Link Pack – Page 16 – K. M. Alexander

Page 16 of 17

December 13, 2013

Friday Link Pack 12/13/13

The First Track of Footprints, 1960 Chao Mei (晁楣), b. 1931, Heze, Shandong — The First Track of Footprints,1960 — Chao Mei (晁楣)

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 any suggestions, let me know.

Writing:

SIGNED copies of The Stars Were Right are now available!
Check it out at my new store: store.kmalexander.com – also there is still have time to enter the Goodread’s Book Giveaway and win a copy! It’s also available on Amazon as well… while it will arrive faster (and be slightly cheaper) it won’t be signed.

Dr. Seuss’ lesser know The Seven Lady Godivas
This look at an early Seuss book follows the story of seven nudist sisters who swore to postpone their marriage when their father died from being thrown off a horse.

Ten More Gifts for Writers (2013 Edition)
Chuck Wendig suggests ten items to get for the writer on your gift list. There is some good stuff on here. I have more than half the stuff on this list and I use ’em all daily.

Art:

Kari-Lise Alexander featured on Google’s Open Gallery
This week Google launched their Open Gallery, and my wife Kari-Lise was one of the artists featured for the launch. The site is cool allowing you to flip around and zoom up really really close. It’s the next best thing to actually being in front of an original.

The Revolving Moon: 25 Prints from China
50 Watts posts a collection of 25 prints collected between 1950 and 2006. Quite beautiful work. What’s your favorite?

E21 Washington Topo
Designer Erik Hedberg‘s abstract take on the topography of the state of Washington. It’s a limited run and only 30 are available. Make sure you check out the making of video.

Random:

Do “Digital Natives” Exist?
PBS Idea Channel explores the concept of “Digital Natives” and “Digital Immigrants“.

There is a tunnel-boring machine currently stuck below Seattle
Just sayin’.

Puddles—the sad clown with the golden voice—covers “Another Tear Falls”
…and, like his cover of Lorde’s “Royals“, it’s fantastic.

Lovecraft Story of the Week:

The Terrible Old Man
“He is, in truth, a very strange person, believed to have been a captain of East India clipper ships in his day; so old that no one can remember when he was young, and so taciturn that few know his real name.”

Farewell Gif(s) of the Week:

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December 6, 2013

Friday Link Pack 12/06/13

Writing:

12 Real Life Inventions That Science Fiction is Neglecting at its Peril
One of my favorite bloggers, Charlie Jane Anders, compiles a list of real life inventions that has been neglected by modern science fiction. If you’re looking for some inspiration for your own project look no further. There’s a lot here.

The Stars Were Right trade paperbacks are available!
As of yesterday my book The Stars Were Right is now available as a trade paperback from Amazon! Nab it today! It makes a great gift! To celebrate I also discounted the Kindle edition to $0.99 for the rest of the week. You can’t even buy a decent cup of coffee for a buck these days.

The Stars Were Right Giveaway!
Now through January 5th you can enter to win a copy of The Stars Were Right on Goodreads. It’s as simple as following the link and clicking “Enter to Win!” Tell your friends (or don’t and give yourself a better chance at winning.)

Learning to Write
Hugh Howey offers some frank and simple advice on what it takes to write.

Art:

Syd Mead’s Bladerunner Concept Art
Some of the coolest concept art you’ll see. Ever. Really. I promise.

Wars on Kinkade
One part painter of light, one part dark side. DeviantArt artist Jeff Bennett merges Star Wars and Tomas Kinkade paintings into fantastic (and amusing) pieces.

Random:

The National x Bob’s Burgers – Sailors in Your Mouth
Two of my favorite things combine to create an amazing Thanksgiving song for the 2nd year in a row. If you missed “Thanksgiving Song” from last year make sure you listen to it as well.

Getting Lost on North Brother Island
Situated between the Bronx and Riker’s Island, New York lies a small bird sanctuary that was once the site of a hospital. After 40+ years of abandonment the result are some amazing (and creepy) pictures.

Lovecraft Story of the Week:

The Beast in the Cave
A lost man. A dark cave. A potential threat.

Farewell Gif(s) of the Week:

This is basically what dinosaurs looked like. Too bad.

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November 22, 2013

Friday Link Pack 11/22/13

Pause by Kyle Thompson — “Pause” (2013) by Kyle Thompson

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! I’m always looking for new stuff so if you have any suggestions, let me know.

