Archive for July, 2010
July 21, 2010 @ 8:12 am | Filed under:
SDCC Is pretty much my state of mind this week. Don’t know if I’ve ever mentioned it, but I—LOVE—COMIC-CON. Even if it totally betrays my hopeless fangirl geekitude to the world. (Because, you know, that was such a well-kept secret.)
My poor husband. This is a long, weary, hard-working week for him. He swears it’s just a coincidence that the song he had playing on iTunes in the kitchen this morning was “It’s the End of the World as We Know It.”
Me: Time you had some time alone, eh? Already?
Him: Funny girl.
Me: Well, I feel fine.
Ba-dum-bum.
Posting will be light this week—Comic-Con updates will happen mostly on Twitter. Recaps and photos will be here next week. Cheers!
I don’t think I’ve written about the Monarchs since they returned to us. Only a month ago, I was fretting over their absence—we had a profusion of milkweed in bloom but not a single butterfly at that point, compared to dozens the year before. A day or two after that post, voila. We’ve had a steady stream of ‘pillars and butterflies ever since.
My friend Laurie took up Monarch gardening this year, too. She has been taking amazing photos of every stage of development. Her milkweed attracted so many egg-laying females that the caterpillars chewed it practically to the ground. Laurie found four or five of them roaming the yard in search of food, so she brought them here where we had plenty of leafy plants left. Operation Caterpillar Rescue!
We’ve only brought one cat inside this year, the female (I think female—thicker veins, yes, Laurie?) above. Jane took the photo above just minutes after this lovely creature emerged from her chrysalis.
So that’s two states in which we’ve helped reinvigorate the Monarch populations. Yesterday evening I watched my younger children chase floating milkweed seeds across the backyard, laughing, spinning, leaping, clapping. The invigoration works both ways, it seems.
(Photo from last summer.)
Related posts:
“A little egg lay on a leaf”
Monarchs in Virginia
July 17, 2010 @ 7:22 am | Filed under:
Comics After all those Thursday temptations, it’s a bit of a relief to see that I have only a few panels on my Friday list. The Super panel with Nathan Fillion, Ellen Page, and Rainn Wilson promises to be fun—but long of line, so I’ll probably pass. There’s a Caprica panel, one on autobiography in graphic novels, and one on the 60th anniversary of Peanuts which Charles Shulz’s widow as special guest.
Here’s the Friday schedule; if anything jumps out at you, let me know. The Joss Whedon panel leaps right out, but I don’t want to devote my whole day to waiting for it, which is what I’d have to do. Sorry again, Joss.
Saturday possibilities:
—Comics in the Library. This one interests me for a number of reasons, including the participation of author-illustrator Raina Telgemeier, whose middle-grade graphic memoir, Smile, has become a favorite book of my Rose and Beanie. Rose, who got braces last week, has read Raina’s frank account of her junior-high orthodontic nightmare, at least half a dozen times this month. She even told her orthodontist about it, and we brought the book in to show him, and he loved it so much he’s going to mention it on the information he mails out to patients. Coolio.
How are comics used in libraries? This panel discusses the variety of ways that libraries around the countries have begun to integrate comics into their collections and programming. Special attention is paid to the following subjects: comics for early readers; nonfiction comics, comics for adult readers. Presented by Francisca Goldsmith (Infopeople), Merideth Jenson-Benjamin (Glendale Public Library), JoAnn Jonas (San Diego County Library), Tuan Nguyen (Texas Maverick Graphic Novel List), Jill Patterson (OC Public Libraries), and comics creator Raina Telgemeier (Smile). Moderated by John Hogan (The Graphic Novel Reporter). Room 8
This one sounds fun (to a child of the 70s like me):
—Behind the Scenes with Sid & Marty Krofft, Joe Ruby and Ken Spears: A Look at the Past, Present and Future. Sing it with me: Marshall, Will, and Holly, on a routine expedition….
