That’s a wrap #20

That’s a wrap #20

A wrap of today’s SFF news, some links and some fun.  If you have news to be included, DM or email me.

Lego women are a tiny minority

Minifigs are miniature Lego people of simplistic design intended to interact with Lego landscapes, architecture, vehicles, etc.

According to this infographic the ratio of male to female Lego minifigs is 18:1.  That’s right: for every 18 male figures, there is only 1 female figure.  Thus any claim to equity is blown out of the water.

Aaron Swartz aftermath

Yesterday’s wrap included mention of Aaron Swartz.  Cory Doctorow from BoingBoing writes about Aaron and provides links to related news and articles.  Warning: trigger for depression and suicide.  And rage, in my opinion.

Conflux convention organisers interviewed by SFF author

Rowena Cory Daniells interviewed Donna Maree Hanson and Nicole Murphy, the organisers of Australia’s national SF convention, to be held in Canberra in 2013 as part of Conflux.

Jay Lake fundraiser public rewards

Jay Lake is seriously ill and in need of medical treatment that may also help people in the future.  I’ve included developments: wrap 16 introduces what and why and wrap 17 includes the incredible success of the fundraiser but also Paypal’s refusal to release funds.  I believe that Paypal fixed the problem.

Rewards are being made public by donors as quickly as they can.

Below is a list of public rewards that have been fulfilled, list the fundraiser website (note: there are lots more unlocked rewards on their way):

• $2000 — The Juvenalienation: NYT Bestselling author Tobias S. Buckellwill crack open a locked box containing his oldest, complete first short story, typed out on cracked, yellowing paper and hidden away in shame lo these many years. Written when he was fourteen, it is full of embarrassingly awkward writing that he will turn into an eBook as a reward for anyone who donates. GOAL UNLOCKED!  Read Toby’s first story.
• $4000 — Hugo Award-winning author and voice actor Mary Robinette Kowalwill read selections of beloved classics as phone sex. GOAL UNLOCKED! Watch the video of Mary reading.
• $6000 — Hugo-award winner Jim C. Hineswill read excerpts from his very first completed story, which was a 50,000 word novel about his Dungeons & Dragons character, a purple-clad elf named Nakor. (That’s right, his D&D character was blatantly ripped off from Raymond Feist’s work.) But that’s not all! He’ll do the reading in costume, dressed as Nakor, and will post the video for all to see and mock! GOAL UNLOCKED! Watch the video!
• $7000  — Best-selling authors Scott Lynch & Elizabeth Bearwill perform a sock puppet show of one of Jay Lake’s short stories. gOAL UNLOCKED! Sock puppets video.
• $9000 — Hugo-award winner, writer for Doctor Who and novelist Paul Cornellwill try to sing Kate Bush’s “Wuthering Heights” Watch the video.
• $10,000 — Best-selling author Cherie Priest will present a steampunk/goth fashion show for pets with the able assistance of her cat Spain and her dog Greyson. GOAL UNLOCKED! Link to steampunk pet fashion expo.
• $15,000 — NY Times Best-selling author and Hugo award winner John Scalziwill sing a lost Bob Dylan song, in the style of Bob Dylan. GOAL UNLOCKED! Link to serious work of Dylanology
• $17,500 —  NY Times Best-selling author Patrick Rothfuss will unleash a “terrible surprise.” GOAL UNLOCKED!  The terrible surprise is an excerpt from Pat’s high school novel,which includes a barbarian, a dwarf, and a Cat-Man samurai
• $37,000 — Howard Taylerwill draw a picture of Jay Lake kicking cancer’s ass. There may not be actual kicking, or an actual ass, but by the very loosest definitions of all the words in that sentence (and a pretty tight definition of “I will draw a picture”) that’s what you’ll get.  GOAL UNLOCKED.  A time lapse video of Howard drawing is in the process of being made, but pics are at the link.

AWW challenges wrapping up

Children’s fiction is discussed in this wrap-up of the Australian Women Writers Challenge.

Vale Steven Utley

Wikipedia describes Steven Utley as

Steven Utley (1948—January 12, 2013) was an American writer. He has written poems, humorous essays and other non-fiction, and worked on comic books and cartoons, but is best known for his science fiction stories. Utley was diagnosed with stage four cancer, fell into a coma and died January 12, 2013^[1].

Lawrence Person, Rick Klaw and Russell B. Farr remember Steven.

Writers should join writers’ groups

Writers need feedback.  They also need editors, but that’s another story.  HarperCollins was just spruiking this, and as I’m frequently fending off offers to review unedited work completed in isolation, I just thought I’d include this in my wrap:

Deborah Challindor on why writers should join writers’ groups.

Comparison between The Hobbit novel and the movie

Carolyn Donaghey compares the book and the movie.  I haven’t seen the movie yet, and I haven’t read the book in… too many years.

Razzie Awards – the wooden spoons for the movie industry

Razzie Award nominations have been announced.  For the SFF world, the most prestigious nominee was Twilight: Breaking Dawn part II.

For fans of Gruen and Wil Anderson in general

Daniel Heyman drew this:

Truefact included to stimulate the SF muses

This Brazilian treehopper looks like a creature from outerspace but it lives over the water.  In Brazil.  Well, actually this one doesn’t because it’s a model.  But it’s a model of a real thing.  Apparently.  Thanks i09, I love your website 🙂

Related:

That’s a wrap #11 That’s a wrap #17 That’s a wrap #25