would carry guns on the premises. (Hotel contracts can and do forbid any number of things that the law doesn’t care about, such as giving away cans of soda in the con suite.)
The other point raised was that the con told members they couldn’t carry guns even if they had concealed carry permits; it now appears that there were secret exceptions for a very few people, including the head of security, who is also the con chair’s husband. I can’t speak for gun owners, but people tend to dislike being told that they have to obey the rules, and the boss’s family doesn’t.
The reason that the current set of M&M advertisements portray the green one as a sexy babe is because the green ones were supposed to be like unto Viagra and/or eating them indicated you were hot to trot (The slutty cheerleaders who had the dorm room next to me — to the detriment of my sleeping and studying — ate a lot of green ones).
I too lived through the red/no red/new red M&M years. A kid born just before the ban looked at me and his mom like we were nuts when we mentioned there used to be red ones. I never understood why they had two shades of brown, so I’m not fussed about blue replacing tan now.
If the concom/staff can’t follow their own CoC, it means they aren’t going to enforce it fairly. If the con broke the contract that they signed, the hotel is well within its rights to sue them for breach of contract (possibly including damages) and refuse further custom from them. That’s the basis of all capitalism, FFS. The liability issues alone!
And considering hotels in areas do talk to each other, plus that the hotel in question is part of a big worldwide chain which owns other chains… you can bet your Gideon Bible and Book of Mormon that there will be talk.
Meredith Moment: Filer Chris Gerrib’s novel Pirates of Mars (second book in his Pirates trilogy) is free on Amazon US for a limited time.
Hmm. I’ve tried a long comment twice and it went through the procedure but didn’t show up here. It did run through the procedure in the usual time.
Mind you, I had the same problem on Google a few days ago so it might be me.
I’ll try again.
PS Editing works fine and no delay.
@Lurkertype
Or the spam filter. Iirc moderated stuff still appears to the author, but if it gets ganked by the spam filter it vanishes entirely.
Additional recommendations for non-backstabby reality television: I’ve liked the episodes of The Great British Sewing Bee that I’ve seen for exactly this reason. Contestants are supportive of each other, even as they’re trying to do their best. Here’s the first episode online.
And the Netflix series Nailed It! is very funny. The premise is that amateur, not-very-skilled bakers compete to reproduce fancy baked goods of the type one sees on Instagram and Pinterest. Although, or maybe because, it’s based on an understood premise of “everybody’s going to fail”, it winds up funny and warm. Here’s the trailer.
@Meredith: It doesn’t even appear for me. Didn’t have any links or anything.
But then my ISP is sloooow on updating propagation too.
If by “ignored” you mean “discussed it at length over multiple blog posts,” you are correct.
We know the original impetus behind the decision that ConCarolinas and Ringo mutually reached for him not to attend the con. We saw everything that followed, including Ringo’s offensive behavior this week towards the female writer who accused him of making sexually objectifying comments towards her when they were on a panel together.
He was calling himself classy for making an apology while at the same time insulting the person he offended. That was quite a performance.
Testing a long post with an old filk:
Through early morning fog I see
Another troll post on the screen
Their words that are meant to rile me
I realize and I can see
That scrolling past is painless
It brings on many changes
And I can take or leave it
If I please
Games of trolls are a loss to play
Not gonna feed it today
That losing card I’ll some day lay
But right now though I have to say
That scrolling past is painless
It brings on many changes
And I can take or leave it
If I please
Their words are time we’ll not see again
It doesn’t hurt when it begins
But engage and get all drawn in
The loss grows stronger, watch it grin
Scrolling past is painless
It brings on many changes
And I can take or leave it
If I please
Sea Lions once demanded me
To answer questions they thought key
Is it to be, or not to be?
And I replied, oh why ask me?
Scrolling past is painless
It brings on many changes
And I can take or leave it
If I please
And you can do the same thing
If you please
Site was down hard for most of the day for me. I guess it’s because I’m not in the Sekrit Cabal that (I hear?) is hounding really bad authors from Twitter.
I’m guessing Avery didn’t read any of the recent bear stories if he’s convinced we all fear guns. 🙂
I watched the first season of “Face Off” but they were playing up the rivalry. Maybe I’ll tune back in now.
“Nailed It!” is “Cake Wrecks, the TV show”.
(Here in 6152, Shoggoth’s eating my long posts)
Still won’t post. Mike, you might find them in the spam later on. Never mind!
There is too much, I will sum up:
Green M&Ms = sexual connotations, red ones missing for a while, blue are fine.
Breaking hotel contract entitles hotel to sue, refuse custom, etc. Contracts are basis of capitalism FFS! CoC apparently only for the “little people”, not the bosses.
The Great British Sewing Bee is my absolute favourite. Everyone is nice and sewing is fascinating. I used to watch Project Runway but aside from Tim Gunn who is lovely they tried a bit too hard with the whole negativity thing, and anyway it wasn’t exactly easy to watch in the UK and I prefer shows that want me to watch them.
I quit Bake Off in protest after they dumped the BBC for no good reason, partly in support of the presenters who left over it. I figured if people were willing to give up a regular paycheck I could give up some tv.