Sid & Marty Krofft are iconic names in the world of children’s television and true pioneers in what they have achieved throughout their long career. From their puppeteer beginnings to their timeless shows HR Pufnstuf, The Bugaloos, Sigmund the Sea Monster, and Land of the Lost to their new feature films and endeavors in Creations from the World of Jack Kirby, the Krofft brothers create amazing entertainment for everyone to enjoy and love. Sid & Marty Krofft look back at what they have achieved, then look to the future with Joe Ruby and Ken Spears (Scooby Doo, Thundar the Barbarian), who have partnered with the Kroffts in Creations from the World of Jack Kirby. Panel and Q&A moderated by producer Bonny Dore. Free exclusive gift will be given out to attendees while supplies last. Room 24ABC
Here’s a good one:
—Spotlight on Ray Bradbury.
He was at the very first Comic-Con and we kind of think he’ll be at the very last one, too, far off in the future. Science fiction author Ray Bradbury is literally a national treasure. Ray talks with biographer Sam Weller and moderator writer/producer Arnold Kunert in his yearly visit with his fans at Comic-Con. Room 6DE
Maybe this? Welcome to The Future: Are You Sure You Want to Stay?
Speculative fiction authors discuss visions of the future, dystopian and otherwise. Authors include Samuel R. Delany (Dhalgren), Alan Dean Foster (Flinx Transcendent), Cody Goodfellow (Perfect Union), Kirsten Imani Kasai (Ice Song), Dani Kollin and Eytan Kollin (The Unincorporated War), Nnedi Okorafor (Who Fears Death), David Weber (Honor Harrington novels), David J. Williams (The Machinery Of Light), and Charles Yu (How To Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe). Moderated by Maryelizabeth Hart of Mysterious Galaxy.
Other possibilities: Comics in the Classroom, Comics After Paper, the LOST discussion. The full Saturday schedule.
Sunday’s easy: I’d like to attend the Rick Riordan panel, and will certainly attend this one:
Entertaining One’s Inner Child— Ever since Harry Potter burst onto the scene, children’s books have been taking over the bestseller lists. Creators discuss the thrills and challenges of creating memorable characters for the younger set. Panelists include Jimmy Gownley (Amelia Rules), Sina Grace (Among the Ghosts), Matt Holm (Babymouse), Adam Rex (Fat Vampire), David Steinberg (Daniel Boom), Greg Van Eekhout (Kid Vs. Squid) and moderator Jennifer Holm (Babymouse). Q&A to follow.
Got any questions for them? Jenni Holm and I have some other Comic-Con fun planned this week. Can’t wait!
And then right after that there’s the Spotlight on Denny O’Neil, moderated by my hubby. Check.
Full Sunday schedule.
July 16, 2010 @ 8:39 am | Filed under:
Comics —10:00-11:00 The Spark of Imagination—
Peek inside the minds of leading authors and filmmakers to explore how imagination informs the creative process. New York Times bestselling children’s author Tony DiTerlizzi (The Spiderwick Chronicles) details the precedent-setting augmented reality used in his new Simon & Schuster novel The Search for Wondla; LAIKA president/CEO Travis Knight (lead animator, Coraline) explains his studio’s commitment to bold subject matter; artist/writer Mike Mignola (creator of Hellboy) pinpoints how and where inspiration strikes; director John Stevenson (Kung Fu Panda) explores how creativity is enhanced by artistic collaboration in moviemaking; and graphic novelist and Comic-Con special guest Doug TenNapel (Earthworm Jim) describes exactly how a blank page comes to be inhabited with his compelling imagery. Join moderator Geoff Boucher, reporter and HeroComplex.com blogger with The Los Angeles Times, for this fascinating panel discussion and Q&A. Room 25ABC
—Though with Denny O’Neil on the DC Comics Writers panel at 10:15, I’m tempted to attend that one instead. Denny was Scott’s first boss in the business, and hearing him talk about writing is a major treat. There’s also the Power of Myth panel with fantasy authors at 10:30. Decisions, decisions.
—I’m sure I would enjoy the Caprica, Battlestar, and Beyond panel at noon. Or the Sci-Fi That Will Change Your Life panel at noon-thirty. But lunchtime panels are usually a no-go for. Because of, you know, lunch.
—1:30-2:30 Once Upon a Time
Fantasy authors discuss whether Epic Fantasy requires bigger-than-life heroes and heroines. Authors include Lynn Flewelling (The White Road), Christopher Paolini (the Inheritance cycle), Patrick Rothfuss (The Name of the Wind), Brandon Sanderson (The Way of Kings, Book 1 of The Stormlight Archive), Megan Whalen Turner (the Queen’s Thief series), and Brent Weeks (the Night Angel Trilogy). Moderated by Maryelizabeth Hart of Mysterious Galaxy. Room 24ABC
Will be sure to return from lunch in time for that one!
