The Humble Bundle folks have rolled out another ebook deal: pay whatever you want and get Cory Doctorow's Little Brother, Cherie Priest's Boneshaker, Robert Charles Wilson's Spin, and Lois McMaster Bujold's Shards of Honor. If you pay more than the average (currently $9.78), you'll also receive Peter S. Beagle's The Last Unicorn: Deluxe Edition and Wil Wheaton's Just a Geek.
Snag them all now! (Despite already owning Little Brother, I totally went for it.)
“Dungeons & Dragons and the Influence of Tabletop RPGs” by PBS Arts: Off Book explores the influence of tabletop RPGs on video games, movies, and culture as a whole.
Since their growth in popularity in the 1970s, RPGs have had a huge influence not just on players, but on everything from Hollywood to the development of video games. Now, In a world dominated by video games and social media, there remains an enduring interest in gathering around a table and playing games face to face. Beyond cards and board games, Role Playing Games allow not just for interaction and play, but the creativity of storytelling, world creation, and engagement with ideas.The adaptability of D&D and other tabletop RPGs can satisfy players in a way that our digital world still cannot, with unique game mechanics and engagement and limitless use of imagination. As tabletop RPGs enjoy a cultural resurgence, more and more people are discovering the freedom and interactivity that makes them unique.
submitted via Laughing Squid Tips
freespace is a 14,000-square-foot San Francisco warehouse that has been converted temporarily into an incubator for civic hacking projects. Launched as a one-month experiment in June, the project was recently extended to the end of July by a successful Indiegogo fundraiser. During its 33 days in operation, freespace has hosted a variety of civic projects, including an artspace, community garden, workspace for the homeless, and a social networking project for veterans. To see what’s going on at the space for the month of July, check out the freespace event calendar.
photo via freespace, video by Ernesto Cinquenove
submitted via Laughing Squid Tips
New York is no stranger to radical change, as evidenced by its street grid, subway system, and even the size of Manhattan Island. But those infrastructure changes seem tame compared to the ones that were never implemented. Imagine filling in the Hudson River!
In March, 1934, Modern Mechanix featured the daring plan of Norman Sper, “noted publicist and engineering scholar” (maybe publicist meant something different back then?), who envisioned adding ten square miles of land to Manhattan by infilling the mighty Hudson River. Sper proposed creating a massive, multi-layered grid that would connect New Jersey to Manhattan, solving problems like housing and transit which, according to the editors, “are threatening to devour the city's civilization like a Frankenstein monster.”
At the time, other engineers agreed it could be done. However, the estimated cost would have been $17 billion in 2013 dollars. This plan is only one of six that were seriously proposed for New York City, posted at Gizmodo. Link -via the Presurfer
Sara Bareilles will be celebrating the release of her upcoming album The Blessed Unrest with a special invite-only performance at the McKittrick Hotel in New York City and JustJared.com has a way for you to get into the show!
The Grammy-nominated singer will perform the show on Wednesday, July 10 to raise awareness for Concern Worldwide and we have a pair of tickets to give away! The winner and a guest will get to attend a performance of the smash hit show Sleep No More before Sara‘s set and they will also receive a gift bag at the show that includes a pair of Music Maniac AH-C400 Headphones from Denon North America.
Sara‘s upcoming album The Blessed Unrest, which features the hit single “Brave,” will be released on July 16. Pre-order it now on iTunes and make sure to check out SaraBMusic.com for info on her upcoming tour with One Republic!
HOW TO ENTER:
STEP 1: Follow JustJared.com on Twitter
Follow @justjared
STEP 2: Like JustJared.com on Facebook
STEP 3: Like Sara Bareilles on Facebook
STEP 4: COMMENT – Leave a comment below – and in the email field, leave us your email address (will not be published) so we can contact you if you win. Comment as many times as you want to increase your chances of winning.
**NOTE: Travel and accommodations are the sole responsibility of the winner.
Read the official rules here. This contest ends Monday, July 8th at 4:59 p.m. PT. Good luck!!
Check out the premiere of Janelle Monae‘s latest video for “Dance Apocalyptic“!
