Oink, oink, cough - er, oink.

[eldritchhobbit]

Happy birthday to darthsindel1981! May you have a wonderful day and many more to come.

Today is also the birthday of the late Gene Roddenberry, the Great Bird of the Galaxy and father of Star Trek. May his memory live long and prosper.

In other news...

* My latest "History of the Genre" segment is up at StarShipSofa: The Audio Science Fiction Magazine, the third of a three-part series on "Proto-Science Fiction," from the classical age through the early nineteenth century. Today's segment is available for download or streaming here. (You can listen to or download part one of this series here and part two here.)

* In The Guardian, Cory Doctorow explains "Why Free Ebooks Should Be Part of the Plot for Writers."

* From io9: "100 Amazing Science Fiction Stickers to Put on Your Laptop."

* From ComicBook.com: "10 Fall Movies for Comic Book Geeks."

* What does a science fiction/fantasy fan look like? The pictures in the 2009 WorldCon "Fan Photo" Collection by Kyle Cassidy are available here.

* There's now a "book trailer" for Hog's Head Conversations: Essays on Harry Potter (which includes my essay "When Harry Met Faërie: Rowling’s Hogwarts, Tolkien’s Fairy-Stories, and the Question of Readership”):

Watch on YouTube

* And, for news of the whiny variety, it's official: I'm under treatment for, and quarantined through the week because of, the H1N1 flu. It's unclear whether this was a parting gift from the city of Montreal or a welcome home gift from the city of Granite Falls, but either way, it's a gift I'd gladly return. (So much for all the hand sanitizer I've been using!) Fortunately, my doctor caught it before it evolved into my decades-long nemesis, pneumonia, but I'm still being monitored carefully, as this is not an asthma-friendly ailment by any means. Blech, I say! And fie on my puniness! Now be sure to sanitize your computer properly after reading this post - break out the Lysol, you hear?! *wink*


"I believe in humanity. We are an incredible species. We're still just a child creature, we're still being nasty to each other. And all children go through those phases. We're growing up, we're moving into adolescence now. When we grow up - man, we're going to be something!"
-- Gene Roddenberry, at his Hollywood Blvd. "Star" acceptance speech, 1985

Comments

[mizz-history.livejournal.com]

Ugh. Feel better soon.

::hugs::

Master Swift seems to be developing several of the symptoms throughout the day. Not cool at all. I'm another dodgy lung type.

[eldritchhobbit.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much!

*hugs you back, sans germs*

I hope Master Swift feels much better, as well. Apparently, it's very important to catch this within the first few days if the available medicines are to be effective - just FYI, if his symptoms continue. (I hope they don't!) And best wishes to you for staying clear of it all! We dodgy lung types are easy targets, it seems.

[marthawells.livejournal.com]

I hope you feel better soon!

[eldritchhobbit.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much - I appreciate it!

[estellye.livejournal.com]

First of all, I absolutely love that quote and plan to swipe it.

Second, hurray for the Hogs Head Conversations!

Third and most importantly, I am sending gentle healing thoughts your way and wishes for a speedy and totally uncomplicated recovery. *many hugs*

[eldritchhobbit.livejournal.com]

Yay! I thought of you when I was choosing that quote. It reminds me of some of the great talks we've had. :)

And thanks for your hurray!

I'm so grateful for your healing thoughts and wishes. *hugs* I knew I was susceptible to this kind of thing, but you just can't live in a bubble, you know? At least I caught it early, and the medicines seem to be working!

*huge hugs*

[cookiefleck.livejournal.com]

Oh geez..... get well soon! Maybe my email will help... heh.

[eldritchhobbit.livejournal.com]

Oh my gosh, your email was the best thing ever! And the import worked. Thank you, thank you, thank you! *huge hugs*

Further proof that you do, in fact, rule. And rock. And all those good things. :)

[mjolnir1964.livejournal.com]

Yuck on the Piggy-flu bug,hope you get better.

