While not a bad week, this was a long week. Having just finished the four days of Norwescon, I had Monday off to rest, and then went right into three days of two combined work conferences for DSSC and WAPED. They were good, and it’s always good to connect with work colleagues from across the state, but oof. Even in different contexts, that was about a week and a half of being on.
This weekend we did as little as possible.
📸 Photos
One of my roles for Norwescon is as assistant historian (a side effect of running the convention’s online archives, and this year, I was given three and a half boxes with several decades of old convention ephemera. Lots was from Norwescon, but there was also a lot of stuff from other cons, including OryCon, CascadiaCon (the 2005 Nasfic), Westercon, the World Fantasy Convention, Worldcon, and bits and pieces from a few others. I’ve sorted through it all, and most of it I’ll try to pass off to more appropriate interested parties, but the Norwescon stuff will be slowly scanned and added to our archives. Lots of fun to see this old stuff!
The Star Trek corner of my desk at work got a fun upgrade with the addition of a desk lamp with the TOS Enterprise dangling from the pull chain. A friend was decluttering, so I…well, I cluttered, but that’s okay.
📝 Writing
I inadvertently took a ride in a new Tesla Model Y, and wasn’t impressed.
📚 Reading
Started Lois McMaster Bujold’s Captain Vorpatril’s Alliance. I’m almost done with the Vorkosigan Saga books, and the next book on my Hugo reading project is the second in Bujold’s World of the Five Gods series, so my current plan is to go ahead and finish off the Vorkosigan saga before moving on to her fantasy work.
🎧 Listening
I posted the recording of my set DJing the Thursday night dance at Norwescon. Three and a half hours of listening pleasure for you to enjoy!
🔗 Linking
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Chrysalis Magazine: “Chrysalis is a literary magazine by trans youth, for trans youth (created with a little help from trans adults).”
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Anne Minahan: “Martha’s Rules”: An Alternative to Robert’s Rules of Order (PDF link): “…Martha’s Rules…were developed by Martha’s Housing Co-op for families in Madison, Wisconsin. Martha’s Rules are not only an alternative to Robert’s Rules, but provide ideas for people in organizations who are committed to consensus decision-making and who want to make it work well.”
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Catherine Zhu at CBC Radio: 45-year mystery behind eerie photo from The Shining is believed to be solved: “In Stanley Kubrick’s 1980 horror classic The Shining, the camera zooms in toward a black-and-white photograph hanging in the hallway of the Overlook Hotel. It’s dated July 4, 1921. Dead centre stands Jack Torrance — played by Jack Nicholson — smiling in a crowd of partygoers. ¶ But the photo wasn’t taken on set with extras. It was a real photo from the 1920s, and Nicholson’s face had been superimposed over someone. But whose face was it?”
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Tim Stevens at The Verge: The $20,000 American-made electric pickup with no paint, no stereo, and no touchscreen: “Meet the Slate Truck, a sub-$20,000 (after federal incentives) electric vehicle that enters production next year. It only seats two yet has a bed big enough to hold a sheet of plywood. It only does 150 miles on a charge, only comes in gray, and the only way to listen to music while driving is if you bring along your phone and a Bluetooth speaker. It is the bare minimum of what a modern car can be….” I’m not at all a pickup person, so am not really in the market, but I’m rather fascinated by Slate‘s approach. Kinda wish there was a car version of this.
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Lia Woodward and Leah Folta at McSweeney’s: This Five-Hundred-Word Bumper Sticker On My Tesla Explains Why I’m Not A Bad Person: “Before the last few months, Musk was only mean toward some people, and I hope you can understand that I and most people in my social circles were not among them. So when that suddenly changed for me this year, I was just as outraged as any of you, as evidenced by this five-hundred-word bumper sticker prominently placed on my Tesla.”
On EVs. The market absolutely needs an entry level, low features EV. Something that people in college or just starting adulting can afford. It would create EV drivers for life.