The track serves as the second official single off the 27-year-old entertainer’s upcoming sophomore album The Electric Lady, which is set to hit stores on September 10.
PHOTOS: Check out the latest pics of Janelle Monae
“‘Dance Apocalyptic’ video is trending worldwide!!,” Janelle wrote on her Twitter account. “Thank u!”
“Special shout out to ALL the electric ladies in my band in “Dance Apocalyptic”!,” she continued. “They are all my REAL friends!:-) they kilt!!!”
This Xenomorph, part of the H.R. Giger 2009 art exhibition in San Sebastian, Spain, is so awesome that the only way to be sure that we can keep humanity safe is to nuke it from orbit. Photo via Orange
the bend
and slap
I don’t even watch Star Trek but that is the most graceful bitchslap I have ever seen.
Uhura is class.
Ryan LabayI love this show...not so much this season, but it's the least puerile of all of the Trek incarnations.
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine First Season
Original air dates: January – June 1993
Executive Producers: Rick Berman & Michael Piller
Station log: For the first time, there was a Star Trek show that couldn’t be described with those fateful words, “These are the voyages of the starship Enterprise.” With the debut of “Emissary” in January 1993, the definition of Star Trek changed forever.
There were a lot of firsts here in the opening season of DS9, beyond the obvious fact that this was the first Trek TV show not set on a ship named Enterprise, indeed the first to take place in a (somewhat) static location. It was also the first Trek show with a black commanding officer and a female first officer, and the only Trek show to date with a person of Arab descent in the main cast (which is actually more noteworthy now than it was twenty years ago, more’s the pity). It’s also the only Trek show to have more than two people in the opening credits who aren’t with Starfleet (TNG had Wesley, at least until “Where No One Has Gone Before,” Voyager had only Neelix and either Kes or Seven of Nine, and Enterprise had only T’Pol, at least until the fourth season, and Phlox)—indeed, only half those listed in the opening credits are with Starfleet.
[Greetings, Emissary...]
It’s also the first Trek show to be aggressively serialized—a natural by-product of their staying in one place—with many of the show’s recurring elements begun in this first season: Bajor crawling from the wreckage of the Cardassian occupation (“Emissary,” “Past Prologue,” “The Storyteller,” “Progress,” “Duet,” “In the Hands of the Prophets”), encountering stuff in and/or from the Gamma Quadrant (“Captive Pursuit,” “Q-Less,” “Move Along Home,” “Vortex,” “Battle Lines,” “If Wishes Were Horses,” “Dramatis Personae”), Ferengi politics (“The Nagus”), Trill politics (“Dax”), Cardassian politics (“Duet”), and the developing relationships among the various characters (Kira and Sisko in “Past Prologue,” “Progress,” “Duet,” and “In the Hands of the Prophets”; O’Brien and Bashir in “The Storyteller”; Jake and Nog in “A Man Alone,” “The Nagus,” “The Storyteller,” and “Progress”; Odo and Kira in “Past Prologue,” “A Man Alone,” and “Duet”; Odo and Quark in pretty much every episode; the two Siskos in every episode that includes Jake).
Highest-rated episode: “Duet,” the season’s only 10, with honorable mention to the season’s only 9, “Progress.”
Lowest-rated episode: A tie between “A Man Alone” and “The Passenger,” both achieving only a 2.
Most comments (as of this writing): “Emissary” with 101, only the second time we’ve cleared 100 comments (the other being TNG’s“Darmok”).
Fewest comments (as of this writing): “The Forsaken” with only 27, the only one to be under 30. What, no love for Lwaxana?
Favorite Can’t we just reverse the polarity?: From “If Wishes Were Horses”: “Perimeter sensors are picking up a subspace oscillation. What the hell does that mean?”
Kira speaking for us all.
Favorite The Sisko is of Bajor: From “Q-Less”: Sisko decks Q.
Nothing really to add there, it’s just so sufficiently spectacular that it’s worth repeating.
Sisko decks Q.
