the opening of a new gallery

I've set up a new photo gallery. "Cons and Pros" will feature images from Cons (not the "Leverage" kind though) and of F/SF's Pros who toil on those tales we enjoy. For now, it features BayCon 2011, and Mary Robinette Kowal, who's one of the few writers who can say that, if the writing career doesn't work out, there's puppetry to fall back to.



More can be found here:
http://pics.livejournal.com/serge_lj/gallery/00030797

databases

"What is the word that scares relational databases the most?"
"I don't know."
"The word 'commit'."

So said my friend Yoko to me during BayCon. We then went on to talk about database performance issues, and how there are pills for that. That's what happens when IT people hang out together.

the last echo

The 30th and last issue of Terry Moore's "Echo" is out. Julie is now completely covered with the Alloy, and Annie's personality now lurks inside her head. Ivy is getting younger and younger. Oh, and deep under Alaska there's a giant scientific research center that's about to fire at some of the remaining Alloy, and is most likely to bring the end of Life on Earth. So the good guys break into the place.

"This isn't going to work. If anyone sees my badge..."
"Just act like you belong here."
"You learned that in the army?"
"In a comic book."

The ending was a bit rushed, but I enjoyed the whole journey.