Note: Due to travel and American holidays I won’t be posting a link pack next week. So I have made this one extra big.

Philippines Relief:

As with last few week I want to keep the focus on providing aid for the survivors of Typhoon Haiyan. Please take a moment and donate what you can to the Red Cross disaster relief or find another relief charity of your choice. Any help you give goes a long way.

Writing:

English Has a New Preposition, Because Internet
I love following the evolution of language. It’s fascinating to see how to words we use on a daily basis change over time, especially when influenced by something as profound as the internet.

The One Thing You’re Doing to Block Your Writing Success
Lauren Sapala discusses how not personally recognizing what you do is a hindrance to success as a writer. You can replace “writer” with anything: designer, chef, singer, it doesn’t matter. If you have a passion recognize it and be proud of the work you’re doing.

The 8 Most Influential People in E-Book Single Publishing
HuffPo compiles a list of CEOs, editors, and reporters who make up the world of E-Book single publishing. If you’re an indie author, this is good info to know.

C. S. Lewis Reviews The Hobbit, 1937
“For it must be understood that this is a children’s book only in the sense that the first of many readings can be undertaken in the nursery.”

Write What You Love, or Write What Sells?
Speculative Fiction author Chuck Wendig answers a question posed to him by a reader about writing to the market. As usual, I agree with his answer. (NSFW language, but you should know that because it’s Wendig.)

Art:

The theme this week is photography. To start things off…

The Surreal Photography of Kyle Thompson
I really like the mood evoked by Thompson’s work. It has a fantastical and ethereal quality a lot of photographers strive towards and few ever achieve.

“Air Drive” Series by Renaud Marion
One part classic cars. One part futurism. One part elegant photography. Mix.

All the Queens Men: Photographing a Man’s World in NYC’s Outer Borough
I love photojournalism. This series by Katie Murray examining the male blue-collar residents of Queens, New York is a stunning picture of modern Americana.

Fan Art Pinterest Board!
I have a new board up on Pinterest where I am displaying the fan art surrounding my stories. It’s awesome seeing different artists take on my worlds. I love seeing this stuff and I love sharing it with everyone. If you have a piece let me know!

Random:

Snakes Wearing Tiny Hats
Exactly what it says, it’s snakes wearing tiny hats. Why, because snakes.

Apollo Spacesuit Cutaway
This old Apollo A7L Space Suit cutaway is really interesting. I love the level of detail.

8 Ruined Cities That Remain a Mystery to This Day
io9‘s list of ruined cities is not only fascinating but also a great way to awaken your inner Indiana Jones. (Like your inner Indiana Jones was ever asleep anyway.)

Timelapse of the Imperceptible Effects of Aging Created from Family Portraits by Anthony Cerniello
We have seen these sort of things done before, but I don’t think I have seen it done as well. Watch the whole thing. All the way through.

Lovecraft Story of the Week:

The Alchemist
Lovecraft’s first short story told in the first person and following the last surviving member of a long family line that is staring death in the face.

Farewell Gif(s) of the Week:

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November 15, 2013

Friday Link Pack 11/15/13

Philippines:

As with last week I want to keep the focus on aid for the survivors of Typhoon Haiyan. Please take a moment and donate what you can to the Red Cross disaster relief or find another relief charity of your choice. Any help you give goes a long way.

Writing:

Google Gets Total Victory Over Authors Guild: Book Scanning Is Fair Use
I’m in the camp that believes this is a good copyright decision. Expect some bluster from big publishing.

The Common Core’s absurd new reading guidelines
Well… this is interesting, using Lexile scoring the Fed’s have deemed The Hunger Games as more “complex” than The Grapes of Wrath. Simple text ≠ simple content.

How Do You Spot a Good Editor and Avoid the Amateurs?
Publishing Perspectives offers some simple advice on how to find a good editor. If you’re an indie author this is very much worth the read.

Note: A lot of these articles are gleaned from the fantastic blog The Passive Voice. If you’re not a daily reader of PG then you should rectify that immediately.

Art:

Before They Pass Away
Photographer Jimmy Nelson turns his lens on some of the last remaining tribes on earth. The result is both beautiful and fascinating.

Danger Country
A surreal, sometimes bizarre, and always well written long form web comic from Levon Jihanian. You should be subscribing to this.

