Friday's Interesting Links

Notice: I have been getting up-to-date market news from Ralan.com for years, and so know that the information is kept up and accurate. That’s where I point people first. With the proliferation of searchable databases, apparently Ralan.com is slipping out of the public eye despite reliability being key. Ralan has asked, if you benefit from his efforts, that you tell Writer’s Digest, using the information below:

* Send an e-mail to writersdig (at) fwpubs (dot) com with the Subject line: “101 Websites”

* Write a short note asking them to check out the site for possible inclusion

* Specify the name and URL: Ralan’s SpecFic & Humor Webstravaganza, http://www.ralan.com

* Mention why you think the site should be included

What I Am Reading

I’m in the middle of enjoying Crystal Healer by S.L. Viehl, but I wanted to, oddly, mention something I haven’t read yet. I got my first issue of Weird Tales in the mail the other day (I have been an on-and-off subscriber), and I left it in a prominent place, pointing it out to both my sons without a lot of expectation. They’re avid readers, but not particularly interested in short fiction. However, the youngest (15) picked it up on his own, and made a point of telling everyone how much he enjoyed the story he read (which of course I can’t remember the title of). Still, it’s a worthwhile recommendation because both of them have good taste when it comes to speculative fiction. (more…)

Friday Interesting Links times two

Oops. I forgot to cross-post last week's Interesting Links, so those of you who missed the notice about my new blog may not have seen them.

For October 31st:
It must still be Friday because I haven’t been to sleep yet, right? World Fantasy is a wonderful experience, with interesting panels, enjoyable readings, and fascinating people to talk to (including a discussion on overuse of adjectives ). Anyway, I haven’t had much time to read email, even less time to read online materials, so the showings are a little sparse, but I think some are worth it.

Science

You don’t have to be Superman anymore to have X-Ray vision:
http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn18036-augmented-reality-system-lets-you-see-through-walls.html

Submitting...
To read more, click: http://margaretfisk.mmfcf.com/blog/?p=722

November 6th:
It’s Friday, which means it’s time to post interesting links. However, I have not had the chance for much web reading, so the pickings are extremely slim. All right, one. I have one interesting link for you, but it’s very interesting.

Science

Native language is something absorbed before even birth, according to this study:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/livescience/20091105/sc_livescience/newbornbabiescryinnativetongue

That said, I did finish reading Escapement by Jay Lake...
To read more, click: http://margaretfisk.mmfcf.com/blog/?p=725

Friday's Interesting Links

For those that are curious, my links come from a variety of sources. I get some on Twitter, others from the various forums and listservs I belong to, still more from emails and newsletters, not to mention the ones pointed out by friends and family, as well as those discovered in my own meandering through the web. These are only an excerpt of the volume I read and assess, but these are the ones I thought others might find interesting. By the way, though I categorize, just because you might not be a writer, for example, doesn't mean the things I am bringing to your attention are without interest to a broader population. Give it a try, then tell me what you thought in the comments.

Science

What does Alaska and the Moon have in common?
http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2009/03apr_lunarlifestyle.htm?list868465

Writing

Client perspective on agents
http://kellygay.blogspot.com/2009/04/agent-win-agent-fail-clients.html

Positive fallout from queryfail/agentfail
http://litsoup.blogspot.com/2009/04/nameless-faceless.html

http://gretchenmcneil.blogspot.com/2009/04/agentfail-response-from-non-failing.html

A look at how a publicist works
http://heydeadguy.typepad.com/heydeadguy/2009/04/whats-a-publicist-worth.html

Laura Anne Gilman on outlining for editors
http://community.livejournal.com/fangs_fur_fey/471769.html

What Dollhouse can teach
http://theswivet.blogspot.com/2009/04/what-joss-whedons-dollhouse-can-teach.html

Insight into editors' interest
http://chronicle.com/jobs/news/2009/04/2009040601c.htm?utm_source=at&utm_medium=en

Agent's thoughts on book doctors (mixed into the post)
http://queryshark.blogspot.com/2009/04/108.html

Unpublished romance novel contest
http://www.charteroakromancewriters.org/contests.html

What an agent's job actually is
http://justinelarbalestier.com/blog/2009/04/06/agents-and-rejection/

http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/booksblog/2009/apr/08/literary-agents-use

