I’ve just given the same pep talk to three different writers, so I figure you probably need it to.
Let me speak to you about impostor syndrome. That thing where you are sure everyone knows you’re faking it and they are going to find out any minute and then you will be cast down and they will laugh and OMG EVERYONE WILL KNOW YOU SUCK!!!!11!!1!!!!
Years ago, when I was nominated for the Campbell Award I was having serious, serious impostor syndrome. And Nancy Kress — multiple Hugo/Nebula/Everything award winner with a bajillion books, told me that she still had impostor syndrome. That is at once tremendously heartening — because it means I’m not alone — and terribly sad, because it means that there’s not a point where I will have “made it.”
True. But…
You know how, when you’re playing a video game, you get to see this beautiful loading screen when you level up?
What happens with impostor syndrome to you is that you leveled up while you looking away from the computer. You didn’t see the loading screen, all you see are monsters that are bigger than they were.
But you DID level up and you can totally handle it.
It’s much, much worse to never experience Impostor Syndrome, because that means that you are staying on the easy level. Things will just keep coming that you know how to handle and that, eventually, gets boring.
So next time you feel the Imposter Syndrome hitting, recognize that it’s a symptom of the fact that you levelled up without noticing. It’s a crappy feature and the UI is totally borked, but you are can handle it.
One of the best reasons to use a VPN is to get around pesky location restrictions on streaming movies and other content, but before you shell out money to a VPN that promises servers in dozens of countries, make sure they’re telling the truth about them. Trust, but verify.
Early predictions estimated that Deadpool was going to bring in between $65 and $70 million dollars on its opening weekend, but so far, the movie has pulled over $135 million, and the weekend isn’t even over yet! Can’t wait to see the final number tomorrow!
The movie broke all records for an r-rated film as well as the best opening day for that kind of movie in February, pulling in $47.5 million on Friday alone!
Here is a quick chart comparing the opening weekends of various superhero movies, including Deadpool.
On the evening of Feb. 7, 2016, Expedition 46 Commander Scott Kelly snapped this photo of Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif. from the International Space Station, writing, "Got to see the #SuperBowl in person after all! But at 17,500MPH, it didn't last long. #YearInSpace"
After logging onto their computers today, staff here at the
Museum of English Rural Life were greeted by an unusual email from the Assistant Curator:
There appears to be a dead mouse in this mousetrap…
It began.
…which is not described as being there on the database.
Can you perhaps check whether it should be there
and/or decide if having a dead mouse in the trap is the best way forward from a
conservation perspective. [/s]
So, this retired rodent had managed to sneak past University
of Reading security, exterior doors and Museum staff, and clambered its way up into our Store. Upon
finding itself there it would have found the promised land; a mouse paradise
laid before it full of straw, wood and textiles. Then, out of thousands of
objects, it chose for its home the very thing designed to kill it some 150
years ago: a mouse trap.
The trap itself was not baited, but this did not stop our
mouse from wriggling inside and, finding itself trapped, meet its demise. The trap
was manufactured by Colin Pullinger & Sons of Silsey, West Sussex in 1861.
It is a multi-catch trap with a see-saw mechanism, and you can see its object
record here. It is known as a ‘Perpetual Mouse Trap’ and proudly declares that
it ‘will last a lifetime’. How apt.
Pests are, of course, a perpetual menace in any museum.
Curators and conservators are always alert for the tell-tale signs of moths,
beetles and rodents which feast on the organic materials we hold in store. Hygiene
and regular cleaning are a first line of defence, as are glazed cases. Objects
are also treated before storage or display to ensure anything lurking within is
killed. And while our most vulnerable objects have always been cased – such as
clothing and leather – the rest of our stored collection made of sturdier wood
and metal was only fully glazed over last year. This mouse may have snuck into
the trap before this glazing, or otherwise managed to get in while construction
work has been carried out for the Museum’s redevelopment.
We have traps set for pests, but we can never catch
everything all of the time. This mouse managed to sign its own death warrant
before it could do any more damage, the extent of which was only a nibbled
label. We will also have to determine whether this mouse was a scout or part of
a larger family. Luckily, because the collection is heavily used it is often only
a matter of time before any kind of infestation is noticed and nipped in the
bud. This mouse was found when our Assistant Curator was in the Stores selecting objects for
use in an interdisciplinary research session on the subject of ‘Animals at
Reading’. Our current MERL Fellow, Professor Karen Sayer, is also particularly
interested in traps as part of her ongoing research into rats and pest control
and regularly views our collection.
For the moment, however, the mouse remains in the trap while
we decide what to do with it. One option is a dignified burial, another is to desiccate
it or have it prepared to remain as a permanent feature of the mouse trap for
our new displays. We’ll let you know what we decide.
The Chromecast is a pretty awesome media player that pays for itself . If you want to use it without the internet, though, you’re fresh out of luck. This custom ROM can change that.
For those of you of a science fictional and/or fantastic bent,the nomination period for the Hugo Awards has now begun and will run until March 31. You can nominate if you were a member of last year’s convention (Sasquan), if you are a member of this year’s convention (MidAmeriCon II), or are a member of next year’s convention (Worldcon 75). If you are not a member of any of these but will still like to nominate, you have until January 31 (that’s two days from the writing of this post) to become a Worldcon member (here’s the information on that).
(If you are currently a member described above, emails including the PIN you’ll need to access the nomination ballot are going out and should arrive in the next week.)
Voting for the Hugos is pretty simple: You look at the categories, find works you like that fit in the category, and then nominate them. You can nominate up to five works per category, although you can nominate fewer, too. And if you nominate online, you’ll be able to update your ballot right up until the deadline, so if a week from now you find something you love, you can put it in, and also a week later, and a week after that, too.
If you’re looking for things to read to see if you’d want to nominate them, or to suggest things that other people might consider for nomination, two ideas for you: First, the Hugo Nominees Wiki, and second, this Hugo Awards Google Spreadsheet. Both are packed with works to consider, and in both cases you can add your own suggestions.
Three points I want to make at this juncture:
1. Your Hugo nominations are meant to be your Hugo nominations, reflecting your own personal taste in science fiction and fantasy work. In the last couple of years, some folks have been presenting slates of potential nominees and encouraging people to vote for the slates for reasons. This didn’t work out well for anyone. Take suggestions, read widely, and then make your own nominations, reflecting your own taste, not anyone else’s.
2. If you are eligible to nominate for the Hugos, I think you should nominate for the Hugos. One reason the slating shenanigans happened was because only a minority of Worldcon members nominate for the Hugos, making the nomination process susceptible to gaming. This year there are at least 11,000 people eligible to nominate for the Hugos; last year over 6,000 people voted for the Hugo awards themselves. If everyone who voted for the Hugos last year nominated this year, any attempts at slating by group would probably be mitigated — and also, the nominations would reflect a more diverse group of science fiction and fantasy fans. The more people who nominate, the better.
3. Folks who are nominating should not neglect the “non-marquee” categories, including fan categories and categories like Related Work and Semi-prozine. Because these categories are often less nominated in, they can be more susceptible to gaming in general. The good news is there are lots of excellent works and people who can be nominated. The wiki and spreadsheet linked above can help with your explorations of the categories.
In short: Nominate, nominate for everything you can, and nominate out of your own brain, not anyone else’s.
(Also, a reminder: This year I’m asking people not to nominate work of mine produced in 2015 and will decline any Hugo nominations I might receive. Nominate others, please!)
Three minutes and three simple exercises are all it takes to improve your posture, and this video shows you all of them. Considering how many of us sit in front of screens or at keyboards all day, just a quick time out for a few stretches can do a world of good. All you need to do them is a wall.
If you’ve watched the presidential debates and wished that you could quickly fact check the candidates’ statements, Google has you covered. Search results will now float candidates’ own words and quotes, right next to information on how to watch and keep up with what they’re saying now.
I’ve just given the same pep talk to three different writers, so I figure you probably need it to.
