friends, · old · and · new

http://www.overcompensating.com/posts/20080820.html

My friend David has a new webcomic called Gastrophobia! Go look at it, you don't have to but you're reading this. And if you're reading this, you're finished reading Overcompensating and now you need something else to read!

The latest Wigu comic is about everything being back to normal. Wigu will be M-W-F this week.

http://journal.neilgaiman.com/2008/08/ive-wiped-file-ive-wiped-all-files-ive.html

For those who, like me, had trouble making out the words, here are the lyrics to "I Google You", posted by Mr. G in the comment thread to a blog post. The whole discussion there is interesting.

Many people wrote in to offer suggestions for a collective noun for Johns, most of them thinking along similar lines. Among the most intuitive were: a flushing, a trick, and a gospel.

Interesting search queries by which people arrived at neilgaiman.com over the past month: [oops nudity] - 51 hits, [community suffering] - 27, and [good omens slash] - 6. And now many more people will be ending up here for each of those.

Lastly, let's go to the mailbag!

From: John Lorentz
Subject: Sometimes Real Life Is Too Strange

Neil,

A few nights ago, some crooks took advantage of some gullible people here in Portland by posing as Wells Fargo security guards and met people coming to make use of the night deposit slot at a local bank.

"The night deposit slot here is out of order. But if you'll put your deposit in this bag, we'll deliver it to another branch in the morning."

On the news tonight, our local NBC affiliate (KGW) pointed out that this is exactly like a scheme described in AMERICAN GODS, giving the page number in the trade edition of the book and holding that page up to the camera. (They don't have the video up of the version of the story with the reference to your book--if they post it, I'll send you the link for when you finally return to good Internet service.)

So if there's a sudden surge in sales of American Gods here in Portland, that's probably why.:)

John

This is actually not the first time such news was reported here.

Anyway, I am wearing them right now, sitting to stretch them out a bit. I have on these black and white checkered sneakers (SORT OF Converse knock-offs) that I picked up from Wal-Mart (No Boundaries brand) a couple years ago (haven't worn much). The stripes mesh well with the checkers in a monochromatic goodness that I quite like. On top, I'm wearing the Tripp skull burnout top, size 3, also a newer Torrid item, then a red bra (Cacique, Lane Bryant, 46D). I will definitely get a pic once I can get someone to take one!!

Question for the smaller fats, those of you who own the Tripp skinny jeans, don't care what color/print, but do they fit more skinny or are they also more tapered than skinny like the Torrid pictures? Just curious.

I hit up Torrid, Lane Bryant, and Fashion Bug this weekend to see if I could find two party outfits: One dress and one top I can pair with jeans and heels. Massive fail ensued. I couldn't find any tops that conceal my arm flab in a satisfactory way (though I am getting better with letting it show), and I'm simply way too tall (and have way too chickeny legs) for me to wear short dresses or skirts.

What does a fat girl in this position do? Are there any clubbing-type dresses or skirts out there that hit below the knee on tall chicks, or is that asking for too much? Are there any tops that don't feature giant rhinestones attacking the collarbone? Suggestions from this list? I really thought Torrid would help with this, but everything was electric-toned spandex that cannot be flattering in any way. I've got the size, sure, but it ain't toned. Basically, what do you all wear when you go out?

http://www.pepysdiary.com/archive/1665/08/20/

(Lord's day). Sir G. Carteret come and walked by my bedside half an houre, talking and telling me how my Lord is in this unblameable in all this ill-successe, he having followed orders; and that all ought to be imputed to the falsenesse of the King of Denmarke, who, he told me as a secret, had promised to deliver up the Dutch ships to us, and we expected no less; and swears it will, and will easily, be the ruine of him and his kingdom, if we fall out with him, as we must in honour do; but that all that can be, must be to get the fleete out again to intercept De Witt, who certainly will be coming home with the East India ships, he being gone thither. He being gone, I up and with Fenn, being ready to walk forth to see the place; and I find it to be a very noble seat in a noble forest, with the noblest prospect towards Windsor, and round about over many countys, that can be desired; but otherwise a very melancholy place, and little variety save only trees. I had thoughts of going home by water, and of seeing Windsor Chappell and Castle, but finding at my coming in that Sir G. Carteret did prevent me in speaking for my sudden return to look after business, I did presently eat a bit off the spit about 10 o'clock, and so took horse for Stanes, and thence to Brainford to Mr. Povy's, the weather being very pleasant to ride in. Mr. Povy not being at home I lost my labour, only eat and drank there with his lady, and told my bad newes, and hear the plague is round about them there. So away to Brainford; and there at the inn that goes down to the water- side, I 'light and paid off my post-horses, and so slipped on my shoes, and laid my things by, the tide not serving, and to church, where a dull sermon, and many Londoners. After church to my inn, and eat and drank, and so about seven o'clock by water, and got between nine and ten to Queenhive, very dark. And I could not get my waterman to go elsewhere for fear of the plague. Thence with a lanthorn, in great fear of meeting of dead corpses, carried to be buried; but, blessed be God, met none, but did see now and then a linke (which is the mark of them) at a distance. So got safe home about 10 o'clock, my people not all abed, and after supper I weary to bed.

