The Book of Mormon: The Musical! Listen Now!

Click here to visit NPR and listen to The Book of Mormon: The Musical! by South Park creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker.

If you don't have an hour to kill, the songs you absolutely cannot miss are "Hello!", "Hasa Diga Eebowai", "Turn It Off", "Making Things Up Again", "I Believe" and "Baptize Me".

Hilarious. And still raking in amazing reviews across the board! 

2011 Locus Award Finalists

(Source: Locus Online News)

I've used Locus many a time in finding great science fiction or fantasy novels. Let's take a look at some of their contenders for the 2011 awards which will be revealed June 24-26.

Science Fiction Novel

Surface Detail, Iain M. Banks (Orbit UK; Orbit US)

Cryoburn, Lois McMaster Bujold (Baen)

Zero History, William Gibson (Putnam; Viking UK)

The Dervish House, Ian McDonald (Pyr; Gollancz)

Blackout/All Clear, Connie Willis (Spectra)

Fantasy Novel

Under Heaven, Guy Gavriel Kay (Penguin Canada; Roc)

Kraken, China Miéville (Macmillan UK; Del Rey)

Who Fears Death, Nnedi Okorafor (DAW)

The Fuller Memorandum, Charles Stross (Ace; Orbit UK)

The Sorcerer’s House, Gene Wolfe (Tor)

First Novel

The Loving Dead, Amelia Beamer (Night Shade)

The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, N.K. Jemisin (Orbit UK; Orbit US)

Shades of Milk and Honey, Mary Robinette Kowal (Tor)

The Quantum Thief, Hannu Rajaniemi (Gollancz; Tor)

How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe, Charles Yu (Pantheon)


Young Adult Book

Ship Breaker, Paolo Bacigalupi (Little, Brown)

Mockingjay, Suzanne Collins (Scholastic)

Enchanted Glass, Diana Wynne Jones (HarperCollins UK; Greenwillow)

I Shall Wear Midnight, Terry Pratchett (Gollancz; HarperCollins)

Behemoth, Scott Westerfeld (Simon Pulse; Simon & Schuster UK)

Novella

Bone and Jewel Creatures, Elizabeth Bear (Subterranean)

The Lifecycle of Software Objects, Ted Chiang (Subterranean)

“The Mystery Knight”’, George R.R. Martin (Warriors)

“Troika”, Alastair Reynolds (Godlike Machines)

“The Lady Who Plucked Red Flowers beneath the Queen’s Window’”, Rachel Swirsky (Subterranean Summer ’10)

Novelette

“The Fool Jobs”, Joe Abercrombie (Swords & Dark Magic)

“The Truth Is a Cave in the Black Mountains”, Neil Gaiman (Stories)

“The Mad Scientist’s Daughter”, Theodora Goss (Strange Horizons 1/18-1/25/10)

“Plus or Minus”, James Patrick Kelly (Asimov’s 12/10)

“Marya and the Pirate”, Geoffrey A. Landis (Asimov’s 1/10)

Short Story

“Booth’s Ghost”, Karen Joy Fowler (What I Didn’t See and Other Stories)

“The Thing About Cassandra”, Neil Gaiman (Songs of Love and Death)

“Names for Water”, Kij Johnson (Asimov’s 10-11/10)

“Thirteen Ways of Looking at Space/Time”, Catherynne M. Valente (Clarkesworld 8/10)

“The Things”, Peter Watts (Clarkesworld 1/10)

Magazine

Analog

Asimov’s

F&SF

Subterranean

Tor.com

Publisher

Baen

Night Shade Books

Orbit

Subterranean Press

Tor

Anthology

Zombies vs. Unicorns, Holly Black & Justine Larbalestier, eds. (McElderry)

The Beastly Bride, Ellen Datlow & Terri Windling, eds. (Viking)

The Year’s Best Science Fiction: Twenty-Seventh Annual Collection, Gardner Dozois, ed. (St. Martin’s)

Warriors, George R.R. Martin & Gardner Dozois, eds. (Tor)

Swords & Dark Magic, Jonathan Strahan & Lou Anders, eds. (HarperCollins)

Collection

Mirror Kingdoms, Peter S. Beagle (Subterranean)

What I Didn’t See and Other Stories, Karen Joy Fowler (Small Beer)

Fritz Leiber: Selected Stories, Fritz Leiber (Night Shade)

The Best of Kim Stanley Robinson, Kim Stanley Robinson (Night Shade)

The Collected Stories of Roger Zelazny: Volume Five: Nine Black Doves, Roger Zelazny (NESFA)

Editor

Ellen Datlow

Gardner Dozois

Gordon Van Gelder

David G. Hartwell

Jonathan Strahan

Artist

Bob Eggleton

Donato Giancola

John Picacio

Shaun Tan

Michael Whelan

Non-fiction

80! Memories & Reflections on Ursula K. Le Guin, Karen Joy Fowler & Debbie Notkin, eds. (Aqueduct)
Conversations with Octavia Butler, Conseula Francis (University Press of Mississippi)

