Friday Night Videos

So, The Simpsons Movie opens today, 18 years after the famously jaundiced family made the jump from shorts on the Tracy Ullman Show to their own half-hour sitcom. Is there any doubt as to the music video must be featured in today's installment? You've got Bart Simpson, Sideshow Bob, Princess Kashmere and Bleeding Gums Murphy. It's directed by animation genius Brad Bird, the man who gave us The Iron Giant, The Incredibles and Ratatouille. What more could anyone want?



Previously on Friday Night Videos... Harry and the Potters.

Now Playing: Antonin Dvorák The Best of Dvorák

Evolution of insanity

Yesterday I wrote over at No Fear of the Future that Pope Benedict has come out in defense of evolution. Although I'm wary about his various pronouncements, I view this in a generally positive light. In short, it made me happy.

I should've known it wouldn't last. The happiness, that is. Today I learn via Byzantium's Shores that our beloved (*cough* 39 percent of the vote *cough*) Governor Rick Perry has decided to abandon all pretense of competency and appoint avowed creationist Don McLeroy to head up the State Board of Education.

Texas Freedom Network president Kathy Miller, whose group advocates for the strict separation of church and state, said Mr. Perry deserves an "F" for appointing "a clear ideologue who has repeatedly put his own personal and political agendas ahead of sound science, good health and solid textbooks for students."

She noted that in 2003, Dr. McLeroy was one of four board members who voted against proposed high school biology textbooks because he felt their coverage of evolution was "too dogmatic" and did not include possible flaws in Charles Darwin's theory of how life on Earth evolved from lower forms.

"Dr. McLeroy will now be in charge of the board's scheduled revision of the state's science curriculum standards, an area where he has already cast his lot with extremists who want to censor what our schoolchildren learn," said Ms. Miller, whose group frequently battles social conservatives over textbooks and other issues.

The Austin American-Statesman chimes in with a somewhat exasperated editorial, in which the nicest thing they could find to say about McLeroy was that he wasn't the worst possible choice:

In 2001, McLeroy and a majority of the board rejected the only Advanced Placement textbook for high school environmental science because its views on global warming and other events didn't comport with the beliefs of the board majority. The book wasn't factual and was anti-American and anti-Christian, the majority claimed. Meanwhile, dozens of colleges and universities were using the textbook, including Baylor University, the nation's largest Baptist college.

The Texas Freedom Network is on top of this travesty, and working to drum up scrutiny of McLeroy's potential future activities on the board. The Texas Citizens for Science website doesn't seem to be as up to date. This is troubling, because this is an issue they could do well to publicize and bring to the public's (and media's) attention.

Now Playing: The Gipsy Kings Volare!

NASFiC

I'll be attending Archon 31 in St. Louis Aug. 2-5. It'll be my first NASFiC, and my first Worldcon-level event since Lone Star Con 2 back in '97. That's like 10 years. Wow.

Anyway, the Archon folks have released the preliminary schedule of events, which has me participating in the following discuss-o-ramas:

• Thu, 3 p.m. - Ballroom C3 Smoke & Mirrors
  
• Fri, 11 p.m. - Ballroom D5 I'm Just Here for the Beer!
  
• Fri, 1 p.m. - Ballroom A SFWA: What is it? What is it for?
  
• Sun, Noon - Ballroom C3 Creating Convincing Characters Workshop
  
• Sun, 3 p.m. - Ballroom D5 The SF Films and TV of Kurt Russell

It's a long way back to Texas, so my participation in that last Sunday panel is pretty iffy at this point. Especially since I have Armadillocon 29 coming up the following weekend, with the big writers workshop and all. But if any of you are going to be at the St. Louis con, stop by and say hello.

Now Playing: Don Henley The End of the Innocence

Perspectives

I've always known that the cover art of a book influences my reading of said book (and indeed, often if I even pick up that book or not). I'd never give it much thought regarding short fiction, because I've rarely had any of my short fiction illustrated. That changed with "The Final Voyage of La Riaza," which Interzone published with half a dozen illustrations from artist Doug Sirois. I'm on record as being impressed with the quality of the illustrations Sirois turned in. He's very talented. I particularly love the chart room scene, with Diego Brazos and Capitan Ancira. I want an orrery like that!

