Southampton srafcon

I have had an absolutely epic (and fantastic) weekend. It began with a bang, with the ASNaC Society black tie dinner, which involved three courses of Scandinavian food, one mead-filled drinking horn, one drunken dance uploaded to Facebook and several bizarre d and m conversations with people with whom I wouldn't normally discuss my personal life. I followed this with a sprint through snow-filled streets to deliver some of losseniaiel's belongings which she'd left in my room, before beginning my first shift at the English faculty library (with complementary blinding hangover).

Then I got on a train and went to Southampton.

( I met some sraffies )

It was a wonderful, excellent weekend!

Southampton srafcon

I have had an absolutely epic (and fantastic) weekend. It began with a bang, with the ASNaC Society black tie dinner, which involved three courses of Scandinavian food, one mead-filled drinking horn, one drunken dance uploaded to Facebook and several bizarre d and m conversations with people with whom I wouldn't normally discuss my personal life. I followed this with a sprint through snow-filled streets to deliver some of losseniaiel's belongings which she'd left in my room, before beginning my first shift at the English faculty library (with complementary blinding hangover).

Then I got on a train and went to Southampton.

( I met some sraffies )

It was a wonderful, excellent weekend!

Amazon!Fail, Le Guin!Win

It's odd when you return from an internet-free weekend to find out that Epic Drama of Epicness has been unfolding online. But that's what happened with the latest round of Amazon vs the Publishers/Authors/Readers/People Who Are Dubious About the Kindle.

I'm not really sure of my opinion about the matter, and I think there's blame on both sides, but I'll let you all make up your own minds with a series of posts by John Scalzi about the fight between Amazon and Macmillan over the price of ebooks. As usual, half the good stuff takes place in the comments of the posts. Scalzi is as erudite as ever, summing up the situation (as he sees it) with wit and knowledge. Charles Stross sums up matters as he sees it, while Tobias Buckell gives us his take. Of course, the Tor editors are all over it. Scott Westerfeld's take on the matter contains the hilarious observation that Amazon should've known that 'when cutting off publishers, don’t start with the one that has the most science fiction writers. We will blog you dead!' I couldn't agree more!

[ETA: I knew that Hal Duncan wouldn't disappoint.]

And now for something completely different! Jo Walton's written some great posts on the first three Earthsea books, A Wizard of Earthsea, The Tombs of Atuan and The Farthest Shore. She (and her commenters) make some really interesting points about Le Guin's fabulous series. I, for one, have been saying for years that Le Guin's work is cold; she's not a comforting or consoling writer, and yet somehow that's a far greater consolation than a more 'cozy' book might be. Earthsea never talks down to its readers, and as the series progresses, you can see Le Guin seriously engaging with, reflecting on and realising the limitations of her own philosophy. She saw the flaws in her own books (especially in regard to feminism) and corrected them accordingly. It's a brave author who can do that!

Okay, over and out!

Amazon!Fail, Le Guin!Win

It's odd when you return from an internet-free weekend to find out that Epic Drama of Epicness has been unfolding online. But that's what happened with the latest round of Amazon vs the Publishers/Authors/Readers/People Who Are Dubious About the Kindle.

I'm not really sure of my opinion about the matter, and I think there's blame on both sides, but I'll let you all make up your own minds with a series of posts by John Scalzi about the fight between Amazon and Macmillan over the price of ebooks. As usual, half the good stuff takes place in the comments of the posts. Scalzi is as erudite as ever, summing up the situation (as he sees it) with wit and knowledge. Charles Stross sums up matters as he sees it, while Tobias Buckell gives us his take. Of course, the Tor editors are all over it. Scott Westerfeld's take on the matter contains the hilarious observation that Amazon should've known that 'when cutting off publishers, don’t start with the one that has the most science fiction writers. We will blog you dead!' I couldn't agree more!

[ETA: I knew that Hal Duncan wouldn't disappoint.]

And now for something completely different! Jo Walton's written some great posts on the first three Earthsea books, A Wizard of Earthsea, The Tombs of Atuan and The Farthest Shore. She (and her commenters) make some really interesting points about Le Guin's fabulous series. I, for one, have been saying for years that Le Guin's work is cold; she's not a comforting or consoling writer, and yet somehow that's a far greater consolation than a more 'cozy' book might be. Earthsea never talks down to its readers, and as the series progresses, you can see Le Guin seriously engaging with, reflecting on and realising the limitations of her own philosophy. She saw the flaws in her own books (especially in regard to feminism) and corrected them accordingly. It's a brave author who can do that!

Okay, over and out!