Random:

The Robots Are Here
Politico takes a look at the future of the worlds workforce as robots begin to replace more and more of our blue collar jobs. (Spoiler: Basically Asimov was right.)

The Weirdest and Fiercest Helmets from the Age of Armored Combat
Great list showing some of the stranger designs to ancient helmets. I think my favorite is the he Horned Helmet, Innsbruck, Austria. Thanks to Sky for the tip!

Lovecraft Story of the Week:

From Beyond
Published in The Fantasy Fan in June 1934, From Beyond follows a scientist as he explores an alternate reality.

Farewell Gif(s) of the Week:

Brothers

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November 8, 2013

Friday Link Pack 11/08/2013

Philippines:

As of today, Typhoon Haiyan, one of the most powerful storms in history is slamming into the Philippines causing catastrophic damage with wind gusts up to 235mph. Please take a moment and donate what you can to the Red Cross disaster relief or another relief charity of your choice. A little help goes a long way.

Writing:

Urban Fantasy Covers – Time to Move On?
Sarah over at Bookworm Blues asks some serious questions about the tropey and misleading style of Urban Fantasy book covers. I completely agree with her conclusion, it’s time for a change.

The Standard Memorandum
Jon Contino brings you journal keeping types the perfect little book to track the small and important events that happened in your life.

Four Types of Character Flaws
The good folks over at Writers Helping Writers have assembled this great post covering the four types of flaws to use when writing your characters.

Art:

Wowly Heck
Illustrator Heath Lewis (@heathisbest) melds scientific illustration and creepy monsters. The work is awesome.

Nicholas Delort
Dark, moody, amazing lighting. Delort captures a lot of the same tone as old masters like Albrecht Durer and Gustave Dore. Love his work.

Random:

If All the Ice Melted
I have seen interactive maps like this before covering this same topic, but none have been of this quality or had the authority of National Geographic behind them. It’s a fascinating and scary look at the future of our planet.

Monty Python and the Holy Grail Modern Trailer
Serious. Brooding. Scary. Everything “Monty Python and the Holy Grail” isn’t, but you wouldn’t know that from this recut trailer.

Lovecraft Story of the Week:

Old Bugs
In which Lovecraft (a teetotaler) makes his case against alcohol.

Farewell Gif(s) of the Week:

BUNNY!

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October 25, 2013

Friday Link Pack

Writing:

The Best Symbols to Throw Some Scare into Your Story
I am a huge fan of symbolism. I think it can add an extra layer of depth for the readers willing to do the leg work. It also creates a richer experience overall. In this post Lauren Sapala shares a few spooky symbols you can add to your own writing.

Hell Hath No Fury Like a Superfan Scorned (Warning: Divergent series spoilers)
“Allegiant”—the last book in Veronica Roth’s Divergent series (this years Young-Adult juggernaut)—has landed and it didn’t end the way fans expected or wanted. This has lead to over three-hundred 1 star reviews on Amazon, shocking reactions from the fan community, and some pretty shameful behavior as well.

Every First-Edition Ian Fleming James Bond Book Cover (1953-1966)
I debated between putting this in Writing or in Art. Decided it worked better here. As the title suggests it’s every single one of Ian Fleming’s covers for the James Bond series. Live and Let Die is probably my favorite. What’s yours?

Art:

The Shopkeep and the Umbra
Once again, if you missed Sean Cumiskey‘s fanart for my own book “The Stars Were Right.” Make sure you give it a look. It’s awesome.

Enki Bilal at Musée des Arts et Métiers
My good friend Jimmy lives in Paris and he blogs about being an expat. His recent post highlights a recent art exhibit by comic book artist Enki Bilal and it’s pretty dang rad.

Random:

Meme Scenery
The backgrounds of famous internet meme’s extracted and show by themselves. They feel so … lonely.

Sex, Drugs, and Broomsticks: The Origins of the Iconic Witch
Atlas Obscura, one of my favorite blogs, tracks down the origin of the icon witch: the pointy hat, the broomstick, etc. (Note: if nudity in classical painting offends thee you might want to skip this one.)

Nuance
Dance + light + music + awesome cinematography = um … just do yourself a favor and watch this.

Lovecraft Story of the Week:

The Cats
A short little poem for your Friday. Some good (and creepy) mental imagery.

Farewell Gif(s) of the Week:

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