But some of the other scenes weren't entirely accurate. Not that I'm complaining--I'd love the chance to have Sirois illustrate another of my stories someday. But as "La Riaza" was a swashbuckler in flying airships, he drew the ships as, well, 18th century ocean-going vessels flying through the air. Which is cool imagery, no doubt, but the ships in my story are closer to 18th century zeppelins (or dirigibles, you you want to be a stickler). I've got a things for zeppelins/dirigibles, you see (No, really?). No matter, I thought. The illustrations won't effect the story. And they're pretty, too.

While the majority of opinions regarding my story have been, thankfully, positive,
more than one specifically stated that the ships weren't dirigibles. That couldn't be right, I thought. Was I unclear in my writing? I thought I'd taken great care to describe the cigar-shaped, canvas-hulled craft as a zeppelin-like airship in the opening section without actually using those words.

Diego took the elevator wheel, then rang out the “cast off” signal. Immediately, La Riaza drifted back with the wind. The loosed mooring lines slipped free of the towers, quickly pulled in and stowed by airmen in the bow and stern. The silver ship rose smoothly into the sky. Emerald striping ran along the lines of the ship’s ribs from the folded masts and rigging at the bow to the low-slung pilothouse and horizontal, boxy complex of rudders and elevators at the stern.

Granted, I never use "cigar" or "torpedo" to describe the actual shape of the vessel, but I thought there were enough clues to tip the reader off that this was a dirigible, and their imagination would fill in the rest. Apparently not. The (thankfully few) negative reviews seem to have accepted the "magic flying pirate ships" reading of it as well, and not been impressed.

The next one I write in this sequence, I'll have to take extra care to leave the ship's form wholly unambiguous. Maybe put in something along the lines of:

The great ship looked like an enormous, airborne phallus; the imposing helio-filled hull was little more than thin silver canvas stretched over a complex skeleton of timber ribbing running the length of the vessel. Count von Zeppelin would be proud of this alternate-reality incarnation of his creation, that is, if he were still alive and willing to read English-language speculative fiction.

That might actually do the trick... unless there are more flying magic pirate ships in the picture, that is. ;-)

Now Playing: Sting The Dream of the Blue Turtles

Sanguinolenta

My p. sanguinolenta bloomed for the first time today. As you can see in the pic, it's set additional buds as well.



I'm quite happy about this, because I nearly killed this poor plant several times--and did manage to do in it's clone. The first time, I over-watered and it shrivelled and died, only to send up some new sprouts a few days later. The next time, I left of a long weekend and when I came back, it, along with several other plants in my window, had dried out and crisped. The others recovered, but the p. sanguinolenta didn't. Undeterred, I watered twice weekly and waited. After a month, a tiny, feeble little leaf popped up, almost as if it was afraid to draw much attention to itself, lest I try to kill it again. But I refrained. It too months of patience, but it appears this little plant has gotten over its trauma and is confident enough to bloom. Yay!

Now Playing: nothing (the wife's reading Harry Potter, and must have silence)

Friday Night Videos

I had a really cool, obscure video from yesteryear all lined up for today's installment, but then the 10,000-ton colossus known as Harry Potter derailed those plans. I mean, I hadn't even heard of Wizard rock until this morning, and now I can nod my head knowingly if someone mentions they were going to the library to see Harry & the Potters or Draco & the Malfoys perform. I'm so sad. So anyway, here's Harry & the Potters performing "The Power of Love" (dubbed by YouTube fans as "Save Ginny Weasley from Dean Thomas").



Previously on Friday Night Videos... The Cars.

Now Playing: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Music for Glass Harmonica

Neolithic D'oh!

Nothing surprises me any more these days. Well, except for maybe this.

PAGANS have pledged to perform “rain magic” to wash away cartoon character Homer Simpson who was painted next to their famous fertility symbol - the Cerne Abbas giant.

The 17th century chalk outline of the naked, sexually aroused, club-wielding giant is believed by many to be a symbol of ancient spirituality.

Many couples also believe the 180ft giant, which is carved in the hillside above Cerne Abbas, Dorset, is an aid to fertility.

A giant 180ft Homer Simpson brandishing a doughnut was painted next to the well-endowed figure today in a publicity stunt to promote The Simpsons Movie released later this month.

Now Playing: Violent Femmes Why Do Birds Sing?