The Great Geek Manual

Art

• The cover art for the next Dresden Files novel is out! Not only does is it appropriately bad-ass, but after eleven entries in the series, we finally get a cover that includes Harry’s face.

Film

• Before They Were Basterds: “Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds is perhaps his most deft handling of reference and homage yet. The video store nerds at Scarecrow Video would like to present to you an unofficial and in progress footnotes companion to Basterds. Some of these films are directly referenced in the film, others are only evoked, while others still are films we simply felt should go on the list.”
• Film Junk ruminates on 5 Lessons Hollywood Can Learn from District 9.
• Screenhead names Top 10 Sci-fi movies that should never be remade because they were made right the first time.

Internet

• The BBC has posted a story in which Dr. Michio Kaku says that the world of science fiction may be closer to reality than fantasy.

Literature

• Free Fiction: Listen to “Can’t Keep a Dead Man Down” by Randee Dawn.
• Free Fiction: Listen to “Three Drink Memory” by Dafydd Nicklin-Dunbar at Cthulhu.
• Free Fiction: Listen to “Time In A Rice Bowl” by Rick Kennett at Dunesteef.
• Free Fiction: Listen to “Wave Goodbye” by Felicity Bloomfield at Pseudopod.
• Free Fiction: Read “Changing Meanings” by Seanan McGuire at Book View Cafe.
• Interview: Fantasy Book Critic interviews Gary Gibson.
• Interview: The New Yorker interviews Lev Grossman, author of The Magicians.
• Interview: Stomping on Yeti interviews Chris Roberson.
• Interview: The View From Here interviews Margo Lanagan.
• The fact that The Atlantic magazine should publish A Reader’s Manifesto that attacks the growing pretentiousness of American literary prose seems ironic to me… not as ironic as if the New Yorker had published it, but still.
• Listology offers an opinion on 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die. It covers the great literary works pretty thoroughly, but includes a few nods to genre work.
• Photos have emerged revealing that Jaycee Lee Dugard, the girl held captive for eighteen long years, read science fiction during her captivity, including a lot of the titles I (and probably you) grew up with.
• Things like this are why I will never, never be a millionaire. No more than half-way to my first million, and it would all be spent on expensive books.
• At the WallStreet Journal, Lev Grossman declares Good Books Don’t Have to Be Hard and discusses the pleasure of reading stories that don’t bore.

Television

• News: 51% of young ‘Net users view TV online.
• Best Week Ever counts down Homer Simpson’s 25 Favorite Inanimate Objects.
• io9 takes a run at picking The Top 100 Science Fiction/Fantasy Shows Of All Time, which, given the argumentative nature of sci-fi and fantasy fans, is a fairly brave move.

Video Games

• KoKu Gamer lists Top 10 Games That Need Movie Treatments, beginning with Splinter Cell.

Writing

• Kiersten White offers a brief, updated Guide to Getting Published.