Sunday, February 26, 2006

Mackerelease yourself. Embrace mackereality.

I'm going mention the sad news first and end my post on a lighter note. This weekend has seen the passing of Don Knotts, Darren McGavin and Octavia Butler. Octavia was 58. It is reported that she fell - perhaps suffering a stroke - and later died in hospital. There is a brief article about her in the Wikipedia. So far there are no other articles about her passing that I could find outside of a mention on Making Light in PNH's Particles (sidebar), comments in Open Thread 60, and sff.net. She was an African-American woman who was the first science fiction writer ever to win the MacArthur Foundation 'genius grant'. (ref. Wikipedia)

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I have the Google desktop toolbar on my computer - see, it's right over there

Oh, I forget, you can't see what my laptop screen looks like from there. hmmm.

It looks like this:

The toolbar shows me a number of little bits if information according to my preferences. I have my email headers, news, maps, weather and web clips amongst other things.

Today one of the web clips it brought up for me was based on the Technorati "Meme" tag. A blogger had tagged "Which Heinlein Book Character Should You Have Been" quiz from Quizilla and posted it on her blog So I wander over to the quiz and take it. I think I'm in a bit of a grumpy mood because I got this:

I will fear no evil
You belong in I Will Fear No Evil. Your body is your prison, and you would trade everything you have, even your sex, for a new lease on life.
Which Heinlein Book Should You Have Been A Character In? brought to you by Quizilla

These quizzes are even less "memes" than the question/answer stuff I post on the Monday Meme thread (there will be a new one tomorrow!). Apparently, anything you can post on a blog, and perhaps convince other people to do, gets to be called a meme. *shrug* These quizzes can be fun and anyone can make one up, they're not so hard - I should know, I've done some for my LiveJournal buddies. (a lot of my LJ is locked 'friends only' so if you tried to look at other posts you'd need an LJ account and to be 'friended,' sorry.)

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The PublishAmerica "debate" may be over. The PA author is saying she won't be around next week and called for a summary of James Macdonald's position. He is succinct.

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I promised to end on a lighter note. If you haven't visited this link via MacAllister's blog yet, you need to go visit it soon. I will reiterate what Mac said - put down your beverage. Our buddy emeraldcite gives it this review:
"...made me laugh so hard I had to walk away from the computer to catch my breath."
Don't forget to visit the 'extras' links on the site as well. The title of this post comes from here. Because I come from a long line of Irish Mackerel Snappers, I just can't stop giggling.


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5 comments:

Anonymous said...

So sad about Octavia Butler.

But, The WW cards are hilarious!

It's a meal! It's an obsessive disorder! It's both!

Mark Pettus said...

I'm sorry, but what was it you were willing to trade sex for again?

;)

Add Dennis Weaver to recently departed. Sorry to see them go.

ohdawno said...

d.t., hi! I think this is the first time I've seen you here, thanks for the drop in. The #1 thing I learned? Stay away from "Mexican" food made by "Marcie" :-)

Mark, the quiz said I'd trade "my sex" for a chance to start over. Me, nope - in the timeless words of Oscar Hammerstein "I enjoy being a girl".

Unknown said...

Hey, Dawno. :)

Glad you linked to your LJ. I ... um ... Yeah. I friended you. :)

(I guess I'm a closet LJer?)

ohdawno said...

Jen! cool! a new LJ friend. I really need to try and pop over there more often. I'll friend you back tonite.