How to find out the gender (or at least, the sex) of your computer. Cute. (It’s just leaning on Microsoft SAPI; according to the comments, XP comes with a male voice, Vista and 7 with female, and Macs can be easily switched in the system preferences.)
I finally got my hands on a copy of Octavia E. Butler’s Fledgling, the last book of hers that I hadn’t read. Would’ve had to do it eventually, as she is still my all-time favorite author — I even got to tell her so at a book signing once. (Okay, what I actually said was that it was a toss-up between her and Orson Scott Card. At the time I didn’t know about his blatant homophobia; if it had come out at all back then, she doubtless knew about it, but was gracious enough not to bring it up.)
What prompted me to stop sitting on my hands and track it down was having this review open in a tab, and wanting to close it. (According to the date, it must have been open less than a month! That’s actually pretty good for me.) So I found the book, finished it, and read the review…
…and was profoundly disappointed by how shallow it was.
This was going to be a brief counter-review, then it spiraled into an essay about Fledgling‘s place in Butler’s entire oeuvre. Will contain general spoilers for most of her books; discussion of racism and slavery; and reference to consent issues of all kinds, including whole categories she came up with just so she could write about them.
Race play as kink. The second time I’ve ever found the idea discussed in anything other than a horribly negative light. (The first time was an early Dan Savage podcast.)
Next time you hear a conservative saying “We’re only treating Obama the same way liberals treated Bush for eight years!”, point them in the direction of this story: Obama is getting four times as many threats, to the point where the Secret Service is struggling to keep up.
Reflections on the history of soap operas, after the final episode of “Guiding Light”, which has been on the air (on television, and before that, on radio) since 1936.
Plus, if you need a pick-me-up afterwards, check out this thoroughly uplifting story about the brightening experiences of gay/lesbian/bi middle schoolers.
Marvelous, marvelous song. Have I recommended The Guild to y’all yet? It’s a webseries about a group of MMOers, and it’s hysterical (and so very, very true).
Another fun video: That’s Gay – Commercials, tracking the undercover queer-friendly messages in some commercials. Subtle HRC logo on a guy’s shirt FTW.
Sustainable city in Sweden disposes of its garbage via pneumatic tube. I can feel John Hodgman’s approval from here.
A website for Third Culture Kids – people who grew up between worlds. Full of interesting, if often heartbreaking, stories. (Thanks to Xuanwu for sending me the link.)
Okay, yesterday, since it’s past midnight, but the point still stands: a few hours ago, when we were having dinner and Obama’s Kenyan father came up, and my (lifelong Democrat) dad goes, “Really! I thought he was Arab!”
…He’s not usually an idiot. I swear.
(Under the fold: a bit on ethnicity and naming, with mild spoilers for tonight’s TDS.)
There’s not much I can say that will add to them, so I’m going to borrow an idea from a friend, and participate with art.
Give me the name of a character of color (that’s everyone who isn’t white, for those of you playing catch-up), and I’ll draw them. Any series is fair game, from the ones I always talk about to your favorite obscure thing that nobody else has ever heard of. If you have a preference for hairstyle/costume/setting/anything else, just point me to a pictorial refererence, and I’ll be all set.
I’ll fill ten requests, with possibly more if I have time. First come, first serve.
Ask away.
ETA: the list!
1) Cleopatra (as played by Leonor Varela), for SlytherinPuddle@DA:
++Queen of the Nile
2) Katara (Avatar: The Last Airbender), for puff222001@DA:
++Make A Splash
3) Karako Koshio (Deadman Wonderland), for Darkkako@DA:
++Game Fowl
4) Barret Wallace (FFVII), for Asphodels@DA:
++Big Guy, Little Cat
5) Wyatt Cenac ‘n’ Aasif Mandvi (The Daily Show), for fenellaevangella@DW:
++Let’s check in… [Wyatt'n'Larry]
++Mine’s Bigger [Aasif'n'Wyatt]
6) Daja Kisubo (Circle of Magic series), for seagullsong@LJ:
++Copper Rose
7) The Ancient (Ronin Warriors), for Misali-aka-Besu@DA:
++Shadow Of The Moon
8 ) Mister Trick (Buffy), for for Mizzdestiny@DA:
++Never Miss A Trick
9) Seiya Kou (Sailor Moon), for Xuanwu:
++To Reach Our Princess
10) Jeffrey Roland (Overcompensating), for itypeslow@DA:
++Sensible Consumer Advice Man
Possible extras:
11) Sailor Pluto (Sailor Moon manga), for puff222001@DA
12) Zoe Washburn (Firefly), for Mizzdestiny@DA
13) Eleanor Holmes Norton (US House of Representatives), for my own entertainment
14) Holly Short (Artemis Fowl), for Hetalia8P@DW
Simple fifteen-minute writing exercise does wonders for black students’ achievement. With effects that last years. This sounds way too good to be true, but there’s the study…
Double standards in sexy photography – a pose that we find hot when it’s a woman is considered silly when a man tries it. Which sucks, because I would love to see more scantily clad men in feminine poses.
