They're making new rakes all the time.

(I don't actually like the show, but he's having a grand time and I love how Holly Hunter sits. It is the definition of queerbaiting. I want her chair desperately. So for those actors, and that chair, I am still watching.)

He has not had this much fun since 30 Coins.

In the later '90s there were complaints that "pasta bar" was overused as a vegetarian/vegan option.

We went for the kid-friendliness (ours were the perfect age). But if it was still there, I'd go back for the grilled cheese.

This looks like an indictment. It is. But I see it as a reason for optimism.

We don’t need to be exceptional to transform Americans' lives. We need to become average. The solutions exist. We see them working. We have to choose them. And that means fixing our democracy so that it delivers.

Argh! So sorry.

I'm mostly like...this should not have been a one person job, and if it had to be that person should not *also* be asked to field punchlist items and act as project manager. And that sort of thing is very much *not* on the person who's actually coding stuff.

It was clearly a *huge* lift from a volunteer.

I have doubts about the strategy behind some of the changes. (That duality...has been a theme in my feelings about SFWA.)

Yeah, I saw that. It doesn't bode well, especially since the schedules are already screwy.

(I have sympathy for production and scheduling issues. But I feel like they bought a turnkey business--well, one turnkey and also F&SF--and then went out of their way to throw away the key.)

So I'm holding out a bit of hope that authors are not going to get screwed over--either by having their time wasted, or by being bound to a predatory contract--but it's still just a really embarrassing reflection upon the publisher. 5/5

A lot of authors have walked away from sales. Despite the editorial teams remaining in place, it's not clear if there's editorial independence. Writing a boilerplate contract shouldn't take months and the massive amount of (uncompensated) labor from other folks in the field. 4/5

The MRM sale was announced last February. Many authors have been doing round after round of contract negotiation, with the publisher offering different clauses, explanations, and responsiveness to different authors. SFWA and other publishing professionals have been offering advice. 3/5

As of last April, MRM apparently told SFWA that those merchandizing rights were "either an editorial error or a holdover from an outdated contract." Seems like it'd be easy to delete.

But nope, they're fully enshrined in the boilerplate. 2/5

...you're welcome?

I'm mostly happy that it appears invading Greenland just became more difficult.

(Add that to the list of sentences I cannot fucking believe I have typed.)

Yay!

The mock crisis last weekend in Hershey was an overthrow of Iran's government. Apparently there was some confusion among delegates about whether they were being told the actual news or just the Model UN scenario.

Shit.