Robert A. Heinlein: In Dialogue with His Century: Volume 1: 1907-1948: Learning Curve, William H. Patterson, Jr., (Tor)

CM Kornbluth: The Life and Works of a Science Fiction Visionary, Mark Rich (McFarland)

Bearings: Reviews 1997-2001, Gary K. Wolfe (Beccon)

Art Books

Bob Eggleton, Dragon’s Domain (Impact)

Spectrum 17, Cathy & Arnie Fenner, eds. (Underwood)

Donato Giancola, Middle-Earth: Visions of a Modern Myth (Underwood)

Shaun Tan, The Bird King and Other Sketches (Windy Hollow)

Charles Vess & Neil Gaiman, Instructions (Harper)

Dear Academy of Art Students

right now i'm disappointed in you. i'm disappointed in me for siding with you.

i know what it's like to spend sleepless weeks, and thousands of dollars in [not just tuition but] course fees. the rush around finals is more detrimental than some of the hardest drugs-- especially for those of you majoring in graphic design.

but please try and use your brain.

almost every one of you wants a perfect bound book-- they're classy, wire-free, and look like a REAL BOOK. but there are some things you should know before coming into my work.


i've compiled some of those things into three rules and a lot of me bitching.

if your book is not a minimum of 1/4 inch in thickness, we cannot perfect bind it. it's not that we don't want to: it simply cannot be done. during the process of gluing your cover and spine to your book-guts, the machine is required to apply pressure to all sides of the project. most people are not interested in perfect binding a 25-page book, so the machine is not designed to do so. it makes sense when you think about it.

RULE I: do not ask us if we're "sure there isn't any way?"

i know, your professor wants the book perfect bound with NO EXCEPTION.

if your book is too thin, we can saddle stitch it, and it'll look like a standard magazine. or we can coil bind it, wire bind it, velo bind it, or even tape bind it. but we cannot perfect bind it, so do not ask us if we're sure and do not stare at us with blank eyes.

what does this mean? make sure your book is at least 45 sheets in length. 45 sheets-- not 45 pages. there is a difference and if you aren't aware of what that difference is, you should drop out of your graphic design major right now.

there are many ways around this problem. i've seen a fair amount of books with blank pages inserted throughout, or at one end. i've also seen artists reduce the dimensions of their pages so more sheets are required. they look nice when they're done with thought-- and, more importantly, they can be perfect bound.

RULE II: do not enter our store if you do not know what "crops" or "bleeds" are.

you should have crop marks on every page-- and, for perfect binding, every page should be set up as a single-page pdf, not a spread. a spread is only helpful if you plan to french-fold, or saddle-stitch your book. in those types of bindings, your first sheet is made up of your first and last page. in a perfect bound book, the pages are in order and double-sided.

also, your bleeds need to be a minimum of 1/4 inch as well or the binding will cover part of your design.

these are simple facts that will save you and me a lot of time. and i don't need to save time: i'm at work ten hours a day no matter what. but it is frustrating, and you do need to save time because you're going through finals.

help me help you.
or you could let us do the work for you and we'll tack on another $70 per hour of labor-- it all depends on how much you like eating ramen.

RULE III: do not bring in your own stock and expect us to use it.

most of the time we can't: it'll jam our printers because your stock is almost always textured. your best bet is to call the store before arriving with a ream of linen. but, even if we could use your stock, it's just a bit rude to come in with your own. if we can use it, we probably already have it and what you're doing is like going into an independent cafe with a starbucks coffee to get some sugar packets.

i didn't know most of what i just wrote before i had this job and don't expect you to know it automatically. but i ask that you treat your art as you would a job-- not as "just a school project"-- because every time an uncaring, lazy artist is seen the idea that creating art is not a REAL JOB is furthered.

you're giving artists a bad name. i work in the financial district and the majority of our customers are financial folk. they come at us with the same last-minute rush-jobs that you do-- and you're both picky as all hell-- except they know what is required of them for us to do the job. they're professional about it; they're timely in their responses, and precise with their files.

when you don't even try to take this seriously, the whole art-world looks a little bit dumber.

i know you're still a student, but please, please do your research before coming into our store and quietly degrading the name of artists.

and good luck with finals-- you're almost through it.

frustratedly,
president wishnack

p.s. this goes for you, too, california college of the arts students.

Sheet About Feet

i'm not angry at my feet-- i'm not even entirely convinced it's their fault. but of the millions of ways i've been fired, quit, or otherwise left a job, i've never imagined my feet to have much to do with it beyond transporting me through the door.


after showering, putting on clean clothes and cologne, my boss still seems to believe he can smell my feet. in fact, in his nose, they're so horrible they merit open doors and "we need to talk" PRIVATE TALKS.

my feet smell: it's true. i'm on them the entire ten-hour shift, some of which is spent running deliveries about downtown. but there is no way my boss can actually smell my feet.