Favorite Don’t Ask My Opinion Next Time: From “Babel”: Kira shows some investigative chops—tracking Surmak through his signing of Dekon’s death certificate—and her underground training in doing whatever you need to do to get the job done via her basically kidnapping Surmak from his office. (She makes sure he’s alone in his office before beaming him out, and it’s an open question whether or not she’s doing it to avoid anyone else being transported or to avoid there being any witnesses.)
Kira also assumes that the device is Cardassian, but when further investigation reveals that it’s Bajoran, she’s completely unapologetic about the conclusion to which she originally jumped.
Favorite Rule of Acquisition: From “Q-Less”: Quark and Vash were made for each other. He sets up her auction, picking some select clientele—selected, as he explains to Odo, by virtue of their being incredibly wealthy and not too bright.
He also says “bid high and bid often,” a delightfully Ferengi play on the quote attributed to Chicago Mayor Richard Daley, “vote early and vote often.”
Favorite Preservation of mass and energy is for wimps: From “The Forsaken”: For the first time, we see Odo losing cohesion and being forced into his liquid form to regenerate, with Lwaxana catching him in the folds of her dress, a special effect that is utterly unconvincing either visually or scientifically. (Seriously, how did she keep it all in there? How was she able to support his weight?)
Favorite The slug in your belly: From “The Forsaken”: When Sisko was Curzon Dax’s adjutant, he used to delight in giving Sisko crap assignments very much like the one Sisko gives Bashir. When Bashir exasperatedly asks how he “graduated” from this duty, Sisko replies that it was when he hauled off and belted a VIP who was trying to get an unwilling ensign to go back to his quarters. Bashir gets a faraway look in his eyes, no doubt imagining that circumstance transplanted to his own situation, but Sisko puts the kibosh on it, as he’s less understanding than Curzon. Bashir is very obviously disappointed at having the hauling-off-and-belting option being taken off the table.
In addition, Lojal tries to insert himself into Dax’s scientific inquiry into the probe, thinking her too young and inexperienced. Bashir stops him, pointing out that she has three centuries’ experience.
Favorite For Cardassia! From “Emissary”: Dukat wastes no time in returning to his old stomping grounds to remind Sisko that he’s nearby and that his intelligence sources on Bajor are still quite good, mentioning that he knows that Sisko visited Opaka and brought an orb back. It’s clear that withdrawing from Bajor was not his idea and occurred over his objection.
Favorite Plain, simple: From “Past Prologue”: We get our first look at the mysterious tailor who will become such a major part of the show. He befriends Bashir for reasons that likely range from the entertainment value of watching him thumpher about nervously in response to Garak’s possible double meanings to genuine use for him as a method of communicating covertly with Sisko (something Sisko himself figures out in short order). At this stage, it’s unclear what Garak is doing on the station beyond selling clothing. He’s willing to let Lursa and B’Etor believe that he still has pull on Cardassia, though we never see him actually contact home. Indeed, the only person he seems to get in touch with is Bashir, leading one to think that he promised the Klingon women payment he couldn’t come through with. (Of course, the Cardassians never got Tahna, so the Klingons wouldn’t be entitled to payment, exactly...) Either way, right off the bat we get Garak’s trademark charm, layered conversation, euphemisms, and torturing of Bashir, all continued hallmarks of the character.
Favorite What happens in the holosuite, stays in the holosuite: From “If Wishes Were Horses”: With all the humans coming to the station, Quark is considering opening up more holosuites that have family entertainment, in addition to the more sordid ones. This prompts Odo to call Quark disgusting, to which Quark replies happily, “Till the day I die.”
Favorite No sex, please, we’re Starfleet: From “A Man Alone”: Bashir continues to hit all over Dax, while Quark admires her from afar as well. Sisko also makes it clear that he has no sexual interest in Dax and the way is clear for Bashir to take his shot. Dax herself deflects Bashir by saying that Trill try to rise above such notions. This has the smell of bullshit being shoveled solely to deflect Bashir’s tiresome pursits, and that smell gets stronger when Sisko starts reminiscing about him and Curzon and the twins....
