selfavowedgeek

Jay Lake’s Green exists on the fringes of the steampunkery which he had puffing and chugging over our heads in Mainspring and Escapement. Otherwise, he does something in keeping with both previous books: provides a rich, textured (quasi) secondary world. The tight narrative lens comes via the titular character, who, for so much of the first half of the novel cannot remember her name. She became the victim of child trafficking from the Stone Coast to another kingdom run by the Factor. Sold for a pouch of gold by a widower father to a man named Federo (also called the maggot-man), she is dragged away from the paddies of her homeland. Of particular poignant import is her memory and longing for the ox Endurance. Yes, an ox. He’s important. Read the book.

demongoldfish

Anyone had any experience with Bluetooth headphones? As in proper two ear music headphones not just the one ear hands free kind.

Do you get good unbroken sound out of them? And most importantly do they work with iPhones (track control and mic for calls)

I've checked out a couple of Sony ones that looked pretty good but at $200 (australian) they are a little out of my price range.

Thanks, Tim

Posted via LiveJournal.app.

warren_ellis

And that’s my longtime friend, translator/writer/model Cristina, whom I owe about three emails to, so I’m doing this instead. Good morning. I’m off to the pub.

avery_averette
artists

Hi, I'm new here.

In order to distract myself from the shounenai addiction that I am currently weaning myself from (but I’ll still be writing them maybe weekly), I’ve decided to diversify my interest to include drawing.

To encourage myself, I’ve created an imaginary mystical kingdom, Land of Averia. It will be populated with royalty, warriors, sorcerers, bizarre creatures, etc. I intend to update on a weekly basis with new characters and their favourite inspirational quotes. No major plot has been planned so the main focus for now is character design.

Background on Land of Averia:

( Read more... )

To kick start the drawings, here are the sketches of two characters:

Warrior from the House of Lorenzia:

Eldest son of General Lorenzia, Atonis Lorenzia

 

( More about this character )

Favourite quote: In a world filled with hate, we must still dare to hope. In a world filled with anger, we must still dare to comfort. In a world filled with despair, we must still dare to dream. And in a world filled with distrust, we must still dare to believe. – MJ, Michael Jackson

Eldest daughter of King Tapezia, Princess Pentara Tapezia at http://avery-averette.livejournal.com/6125.html.
 

avery_averette
artworks

Hi, I'm new here.

In order to distract myself from the shounenai addiction that I am currently weaning myself from (but I’ll still be writing them maybe weekly), I’ve decided to diversify my interest to include drawing.

To encourage myself, I’ve created an imaginary mystical kingdom, Land of Averia. It will be populated with royalty, warriors, sorcerers, bizarre creatures, etc. I intend to update on a weekly basis with new characters and their favourite inspirational quotes. No major plot has been planned so the main focus for now is character design.

Background on Land of Averia:

( Read more... )

To kick start the drawings, here are the sketches of two characters:

Warrior from the House of Lorenzia:

Eldest son of General Lorenzia, Atonis Lorenzia

 

( More about this character )

Favourite quote: In a world filled with hate, we must still dare to hope. In a world filled with anger, we must still dare to comfort. In a world filled with despair, we must still dare to dream. And in a world filled with distrust, we must still dare to believe. – MJ, Michael Jackson

Eldest daughter of King Tapezia, Princess Pentara Tapezia at http://avery-averette.livejournal.com/6125.html.
 

benpeek

"Writing is inhibiting. Sighing, I sit, scribbling in ink this pidgin script. I sing with nihilistic witticism, disciplining signs with trifling gimmicks impish hijinks which highlight stick sigils. Isn't it glib? Isn't it chic?" Besides being glib and chic, Bok's new book strikes one with the force of being the most incredible literary curio: each of its chapters is allowed to use only one vowel outgunning even Georges Perec's famed La Disparition, which simply omits the letter "e." Apparently seven years in the making, Eunoia, the shortest word in the English language to employ all the vowels (it means "beautiful thinking"), also employs other, more mundane constraints on paragraph length (all are 12 lines long) and what must be mentioned (the act of writing, nautical travel, energetic eating). This hyper-mechanization of the writer's craft sets the stage for a welter of eccentric, yet universally appealing, tours-de-force, such as Chapter E's retelling of the Illiad from the viewpoint of Helen: "Whenever Helen seeks these perverse excesses, her regretted deeds depress her; hence, Helen beseeches Ceres (the blessed Demeter): `let sweet Lethe bless me, lest these recent events be rememberd' then the empress feeds herself fermented hempseed, her preferred nepenthe." In the "u" chapter, "Dutch smut churns up blushful succubus lusts," and Ubu and Lulu burp, hump and bump for five delirious pages, exhausting, in the meantime, the entire range of English words that only contain the vowel. Eunoia's reductorial neurosis as euphonically zestful contrivance turns formidable stunts to imp's play. That is, this terrific book makes sense on its own terms. (Nov.)Forecast: Bok's debut Crystallography was well reviewed in Canada (Bok lives and works in Toronto, whence Coach House publishes), and he has invented languages for two Gene Roddenberry TV series, Earth: Final Conflict and Amazon. This book will have to be sought out, but it is beautifully produced, and browsers will be hooked.

Hassan Abd al-Hassad, an Agha Khan, basks at an ashram - a Taj Mahal that has grand parks and grass lawns, all as vast as parklands at Alhambra and Valhalla. Hassan can, at a handclap, call a vassal at hand and ask that all staff plan a bacchanal - a gala ball that has what pagan charm small galas lack. Hassan claps, and (tah-dah) an Arab lass at a swank spa can draw a man’s bath and wash a man’s back, as Arab lads fawn and hang, athwart an altar, amaranth garlands as fragrant as attar - a balm that calms all angst. A dwarf can flap a palm branch that fans a fat maharajah. A naphtha lamp can cast a calm warmth.

douglain

Allan Antliff is this week’s guest on the Diet Soap podcast. Antliff is the author of the book “Anarchy and Art” and a self described anarchist. We discuss art history and the possibility of an anarchist future. Also included are clips from Negativland, Philip Glass, Noam Chomsky, and a Titanic factoid. Download this week’s episode at dietsoap.podomatic.com or from iTunes.

Originally published at Diet Soap. Please leave any comments there.

indomitable_one

Click on the video for some gratuitous kitten cuteness. :-D