Homo Sum:
humani nil a me alienum puto

A few years back, I posted some comments about a “great books in genre” list. One of the comments had to do with the lack of female writers on the list, and I tossed out 20 examples of great genre books by women. Sandra MacDonald has taken that kind of effort to a whole new [...]

And I did like this one when I found it at greybon. What’s a book you most want to read again for the first time?: Oh, that’s a tough one. I’d probably want to pick something that changed my head in some significant way, which biases the field in favour of things I read earlier [...]

Greed: High   Gluttony: Medium   Wrath: Medium   Sloth: Very High   Envy: Medium   Lust: High   Pride: Medium   Discover Your Sins – Click Here

I noticed on Walter Jon Williams’ blog that there seems to be a meme going around about quickly listing 15 books that you think will always be with you. Williams suggests actually modifying the meme by taking some time to think, which is an idea that appeals to me. In some senses it’s ludicrous–I just [...]

Saw this at Margo Lanagan’s blog, and felt like doing it. Things you’ve already done: bold. Things you want to do: italicise. Things you haven’t done and don’t want to—leave plain. Started your own blog – you are reading it, running strong for more than a couple of years Slept under the stars – in [...]

Infected via Wheeler and Gwenda, I find that: Your result for What Your Taste in Art Says About You Test… Traditional, Vibrant, and Tasteful 19 Islamic, 16 Impressionist, 11 Ukiyo-e, -29 Cubist, -30 Abstract and 14 Renaissance! Islamic art is developed from many sources: Roman, Early Christian, and Byzantine styles were taken over in early [...]

You are a Social Liberal (76% permissive) and an… Economic Liberal (15% permissive) You are best described as a: Socialist Link: The Politics Test on Ok Cupid Also : The OkCupid Dating Persona Test

So, Jeff VanderMeer, author of many things (including frightfully good stories about mushroom people) linked to my post below about pseudonyms. He’s gone with the “rather laugh than cry” route and has introduced a new Internet meme for book nerds: So, what’s your literary pen name? THIS IS THE OFFICIAL FORMULA (as created by, um, [...]

This one via Gwenda 1. Have you ever killed a man? Only in my heart 2. With your own hands? No. And if I were to, it wouldn’t be. 3. What, in your opinion, is the best way to transport contraband across state and country lines? In a middle class car. With a child seat. [...]

Pinched from Richard, the one word meme thing. Making the answers one word and resisting the temptation to expand is harder than you might think. 1. Where is your mobile phone? Coat 2. Your significant other? Versatile 3. Your hair? Gone 4. Your mother? Obstinate 5. Your father? Missed 6. Your favorite thing? Stories 7. [...]

You’re feeling: Extremely tired and that special kind of drained that comes after particularly good times. To your left: Immediately, the hardcover fiction, Abbey-to-Carroll, shelving. Left and back, a rack with 2TB of RAID storage, a laser printer, a colour inkjet, a wireless N router (with custom firmware), a cable modem, and around another 1.2TB [...]

My Personality Neuroticism 57 Extraversion 64 Openness to Experience 98 Agreeableness 9 Conscientiousness 39 You are poised, confident, and clear-thinking when stressed, however you feel strong cravings and urges that you have difficulty resisting. You tend to prefer short-term pleasures and rewards over long-term consequences. You have a generally cheerful disposition. You are a moderately [...]

The ‘net memes are often easy to pass by, but there’s something about the CD Cover one that amuses me. My result is shown above (click for the larger version). Tons of other ones–many of which are disturbingly plausible–at the flickr pool. The extremely Net-savvy among you will be able to place the font used [...]

I’ve seen results from the Asperger’s quiz posted by lots of people I know, and I just want to point out something about these results. I know “me and my friends” is the essence of an anecdotal sample, and not a useful one, but still… The stereotype is that people who are particularly apt at [...]