First Novels
http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/first_novels_belong_in_the_basement_against_self_publishing/C39/L39/

Social Networking

Thoughts on blog audience
http://acewriters.com/?p=122

Twittered out?
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/webguide/internetlife/2009-04-08-sociability-fatigue_N.htm?csp=DailyBriefing

Reading

Article about the impact of fiction in life
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123880307592488761.html

Thoughts on eReaders and the future
http://www.forbes.com/2009/02/22/kindle-oreilly-ebooks-technology-breakthroughs_oreilly.html

General
A blast from the past
http://www.timeagan.com/MT/Subconscious%20Comics/

Sharing Chores?
http://necktiesandtattoos.blogspot.com/2009/01/what-june-and-ward-cleaver-might-have.html

Deadly Pancakes?
http://www.snopes.com/medical/toxins/pancake.asp

Whether you agree with the political bit at the end, I think the overall social message here is a critical one:
http://blogs.harvardbusiness.org/bregman/2009/04/harness-the-power-of-apology.html?cm_re=homepage-031909-_-body-middle-tert-_-voices

The Not To Do List
http://michaelhyatt.com/2007/01/the-not-to-do-list.html

YouTube Education
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/2009-04-09-college-youtube_N.htm?csp=Tech

Friday's Interesting Links

Writing

The Terrible Truth about Secondary Characters:
http://paranormalromanceblog.wordpress.com/2009/03/23/the-terrible-truth-about-secondary-characters/

On finding an agent based on the book on offer:
http://community.livejournal.com/fangs_fur_fey/459934.html

And a sort of rebuttal to the above, but not really if you read carefully (both provide good advice):
http://community.livejournal.com/fangs_fur_fey/460100.html

Authors Behaving Badly
http://www.redroom.com/blog/kris-neri/authors-behaving-badly

Rachelle Gardner on what to expect from an agent:
http://cba-ramblings.blogspot.com/2009/04/10-things-to-expect-from-agent.html


Science

Just when you started planning that maggot farm:
http://www.sciam.com/blog/60-second-science/post.cfm?id=maggots-theyll-make-your-skin-crawl-2009-03-20

Plasma Crystals
http://science.howstuffworks.com/weird-life.htm

The Bugs Bugging You?
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/scienceandtechnology/science/sciencenews/3335131/Insect-spies-fitted-with-video-camera-implants.html


General

Cautionary tales about social networking:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29796962/

And for you Twitterites:
http://snipr.com/egize (Warning: Starts with loud noise.)
and
http://www.itproportal.com/portal/news/article/2009/4/2/surfing-facebook-and-twitter-work-good-productivity-says-boffins/

Just for fun (note the similarity :)):
http://www.byseanferrell.com/2009/04/pants_1_sean_0.html

Interesting Links

Maybe I'll make this a Friday tradition, a once a month tradition, or maybe never again, but I started collecting some links I thought you all would find interesting. They cover writing, science and free books.

Enjoy:

Writing
Peter Cox on why not to POD your submission manuscript.
http://petercox.info/?p=1083

Dame Kaz on finishing what you start.
http://www.deadlinedames.com/?p=450

Colleen Lindsay on book lengths.
http://theswivet.blogspot.com/2008/03/on-word-counts-and-novel-length.html

Janet Reid on the fallability of rejections (or why not to give up when you're rejected).
http://jetreidliterary.blogspot.com/2009/02/1399-tax.html

Linnea Sinclair on Point of View.
http://aliendjinnromances.blogspot.com/2009/01/heading-into-danger-choosing-point-of.html

Elizabeth Gilbert on Nurturing Creativity (Note: This is a video and it auto starts so check your volume)
http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/elizabeth_gilbert_on_genius.html

Science and Tech
The gene for new teeth discovered (Imagine replacing damaged teeth with new real ones!)http://www.usatoday.com/tech/science/genetics/2009-02-26-teeth-genes_N.htm?csp=Tech

Asteroid passed close to the Earth...close on a cosmic scale at least.
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/science/space/2009-03-05-asteroid-near-miss_N.htm?csp=Tech

Miscellaneous:
A chance for a free book each week:
http://www.bkgiveaway.com/