Let’s have a big “Yeah baby!” for the Supreme Court, which today unanimously put the smack-down on a particularly egregious example of post-9/11 use of ridiculous police state legislation: the “security certificates”. Top court rules against security certificates The Supreme Court of Canada has struck down the security certificate system used by the federal government to detain and deport foreign-born… Read more →
Author: Mr. McLaren
Horse Girls
So you’re a horse girl, he says, smiles as though we are somehow afflicted, somehow convergent with dark rutted fantasy. Yes, we are the ones who dream in pale sparrow grass, who tick our tongues at the sunfisher, climb on, barely breathing, knowing fear could fill a field, snap a spine like tinder. We ride bareback to watch the boys… Read more →
Not an auspicious beginning.
The bad: The plane meant to take me from Halifax to London apparently had some serious mechanical problems with the brakes, and they’re bringing a new plane in. The worse: This means the flight will be delayed at least three hours (I.e. they are now saying 2AM instead of 11PM.) The even worse: This means I will miss my connection… Read more →
Good books, free (Part 1)
To go along with the expensive limited editions and whatnot that I have been (and will be) talking about, I thought I should take a moment to point out some good books that you can get FOR FREE. For the science fictionally inclined among you, the first free book is Peter Watt‘s Blindsight: Available Free Here! Now, I have a… Read more →
It has kind of wedge shapes inside.
Do you know what this is the symbol for? Of course you do. It’s the symbol for radiation. Everyone in the West knows what that is, as part of the same popular culture osmosis (and occasionally target childhood education) that tells us that the skull and crossbones means poison, and the skeletal hand means acid, etc. Hell, there’s a Negativland… Read more →
The american electorate fears me!
Or, at least, fears people like me. (That image links to the source data, as well as a ton of other polling informationThe host site doesn’t let me link directly to this specific poll, so if you’re not reading this post on the day it was posted, you will need to scroll down to the section headed “USA Today/Gallup Poll.… Read more →
I am not ready for this.
Apparently it is 40+ degrees in Melbourne today. I am Canadian: I can’t deal with that. Forty below I know how to deal with. Man. Read more →
On Adaptations
Extracted from a lovely rantBy the way, I feel like that rant has nothing to do with me: I only read things I think I’ll enjoy, or am enjoying. I get almost no output from the Big Two, and what I do get tends to be from their boutique labels–and if I stop enjoying it, I stop buying it. at… Read more →
Small press books, bought and craved (Part 1)
Somedays it feels like a full-time job to keep up with all the interesting new releases from the various small presses, and by the various authors I feel the need to collect. Some other days, though, it’s just like Christmas. Today is one of those days. It started with a new email from Subterranean Press, announcing Ted Chiang‘s forthcoming book… Read more →
Two stories for a Monday
Things keep popping up in my inbox and RSS reader that I need to share with you guys. First, a little story passed on from my pal, musical genius Danny Michel: February 17, 2007 Once again, Magic happens at the Black Sheep in Wakefield Quebec. “It’s not every day something this special & fun happens at a show. A while… Read more →
Three bookish links for a Sunday night
Let’s start off today’s list of linked content with another Alan Moore item. You know we have a lot of use for Alan Moore here at Homo Sum. This is a three-part podcast interview with Moore over at the Resonance FM weekly show “I’m ready for my close up“. Part One Part Two Part Three I always enjoy hearing Moore… Read more →
Evening hobbies
On evenings when we have no social plan, after my daughter goes to sleep, my wife and I usually spend a few hours in the rec room, with the television, or a movie, on. Some things we actually watch intently, although very few of themI think we’re down to one show that require complete attention now, and the occasional outstanding… Read more →
YouTube & Books
Since I am drowning in work during the run-up to my Australian trip, I’m going to cheat tonight and in lieu of actual content instead post a series of videos that have a connection to books. Read more →
Monday Morning Book-y Stuff
Charlie Huston writes hardboiled crime, vampire noir, and apparently some superhero comics too. I like the crime, and I even enjoyed the vampire noir–despite my general emargo on any vampire-related fictionThere are, of course, exceptions for very high quality writing, like Fevre Dream, Agyar, or Blindsight. Just keep away Rice, Hamilton, and their kind please. or so. I just found… Read more →
Footwear
Normally I’m not a Converse fan. My taste in footwear these days runs to Blundstones, with summer forays into Doc Marten sandals. I am, however, quite the fan of artist and comic creator Scott Morse. I think I have everything he’s done (excepting work on corporate properties) on my shelf, not to mention several pages of original art. And now… Read more →
