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Angry Robot week in The Secret Lair – win books!

Cmaaarrr — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 13:00:02 +0000

I shall be doing a more proper update on what’s been going on in The Secret Lair shortly, but for now, know this: it is Angry Robot week in The Lair, and if you send us glorious haiku, you have a chance to win 5 of their books!

Angry Robot is an excellent UK-based publisher whose mission “is to publish the best in brand new genre fiction – SF, F and WTF?!” Apart from publishing excellent books, they are doing some seriously cool, innovative things, like their freshly announced WorldBuilder project. All this week, we’re taking a look at some of their novels and short stories, as well as doing several interviews and taking a closer look at their WorldBuilder initiative, so please join us.

All of this culminates in the Angry Robot Haiku Contest, which is taking submissions until 8pm EDT on Thursday, September 1st. The details and prize descriptions are here. Enter! Amuse us! Win great stories!

Duke, I’m over your antics

Cmaaarrr — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 18:31:48 +0000

My weekly consultation is live at The Secret Lair, wherein I clinically evaluate why anyone expecting Duke Nukem Forever to be successful is likely making a poor choice.

Hello? WHO’s there?

Cmaaarrr — Sun, 05 Jun 2011 03:55:19 +0000

My weekly consultation is live at The Secret Lair, wherein I clinically evaluate the WHO’s classification of radiofrequency electromagnetic fields, such as those emitted by mobile phones, into the category of “possibly carcinogenic to humans”. (Hint – I disagree.)

so, you call yourself a “smartphone”… how smart are you, bub?

Cmaaarrr — Thu, 26 May 2011 21:25:53 +0000

My weekly consultation is live at The Secret Lair, in which I clinically evaluate whether 2011 is the year when the smartphone can replace a full featured computer in terms of functionality.

a most rapturous card game

Cmaaarrr — Thu, 19 May 2011 15:30:38 +0000

My weekly consultation is live at The Secret Lair, in which I clinically evaluate the card game Ascension: Chronicle of the Godslayer.

huge tracts of land

Cmaaarrr — Mon, 09 May 2011 13:53:26 +0000

My weekly consultation is live at The Secret Lair, in which I clinically evaluate the card game Dominion.

there may be cake inside this Orange Box, but that might be a lie

Cmaaarrr — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 21:26:14 +0000

My weekly consultation is live at The Secret Lair, wherein I clinically evaluate my geek sin of never having played anything in The Orange Box, and how I have now sought indulgences for said sin.

now I wait 10 hours for a peasant to craft my healing potions

Cmaaarrr — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 01:43:41 +0000

My weekly consultation is live at The Secret Lair, wherein I clinically evaluate Dragon Age: Legends, the Facebook tie-in game to Dragon Age 2.

he chose… poorly

Cmaaarrr — Sat, 12 Mar 2011 22:00:41 +0000

My weekly consultation is live at The Secret Lair, wherein I clinically evaluate the Indiana Jones films through the retrospective lens of a random television marathon.

weekly rounds

Cmaaarrr — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 04:59:45 +0000

I think Laura said it best:

Hello Feb 1! Can I pretend that this is the start of 2010 and that January didn’t happen?

And so I shall leave it at that.

Amazon and McMillan publishing had a bit of a tiff over the weekend. While this has inspired much commentary, I will point you to Charlie’s analysis of the business, Tobias’s look at the author-based economics of eBooks, Cory’s take on the art v. money of the publishing issues involved, Matt’s glorious rant in response, and John’s deconstruction on how Amazon is seventy-times seven-times a heavyhanded corporate dick in this whole affair.

Apple also happened to announce a shiny new thing this past week. Ken encapsulates exactly why I’d want one, while Chris examines why the iPad (and, to a lesser extent, the entire Apple product line) are less “computers” and more “appliances”… and why that may be a bad thing.