(0) File 770 was crashed most of the afternoon. Customer Service said high bot traffic is to blame. That may be fixed now. Let me quote Alan Arkin to whoever is sending these bots my way: “Argo fuck yourself!” (1) LIFE IN PANDEMIC TIMES. “Station Eleven 10th anniversary: Emily St. John Mandel on what she’d change” at Slate. “Emily St. John Mandel on her eerily prescient sci-fi classic—and what she’d change about it now.” You’re in a unique position in that you wrote a pandemic book in 2014, then had the TV adaptation come out in 2021. You experienced people’s responses to art about pandemics before COVID, during COVID, and now. I’m curious what the differences may have been. I remember absorbing a lot of comments online to the effect of How did you predict this? Which I absolutely did not. There was always going to be another pandemic. What was interesting to see was the differences in the way between how I imagined a pandemic would be and how it actually is. In the Station Eleven pandemic, the mortality rate is insane. It’s like 99 percent or something. I didn’t have to go that far. It turns out society gets extremely disrupted extremely quickly, with vastly lower numbers than that. Something I hadn’t anticipated was the in-between state of pandemics. For all my research into pandemics, I’d kind of thought of a pandemic as a binary state. You’re either in a pandemic or you’re not in a pandemic. But I remain fascinated by the month of February 2020 in New York City—we knew it was coming, but we didn’t believe it. It’s this uneasy territory wherein it’s very hard to make informed, reasonable decisions around risk management when you’re kind of in a pandemic and kind of not. We’re kind of there again now. Obviously, it’s much better than it was, but I do a lot of events where typically people will be unmasked at this point, but often there are a few people in the audience wearing a mask, and that is absolutely rational, and also being unmasked is rational at this point. That was something I just didn’t expect. One thing that doesn’t ring true to me about the book anymore isn’t necessarily something I got wrong, but just the way our country has changed. When I wrote the book, I wrote a scene where all these flights are diverted to the nearest airport and everybody gets off the plane. They go to a television monitor tuned to CNN or something, and the announcer is talking about this new pandemic and everybody believes what the announcer is saying, which—I swear to God, that was plausible in 2011. At this point, absolutely not. I can’t even imagine that happening.
**(3) THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER. The New York Times has announced its annual list of the best-selling books of the year, which includes titles from both fiction and non-fiction categories.
by Layla Martínez, translated from Spanish by Sophie Hughes and Annie McDermott (Two Lines) Pink Slime by Fernanda Trías, translated from the Spanish by Heather Cleary (Scribner) Young People’s Literature The First State of Being by Erin Entrada Kelly (Greenwillow) (4) WILL GAIMAN STEP BACK FROM GOOD OMENS? According to Deadline: “’Good Omens’: Neil Gaiman Offers To Step Back From Season 3”. Neil Gaiman is understood to have offered to step back from the third and final season of Prime Video‘s fantasy drama Good Omens. Deadline revealed on Monday that pre-production had paused on the BBC Studios-produced show in the wake of allegations made by four women against Gaiman, which he denies. This came after Disney’s planned feature adaptation of Gaiman’s 2008 YA title The Graveyard Book also was put on pause. Now, we understand that Gaiman has made an offer to Amazon and producers to take a back seat on the latest season so that it can continue amid crisis talks over the Terry Pratchett adaptation’s future. Deadline understands Gaiman’s offer is not an admission of wrongdoing following a podcast from Tortoise Media that chronicled accounts of two women, with whom he was in consensual relationships, who accused him of sexual assault. Another two have since come forward. Gaiman’s position is that he denies the allegations and is said to be disturbed by them. His rep did not respond to a request for comment….
(5) WOT’S THAT? TV Guide says “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Has an Accent Problem”. Tom Bombadil made his The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power debut this week, played by character actor Rory Kinnear in a voluminous beard and wig. Known for his role in The Fellowship of the Ring (notably cut from the Peter Jackson movie), Bombadil is enigmatic yet silly; a mythic figure who hints at ancient wisdom while living out his days as a jovial, eccentric hermit. And like his harfoot neighbors, Rory Kinnear’s version speaks with a strong regional accent, playing into a recurring problem throughout the show. Tolkien’s linguistic worldbuilding is famously sophisticated, and The Rings of Power puts a lot of work into its use of constructed languages like Quenya. Unfortunately its English-language choices are nowhere near as thoughtful, embracing clumsy stereotypes from around the British Isles. The most uncomfortable example is the nomadic harfoot community in Season 1; they’re the only characters who speak with Irish accents. Writing in The Irish Times, critic Ed Powers described these “twee and guileless” harfoots as “a race of simpleton proto-hobbits, rosy of cheek, slathered in muck, wearing twigs in their hair and speaking in stage-Irish accents that make the cast of Wild Mountain Thyme sound like Daniel Day-Lewis.” He made the convincing argument that they reflect offensive images of Irish culture as “pre-industrial and childlike.” Unfortunately the show’s accent problems don’t stop there. Overseen by American showrunners, the accent choices in The Rings of Power are deeply rooted in unexamined classism and regional stereotypes.….
