(no subject)

Good morning, shining faces!

crowdfunding is a community in LJ's spotlight this week, and ysabetwordsmith invited me to do a post on Extribulum and community building, which I have...done...so...you can find it here. Sorry, I blew all my eloquence on that this morning.

I don't think I mentioned it but I did get the proof copy of Dr. King's Lucky Book on Friday, and paged through it. There are some issues to be corrected, namely that I accounted for bleed on the cover but not on the interior pages and as such the headers on each page sometimes get chopped off. But I know how to fix it! (Famous last words.)

Anyway, this means that Dr. King's Lucky Book will officially be going up for sale at 10am Central on July 30th. That should be the most convenient for the most people :) Against my better judgment (oh god the logistics) I will be offering signed copies for charity; the cost of the book is about the same as the cost for Nameless, so I'm dropping back down to $30 for the signed copies on this one (that includes cost of book and postage, with the rest going to charity). You'll be able to sign up at my LJ when I post on the 30th; all you need to do is post that you'd like a signed copy, whether you're in the US or outside it, and a valid email address so I can get in touch -- I'll reiterate all this stuff in that post. If you're interested in a signed copy but can't immediately afford one, feel free to still put your name down -- I can always shuffle you to the end of the list. :)

My god how is it only 9:30. Do you think it's possible the intense heat outside is actually slowing down time?

(no subject)

Okay, Operation Don't Be Such A Shut-In is put on hold due to the fact that every time I leave the building I start to melt. I did manage to get to the Chicago International Poster Biennial yesterday afternoon, but if I have to go to the Outside again today I am going to cry.

The Biennial was interesting, in terms of looking at a lot of neat posters, but there wasn't a lot of context. Also I felt kind of creepy roaming the dimly-lit hallways of the Harrington College Of Design, since the posters weren't in a gallery so much as they were "anywhere we had an empty wall" scattered around four floors.

I did get to explore some truly fantastic stairwells.

The upshot is that I can cope with having to socialise when it's not a million degrees out, but as it is a million degrees out, I'm going home. I urge you all to join me in boycotting The Outside.

(no subject)

It was a shockingly stressful day at work today. We had a series of layoffs like a damn chain reaction, the end result of which is that in addition to the three people from my department leaving next week voluntarily, ten more people from three other departments left today. I had to help coordinate a lot of this, from issuing "package slips" so the newly jobless could carry their belongings out of the building to revoking their security access and locking them out once they were gone. It was reasonably horrible for all concerned.

But then I came home and watched a National Geographic special about Icthyosaurs, and that was a nice end to the day, because -- being water dinosaurs -- they hit every single one of my childhood science loves by crossing paleontology, evolution, and giant sea creatures.

For example, I remember seeing a human hand compared to a whale's flipper for the first time, and feeling like we must have uncovered some kind of SECRET OF THE UNIVERSE, because they were so alike! How are they so alike? MAGIC. I love how much whale (and Icthyosaur!) flippers look like hands. And I remember the realisation, way later than I should have had it, that evolution is not a magical process -- our bodies don't just know how to evolve, though that was pretty cool too as a concept. In reality it's all based on sex. SEX! You know how we came to be the way we are? Fornication.

No less awesome was the discussion of how fossils are made, which reminded me that fossil fuels come from ancient plants and animals who died jillions of years ago.

I realise that I am drastically oversimplifying everything and I apologise to natural biologists and paleontologists everywhere. I can't help it, in the face of this stuff I turn into a five year old. OUR HANDS LOOK LIKE WHALE FLIPPERS AND OUR CARS RUN ON DINOSAUR AND EVERYTHING IS ABOUT SEX.

Science is amazing.

(no subject)

It's Tuesday night, and past my bedtime, so it must be time for Sam's Three Things About White Collar!

Spoilers for 3.07: ( Taking Account )

3a. I can't actually talk about the Mozzie plot in this episode without being spoilery but I loved it like delicious cold cereal. So the traditional 3a "Oh, Mozzie" is said with approval.