Random notes and links
It pleases me that the articles I started on Wikipedia about elongated coins and exonumia have thrived and grown as they have. From such tiny seeds are fully developed Wikipedia entries made. I'm also pleased that the awards section I added to the entry on Slings & Arrows has remained largely untouched. Guess I did good work there, too. One must find validation where one can.
It pleases me to see that attitudes toward animals and animal rights are slowly shifting. When New York Times Magazine covered the work of a lawyer trying to gain personhood for primates under US law, I found myself in complete agreement with his arguments. No, I'm not a vegetarian and I am unlikely to become one. Does that make me hypocritical? Well, OK, then, I can live with that. Still, given all the things we've learned about animal cognition, self awareness, and social structures, a little bit of thought about those with whom we share the planet is long past due.
And speaking of those with whom we share the planet, this story about a bull elephant poached from Tsavo East National Park (close to where I spent my time in Kenya) makes me unspeakably sad. We've got to stop this sort of thing. (Warning: This article includes a couple of graphic pictures of what was left of the elephant when the poachers were done with him. Horrifying.)
Tonight while trying to tidy the house ("trying" being the operative word), I discovered my Rolodex from, oh, at least 15 years ago. Yes, an honest-to-goodness Rolodex-brand phone directory (this style specifically), with little plastic protectors for the business cards I stored on it. It's an interesting walk through the past, with business cards from defunct companies, a couple of cards from people who have passed away, contact information for people I know have moved from the listed addresses or people I haven't spoken to in a decade or more. There are at least a couple of hand-typed contact cards in this thing. I don't know why, but when I tried to throw it away, I couldn't make myself do it. It's not like I need to have it in the house. It's . . . a souvenir from a different life, my full-time publishing life. Kind of amazing to me.
Farewell to author Daniel Keyes, whose "Flowers for Algernon" left an indelible impression on a young science fiction reader 35 years ago. She still hasn't forgotten that work.
It pleases me to see that attitudes toward animals and animal rights are slowly shifting. When New York Times Magazine covered the work of a lawyer trying to gain personhood for primates under US law, I found myself in complete agreement with his arguments. No, I'm not a vegetarian and I am unlikely to become one. Does that make me hypocritical? Well, OK, then, I can live with that. Still, given all the things we've learned about animal cognition, self awareness, and social structures, a little bit of thought about those with whom we share the planet is long past due.
And speaking of those with whom we share the planet, this story about a bull elephant poached from Tsavo East National Park (close to where I spent my time in Kenya) makes me unspeakably sad. We've got to stop this sort of thing. (Warning: This article includes a couple of graphic pictures of what was left of the elephant when the poachers were done with him. Horrifying.)
Tonight while trying to tidy the house ("trying" being the operative word), I discovered my Rolodex from, oh, at least 15 years ago. Yes, an honest-to-goodness Rolodex-brand phone directory (this style specifically), with little plastic protectors for the business cards I stored on it. It's an interesting walk through the past, with business cards from defunct companies, a couple of cards from people who have passed away, contact information for people I know have moved from the listed addresses or people I haven't spoken to in a decade or more. There are at least a couple of hand-typed contact cards in this thing. I don't know why, but when I tried to throw it away, I couldn't make myself do it. It's not like I need to have it in the house. It's . . . a souvenir from a different life, my full-time publishing life. Kind of amazing to me.
Farewell to author Daniel Keyes, whose "Flowers for Algernon" left an indelible impression on a young science fiction reader 35 years ago. She still hasn't forgotten that work.