Bruce Sterling has written a new paranormal romance (!), Love is Strange, and in honor of its publication, many hands have been recruited to ask weighty questions of the wise fellow:
Cory Doctorow: Do you feel that the world is, on balance, improved by technology?
Well, if you ask that question from the point of view of almost anything in this world that's not a human being like you and me, the answer's almost certainly No. You might get a few Yea votes from the likes of albino rabbits and gene-spliced tobacco plants. Ask any living thing that's been around in the world since before the Greeks made up the word "technology," like say a bristlecone pine or a coral reef. You would hear an awful tale of woe.
Lauren Beukes sez, "My South African writer friend Sam Wilson proposed to his scientist girlfriend Kerry Gordon using a comic that he's been secretly collating for the last three months featuring quirky, sweet, wonderful, funny artwork to illustrate the possible futures that might occur depending on whether she says yes or no.
In the yes column were wonders like riding on dinosaurs, bountiful kitties and becoming rock stars, or the horror of bad parking spaces, squalor and tomatoes on EVERYTHING if she says no (she really doesn't like tomatoes).
It was adorable and of course she said yes."
Etsy seller BandScapes offers this lovely, makerish wedding-ring featuring a sterling silver adjustable wrench, clutching a sapphire:
The jaws are pinching a .06ct medium-blue natural sapphire. Overall, the profile is low to be comfortable, not too wide and not heavy, but sturdy. A ring that can be worn continuously as any wedding band would be.
Jenny and Charles are making their own wedding program, and to do so, they made their own printing press. From a set of IKEA drawers. Because they are awesome.
The printing press is made of an Ikea Kullen chest of drawers, several pieces of wood, and several iron pipes... The cabinet is upside down, but with a drawer placed facing upwards. The drawer slides back and forth, and there is a piece of plywood attached to the back side of the drawer with a hinge, so it can swing up and down. The paper being printed is placed on this piece of plywood.
On the back of a cabinet is another piece of plywood which is attached to the sides of the cabinet. This back piece holds the engraved printing plate, which is inked to create the impression.
Walter sez, "The Carousel of Progress is a classic Walt Disney World attraction consisting of an Audio-Animatronic stage show that follows a family throughout the technological progress of the 20th century. The Carousel of Progress also happens to be my wife Carrie's favorite Disney attraction. Carrie turns 30 this month, and as a surprise, I want to put together a big enthusiastic audience to join her in a viewing of the show. The Carousel is obscure and unpopular with most Disney guests, so a big enthusiastic audience would make Carrie overwhelmed with happiness. If you can make it out to Magic Kingdom this Saturday at 11:30AM, please join in."
The Carousel is one of my all-time favorites, too. I named a book after its main theme. I always sit in the front row, and sing along. My wife sings too, but her words go, "There's a great big hairy Cory Doctorow, sitting in the front row every day." She is less enthusiastic about scenes of animatronic technological progress than I am.
Dragonslorefury posted this wonderful D10 RPG-player's engagement ring to DeviantArt, along with these notes:
My engagement ring, designed by myself and a reality thanks to my amazing jeweller father.
Yes that is a D10 (10 sided dice for those not used to the lingo XP), me and my partner are quite frequent roleplayers and I'm a huuuge geek and odd-ball. I wanted my ring to be one-of-a-kind and personal to me any my amazing finace so I eventually came up with this idea.
If I want the dice can also be removed and replaced with a stone of my choice ^_^
Happy to be engaged to my amazing partner and to have my awesome engagement ring. <3
A Craigslist poster is looking for a woman to dungeon-master a D&D game/bachelor party. DM must be familiar with D&D 3.0 or 3.5, and topless. C-cup or greater preferred. "There will be 5 'guys' that will be participation (sic) including myself. We are at all above the age of 24. Each of us are gentlemen and will treat the Dungeon Master with the utmost of respect."
— Cory
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Buy a $2,500 diamond and receive a free rifle from D. Geller and Son of Cobb County, Ga.,: "A lot of our customers are hunters, and it just seemed like a great thing to do." [WSBT] — Rob
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What could be more romantic than a wedding bouquet whose flowers are made from the pages of Sherlock Holmes, and whose handle is a Doctor Who sonic screwdriver?