[eldritchhobbit.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much!

[arymetore.livejournal.com]

Ick! Sorry that it caught you and hope you recover soon from it. Definitely not a good thing for anyone with existing lung issues.

[eldritchhobbit.livejournal.com]

Ick is right! Thank you so much for your good wishes. I appreciate it. There for a while, I was feeling like Dr. Horrible after a few rounds with Captain Hammer. ;)

[febobe.livejournal.com]

Ack! Ack ack ack! Get well SOON!!!!

*hugs hugs hugs gently*

[eldritchhobbit.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much! *huge, non-germy hugs*

[elmwood.livejournal.com]

Hope you feel better soon and vanquish the varminty swine!

[eldritchhobbit.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much!

[syredronning.livejournal.com]

Woah, great quote! One of the best I've ever seen from him.

And flu?! No fun! Hope you're over it soon ♥

[eldritchhobbit.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much!

I am hopelessly, terribly behind on LJ, and I owe you a ton of replies for your fantastic Trek posts, which I've been thoroughly enjoying. (Those fandom secrets fitted me perfectly, too, by the way.) More soon, I promise! Sorry for being so tardy. Just because I haven't commented doesn't mean I haven't read and appreciated. ;)

[greenhoodloxley.livejournal.com]

Aww, that's sucky, but at least you caught it before it became pneumonia! Hope you recover soon! :)

[thepirateship.livejournal.com]

I absolutely love your icon! I love tea.

(Sorry for breaking the flow of conversation.)

[eldritchhobbit.livejournal.com]

Thanks so much!

Love your icon. I've been throwing back the tea, that's for sure. :)

[thepirateship.livejournal.com]

Oh dear. That's no fun. Hope you feel better soon.

I'll have to listen to the StarShipSofa-cast this afternoon, I've enjoyed listening to it before.

[eldritchhobbit.livejournal.com]

Thanks so much, on both counts! I really appreciate it.

[scribblerworks.livejournal.com]

Hope you feel better quickly, with no complications and especially no pneumonia!

[eldritchhobbit.livejournal.com]

Thanks so much - I appreciate it! I still feel rather ratty, but it looks like I'm going to escape the pneumonia, thank heavens.

[ankh-hpl.livejournal.com]

News of the whiny variety, or news of the swiney variety? Either way, get well Real Soon Now & thanks for the heads-up on your latest StarShipSofa appearance. Your segments are always must listens for me.

[eldritchhobbit.livejournal.com]

News of the whiny variety, or news of the swiney variety?

LOL! Well put. Both, I think.

Thanks so much for your good wishes, and your support of my podcast segments. Both are tremendously appreciated. :)

[thrihyrne.livejournal.com]

Oh no!! I'm so sorry to hear that you're ill and quarantined and having to deal with that on top of everything else. Fie on bugs and for them picking on you!! You still manage to get so many things done, but I hope that for now, you're resting and letting your body take care of getting rid of the flu without it becoming something worse.

(((sanitized hugs))) ;)

[eldritchhobbit.livejournal.com]

Thanks so much! {{{{sanitized hugs back at you}}}} I knew I was especially vulnerable to this, but you can't live in a plastic bubble, you know? Ah well. This too shall pass. Your good thoughts are most appreciated, my friend. I hope all's well with you!

[gloriana.livejournal.com]

Ah, thanks for posting up the Youtube segment. It was a lot more enlightening than the Amazon listing for the book, which was terribly short on the subjects addressed and the people contributing.

And, re the flu, many sympathies and here's hoping you shrug it off easily. At least you're having it in summer and not winter :( I suppose a few thousand people gathered together are bound to sling germs at each other...

[eldritchhobbit.livejournal.com]

My pleasure! Thanks for checking out the video.