Favorite Welcome aboard: Lots of interesting guests this season, starting with the recurring characters who all make their debut: Marc Alaimo as Dukat (“Emissary,” “Duet”), Philip Anglim as Bareil (“In the Hands of the Prophets”), Felicia Bell as Jennifer (“Emissary”), Aron Eisenberg as Nog (“Emissary,” “A Man Alone,” “The Nagus,” “The Storyteller,” “Progress”), Louise Fletcher as Winn (“In the Hands of the Prophets”), Anne Gillespie as Jabara (“Babel”), Max Grodenchik as Rom (“Emissary,” “A Man Alone,” “The Nagus,” “Vortex”), Andrew J. Robinson as Garak (“Past Prologue”), Camille Saviola as Opaka (“Emissary,” “Battle Lines”), Wallace Shawn as Zek, and Tiny Ron as Maihar’du (both in “The Nagus”).
Then we have the Next Generation folks who came on over to the spinoff for a spell: Majel Barrett as Lwaxana (“The Forsaken”), Rosalind Chao as Keiko (“A Man Alone,” “If Wishes Were Horses,” “In the Hands of the Prophets”), John deLancie as Q (“Q-Less”), Hana Hatae as Molly (“A Man Alone,” “If Wishes Were Horses”), Jennifer Hetrick as Vash (“Q-Less”), Barbara March as Lursa (“Past Prologue”), Sir Patrick Stewart as Picard/Locutus (“Emissary”), and Gwynyth Walsh as B’Etor (“Past Prologue”).
Some excellent character actors did fine work this season as well: Michael John Anderson as Rumpelstiltskin (“If Wishes Were Horses”), Vaughn Armstrong as Danar (“Past Prologue”), Jonathan Banks as Shel-la (“Battle Lines”), Joel Brooks as Falow (“Move Along Home”), Cliff DeYoung as Croden (“Vortex”), Fionnula Flanagan as Enina (“Dax”), Gerritt Graham as the hunter (“Captive Pursuit”), Anne Haney as the magistrate (“Dax”), Gregory Itzin as Tandro (“Dax”), Scott MacDonald as Tosk (“Captive Pursuit”), Jeffrey Nordling as Tahna (“Past Prologue”), Randy Oglesby as Ah-Kel/Ro-Kel (“Vortex”), and Keone Young as Bokai (“If Wishes Were Horses”).
But nothing will beat two magnificent guest turns by two grand old men of the acting profession: Brian Keith as the irascible Mullibok in “Progress” and Harris Yulin as the troubled Marritza in “Duet.”
Favorite Keep your ears open: From “Emissary”: “This’ll be perfect! Real frontier medicine!”
“Frontier medicine?”
“Major, I had my choice of any job in the fleet.”
“Did you?”
“I didn’t want some cushy job or research grant. I wanted this! The farthest reaches of the galaxy, one of the most remote outposts available.This is where the adventure is, this is where heroes are made—right here, in the wilderness.”
“This ‘wilderness’ is my home.”
“I—I didn’t mean—”
“The Cardassians left behind a lot of injured people, Doctor. You can make yourself useful by bringing some of your Federation medicine to the natives. Oh, you’ll find them a friendly, simple folk.”
Bashir being an arrogant, pompous ass and Kira taking the piss out of him.
Favorite Trivial matter: Probably the one for “Emissary,” since the show picked up on so many different threads from so many different places, and set up so many more.
Walk with the Prophets: While the first season of DS9 is not its strongest, it’s still a good collection of science fiction stories that set the stage for what the show as a whole will accomplish. This is as strong a group of characters as you’ll find on any television show, and when they get to shine is one of two occasions when the show is at its best: Sisko’s struggles with being a single father (“Emissary,” “The Nagus”), Kira’s adjusting to life after the occupation (“Past Prologue,” “Progress,” “Duet,” “In the Hands of the Prophets”), Odo’s isolation and quest for his identity (“Vortex,” “The Forsaken”), Dax carrying the weight of her past lives (“Dax”), Jake and Nog’s developing friendship (“A Man Alone,” “The Nagus,” “The Storyteller,” “Progress”), and so on.