—This one sounds fun: 2:30-3:30 State of the Geek Report: From Avatar to Zardoz
A panel of experts examine the state of science fiction, fantasy, and horror in film and TV, from the living-ever-longer-and-prospering Star Trek franchise to the future of Star Wars to what the success of Avatar means for the future of movies. Some of geekdom’s biggest luminaries, including Steve Melching (The Clone Wars), Ashley E. Miller (Thor, X-Men: First Class), Steve Kriozere (Elvis Van Helsing), Jeff Bond (former Geek Monthly editor), and Bill Hunt and Todd Doogan (Digital Bits), talk about the lackluster state of sci-fi film and television, the rise, fall and rise of Star Trek, and the hits and misses of 2010 that made their midicholorian (and cholesterol) counts rise to dangerous levels this summer. Room 4
—No doubt I would enjoy the JJ Abrams/Joss Whedon panel at 3:30, but the line will probably start forming at dawn. Sorry, fellas.
—4:00-5:00 Twisting Genres
Fantastic fiction authors talk about pushing the envelope on genre, not confining it to one definition. Participants include China Miéville (Kraken), Justin Cronin (The Passage), Naomi Novik (Tongues of Serpents), Daryl Gregory (The Devil’s Alphabet), Jeffrey J. Mariotte (Cold Black Hearts), Robert Masello (Blood And Ice), Keith Thompson (The Leviathan trilogy), and Scott Westerfeld (The Leviathan trilogy). Moderated by Maryelizabeth Hart of Mysterious Galaxy. Room 25ABC
Sounds interesting, no? As does the Digital Comics panel at 4:30. Like the comics it celebrates, SDCC is nothing if not a series of conflicts. In a good way.
Help me decide. Which ones would you like to hear about?
July 16, 2010 @ 6:07 am | Filed under:
Links • For those of you who wrote about wondering whether to go with the Nook or the Kindle, here’s a good article comparing the two: Which E-Reader Is Best?
• Amazon is offering a year of free Amazon Prime membership to college students. That means free two-day shipping on most items. The student must have a .edu email address to be eligible.
• I enjoyed this article (and so many others) by Tom Hodgkinson at The Idler: “Discover How to Intersperse Loafing with Latin.” His reasons and approach are markedly similar to mine. Have any of you tried the Cambridge Latin Course he mentions? We’ve enjoyed materials by Memoria Press and Classical Academic Press.
• Speaking of The Idler, these posts at Farm School and Mental Multivitamin prompted me to put Hodgkinson’s The Idle Parent on hold at the library. I read the first chapter yesterday via Kindle’s “sample this” feature, giggled my way through, read various bits aloud to Scott, forgave Hodgkinson for scorning the Wii, and enjoyed his Idle Parent’s Manifesto. “Play more, work less”: well, yes.
July 15, 2010 @ 5:53 am | Filed under:
Books Lest you think my recommendations are always on the mark: the following note from my husband, who stayed up late finishing a book I had thrust upon him, was waiting in my inbox this morning.
I may very well have hated [redacted] worse than I’ve ever hated any work of art in my life.
I’m putting John Mayer videos on unstoppable loops on your computer and the TV.
Oh, he is a diabolical master of revenge. If you never hear from me again, you’ll know why.
July 14, 2010 @ 12:50 pm | Filed under:
Comics San Diego Comic-Con is next week. Thought I’d warm up with a roundup of previous SDCC posts.
SDCC 2009:
Thursday. Photos, “female power icon” panel, cute father-son moment.
Friday. Photos, Mouse Guard panel.
Saturday. Notes on a variety of topics, including Scott’s karaoke performance.
Sunday. More photos.
Graphic novels for kids panel #1. Gene Yang, Derek Kirk Kim, the fabulous Jenni Holm, Eric Wright, Lewis Trondheim, Jarrett J. Krosoczka, Chris Schweizer.
Graphic novels for kids panel #2. I had to slip out early so not many notes, just names.
SDCC 2008:
One big photolicious recap post.
Plus a story about that bag I bought.