"you're going to need to do something about this," he explained.

"i'm going to try," i said, "but i seriously have no idea where to start. i'm wearing clean socks, i'm showered, and i don't know what else to do. i can't smell them and no one else here can."

"i can," he said, "and it's bad. it's something that needs to be fixed, or else i won't be able to have you around here. do you follow me?"

he can't go many sentences without asking if someone follows him.

"i do," i said as i reached for my audio recorder, "are you saying you'll fire me if my feet keep smelling?"

"just get it fixed."

i definitely would've expected my lack of mathematic skill, or cigarette-smoking to have been the problem sooner than my feet.

"don't take this personally," he continued, "i've kicked women out of my bed because i didn't like the way they smelled."

"oh," i said, unsure of what exactly i was supposed to do with the new information.

"but look into solutions tonight."

when i first started this job, i would secretly document conversations between customers, employees, and my boss with the intention of highlighting his lack of soul. but as time passed, i realized he isn't soulless-- rather severely OCD. he would go berserk if his pen went missing, even if other pens were nearby. he needed HIS PEN.

he wears rubber gloves at home to avoid germs, and that's just how things need to be in his life. everyone's got their thang.

but he's aware that he's not the best conversationalist as a result, and that's why i have the job. he's actually stopped me to say, "sometimes, when i listen to you talk, you make me wet." which is disturbing not only because he said my sentences sexually arouse him, but also because he referred to himself as having a vagina.

the point is, my feet have become the enemy of his nose and i have no idea how to solve the problem. i'm slightly worried because of two important facts:

1. he is quick to fire people.
2. no one else can smell my feet.

no amount of charm is going to save me here. i'm going to play beautiful classical music for my toes tonight. and tomorrow, i'll double-shower, wear new socks (not just clean, but new), and boots rather than converse. i'll have shampooed hair, a cologned body, chapsticked lips, and brushed teeth.

and if my boss can still manage to sniff out my feet from 5' 9" above, and through my scentacular wall of protection, more than ever i will be convinced he is a machine.

and i will be the guy who gets fired because his feet might have smelled.

Angels Tattoos of Girl

And one of the following important in the design of this tattoo is a tattoo tribal tattoos and this is very popular in these days. Most of these tribal tattoo designs are in accordance with tribal communities, and they reflect the myth and religion and values ​​in the tribal society. Celtic, Hawaii, Polynesian, Native American tattoo designs are the most important that the girls choice. If you want to show your love, then the heart tattoo is one of the best and this one is treated as a symbol of romantic love. Most of the girls interested in the tattoo design with the name of the beloved fireplace written across it. Butterfly tattoos, angel tattoos for girls and some other countries, it is important and popular. Finally, there are some well-established and experienced web sites that offer these ideas Girl Tattoo value to its customers.

Sarah Geronimo

Sarah Geronimo (born July 25, 1988), is a Filipina singer and actress. Or what is known as the pop princess of the Philippines. It was released Geronimo her multi-platinum albums, including the highest-selling debut album, Popstar: A Dream Come True, which became the best-selling 20 albums in the history of OPM.
Sarah Geronimo was born just to Asher Geronimo dolphin (the brother of TV host Adolfo "Jerry Ka" Geronimo), an employee retired PLDT, and Divina, who ran a beauty salon in her home in Sta. Cruz, Manila. Sarah is the third of four children with siblings Jonnah Rizzie, Sunshine Grace and Ezekiel Gabriel.
In 2003 Sarah became interim principal - to stay on GMA 'S noon time variety show SOP
In 2004, and signed a contract with Geronimo ABS-CBN, where she was the first in its work by starring in a drama series entitled Sarah, the princess at the age of adolescence. She also became a mainstay in the presentation of a variety music, as soon as possible. In 2005, Geronimo sang the subject of a movie star, this could be love. She also became part of the fourth season of the weekly program in the teen-oriented, SCQ Reload, Kilig Ako. In the summer of 2005, included Sarah with her fellow Champions Tour in the United States of Pinoy Idols: Return of the Champions, held in selected cities in the United States for two months.
In 2006, she was cast from a single command from the network news at peak times, the soap opera, Bituing Walang Ningning. Here, she starred as aspiring singer named Dorina Pineda. Also released the soundtrack for the series. [8] also took a leading role in the network news at peak times, Pangarap Na Bituin drama opposite Jericho Rosales, along with Maja Salvador, Peralejo Rica, and Nikki Gil as the "Jewel Sisters."

Rihanna Biography

Full Name:  Robyn Rihanna Fenty
Nickname: Rihanna
Date of Birth/Born : February 20, 1988
Place of Birth:     Saint Michael, Barbados
Nationality: American

Occupation: Singer, songwriter, executive producer, dancer, video director, philanthropist, cultural ambassador, author, actress.