Nov 25, 2009
You tell ‘em, Asheville!
Asheville, NC—11/24/09
1 Comment
Browsing the blog archives for November, 2009.
Nov 19, 2009
So, it has a name now—well, that’s something.
More interesting to me, however, is the newest tide of unease washing over economists: “6 double dip warning signs”*
I am not surprised. Look, there really wasn’t any reason for everyone to start hollering that the recession was over. Yes, things were turning upward, ever so slightly. New unemployment claims per month were dropping, new layoffs per month were dropping, and home values were supposedly “bottoming out.”** Everyone—citizens, administrations, economists—was so eager and so primed for any sign of recovery that what gains we were making were being blown out of proportion. It’s the equivalent of cheering after floating in an ark for 40 days, only to find out on day 41 that the water was now five feet shallower than it had been. You’re still screwed, but, Oh, great day in the mornin’!
Nov 17, 2009
Bantam Spectra editor David Pomerico has pulled some thoughts on the future of genre lit, responding to feedback from readers. Pomerico is largely correct in his conclusions (especially the fact that Farrago founder Darin Bradley’s upcoming novel Noise is going to be a big book in the coming year). And also in identifying the zombie trend and predicting what’s coming next now that it has reached maturity.
But the readers who fed Pomerico his responses show a lack of vision. From the article:
One of the key comments I’ve heard about zombies is that, unlike vampires and werewolves, witches and sorcerers, zombies just aren’t sexy. More importantly, there’s really no way to make them sexy.
In the parlance of teh Intarwebs: ORLY?
Nov 16, 2009
Or read something different, and tell her to read that. The same applies for watchables.
Rima continues her guest blogging spree at Jeff Vandermeer’s blog, unloading the most noteworthy shapers of her current personal zeitgeist.
There’s a lot going on here, covering everything from Israel/Palestine relations to copyright law, but I didn’t see anything about zombies or explosions, so I didn’t read it.
Nov 11, 2009
“Wasp Light,” by Bruce Boston and Lee Ballentine (FW 10), will appear in the forthcoming The Anthology of Dark Wisdom. Why not preorder a copy of the book?
Nov 11, 2009
The recession is over! Break out the champagne and the credit cards—it’s time to get back to normal!
2009 total: 120 (to date)
2008 total: 25
2007 total: 2
2006 total: 0
Nov 11, 2009
I.e., films I watched in October. As F.M.I.’s movie-watchingest contributor, I have been encouraged to move these posts from my personal blog to this space. Each month, I’ll post a simple list of the films I watched and a smattering of quick-hit reactions, which are often of a merely personal nature. I have a thing not just for the obscure good, but also the very, very bad, a thing that I sometimes pretend is part of an anti-aesthetic post-modern impulse rather than just a love of explosions.
October films:
10/2 - Dragonball: Evolution | Mach 2
10/3 - Zombieland | She-Wolves of the Wasteland | Time Runner
10/7 - Pickpocket
10/11 - Couples Retreat
10/15 - Brand Upon the Brain
10/16 - Whip It
10/17 - A Serious Man
10/20 - Paranormal Activity
10/23 - Prom Night (2008)
10/24 - Gamer | Macabre (2009) | Vampire Girl vs. Frankenstein Girl
Nov 10, 2009
Noise is coming …
Salvage Country will teach you to raise a new nation state.
Hint: It’s a novel forthcoming from Farrago founder Darin Bradley.
Nov 9, 2009
As the battle of writers vs. readers wages on, Farrago spouse, power drunkard and eclectic academic Rima Abunasser has some thoughts on why she chose a spot amongst the elite of the reading class, and what exactly that means.
If your fragile ego is tied to either camp and can’t stand up to clear-headed rationality and some basic decency, you might not want to read on.