http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Booksquare/~3/370274921/

http://booksquare.com/?p=2813

Here we are in 2008 and Chelsea Green, a small publisher, took a chance. It thought, “Hmm, offer an exclusive window to Amazon for our new book on Barack Obama, or choose broad distribution? We choose Amazon, and Amazon alone.” Which, of course, angered all the other booksellers in the world, the booksellers who see Amazon as both usurper and competition. It was a calculated risk that smacks of someone forgetting to carry the ones.

On paper, this probably seemed brilliant. Amazon has great distribution. By working with BookSurge, a division of Amazon, print runs could be managed. The problem, of course, is obvious: not every book buyer shops at Amazon (in fact, most don’t, odd as it seems). The repercussions were great: Barnes & Noble cancelled their order (Borders stayed in the game, for what it’s worth). If you’re a small press hoping to make a decent profit, losing these sales is pretty significant.

Significant = painful.

Amazon wants to rule the world. They haven’t hidden that goal. Barnes & Noble, however, continues to own the face-to-face market. Chelsea Green, whose ability to find traction in the distribution chain is very much dependent on the kindness of strangers (including smaller bookstores, who are reportedly not happy campers), can’t afford to play favorites. One hopes, for the sake of their bottom line, that Amazon offered incredible financial incentive to the publisher.

Remember: most readers don’t give a flying fig about the delicate behind-the-scenes deals. They hear about a book, they want the book. If the book isn’t available at the retailer of choice for that consumer, it will take a powerful amount of motivation to force that person to seek out other retailers. Is this “exclusive” window worth taking that kind of risk?

Perhaps only those political books that are fabricated out of holey cloth are destined to top the bestseller lists (when, pray tell, are we going to see serious analysis of those sales figures?) and this book will garner respectable but not blockbuster interest. It’s near-impossible to predict the future*, but if there’s one truth about this new world we occupy, it is this: your fifteen minutes is much shorter than it used to be. You don’t mess around with initial distribution.

Granting an exclusive window to Amazon has certainly garnered headlines for Chelsea Green and its book Obama’s Challenge. But those headlines are, sigh, running in the industry press, not permeating the mainstream consciousness. This book has a limited shelf life (unless I’m wrong and it turns out to be one of the seminal texts on Barack Obama), and Chelsea Green made the mistake of choosing old school tactics over smart distribution.

After all, we’re living in a “give to us now, how we want it, when we want it, where we want it” world.

* - Big fat lie — we do it all the time here at BS.

Originally published at Deanna Hoak. You can comment here or there.

Yes, I know I’ve been posting a lot. Cabin Fever. :P We’re all trapped in the house, and news has just come that the kids’ school will be canceled for the third straight day in a row tomorrow.

But you know, I don’t think I ever mentioned that we adopted a bunny earlier this year. A girl in town was going off to college and leaving her little lop-eared bunny behind. She’d put up a sign at the vet to give him away free to a good home, my kids happened to see it, and, well…really, he’s an unbelievably cute rabbit. I was easily suckered into getting him. We brought him home, then promptly plopped down a hundred bucks to get him fixed because he was trying to breed with everything in sight. (Apparently there’s a reason for that old “hump like a bunny” saying, yes.)

Anyway! It occurs to me now that I can create LOLbunz! My sweet old ridgeback, Cecil, is simply far too dignified to mock…alone. However, this bunny happens to be not only exceptionally cute, but extremely smart, nosy, and, well, ballsy (discounting the neutering ;-)). He keeps hopping into Cecil’s bed like he’s going to take it over. Now given that Cecil outweighs Bunny Hip-hop (Evan got naming rights) by 125 pounds, you might doubt the “smart” portion. However, Hip-hop simply reads personalities well and knows Cecil is a pushover.

See?

Now I have to get back to work, as having the kids home and stir crazy isn’t doing great things for my productivity. However, if you guys want to play with captions, please feel free. I’ll even try to think of a prize. :-) Here are two more: