RSS - PostsFiled under: Friday's Bits | Tags: Friday's Bits, Midnight Sun, Robot-A-Day, Twilight
In this week’s edition of Friday’s Bits: A little Twilight, a little political action, a lot of robots and an apology.
Growing Up Cullen is hi-larious. I can totally picture Edward being this way. Which is sad, because I love him so.
oxymoronassoc: i bet he went through a phase where he knitted shit
oxymoronassoc: to keep from strangling emmett
oxymoronassoc: everyone got a lumpy pullover for xmas that year
saint_renegade: ESME GOT SOMETHING WITH A CAT ON IT
oxymoronassoc: EMMETT’S HAD NO NECK HOLE AND EMMETT TRIED TO PUT IT ON ANYWAY AND STRUGGLED AROUND A LOT UNTIL HE JUST RIPPED HIS HEAD THROUGH
Neat:
Also on the political front: Wowza. McCain Said to Choose Alaska’s Palin. Looks like no matter which way this election goes, we’ll have changes in the White House. Good for you McCain.
Erin from Robot-A-Day does it again: Nerd Bot and Astronaut Bot. Where’s the lottery win when I need it?!
My special edition Vampire Bot, Cullen Bot, came in the mail a couple of days ago, just when I needed him the most:
He’s a big Breaking Dawn fan. So much so, he felt the need to give it a hug. He was worried its feelings had been hurt by all the BD naysayers.
Isn’t it sweet? Can’t you just feel the inanimate object love?
Earlier this week, chapters one-12 of Stephenie Meyer’s next Twilight project, Midnight Sun (Twilight written from Edward’s POV), were released into the Internets without her permission.
August 28, 2008 (part II)
As some of you may have heard, my partial draft of Midnight Sun was illegally posted on the Internet and has since been virally distributed without my knowledge or permission or the knowledge or permission of my publisher.
I have a good idea of how the leak happened as there were very few copies of Midnight Sun that left my possession and each was unique. Due to little changes I made to the manuscript at different times, I can tell when each left my possession and to whom it was given. The manuscript that was illegally distributed on the Internet was given to trusted individuals for a good purpose. I have no comment beyond that as I believe that there was no malicious intent with the initial distribution.
I did not want my readers to experience Midnight Sun before it was completed, edited and published. I think it is important for everybody to understand that what happened was a huge violation of my rights as an author, not to mention me as a human being. As the author of the Twilight Saga, I control the copyright and it is up to the owner of the copyright to decide when the books should be made public; this is the same for musicians and filmmakers. Just because someone buys a book or movie or song, or gets a download off the Internet, doesn’t mean that they own the right to reproduce and distribute it. Unfortunately, with the Internet, it is easy for people to obtain and share items that do not legally belong to them. No matter how this is done, it is still dishonest. This has been a very upsetting experience for me, but I hope it will at least leave my fans with a better understanding of copyright and the importance of artistic control.
So where does this leave Midnight Sun? My first feeling was that there was no way to continue. Writing isn’t like math; in math, two plus two always equals four no matter what your mood is like. With writing, the way you feel changes everything. If I tried to write Midnight Sun now, in my current frame of mind, James would probably win and all the Cullens would die, which wouldn’t dovetail too well with the original story. In any case, I feel too sad about what has happened to continue working on Midnight Sun, and so it is on hold indefinitely.
I’d rather my fans not read this version of Midnight Sun. It was only an incomplete draft; the writing is messy and flawed and full of mistakes. But how do I comment on this violation without driving more people to look for the illegal posting? It has taken me a while to decide how and if I could respond. But to end the confusion, I’ve decided to make the draft available here. This way, my readers don’t have to feel they have to make a sacrifice to stay honest. I hope this fragment gives you further insight into Edward’s head and adds a new dimension to the Twilight story. That’s what inspired me to write it in the first place.
I do want to take a moment and thank the wonderful fans who have been so supportive of me over the past three years. I cannot begin to tell you how much each of you means to me. I only hope this note will stop all the confusion and online speculation so that the Twilight universe can once again become the happy escape it used to be. After this incredibly busy year, I am now focusing on spending more time with my family and working on some other writing projects.
–Stephenie
I am one of those naughty people that saw the link, downloaded the chapters and sent it on to my closest Twi-friends. I know that hundreds, thousands and maybe millions of people did the same thing, but I can’t help but feel bad, like being a pirate (not the good ARRRGH-saying, eyepatch-wearing kind, mind you) contributed to SM’s feelings of betrayal. I hadn’t read the chapters yet. I haven’t had the time, but I was also going back and forth with the two sides of my conscience on whether to read them or not. I don’t have to play that game any longer, since SM’s posted them on her own, but reading them will be tainted with the though that I helped make the completion of Midnight Sun something unsure. For that, I am sorry.
I’m not typically the kind of person to worry or apologize for piracy. I’ve been known to download my fair share of music. But, I feel like with books it’s a different story, particularly ones I’m so entranced with. Plus, I think SM seems like a wonderful and real human being, so it feels more like I hurt a friend rather than took some pennies out of a rock star’s pocket.
So that this post doesn’t end on such a downer:
oxymoronassoc: i imagine alice has a map on the wall and tracks edward via the postmarks on his letters
oxymoronassoc: and emmett moves them to places like the middle of the ocean
oxymoronassoc: and alice gets pissed off
saint_renegade: she ~knows~ where he is
oxymoronassoc: I CAN SEE WHY EDWARD TIRED OF YOUR BEHAVIOR EMMETT
oxymoronassoc: I DO NOT NEED TO MAKE A VISUAL REPRESENTATION
oxymoronassoc: I KNOW WHERE HE IS
oxymoronassoc: THIS IS FOR THE FAMILY, YOU SELFISH FUCK
saint_renegade: emmett leaves him messages on his voicemail of himself like burping
oxymoronassoc: HEY WARDO IT’S ME. I’VE COMPOSED SOMETHING TO CHEER YOU UP
oxymoronassoc: and then he burps the alphabet
:)
While we were out last week, a co-worker and I had our cubicles enlarged (Ew? That sounds wrong. And painful.) so that we each have a little more space in which to write our odes to Texas public education. I, of course, took it as an opportunity to do a little interior redesign.
The entrance. At first, it felt a bit like a two-car garage without the door. So I messed around with the filing cabinets and got this. On the other side is a tack board on which I’ve put some inspirational material I’d like to share with the rest of the department. And yes, I do take my Twilight obsession with me into all aspects of my life, thank you. At least it’s on the inside.
To the right of the entrance is the new sitting area. Those chairs are surprisingly comfortable for being older (I’m assuming, from the color) than me. That’s the Hot Line. It calls different places every day, depending on my mood. It’s cool like that.
This is the wall above the sitting area. I’m am pretty much the only person in the department apart from our boss with an actual wall to hang things on. I’m not absolutely set on the placement or the items here … they’re prints (both of which are from my small red phone collection—see above) and things I had no place to put in the apartment. The Wonder Woman poster was in here already. I purchased a Keep Calm and Rock On poster (in yellow!) which I think I might fit up there somehow.
This is where the magic happens. I know it looks like I have a lot of stuff. I do. But it’s not so overwhelming when you’re in here, or at least, I don’t find it to be. I like having things around me that inspire. And all of it’s very organized. No “clutter” here.
More of the desk. Note the PC in the previous photo and the picture of PC and Mac from the Apple commercials. Needless, I am not a fan of my work computer.
\
The Desk that Ate Austin! It only looks like it goes on forever. With the Great Cubicle Shuffle of ‘08 came more window space. I like it; I feel like it tempers the effect of the flouorescent lights irradiating my dermis. Only problem is, an anti-glare screen costs upward of $80 (!!1!). Seriously … I don’t want to have to make work pay that. I’m making due with big hair.
Finally, the column that took up most of my window space before. I don’t mind it, however, since it gives me even more space to hang stuff’n'things. That painting is actually a Pants Original. And that jacket? A vintage Apple Computers velour track suit topper. Bam.
The other day, one of my coworkers and I were talking about how Twilight has spread from me to many others around me. All I could picture, thanks to an upbringing that consisted of nightly recitings of the opening to Star Trek: The Next Generation (which I can still recite, word for word) and daily doses of Mutant X Gene Therapy™, was a wave of sparkly and utterly delightful plague spreading in concentric circles away from my center of gravity. The ripple effect causes squeals of OME! and heart palpitations every time a Silver S40 drives by. Am I ashamed of this madness I’ve caused? Should I dedicate my life to finding a cure?
Do you know me?
I’m a hoarder at heart. Back in the days of my Roswell mania, I had hundreds of pictures of the cast saved on my computer. Dang hard drive froze up on me in during the UMassasination of Aught-1, but the need to store numerous pictures of things I’m obsessed with (which I will never do anything with) hasn’t dwindled.
In particular, in keeping with the ever newfangled Internets offerings of forums and blogs, I’ve become extremely attached to finding avatars related toTwilight. I’m not a free-for-all hoarder, mind you, I do keep it somewhat under control by picking and choosing with a discerning eye. That discerning eye might be a bit dazzled, but that’s okay.
Behold:
(“Borrowed” from the Photobuckets and Live Journals of Bella Cullen 13, blue_bluesks, no apologies 86, suzyx, xsleepingswanx, black eyed art, cowpunchercats, mandymoo29, dayzee38, growing hearts, patricia jolie, xoxgoodbye, the oceanic two and beckhams_gurl.)
The last one’s my little foray into icon making. I think my favorite, today at least, is the first one in the eighth row. Always betting on Alice is the right way to go.
I’ve been working on a project for swap (very hush-hush) and because of it I have had this song stuck in my head for the past three days.
Enjoy. ;)
Short Bits today. I’m tired and don’t really feel up to trolling the Internets for interesting things. I know, right, what’s wrong with me?
Love these photos:
The Star Wars ones at the end of the series are the best.
This Antipode Map is great. “Digging to China” in most of the continental U.S. will unfortunately land you in the middle of the Indian Ocean. Boo that.
Another cute Chewie:
Now, I know some people find bologna to be tasty (ahem, the boyf?) but I think it’s just gross. This takes it to new, grosser, creepy levels. (I had to sing the Oscar Meyer song in my head just now to remember how to spell bologna.)
I’ve become addicted/obsessed with reading all Questionable Content comics. I started with No. 1 earlier this week and am now up to nearly 600. There are 1,200. Halfway done’s a good thing, right? Jeph Jacques is the writer and artist, and he’s really gotten better at both since the beginning. I want the characters to be my friends.
The Sci-Fi Channel is becoming more like Fox every day—cancelling good TV because of money. News is, they’ve cancelled Atlantis and are looking to replace it with SG:Universe … which seems like it could be too Star Treky to truly be considered a part of the SG ‘verse. :( Now I love Star Trek, don’t get me wrong. Pretty much, you can put a “Star” in front of anything and I’d probably be a huge fan. But, Stargate is supposed to be more centered on planets, not zipping around space. And I like the team on Atlantis. And I miss SG:1, except for Daniel. Daniel can die and stay dead this time for all I care.
From Neil Gaiman’s blog:
Mr. G sends the following from his cellphone:
In Taipei airport there were toilets for men, women, enormous telephones, daleks and people feeding giant venus flytraps.
From a blog posted by Nathan Fillian:
I was driving down Ventura Blvd. The air was warm, but if I kept the windows open I could stay cool without using AC. Just another way to try to save on gas until I buy the upcoming Venture Vehicle (check flytheroad.com). My stereo was loud, but not blaring. I was singing along to Jason Mraz when a light stopped me for some pedestrians crossing the street. I abruptly stopped singing when I saw that the giant black dude coming from his gym caught me singing in my car alone. He stood in the intersection and said, “Oh, NO. Don’t you stop for ANYONE. Let it out!” And he was right. I said, “You’re right.” Not only did it continue singing, but he joined me, and loud. It is moments like these that restore my faith in humanity. Thank you, intimidatingly huge black dude. Thank you for reminding me that the world is mine to enjoy, everyday. It is an attitude I took with me to Comicon.
