oldest words in English identified
The BBC tells us that the oldest words in English have been identified. (Via Heroic Age.) I feel as though I should…
Read moreMonth: February 2009
Nebulous
Woo hoo! Kelley’s novella, Dangerous Space, is a finalist for this year’s Nebula Award. You can read it free here. And, y’know,…
Read moreshortcovers: brilliance, beauty, risk
I just posted my 2001 Liverpool* Guest of Honour speech,“Brilliance, Beauty, Risk” on Shortcovers. Shortcovers is a website of stuff–fiction and not–to…
Read moreduck on fire
Kelley did a guest post yesterday over at Learning Voyager. It’s all about how fear kills focus and yet, paradoxically, how focus…
Read moreNotes from Walnut Tree Farm
A year or two ago I came across this review in Publishers Weekly of a book by Roger Deakin, Wildwood: In this…
Read moremigration, climate change, war
A bunch of climate change negotiator bigwigs got stranded together overnight in Cape Town on their way to Antarctica. They chatted about…
Read moreI like to headbutt windows
On her blog this morning Kelley played with the current Facebook meme ‘likes to’. I gave it a go. All I can…
Read morejaguar!
Wow, there are wild jaguars in this country. This from Live Science: The Arizona Game and Fish Department caught and collared a…
Read moreweather blank
The weather is changing here in Seattle. The air is perfectly still; the birds are quiet. When the barometer plummets my mind…
Read morepronouns and reader engagement
A report in Science Daily about pronouns in fiction and how readers imagine character: ScienceDaily (Feb. 19, 2009) — While reading a…
Read moredrop and give me 20
Exercise kills cravings. Another duh: ScienceDaily (Feb. 16, 2009) — Research from the University of Exeter reveals for the first time, that…
Read morea big duh: naked objectification
From the Guardian, a report of a study on photos that objectify women. Men are more likely to think of women as…
Read moremost wanted painting (and not)
A follow up on the world’s worst song post. The same people, Komar & Melamid, put together the most and least wanted…
Read moreworst song in the world, scientifically speaking
The crack team of Dave Soldier and Komar & Melamid have scientifically created the world’s worst song: It clocks in at over…
Read morePride and Predator
Oooh, I want to see this: Will Clark is set to direct “Pride and Predator,” which veers from the traditional period costume…
Read moreammonite fanfic
Every few weeks I list some of the search terms people use to find me on the web. Sometimes I understand how…
Read morewhy angsty teens keep diaries and write bad poetry
CHICAGO (Reuters) – Brain scientists are starting to understand something poets, songwriters and diarists have long known: putting feelings into words helps…
Read moreI don’t even have a hangover
So for Valentine’s Day Kelley and I ate more delicious Indian food than you can shake a stick at, then went to…
Read morelet’s get chemical, chemical (in honour of valentine’s day)
Oxytocin makes the world go round. Well, it makes women fall in love, makes us pair bond. It’s a hormone released when…
Read morelesbian Batwoman debuts in June
From the Guardian, news of the new lesbian Batwoman: Fans at Comic Con in New York this week were treated to a…
Read moreAud’s great aunt does jujitsu!
Though she sounds remarkably English for a Norwegian: (Thanks, Doug. For another one, go visit BoingBoing.) I love the fact that she’s…
Read morejust read: Outlander, by Diana Gabaldon
One day last week, when I was very tired, I downloaded onto my Kindle what I thought would be a quick read:…
Read moreread this blog on your Kindle!
Want to read this blog on your Kindle? Sign up with kindlefeeder.com: kindlefeeder.com is a service for Amazon Kindle owners that lets…
Read moreAustralian bush fires
In the Guardian, an update on the truly terrible bushfires sweeping Victoria: The death toll from the deadliest bushfires in Australia‘s history…
Read moredon’t stop to breathe
From Medical News Today, news of why it’s a very, very bad idea to stop CPR chest compressions, even to breathe for…
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