Twenty Palaces

Finally! It can be announced!

I can finally release the news that the first of the merchandising deals for my Twenty Palaces novels has been finalized. Here’s some initial concept art for the Child of Fire Lego kit, due to hit toystores in October, a couple weeks after the paperback publish date.

I can’t wait to see how they create the sapphire dog.
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You guys know I’m just joshin’, right? This image (and more complicated ones, too) created with the Lego Digital Designer. Use the program to design a virtual Lego model, then upload it to their site (if you want) and order the pieces and instructions mailed to you.

In happier news:

NY Times columnist and Pulitzer-winning economist Paul Krugman praises Charles Stross’s novels.

I hope this brings him a couple thousand new readers.

Wichita doctor shot while attending church in probable terrorist attack.

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Fun! When Sonia Sotomayor states that a Latina would have more experience with discrimination than a white male and would probably reach a better ruling on a discrimination case, she’s called a racist. Who called her that? Rush “Take the bone out of your nose and call me back” Limbaugh and Newt “[bilingual education is teaching] the language of living in a ghetto” Gingrich. John Ridley (a guy I rarely agree with) puts it very neatly: “Newt, seriously, anytime you want to swap racisms give me a call.”

America: still shamefully fucked up.

You’ve already seen this on your feeds and friends lists

But if you haven’t clicked on it yet, you’re making a mistake.

The literal version of Total Eclipse of the Heart.

In other news, I have an Amazon.com web page.

Why do I keep going there?

Why do I keep going to the same breakfast place? I know part of the reason is because I don’t want another Starbucks sausage sandwich, and Subway, which I used to love, now fills me with apathy.

But I keep going back to the same cafe, trying different things on the menu. But the portions are either too large or too small. Overcooked or under-cooked. And how about a sharper utensil than this butter knife?

I probably wouldn’t have bothered me so much if I had been more productive on Man Bites World. Or if I had more choices. Ah well.

I’m about to head out to meet my wife and son for a nice picnic lunch. It’s sunny and in the mid-70’s here. I hope you all have a great day, too.

Tomorrow…

Tomorrow, the whole family will be going to the Apple Store to buy some sort of iPod for my luddite, tech-phobic wife.

Amount of research I have done on this purchase so far: none.

The world is not interesting today.

Nothing bad can come of this

Fran Kuzui Rebel did such a fantastic job with her original Kristy Swanson version of Buffy The Vampire Slayer that she and her husband are working on a Joss Whedon-less reboot.

Which is probably a bad idea, okay? Seriously. The original movie stunk in an amazing variety of ways, not least because the superpowered heroine of the story had to be saved by her lunky unpowered boyfriend. Because a girl with superpowers becomes the equivalent of a boy.

Don’t miss the comment section at that new item, though. My current favorite:

I’m convinced half the posts below were written by Whedon himself. No viewer is that much a fan of any TV producer. Knock it off Joss.

I don’t believe in favorites…

… But I do believe I have a new favorite email subject header.

It’s “check to send.”

Please use this subject line in all future correspondence with me.

I haven’t even seen the movie

But this Star Trek parody is freakin’ hilarious.