TheCheeky sells a $550 titanium wedding-band with I'M MARRIED etched on the inside in block serif caps. After wearing it for a sufficient time, your finger will bear the indelible mark of those words, advertising your marital status even if you slip the ring off.
With Arnold, Tiger and two timing IMF guy in mind, we have created this wedding ring for people intent on cheating. The negative engraving on the inside means that when you are in the ‘Club’ and an attractive woman…or man comes along to chat, slipping your wedding ring off is not an option. The mark left on your skin says…’I’m Married’
An attorney called Sean Simmons is apparently offering "buy one, get your next one half off" divorces, with the strapline "End the Misery Today." The image is unsourced, so it may be a fake, though there is at least one attorney called Sean Simmons in the USA who does divorce work.
Individual Icons's "Nut Dice Ring" is a ring shaped like a hex-nut, which functions as a six-sided dice, for those moments of indecision and romance.
This ring is a perfect piece of jewelry for people who say that they don't wear jewelry. It really does help with decisions (odds I stay home, evens I go out). As proper dice should, each pair of opposing sides adds up to seven. Comfort fit inside, available in standard sizes 6 through 10. Sterling silver. 1/4" (6mm) wide.
The Goodness lavishly photo-documents a Minecraft-themed wedding:
Matt and Asia are simply the most perfect couple ever. They met through their church (Matt said he fell for her watching her dance, awww) but they truly bonded over the game of Minecraft. They built a house together in the digital world and have been inseparable ever since, both in the game and in real life. Matt even proposed to Asia up on stage at MineCon with the help of the game’s creators. So it was no surprise that Matt and Asia would plan a Minecraft themed wedding, and wow, did they ever. They worked hard and put together an incredible event, which truly reflected their love for Minecraft, ahem, each other! We felt so lucky to capture such an awesome day, both in photos and with a wedding film (at the end of this post). It was a labor of love with lots of DIY and help from some fellow Minecraft lovers. Matt, Asia and friends created the pixel-trees from cardboard boxes and used them to decorate the structural pillars, genius!
They even got custom Minecraft-themed Jones Soda flavors.
Mike sez, "Photographed a wedding reception in upstate NY this weekend -- the cake was awesome! The couple are both geeks and have three geeky teenaged daughters who helped design it.... Take a look at the cell phone video!"
Cory Doctorow: Do you feel that the world is, on balance, improved by technology?
With Arnold, Tiger and two timing IMF guy in mind, we have created this wedding ring for people intent on cheating. The negative engraving on the inside means that when you are in the ‘Club’ and an attractive woman…or man comes along to chat, slipping your wedding ring off is not an option. The mark left on your skin says…’I’m Married’
This ring is a perfect piece of jewelry for people who say that they don't wear jewelry. It really does help with decisions (odds I stay home, evens I go out). As proper dice should, each pair of opposing sides adds up to seven. Comfort fit inside, available in standard sizes 6 through 10. Sterling silver. 1/4" (6mm) wide.
Matt and Asia are simply the most perfect couple ever. They met through their church (Matt said he fell for her watching her dance, awww) but they truly bonded over the game of Minecraft. They built a house together in the digital world and have been inseparable ever since, both in the game and in real life. Matt even proposed to Asia up on stage at MineCon with the help of the game’s creators. So it was no surprise that Matt and Asia would plan a Minecraft themed wedding, and wow, did they ever. They worked hard and put together an incredible event, which truly reflected their love for Minecraft, ahem, each other! We felt so lucky to capture such an awesome day, both in photos and with a wedding film (at the end of this post). It was a labor of love with lots of DIY and help from some fellow Minecraft lovers. Matt, Asia and friends created the pixel-trees from cardboard boxes and used them to decorate the structural pillars, genius!
Mike sez, "Photographed a wedding reception in upstate NY this weekend -- the cake was awesome! The couple are both geeks and have three geeky teenaged daughters who helped design it.... Take a look at the cell phone video!"