And thanks also for the good wishes. If this was the price for WorldCon - and, for all I know, I caught it en route back home or at home itself - still, it was worth it. ;)

[cookiefleck.livejournal.com]

Of those 10 Fall films, so far the only one that interests me is the Scorsese/DiCaprio film. I don't know anything about Avatar so perhaps that one will also catch my imagination. No Twilight stuff for me, or Sendak, please! I might see Sherlock if I get a free screening, but what I read/see has turned me off so far. Sigh.

I was at a panel of (noted) screenwriters about a week ago and there was a lot of discussion about the proliferation of comic book films. One said that right now studios only want to make films that teenage boys want to see at least three times. That's almost a direct quote, and everyone agreed with him. Depressing.

[eldritchhobbit.livejournal.com]

I'll admit I'm with you. I saw an extended trailer for Sherlock Holmes in the theater, and despite the fact I think Robert Downey, Jr. is a talented actor, I was incredibly underwhelmed in every possible way.

One said that right now studios only want to make films that teenage boys want to see at least three times.

Very depressing! Especially since the best graphic novels are sophisticated enough to fascinate discriminating adults of all ages. Talk about knocking everything down to the lowest common denominator! I hope the critical success of films like Moon will rock the boat, but who knows... Argh.

[cookiefleck.livejournal.com]

Which Moon do you mean? The recent Rockwell Moon film?

Re RDJ, I am glad he's found popular success, since I've always liked him, but his career these days reminds me more of Nick Cage's in terms of the (ugly?) turn it's taken. I like the roles the "old" RDJ took, not the new ones. (Even The Soloist was a big disappointment.) Re Holmes, I really don't think we needed a slash element... and although it looked "cool" in the trailer, the special effects work saddened me.

[eldritchhobbit.livejournal.com]

Which Moon do you mean? The recent Rockwell Moon film?

Yes, that's the one I'm thinking of. I've read some excellent reviews in genre publications about it. There are some other more "indie" SF films I've seen on DVD recently that really should get more attention; I need to post about those, I suppose.

I agree 100% about RDJ's career trajectory, unfortunately.

[cookiefleck.livejournal.com]

I keep missing opptys to see Moon... need to seek it out and make time for it! Thanks for the kick in the pants, as it were.

[ithildyn.livejournal.com]

As another asthmatic pneumonia-prone being, you have my sympathies. Take care and hope you're feeling better soon.

[eldritchhobbit.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much! I appreciate it. I think today I passed the roughest point (*knocks on wood*), so we'll see. I hope you avoid this completely!

*passes you a puff on the inhaler du jour* :)

[jagash.livejournal.com]

Good luck with the recovery, I hope it isn't too pricey as far as health care is concerned.

[eldritchhobbit.livejournal.com]

Thanks so much! So far, so good. *knocks on wood*

[abbie (from livejournal.com)]

OH NOES!! Try real hard to get better quickly!

In other news, I can't keep up with your podcasting. I think I've missed quite a few segments. :-/

[eldritchhobbit.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much! I swear, my immune system doesn't even put up a token resistance anymore - it surrenders if it even hears the vague rumors of germs in the neighborhood. *wink* Ah well. Now that I think of it, that's no different than the last thirty-odd years, so why change now?

LOL, no worries about the podcasting! You're kind to listen at all! I've been pretty heavy with it since WorldCon, but I should be back pretty much to my one monthly fifteen-minute segment now, give or take the odd dramatic reading.

Hope all's well with you! Your new semeser should be starting very soon, right? Best wishes! May this be your best year yet.

[divadianes.blogspot.com (from livejournal.com)]

Oh, dear Lord! I'm so sorry you are feeling puny. And with that horrible flu too. Get well soon!

Diane

[eldritchhobbit.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much!

[wellinghall.livejournal.com]

*hugs better*

[eldritchhobbit.livejournal.com]

*germ-free hugs back*

[vyrdolak.livejournal.com]

Get well soon!

[eldritchhobbit.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I'm trying. :)