Some Sci-Fi authors want to boycott Borders because Borders isn’t stocking their books. Two quick thoughts on this:
1. They’re saying they’re not buying something Borders isn’t selling? That’s efficient.
2. Give it two months. Borders is in deep financial trouble as it is. They might not need to boycott, and the chain will still fail.
As a matter of fact, no, nothing is sacred:
SIXTH “HITCHHIKER’S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY” BOOK?!?!?!?! NOOOOOO!!!!!
[Douglas] Adams himself said: “I suspect at some point in the future I will write a sixth Hitchhiker book…I would love to finish Hitchhiker on a slightly more upbeat note.
“Five seems to be a wrong kind of number, six is a better kind of number.”
Now it seems Adams’ wish has come true. Children’s author Eoin Colfer has been chosen to write the sixth of the series by Adams’ widow Jane Belson. He writes of his joy at being able to continue the series with the new book And Another Thing.
I’m not necessarily a purist. I may even give the book a shot. It might be fine. But you can’t replace or imitate Douglas Adams’ genius. Now, HITCHHIKERS is merely a franchise.
I’ll let you all make the snarky comments about the guy who wrote “Artemis Fowl” being the new writer.
Of course, I also say this as a man who owns the movie DVD, but has never watched it.
It’s been way too long since the last link dump, hasn’t it? Welcome back!
This week, the DVD release list will appear on Tuesday.
you’re wondering why all the webcomic artists are suddenly pushing you to buy their print collections, I have a guess; The New Cintiq Tablets. They now have a $1000 model. it’s a small screen, but if I were an up-and-coming cartoonist, I’d be all over this. I imagine it has the power to transform some workflows of comic creators, too. I expect a lot of comic colorists might jump on this, too. Mark my words.And now for the geekery:
Random thoughts and observations from the last 48 hours:
* There’s a competitor to Delicious Library releasing on Saturday that has potential. Librarian Pro looks to catalog software as well as books, movies, CDs, etc. It has smart folders. And it will import your Delicious Library data, to boot.
* On Wednesday night, I sat down in front of the computer and visited Amazon to check on the shipping status of Greg Rucka’s new Atticus Kodiak novel, PATRIOT ACTS. Imagine my thrill when I read “Delivered - Back Door.” Guess I should have checked there first.
* Most embarrassing thing to happen to someone else this week: Woman got pulled over by a local police officer right at the front gate at work. And everyone going into work that day got to see her getting her ticket, presumably for speeding. (Speeding is an easy thing to do in the corporate park area where I spend my days.)
* Speaking of annoying drivers: Yes, the shortest distance between two points IS a straight line. But when you’re turning around a corner, it is generally recommended that you stay to the right side of the double yellow line. It may be quicker to cut straight across that corner, but it’s also illegal and slightly dangerous when attempting it around a blind bend. Idiot.
* I wish MARIO STRIKERS CHARGED would have one non-gimmicky level — no blocks falling out of the sky onto the pitch, nor lightning bolts. And no rampant shells firing off all over the place. Just pure 5 on 5 soccer.
* The first $199 standalone HD-DVD player is coming. Let the format war continue. . . I expect we’ll see Blu Ray retaliate in the next month or two.
Greg Rucka’s new Atticus Kodiak book, at last, is here! This is a cause for much celebration! Click on an Amazon link above and get pre-ordering! =)
From the book FOUNDERS AT WORK, here’s a clip of an interview with the guy who created Google Mail, Paul Buchheit:
“AdSense, the content-targeted ads, was actually something that, if I recall, I did on a Friday.”
So nonchalant, isn’t he?
Finished first draft of Pipeline - Marvel Previews, 5 Years Ago, and ASTERIX AND THE GOTHS. More PREVIEWS and reviews next week.Darker Matter - Exclusive Interview with Douglas Adams from 1979
Almost 28 years ago, a young (27) and still overdrawn Douglas Adams was poised on the brink of fame. The first radio series of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy had been released (”Escaped,” was more the word, according to Douglas) and largely ignored in a late night slot on BBC Radio 4. It had then been repeated at a less perverse time, gathering listeners and momentum as the six episodes unfolded. But the books, the second radio series, the TV show and the long, long-delayed movie version were still to come.
Douglas Adams had done a handful of short interview pieces, most of which had just pinched his jokes and ignored his opinions. But when freelance reporter Ian Shircore got the chance to spend several hours with him under cover of an unlikely feature for Penthouse magazine, Adams found himself with half a day to ruminate, pontificate and smoke too many cigarettes in the cluttered office where he was earning a crust as script editor for the Tom Baker-era Dr Who. Apart from the few column inches Penthouse was able to accommodate, these tapes, from 1979, have lain unpublished ever since.
And, you guessed it - you can now read the entire article on-line.
Tech:
Movies and TV:
Miscellaneous:
This is an excerpt from the latest Borders mailer:
That’s right — the book is available now, and you can reserve it today! I’m so confused.
American Idol:
Mac Stuff:
Web Stuff:
Miscellaneous:
Augie De Blieck Jr. doesn't know when to shut up, which makes him the perfect blogger. That, and he reads a lot of other blogs. You can e-mail him, if you really wanted to.
