Name it Gaiman

I don't usually jump on bandwagons around here (or at least I try not to), but I'm bored today and this sounds like a good idea to me. It turns out Pluto has a fourth moon that was just discovered. As yet, it has no name beyond the designation of P4. It seems that we are in the early stages of a viral movement to get the moon named after Neil Gaiman. Let's do it - spread the word and let's get Pluto's new moon named Gaiman.

#NameItGaiman

A Few Links, Comments and Commentary

Yesterday Representative Matt Dean, the Republican House Majority Leader in Minnesota learned a hard lesson – petty insults (pencil-necked little weasel) and misrepresentation of facts (lying) regarding Neil Gaiman are a big mistake. He had the gall to say in a speech on the floor that he hated Neil Gaiman and then called him a thief for taking a speaking fee at a Minnesota library (that came from a voter-approved fun in part to support the arts). Gaiman’s intelligent, slightly understated, and always creative reactions to it all have only made Representative Dean look like a complete idiot. Minnesota Republicans – do you really want that guy representing you? Links of relevance: Neil Gaiman’s blog about it, an interesting interview with Gaiman, and Representative Dean’s sorry excuse of an apology that only makes him look like more an idiot.

Naill Alexander, aka The Speculative Scotsman, wrote an interesting post about George RR Martin with quite a bit of it dedicated to discussion of the long delay between books and the fans that are very unhappy with it. Really, the post or the comments don’t add anything new to the debate – it’s all the usual talk complete with Adam of The Wertzone stepping into defend Martin. The exception of course is Hal Duncan’s comment – which is absolutely brilliant. I really wonder what Martin thinks of it.

Just How Do You Buy Books as a Gift for Someone?

Like many families, mine does a Christmas gift exchange where each of draws the name of another family member. This year I drew my cousin John. Now John is the youngest of our 13 cousins and even though he’s now in his upper-20s, I still know him as that little annoying kid of a cousin from podunk Oklahoma. Never mind that he’s grown into a man with multiple piercings, a genius IQ, and a college degree who’s spent the last few years hanging out in Japan. Since I haven’t really spent much time around him in over 10 years I don’t know John as an adult. So, just what kind of gift am I to give him?

My family is made up of a bunch of readers. Nearly all of us read a lot and many within the SFF genre (this is where I was first introduced to the Wheel of Time). So books are the obvious gift. But, what books? A gift card is certainly the easy way out – my time is limited and valuable and it sure is easy to allow John to pick out his own gift (and I get to avoid lines at the post office). While practical, a gift card is boring and unexciting, though it still remains my default mode. My wife suggested that I actually buy him a couple of actual books – what a novel idea.

After thinking on it, I became quite excited by the idea. After all, I’m a big important blogger, of course I know what books would make good gifts. But I really don’t know John well – he’s all growed up now. So, just what books would I get a single, highly intelligent young man who (hopefully) enjoys SFF fiction but very likely falls on the eclectic side?

I decided to stick with fantasy (it’s what I know best), but I went with books that tend to be non-traditional, intelligent (even literary), and a bit dark and serious while maintaining an entertaining feel. Or at least that’s what I started with. In the end, I picked these three:

American Gods by Neil Gaiman (Book Depository, Powell’s Books, Indiebound)

Perdido Street Station by China Miéville (Book Depository, Powell’s Books, Indiebound)

Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World by Haruki Murakami (Book Depository, Powell’s Books, Indiebound)

I sure hope John likes them.

So, how do you think I did?

Bring Neil Gaiman to Arizona Party

While I know that the reach of this blog is very wide, I live in Arizona, and so this is for those few Arizona readers out there:

And while this is clearly aimed at the tween/teen crowd, I'd sure like Neil Gaiman to come to Arizona.

But Do Elves Live There?

Neil Gaiman has found the job he'd do if he weren't a writer - he would help the Islandic government ensure that no elves live where buildings and such get built.

Edit: In other news, Neil was shocked to learn who is really writing his novels.

Coraline Trailer

Well, Neil Gaiman requests that people show off his preferred trailer for the movie Coraline. Ask and yee shall receive (sometimes anyway).

Neil Gaiman and His Amazing Oracular Journal

Go, visit it now - seriously. All of my life's problems may have been solved by this display of wisdom to my queries.


Edit - So, I thought I'd share some of the wisdom I received today.

First I asked it what I should have for lunch:

I'm in Hollywood with daughter Holly.

I Didn't know how to interpet that one - I went with drunken noodels.

Later I asked - It's Friday, should I leave work early?

But it's very out of print

I suspect that it will take a few drinks at happy hour prices to puzzle out the meaning of this, I should leave soon.

Happy Halloween

It may have become too commercialized of a holiday, but its roots and superstitions are fascinating. Neil Gaiman properly sets the mood in a NY Times Op-Ed.

Very Short Stories

A recent Wired article features a bunch of 6-word stories in the spirit of Hemingway’s famous: For sale: baby shoes, never worn. The writers of these stories are well-known writers and the like, and they range from serious to funny to stupid, to lazy. It’s a great read. Contributors include Robert Jordan, Neil Gaiman, Kevin Smith, Josh Whedon, and many more. A few of my favorites are copied below.

Machine. Unexpectedly, I’d invented a time
- Alan Moore

The baby’s blood type? Human, mostly.
- Orson Scott Card

To save humankind he died again.
- Ben Bova

Batman Sues Batsignal: Demands Trademark Royalties.
- Cory Doctorow

Metrosexuals notwithstanding, quiche still lacks something.
- David Brin


Of course the message board where I originally saw this suggested that I give it a try. I came up with two.

Internet...addicted. Lost job, wife, sanity.

And because the first is way too serious...

Pee burns. Can't remember. Drunk. Female?