Awesome. I so want to be friends with these men. For now, I shall make due with indulging my voyeruristic tendencies through their writings.
And in other news:
This makes me sad:
BURBANK, CA, August 14, 2008 – Warner Bros. Pictures today announced that it has moved back the release date of “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” to Summer 2009. The sixth installment of the blockbuster Harry Potter franchise will now open day-and-date domestically and in the major international markets on July 17, 2009. The announcement was made by Alan Horn, President and Chief Operating Officer, Warner Bros.
In making the announcement, Mr. Horn stated, “Our reasons for shifting ‘Half-Blood Prince’ to summer are twofold: we know the summer season is an ideal window for a family tent pole release, as proven by the success of our last Harry Potter film, which is the second-highest grossing film in the franchise, behind only the first installment. Additionally, like every other studio, we are still feeling the repercussions of the writers’ strike, which impacted the readiness of scripts for other films—changing the competitive landscape for 2009 and offering new windows of opportunity that we wanted to take advantage of. We agreed the best strategy was to move ‘Half-Blood Prince’ to July, where it perfectly fills the gap for a major tent pole release for mid-summer.”
More on the moving of the release here. And I was so ready to sport my Team Edward shirt to opening night and start some fights. :P
EWWWWWW! Manga eyes should be relegated to things like this:
Not real people. (Manga Mandy is so much cuter than I am IRL. Sad.)
I love Twilight enough that I can take a good joke. Key word here: good. Thankfully, this is.
Remaking Rocky Horror is not a good idea.
The 2008 winners of the Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest were posted earlier this week. This is my favorite:
Dimwitted and flushed, Sgt. John Head was frustrated by his constipated attempts to arrest the so-called “Bathroom Burglar” until, while wiping his brow, he realized that each victim had been robbed in a men’s room, thereby focusing his attention on the janitor, whose cleaning habits clearly established a commodus operandi.
Toilet jokes and literary humor? Oh snap.
This project needs to come to fruition:
Two cute (see what I did there? Nice, huh?):
I <3th Darth (I know, I know. I’m uber behind the times with this one. Deal.)
I love this little dude:
I’ve seen revamped My Little Ponies of Dr. Horrible and Captain Hammer, but these are great. It’s a phenomenon. More here.
Driving to Houston on a work trip yesterday, I passed by a church on the side of the highway with a sign outside. The sign was one of those scrolling LCDs, telling passerby, among other things, what time it is in their neck of the woods.
As I passed, it told me the temperature: 100 degrees.
The next two words on the sign? Jesus Christ.
I laughed for miles.
Seriously you guys:
Michael Phelps is either evidence that God plays favorites or some weird branch of human-fish evolution.
3 down, 5 to go.
My title belies energy I am currently in lack of. I think the exclamation marks are due to the coffee. Caffeine=extraneous exclamation marks? You decide.
It is 8.8.08. Will you be watching the Olympics’ Opening Ceremonies tonight or taking advantage of the 8%-off sales around the Internets?
Awesome site of the week: Robotaday!
My faves so far:
(Vamp Bot, Dr. Horrible Bot and Clever Disguise Bot)
The creator, Erin, said she’s make me a Vamp Bot with yellow eyes if I wanted … Oh the temptation!
If I could illustrate, I think I would very much like to do this: Illustration Friday.
The Park Bencher makes me laugh pretty much every day. I wish I could write this well.
Wired says I shouldn’t have bought a stuffed Yoda backpack or the limited edition Snow, Apples, Glass perfume* and (signed!) short story by Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab and Neil Gaiman, respectively, at Comic Con. I should have bought these. (Had I seen these, I would have considered buying 6, 7 and 9.)
Poor T-Rex. And also: I shall now fear that I have had superpowers and never knew it.
I think I shall post this in my closet, to reassure myself when I look around and feel the walls closing in:
Happy weekending!
