When she was young, Joan Didion was quite the hottie. Evidence: Read more →
Author: Mr. McLaren
Merry Christmas To All
Here’s wishing a hearty Merry Christmas to everyone who reads Homo Sum. (The image above links to a wall-paper sized version. It’s from here originally.) Read more →
SF Authors Say Smart Things: Peter Watts
Most people acquire their beliefs through osmosis and observation, not investigation. We’d rather observe than derive. Raised in a society awash in certain ubiquitous beliefs, you tend to accept those beliefs without thinking. I think most people come to their faith in the same way they come to believe that not wearing a tie is “unprofessional office behaviour” Another in… Read more →
A miscellany for a Friday
There’s absolutely no theme here, just a bunch of stuff that caught my interest. Why did I not know there was a new Grimjack comic being serialized to the web at ComicMix.com? There’s like 60 pages there already. I hope this is web-to-trade serialization. And look, there’s also a Jon Sable, and what’s this Bar Sinister? The good folks over… Read more →
An ethical question
Who is more ethically advanced: a person who has a larger set of things for which they will kill, or for which they will die? And do you put yourself in the more advanced bucket? I know that the question can be rendered silly by what you put in the sets, but I’m talking in very general terms and I’m… Read more →
El Enigma de Paris
I read this today on one of the messageboards I frequent: I just finished reading a book called ‘El Enigma de Paris‘ (don’t think you guys will have much trouble translating that) by Pablo de Santis. I don’t know if it will ever be translated to English, but if you ever see it at the bookstore, it’s pretty good. The… Read more →
The Sacred Art Of Leaving
Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Billy Franks. Boy, those lyrics are sharp. I only had to be cut once to know how to bleed I know why we tend to love most those who know How to leave and Take my hand and let me tell you All but my love will soon be gone And the exit wound will be… Read more →
The Most Beautiful Woman In Town
I don’t know why it isActually, I have some idea, but you won’t catch me admitting it. but in the late part of December every year, I start to feel some sort of compulsion to read some Bukowski. (As an aside, my mental picture of Bukowski doesn’t match any of his photos–it’s Henry Chinaski.) I read different stuff every year–Bukowski… Read more →
It wasn’t me.
Observed in the wild today, on a display table at Scholar’s Choice (yes, I was shopping for Christmas presents for my daughter): I didn’t do it. Although it is exactly the sort of thing I would have done. Read more →
He folded
Biff, did you call Prentice again today? ’cause if not, then it was definitely me this time. No Canadian DMCA This Year The roller coaster that is the Canadian DMCA has taken another turn. Sometime between yesterday afternoon and this morning, the government decided to hold off. At 10:00 am this morning, the introduction of new government bills came and… Read more →
Canadian DMCA — Act Now
If you didn’t do anything last week, you really need to do something now. Here’s what Geist posted yesterday: There are rumours in Ottawa this evening that Industry Minister Jim Prentice has decided to forge ahead with the Canadian DMCA with the bill to be introduced tomorrow morning. There has obviously been a huge amount of coverage of this issue… Read more →
Minor Victory
I’d like to think my call and email were the straws the broke the camel’s back. Because it’s not enough for my ego for me to be part of a success (no matter how minor or temporary), I have to be pivotal to it! Michael Geist – Canadian DMCA Introduction Delayed The word this afternoon is that Industry Minister Jim… Read more →
Groening
Why are old Life Is Hell cartoons from over a decade ago suddenly showing up everywhere I look? And why are they so apposite and topical? (click to see the full strips) Read more →
Confounding the nerd/Asperger’s stereotype
I’ve seen results from the Asperger’s quiz posted by lots of people I know, and I just want to point out something about these results. I know “me and my friends” is the essence of an anecdotal sample, and not a useful one, but still… The stereotype is that people who are particularly apt at programming (and similar nerd activities)… Read more →
Canadians: Did You Call Jim Prentice Today?
I did. Don’t know who Jim Prentice is? Why he’s the Minister of Industry in Harper’s evil regime. And why should you have called him today? Well, that’s a long one. The short version is that he’s spearheading a really, really, REALLY bad law–essentially a Canadian version of the American’s dire DMCA–and since he’s been either dodging any questions from… Read more →