The other time the show is at its best is when it embraces what makes the show unique: its location near Bajor, recovering from the Cardassian occupation. Most of the season’s best stories deal with that particular aspect of the setting—with some exceptions, as there were strong episodes that didn’t deal with it (“Captive Pursuit”) and weak episodes that did (“The Storyteller”).
As the first spinoff of TNG, with producers understandably unsure of how the audience would respond, any number of TNG elements were included to ease the transition. Besides the obvious—the use of Cardassians and Bajorans, both introduced on TNG, and bringing the O’Brien family over from the Enterprise, as well as having Sir Patrick Stewart on hand in “Emissary” to pass the torch, as it were—there were the episodes “Past Prologue,” “Q-Less,” and “The Forsaken,” all using familiar guest stars from past (and future) TNG episodes.
Even the first season’s biggest problem—too many generic science fiction plots that could too easily have been used on any space opera show—was sometimes ameliorated by the uniquely DS9 elements, like the virus in “Babel” having its origins in Bajor’s resistance against the Cardassians.
Yes, it will be better when episodes that really dig into the characters and setting become more common than the technobabble-of-the-week episodes, but that’ll happen soon enough, and this first season did a fine job of introducing the show.
Warp factor rating for the season: 6
Keith R.A. DeCandido will be at Dexcon 16 this weekend in Morristown, New Jersey. He’ll have a table in the dealers room, so come on by and say hi.
Administrative note: There will be no rewatch on Friday the 5th because of the Independence Day weekend. We'll be back on Tuesday the 9th with the second-season opener, “Homecoming.”
This is something every librarian should do, just because we can:
I don't care what anyone says, libraries are endlessly entertaining.
Every other Tuesday we’re going to share with what we’re listening to. If you’re interested, you may place a hold on any title by clicking on the links.
Tricia’s family is listening to the King of Pop. She explains, “On May 14, 1984 Michael Jackson received the Special Achievement Award from President Ronald Reagan for the use of his song “Beat It” in the National Campaign Against Teenage Drunk Driving program. Jackson’s humanitarian efforts are well-known and it is estimated that he donated over $300 million in his lifetime to help others. For an amazing list that provides an idea of how many were assisted through his efforts, check out the website for Michael Jackson’s Legacy. We’re listening to Michael Jackson’s Thriller 2001 special edition re-release which includes 4 additional tracks than the original 1982 release. Give this one a listen and be reminded of the boundless musical talent of Michael Jackson and why this is the best-selling album of all time.
Ryan has been listening to Lynda Carter’s two most recent albums, At Last and Crazy Little Things. He says, “While Carter is probably best known for her acting, particularly in the iconic role of Wonder Woman, she is also an accomplished singer of a wide variety of musical genres. Both albums feature an eclectic collection of blues standards, jazz hits, standards, country and pop hits from over the years. Since 2007, she’s been touring the country with her cabaret-style show. I saw her perform in New York last fall, and for two hours she belted out songs from her albums, as well as more contemporary songs such as Adele’s ‘Rumor Has It’ and had us dancing in the aisles. In fact, Carter’s rendition of ‘Rumor Has It’ caused me to reexamine my belief that no one but Adele should sing Adele’s music! Lynda Carter’s first album, Portraits, is woefully out of print, but you can hear her as “Diana Prince” perform a few songs from it in the classic Wonder Woman episode ‘Amazon Hot Wax‘ from the show’s third and final season.”
Soon after her All Star Comics debut, Wonder Woman was featured in Sensation Comics No. 1 in 1942. (DC Comics)
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Wonder Woman in Sensation Comics No. 46. In this 1945 storyline, the baddies give Wonder Woman's boyfriend Steve Trevor special powers to be stronger than her, hoping he'll force her to marry and become a meek housewife. In the end, Wonder Woman sticks to her guns and Steve happily submits to being the weaker of the two. (DC Comics)
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In this 1957 Wonder Woman No. 90, the Amazon princess has to babysit an elephant, a whale and a dinosaur in order to raise $1 million for charity. (DC Comics)
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In 1959, Wonder Woman's origin story was revamped. Issue No. 105 reveals that the Queen of the Amazons formed Diana from clay, and that her superpowers are gifts from the gods. (DC Comics)
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In the late 1960s, Wonder Woman gave up her powers, started a mod boutique and worked with her mentor I Ching to learn martial arts. Here, she is shown in the August 1970 issue Wonder Woman No. 189. Her powers weren't restored until 1973, partly at the urging of Gloria Steinem. (DC Comics)
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Cathy Lee Crosby played Wonder Woman in a 1974 TV movie "Wonder Woman." In the film, the heroine has no superpowers, but rather is a world-traveling spy, inspired by the I Ching era of the comics. (Warner Bros.)
