Friday Link Pack 08/29/2014

The weekend approaches! That means it’s time to share a few interesting links I have found throughout the week. Some of these I mention on Twitter, if you’re not already following me there, please do! Have a link I should feature in the upcoming link pack? Let me know!

Old Broken Road:

Sample Old Broken Road Next Monday!
That’s right, on September 1st I will be releasing a sample chapter of Old Broken Road at oldbrokenroad.com. Really excited to get this out there. We’re getting really close! Those who sign up for my newsletter get notified first when Old Broken Road is released, so sign up today!

Writing:

What It Takes To Cook Some Of Literature’s Most Famous Meals
The Smithsonian looks at Dinah Fried’s new book Fictitious Dishes, which brings some of literature’s most famous meals to life. Everything from the chowder from Melville’s Moby Dick to the roasted eggs and potatoes from Burnett’s The Secret Garden. This is a food and literature lovers dream.

How Big Is Your Pond?
Dave Farland answers the question of every budding speculative fiction author, “should I write science fiction, or should I focus more on young adult novels? Which way should I go?” It’s good advice and something to consider. (Spoiler: above all, write what you love.)

Why Don’t Authors Compete?
Seth Godin explores the idea that writing isn’t a competition, and how the community works towards the betterment of all… although someone forgot to tell that to the authors in our next link.

Amazing Author Insults That Actually Raise Insults To An Art Form
An amusing collection of authors insulting other authors about their work. Someone should have sent them Seth Godin’s link. (Thanks to Kevin for submitting this one.)

Art:

80’s Sysadmin Warning Posters Look Like Dystopian Parodies
Strange and hilarious these System Admin posters from the 80s have that perfect mix of retro and strange dystopian Nineteen Eighty-Four future. (Thanks to Chris for sending this one in.)

1950s Hong Kong Captured In Street Photography By Fan Ho
Beautiful photography of everyday life in Hong Kong, China during the middle of last century. Haunting. (Thanks to Dwayne for this one. Fantastic find.)

Visual Inspiration by Gustavo Mendonca
Going back into the archives for this one. Mendonca’s cityscapes for the now canceled Star Wars: 1313 creates a multilayered and gritty version on the Star Wars universe. Cool stuff.

Random:

33 “Facts” Everybody Knows That Are Actually Total Lies
You’ve heard a lot of these before, from alcohol killing brain cells (it doesn’t) to being able to see the Great Wall of China from space (you can’t) to vaccination causing autism (nope.) Nice collection. Worth checking out, or sending to that obnoxious family member that posts scare-articles on Facebook without actually vetting them.

Classic First Lines of Novels in Emojis: A Quiz
How many of these can you figure out. I got about half, which I think makes me pretty old, or kind of dumb.

Pop Sonnets
Take the pop songs of today, throw in a bit of the Bard, and what do you get? Pop Sonnets! (Thanks to Ben for this one. So great.)

The King And His Objects
“I think it is pretty clear that people who call for more objectivity are actually calling for subjectivity more closely aligned with their own viewpoints.” Fantastic article on “gamers” and the marketplace by writer, composer, and video game creator Matthew S. Burns. (Thanks to Chris for pointing this one out.)