This and that

I don't know who just bought me six months of paid time (which would be the point of an anonymous gift), but thank you!


Since Harry Potter fans are nothing if not thorough, let me know if someone posts a GOF transcript, or a really thorough recap. Not the shooting script--scripts are great fun, but if you're trying to, uh, "deal with" the film as it appeared on screen, after edits and changes and rewrites, scripts aren't going to help. I'm probably going to see GOF again, but it's a long movie, and I don't know if you've ever tried taking notes in the dark, but it sucks.

I really do feel bad about not posting anything online in nearly a year. See, on one hand, I haven't posted anything since POTO in January; on the other hand, I churned out ten parodies this year, which was more than last year. So it's sort of this simultaneous feast and famine. But I never intended for the online parodies to dry up entirely, so I'm going to try and think of something. I don't want to post anything really--let's say "promising"--in case there's another book in my future, because anything that allows me to earn money writing means that I get to spend more time writing, and that's good for you and for me. But Chamber of Secrets was on ABC last night, and I know a lot of people keep writing to complain that I "skipped" that one, so maybe that would be a good one to post online. Unfortunately, as I was watching it, I felt no stirrings of funny at all, but I think I'm at a low ebb this week or something.

I haven't had this problem lately, but please remember: I know you want to be helpful, but I can't read any parody links that you send me, because I have to protect myself legally, in an intellectual property sense. I know it might seem helpful to send me XYZ's parody to show me how they did it, but... it's not.

Goblet of Fire grosses $101.5 M its first three days, a record for November surpassing the previous high-grosser--Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.

Grab your Thunderbolts: SI.com previews the 422nd Quidditch World Cup final

If you're like me, and I know I am, you love the O RLY? owl and his accompanying icons (plus his friends YA RLY and NO WAI!!!). So if you're like me, this will kill you. (Larger version thanks to twentyfaces.)

istoo: "Here's a list of Titles of Harry Potter Fanfic We'd Rather Not Read." Some of the titles are a little lazy, but it's worth it for Harry Potter and the Chamber of Sucrets.


zhai: "More linkspam fodder if you like... The SciFi Appreciation Project in response to SciFi.com closing down SciFiction."

Leading online matchmaker Match.com sued for bogus dating scam.

More Anthony Rapp/Rent wank (scroll down to "ETA"). In answer to someone's comment last week: I had posted about Rent prior to the wank, actually--but on my dailydigestnews journal (no, I have no idea if I'll be able to update it again).

lilgoala: "Lost linkspam, for anyone who doesn't frequent lost-media.com: Michael Ausiello talks with Carlton Cuse and Damon Lindelof. Interesting tidbits. The spoilage is not extreme, but those who want to remain wholly unspoiled should not click."

Chris Klein: Asshat of the Year, or paid to be Asshat of the Year by the Church of Scientology? You decide.

sascha: "Thought you might be interested in BF2005.com for your next linkspam post. It lets you know what specials major stores will be having for Black Friday."

Eeeee pretty handmade jewelry!

The God Warrior speaks.

Your life will not be complete until you have heard the saga of the professional writer, the convention-wide mockfest, and the Venom Cock. (A good firsthand summary of the wank, with links.)

Breaking the chain

read this and sign it if you do not then you are an asshole!

Well, that's certainly a new one, I thought, glancing over the chain letter. Here's the rest of the text portion: ( Warning, somewhat graphic )

My first question was, if you care so much about the issue, why don't you all just email Lady Justice Butler-Sloss individually? Or better yet, WRITE HER A HANDWRITTEN LETTER?

I was curious to see what the current state of the case was, so I googled (or rather Yahoo'd) "Lady Justice Butler-Sloss," and what was the very first link I came up with? BreaktheChain.org: "Stop Junk Mail and Disinformation." Their take: "Unfortunately, this tale of a bizarre child-on-child crime is true, but this call to action is too little, too late. While the basic story told above is true, it is peppered with rumors and exaggerations not supported by official accounts." Example: the batteries were put in the boy's mouth, and so on. Anyway, continuing: "Versions of this e-mail "petition" have been circulating since early 2000, but gained widespread popularity only after the boys' release in 2001, rendering the petition's primary purpose - the prevention of Venables' and Thompson's release - a moot point. In the spring 2005, versions of the chain began alleging that the killers were being relocated Australia (a totally unsubstantiated claim). Another version surfacing in 2005 'Americanized' the tale, incorrectly placing the horrendous events in Liverpool, NY."

Check the original I posted: I knew the story so well (what? True crime buff) that I didn't even notice the substitution of New York while I was skimming.

And at the end, most interestingly:

"Many folks have told me that they don't care that the petition is outdated - they were going to forward it, anyway, in hopes that knowledge of the case may prevent a future tragedy. However, BreakTheChain.org recommends against participating in or propagating any e-mail petition because they are relatively ineffective and rife with problems, as illustrated by the Seven Tests of Armchair Activism." These tests include the facts that the facts in the email are incorrect, the boys are already released, that we have no idea who (if anyone) is compiling these protest signatures at the end of the line, and that you're giving your email address to God knows who. Honestly, I'd rather prevent future chain emails than try (and fail) to prevent future tragedies with ineffective petitions, which is why I'm posting this.

A final touch that made me smile:

A September article in the same paper reported that Robert Thompson, now 24, had been prescribed methadone, presumably to treat a heroine addiction.

Hey, there are worse things to be addicted to (she said with a wink).

P.S. The Fleur icons turned out particularly well.