Monthly Archives: December 2009

Final Notes on Obama’s 2009

I was going to write a long and involved piece about President Obama’s 2009 and how contrary to most popular rumor it’s been among the most successful first years of any president of the last, oh, century, but it turns out Andrew Sullivan’s pretty much written what I would have written on that subject for […]

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The Best SF Movies of the Decade and 2009 AMC Column Archive

And now, on the last day of the decade (unless you want to be technically accurate about when the decade ends, in which case, on the last day of 90% of one decade, and incorporating 10% of another), over at AMC, I’m presenting you with a list of the 10 films I consider the best […]

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The God Engines, Out Tomorrow — Read the First Chapter Today

The God Engines is officially in print tomorrow; Subterranean Press tells me copies of the book are in their warehouse and they’ll be shipping them over the next week, with direct orders from SubPress being fulfilled first and Amazon orders following right behind (on account that those have to, you know, go through Amazon’s warehouses, […]

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What Follows Cannot In Any Way Be Considered a Deep Thought

You know, it’s a cliche and all, but chocolate and peanut butter really are two great tastes that go great together.

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My War (Or Not) With the “Big Three”

Got an e-mail today from someone who noticed an oblique reference to me in a recent Analog editorial which, in part, explained why the magazine still doesn’t accept e-mail submissions (I was referred to in it as a “young writer,” which as a middle-aged scribe with two decades of professional writing and publishing experience, I […]

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The Big Idea Index, 2009

And now, for your linking convenience, an index of every author who contributed a Big Idea essay this year, in alphabetical order, From Adams to Williamson. Catch up on what you missed, and keep these authors in mind when you’re cashing in your bookstore gift cards this week. John Joseph Adams C.L. Anderson Julia Angwin Paolo Bacigalupi Steven R. Boyett […]

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The Big Idea: Jasper Fforde

There are many reasons I like Jasper Fforde’s writing, but one of the main reasons I do is that Fforde has the rare talent of taking fundamentally farcical plot concepts (People enter books! Detectives solve crimes in a nursery rhyme world!) and paying them off in ways that are not, in fact, merely farcical. So […]

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Tonight, In a Very Special Episode of “Cat Vs. Laser Dot”

Zeus is confronted once more by his old nemesis. What followed was not pretty.

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2009 Review, 2010 Preview

2010 is close enough now that I can see it from here — and I’ve wrapped up nearly everything I needed to do in 2009 — so now is a good time to do a quick retrospective on the last year in a professional sense and talk a little about what I see ahead in […]

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Hey, You Like Snow?

Here you go, then. This evening graced us with our first winter advisory, informing us we could expect anywhere between three and five inches of the stuff. Having just driven home in this, I can say with some reasonable authority that three inches has already been achieved, and it’s just a quarter past eight. We’ll […]

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Whatever Twitter Feed Now Online

Those of you who follow me on Twitter know that generally speaking my Twitter postings don’t have much to do with what’s going on here at Whatever; they’re mostly my short (and goofy) observations. Well, for those of you who would actually like a Twitter feed for Whatever, now there is one: @blogwhatever. It updates […]

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Pets, 2009

Because you demand it! First, Ghlaghghee: And now Zeus: Let’s not forget Lopsided Cat: And, of course, representing the canine branch of the Scalzis, Kodi: I hope you’ve enjoyed the intense pet-related satisfaction.

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Sunsets, 2009

A dusky review. And for luck, one sunrise.

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Mecha-Zoë is Coming to End You

The cover for the upcoming Spanish edition of Zoe’s Tale: Not entirely sure it’s accurate to the content of the book, but then Minotauro (my Spanish publisher) has always made the covers more about style than anything else. And it certainly is cool looking. You don’t want to mess with this version of Zoë; she’ll […]

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This is the Best Christmas Ever

I am a notoriously difficult person to Christmas shop for, which is why for a number of years now my stated policy for people wanting to get me something is to tell them not to bother. Nevertheless, Krissy asked this year if there was anything I wanted for Christmas. I handed her a small list. […]

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The Little Gingerbread House That Couldn’t

So, for the centerpiece of our Christmas Eve feast with the extended family, we decided to make a gingerbread house, because it’s all homey and Christmasy and whatnot. For reference, here’s what the house is supposed to look like, once assembled: And this is what it looked like when we were finished: How did it […]

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Whatever Best of 2009

Yes, we’re getting to the end of it now, aren’t we. And really not a moment too soon. As is my annual wont, here’s a collection of some of what I think were the most interesting Whatever entries of the year. In case you’re joining the blog in progress. The Complete “John and Mary Show […]

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The Most Memorable Science Fiction Films of 2009

In which the word “memorable” does not necessarily equal “best.” I’ve got the list in my AMC column for this week. Won’t you drop by and see which films they are? It’s not like you’ll have anything else to do these next couple of days, right?

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11

It’s a very serious thing, being eleven years old, which is what Athena is today. I’m happy to say she continues to be the absolute joy in my life. Yes, even as a “tween.” Which she is very excited about now being, by the way. And who can blame her. I could say more, but […]

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