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Wonder Woman teamed up with other DC superheroes in "Super Friends," a television series that ran from 1973 to 1977. (Warner Bros.)
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Lynda Carter as Wonder Woman in "The New Adventures of Wonder Woman," which ran from 1975 to 1979. (CBS / Los Angeles Times archives)
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Wonder Woman was rebooted once more in 1987. Above is George Perez's Wonder Woman No. 1. cover. (DC Comics)
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Wonder Woman was a key player in the animated TV series "Justice League" and "Justice League Unlimited," which ran from 2001 to 2006. (Warner Bros.)
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Wonder Woman was again rebooted in 2006. Gail Simone took over writing duties for the comic beginning with issue No. 14, and was applauded for her portrayal of the heroine. (DC Comics)
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Wonder Woman got her own animated movie in 2009. Keri Russell voiced Wonder Woman, and Nathan Fillion voiced Steve Trevor. (Warner Bros.)
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In the 2010 animated series "Young Justice," about younger heroes trying to prove themselves worthy of joining the Justice League, Wonder Woman takes on Cassie Sandsmark (Wonder Girl) as her sidekick. (Warner Bros.)
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Adrianne Palicki played the title character in the never-aired TV pilot "Wonder Woman" in 2011. The show, from David E. Kelley, was never picked up -- effectively canceled before it even began. (Justin Lubin / NBC / Warner Bros.)
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Wonder Woman got a makeover when DC relaunched 52 of its most popular titles in 2011. (DC Comics)
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LinkWill a Wonder Woman TV series ever get off the ground? The CW isn’t giving up yet.
The network had been developing a pilot called “Amazon” about teenaged Diana (think “Smallville’s” pre-Superman Clark Kent), but the series was passed over for the CW’s fall lineup.
When asked Thursday if the warrior princess could still come to the CW, network President Mark Pedowitz said, “Oh God, yes!
“It is being redeveloped,” he said. “We’re waiting for the script to come in. We have not seen it yet. We are preparing to pilot it off-cycle should the script be what we want it to be.”
Pedowitz said that although “the basics” were all there, the execution was lacking.
“We do not want to do something that doesn’t work for that particular character,” he said. “It’s the trickiest of all the DC characters to get right.”
Allan Heinberg (“The O.C.,” “Young Avengers” comics), who wrote the “Amazon” script, is no longer on the project. Aron Eli Coleite (“Heroes,” “Ultimate X-Men” comics) is writing the current draft.
1942′s Sensation Comics No. 1. (DC Comics)
The CW put out a casting call earlier this summer for “Amazon’s” young heroine under the codename “Iris,” calling for a leading lady 5’8″ or taller, who “comes from a remote, secluded country and until now has spent most of her life as a soldier and a leader on the battlefield.”
“Because of relentless brutality of her life at home, Iris looks at our world with absolute awe and astonishment,” the casting call continued. “She has no social filter, does not suffer fools, and tends to do and say exactly what’s on her mind at all times. She’s bluntly, refreshingly honest. She can tell when you’re lying to her. And she doesn’t have time or patience for politics or tact because she’s too busy trying to experience everything our world has to offer. There are too many sights to see — and things to learn — and people to care for. Hers is a true, noble, and generous heart. And she will fight and die for the people she loves. Iris is a fierce warrior with the innocent heart of a romantic and she will fight to the death to make the world safe for innocents and true romantics everywhere.”
Doesn’t sound so “tricky” to us.