She’s a writer, a mother, and a survivor. She’s been through a lot, but she’s still fighting. Suzanne is a talented writer with a passion for storytelling. She’s written several books and articles, and her work has been featured in various publications. Her writing is known for its depth, detail, and emotional resonance.
**Concord**, Sony’s ambitious new game, has failed to meet expectations, leading to widespread speculation about its failings. The project’s ambitious scope, ambitious design, and ambitious marketing campaign all played a role in its demise. **Ambition** is a double-edged sword.
* Disney acquired Lucasfilm in 2012. * Lucasfilm is suing Disney for allegedly muzzling its creative freedom. * Lucasfilm claims Disney is trying to control the Star Wars franchise. * Lucasfilm argues that Disney is trying to make Star Wars more commercially successful.
The judge’s decision was based on the fact that the evidence presented by the prosecution was sufficient to support a conviction. He also noted that the defendant’s right to a fair trial was not violated. The judge’s decision was met with mixed reactions from the public. Some people were happy with the decision, while others were disappointed. The public’s reaction was a reflection of the complex and often contentious nature of the case.
Sharon Lee: A Writer’s Journey of Wit, Wisdom, and Wonder.
This diverse range of experiences has shaped her into a writer with a unique perspective and a wide range of skills. Sharon Lee’s writing is characterized by its sharp wit, engaging storytelling, and insightful observations. Her work often explores themes of identity, belonging, and the search for meaning in a complex world. Lee’s writing is known for its strong female characters, often portrayed as independent and resourceful.
The book is set in the Liaden universe, but it is a standalone story. It is a prequel to the main series, taking place 100 years before the events of the main series. The book will explore the history of the Liaden civilization and its origins.
The summary provided focuses on two specific items from the book “The Far Side” by Gary Larson. These items are: “Candorville” and “Kisses from Space”. Both items are presented as humorous illustrations that explore themes of human nature and societal norms. “Candorville” depicts a town where residents are constantly engaged in awkward and humorous situations, highlighting the absurdity of everyday life.
(12) WESTEROS: EVERYTHING MUST GO. Heritage Auctions is running “HBO® Original Game of Thrones The Auction”, an huge event offering over 2,000 costumes, weapons, props, and set decorations, from October 10-12. For example: …Among the essential pieces in this auction, my favorite is Oathkeeper, a Valyrian steel sword. Although initially forged for Jaime Lannister (through Tywin Lannister) from Eddard Stark’s legendary sword “Ice,” it was later gifted to Brienne by Jaime with the poignant directive, “It was reforged from Ned Stark’s sword. You’ll use it to defend Ned Stark’s daughter.” Oathkeeper thus became a symbol of Brienne’s journey from an underestimated sole female heir, whose worth was once seen as limited to marriage, to her rise as the Lord Commander of the Kingsguard….
This map, created around 2000 BC, depicts a world that is remarkably different from our own. It shows a vast, interconnected network of rivers, lakes, and seas, with a distinct separation between the known world and the unknown. This map, along with other ancient maps, provides valuable insights into the ancient understanding of geography and the world.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, revealed this ambitious timeline during a recent interview. This ambitious plan is part of China’s broader strategy to become a space power, a goal that has been gaining momentum in recent years. (15) THE MISSION’S SCOPE. The mission, dubbed “Tianwen-3,” is expected to be a complex and multifaceted endeavor, involving multiple stages and objectives.
(15) VIDEO OF THE DAY. Once upon a time on Letterman: “James Earl Jones presents things that only sound cool when he says them.” [Thanks to John King Tarpinian, Chris Barkley, Cat Eldridge, lance oszko, Lise Andreasen, Andrew (not Werdna), SF Concatenation’s Jonathan Cowie, Steven French, Kathy Sullivan, Teddy Harvia, Mike Kennedy, and Andrew Porter for some of these stories. Title credit belongs to File 770 contributing editor of the day Daniel Dern.] Share this: Facebook X