July 13, 2010 @ 9:13 pm | Filed under:
Books To cut to the chase: a Kindle has come into my possession, and I’m surprised to find I adore it. That’s right, Mac-fangirl, iPad-coveting me.
After a mere four days of Kindle use, I find myself eyeing the stacks of books in the TBR pile and wishing I had their digital versions instead.
This feels passing strange, considering how much I love the tactile aspects of a book-book. The intriguing or unsuitable cover, the shush of pages rustling, the crisp words springing up from the page. Font, margin, endpapers: these things I cherish.
But: the Kindle—it’s so slim and smooth in the hand, and one hand is enough. Tap, tap, tap, a single thumb—either thumb, a detail I appreciate—advances the pages. Three chapters into a book about Sudan, I find myself wanting some background; I nudge the little square button and make my way, lightning-quick, to Google or Wikipedia. (How much saner I’d have been had I read the recent Byatt book this way instead.) Dickens makes me laugh, and I want to share the passage with Scott: chk chk, I’ve highlighted the quote and added a note of my own.
The Dickens was free, of course, and easy to find.
Unlike my iPod Touch, I can’t read the Kindle in the dark. But any book I download to the Kindle can be sent to the Touch as well, and there’s a sync function to make sure my bookmark is always in the right spot.
When I first turned the Kindle on, I was disappointed. The contrast is not terrific; the background of the page is gray, not white, not the creamy color my Touch can produce. Oh dear, I thought, this is going to be a bust. My eyes require good contrast. I drive Scott crazy by wearing down my laptop battery with the screen turned always to maximum bright.
But I wasn’t sitting in good light during that first encounter. I upped the font size and moved to a sunny corner, and I could read just fine. Under a lamp or reading light, it’s the same as reading a real book.
(I will always call them real books, you know.)
When I read on my iPod, the device seldom ceases calling attention to itself. I’ve written before about feeling curiously distant from the text of a book-on-iPod. Is it the small screen? The backlighting? Whatever the cause, I have to concentrate harder. That isn’t happening with the Kindle. The Kindle disappears. There’s just the unfolding story. I’d heard people say that, but I was skeptical. It’s true. It disappears—until the moment I desire its presence. I really love that note-and-highlight function.
The iPod Touch is a brilliant multitasker. You know I love its versatility: mail, web, games, books, language lessons, social networks, videos, good grief is there anything it can’t do? Well, it seems it can’t stop nibbling at my attention, that’s what. I’m reading a book but I know I can do a quick mail check with two taps. Temptations. Distractions.
The Kindle’s web browser is boring black-and-white, not at all tempting. It’s a unitasker, and that’s what this fidgety brain of mine needs in order to focus on a book. A real book is a single-purpose tool. (Unless you count serving as the dominant element of my home’s interior design.)
These are just notes on the honeymoon phase of the Kindle experience. The novelty may wear off quickly; we’ll see. I have all these lovely realbooks here waiting to be read. Real books with no DRM attached—that’s a major strike against the Kindle, when it comes to newer publications, the kind you actually pay for. And of course with a great many children’s books (picture books go without saying), you want to turn real pages, pages your four-year-old can point at and and pore over.
For classics, though? And thinking as a homeschooler? There’s a lot to recommend a cool, slim, ten-ounce tablet that can put any of the Great Books before your children’s eyes in a matter of seconds. As for new books, even if you can’t live with DRM-laden purchases, you gotta love the free download of first chapters to help you decide what to buy, in any form.
Well, we’ll see how long the honeymoon lasts.
This coming weekend, Laura Ingalls Wilder fans and scholars from all over the country will gather in Mankato, MN, for the first-ever Laurapalooza Conference. I was invited to attend, but alas, I couldn’t swing a weekend away the week before Comic-Con. When your hubby’s a comic-book editor in San Diego, July is ALL ABOUT Comic-Con.
I’ll be LauraPaloozing in spirit, though, and eagerly following news of the conference on Twitter and at the Beyond Little House site.
Mankato, as you may know, is not only rich in LIW history, it’s the town on which Maud Hart Lovelace based the Deep Valley of her Betsy-Tacy books. As you can imagine, Mankato is high on my list of Places I Absolutely Must Visit Someday.
Laurapalooza speakers include LIW biographers John Miller, William Anderson, and Pamela Smith Hill. Visit Beyond Little House for more information.