The CW project follows David E. Kelley‘s failed NBC pilot, which would have seen Adrianne Palicki wielding Wonder Woman’s lasso of truth. The CW is already home to “Arrow,” another DC superhero show, as well as other YA hits “Supernatural,” “Beauty and the Beast” and “The Vampire Diaries.”
Of course, if the CW series makes it to the small screen, it won’t be Wonder Woman’s first foray into television. Lynda Carter famously played the character in the 1970s “Wonder Woman” TV series, twirling to transform from Diana Prince to her crime-fighting alter ego Wonder Woman.
Is the time right for a Wonder Woman TV series? Who should play the Amazon princess? And is she really the “trickiest” of DC’s heroes? Also, click through the gallery above for a look at some of Wonder Woman’s memorable iterations.
– Noelene Clark | @NoeleneClark
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‘Wonder Woman’: Brian Azzarello plays with gods
‘Wonder Woman’: Those bracelets couldn’t deflect fan tweets
‘Wonder Woman’ producer David E. Kelley: ‘It’s way out of my comfort zone’
“A scholarly publisher has issued a warning to Jeffrey Beall, a librarian who writes about what he calls “predatory” practices in the scholarly publishing industry, threatening him with a $1 billion lawsuit for his blog posts criticizing the company. Beall is an academic librarian at the University of Colorado; he writes about the journal industry on his personal blog, Scholarly Open Access. More specifically, Beall identifies and lists journals that he says prey on academics’ need to publish their research. Such companies often charge a “handling fee” that requires authors to pay hundreds or even thousands of dollars if a paper is published.” (via NPR)
THEY’D BE SLAUGHTERED IMMEDIATELY
WONDER WOMAN THA GOD
“Now go, unleash hell.” MY NEW WATCHWORD.Always reblog the day Wonder Woman taught a little girl to unleash the fury!
I don’t know why writers struggle with Wonder Woman. She’s from a would-be pacifist enclave that believes in total strength to secure peace, beset on all sides by violence, either mortal or supernatural. Go from there. (I also tend to agree with Morrison that removing her sexuality reduces her; it is the flip side of the tendency of comics to objectify women, just the Whore/Madonna thing.)
Ryan LabayPeople may have forgotten how much I love Ming-Na Wen... This is your reminder. #camillewray
Right off the bat in Last Ape Standing, Chip Walter gives off hints of what eventually grows to become his thesis: that neoteny is the mechanism that defines human evolution. He doesn’t make a big flashy “science journalism” headline out of it—which speaks well to him as a writer, and as an articulator of arguments, as he lets his statements speak for themselves—but it is always there, lurking in the background. It begins with the big toe, with the move to bipedalism, which everyone really agrees is what sets us apart, at least initially, from the other apes. Chimps, gorillas and that ilk have big toes, but they are opposable, thumb-like. It doesn’t start like that, though; no, indeed, it starts straight, and then develops that bend during gestation. What if, instead, it…didn’t? I have to hand it to Walter; it is a pithy and plausible theory.
[Read more]
Ryan LabayHa! I see me!
Went to the MDNA show in Cleveland last Saturday night...It was fantastic!
She commented on the temperature in the arena, saying 'You like it cold in here, don't you Cleveland? I'm freezing my ass off.'
She commented, 'Wow, I think I got a better response here than Detroit!...I think that might be true! I think I might stop crying!'
'Are you upset about the elections? I'm sorry, I had to say that. I always have to ruin a good time.'
She noticed there was some open space in the Golden Triangle. She said her manager wasn't doing his job and demanded that he fill up the open spaces until everyone was on top of each other, staging a 'protest' and refusing to go on with the show until 10 more people were let in.
Once the space was filled, she went on saying 'If we can put a man on the moon, we can overcapacitate the triangle. That way it will get warmer and I will get warmer. Do you want me to catch a cold? Fuck no! That's what I love about my fans: they're very concerned about my health, my well-being, and my happiness. Thank you! From now on, for the rest of my tour, I want the triangle to be full, motherfuckers! Don't make me get angry.'
Her tattoo was the same Hebrew letters as it was in Detroit.
