Cleolinda everywhere

Lexicongate ETAs march on: a bunch of blogs weigh in without actually reading the ruling; I can't even believe what Stanford Law said; NORA ROBERTS HAS SPOKEN.

I will say this: if you actually read the ruling, or summaries of it, you'll see that Judge Robert Patterson (no, Patterson. He does not sparkle in direct sunlight. That I know of) is very careful to note that this is not a ruling against the general concept of fan comment and critique, for profit or not.¹ The issue is not that the Lexicon is a derivative fan work; the issue is that it isn't. It is, in large part, copy/pasting of the original books' phrasing with little to no criticism or commentary--it's Rowling's work alphabetized. It is, in fact, an enterprise that makes the rest of creative fandom look bad. That's the issue. That's why she isn't suing the other guide books and commentaries² (or me, for that matter, and I also published): because those works actually contributed original thought.³ ( More )

And also, if you're going to play the JKR IS SO GREEDY OMG card, keep in mind that she said she'd donate anything they won to charity, and that His Honor did, in fact, award her and WB the princely sum of $6,750. No, I did not leave any zeroes off.

Anyway. Linkspam. (I was promised a Suantum of Quolace Quantum of Solace trailer! Where is my Something of Boris Quantum of Solace trailer?) ETA: IT'S HERE!

( When Oasis Fans Attack, This Fall on FOX! )

This entry is long-delayed because the Reign of Unemployed Terror has officially started. Actually, today was pretty good--Mom went to some kind of networking meeting and got to be with other people in the same situation and came back bright-eyed and bushy-resuméed. The problem was the three days before that--a swamp of intra-family tension, resentment, houseguests, longterm feuds and housecleaning. I am serious: she has announced her intention to scour the entire house. As for the feuds, well, my sister and my stepfather have never gotten along and I doubt they ever will. The houseguests, at least, have gone.

So, let's tote up our latest round of trials and tribulations, shall we?

>> Pthoolhu secreted a colony of "subterranean ants" ("Even worse than carpenter ants!" Which sounds so marketing-department to me. "Thicker thoraxes! Chewier mandibles! Bigger leaks and repair bills than ever before!") in the deck surrounding the pool. He still lurks under the last two feet of sludge that we haven't pumped out yet.

>> Mom's glasses broke.

>> Sister Girl has a cracked and infected tooth, while two wisdom teeth are attempting to make the beast with two molars, or something.

>> So I'm up with her at three o'clock this morning and she's sobbing on my floor because she's had four Advil and twelve Aleve over the course of the night and the pain is STILL so bad--right on the nerves--that she can't see straight, and she has to go to Panera at five because it's just her and the brand-new manager on the busiest morning of the week (Tuesday? Who knew?), and I'm just sitting there in my computer chair, for an hour, trying to calm her down because I can think of nothing to do to help her.

>> Also, she needs braces.

>> Again.

I am reeeeeally hoping beyond hope that we will be able to go see the movie tomorrow, because I really, really need to see stuff blow up at this point.

Meanwhile, for some reason, I am totally obsessed with the last Garbage album, which came out however many eons ago. I liked "Run Baby Run" and, to a lesser extent, "Metal Heart" immediately, but the rest of the songs left me cold. This may be because, while I do like guitars a lot, my favorite CD of theirs is Version 2.0, with is a lot more techno-dancy (I fell in love with "Temptation Waits" immediately). But even on that one, which I felt was nearly perfect at the time, it still took me months to appreciate "Hammering in My Head," which I love now. I think Bleed Like Me just kind of overwhelmed me with the guitar-harsh at first, and it took a spontaneous urge to listen to the whole thing several times over the other day for me to get it. And now I love "It's All Over But the Crying" and the way Shirley Manson says, "Do you really think I'm made of stone, baby, come on," and "Why Do You Love Me" ("WHY! DO! YOU! LOOOVE ME!"), and "Bad Boyfriend," even though I kept listening to it and not getting it, and then this morning I was just like, "Holy shit, this is awesome!" So I do, at least, have this going for me at the moment.

( Linkspam )