Attention, Asimov's readers!

Voting for the 2006 Asimov's Readers' Awards is now underway, with a convenient online form for your polling ease.

Please remember that my story "Inclination" is up for consideration in the novella category. If you wanted to rank paulmelko's novella "The Walls of the Universe" somewhere up there too, that would be okay by me.

Also remember gregvaneekhout's excellent and exciting short story "The Osteomancer's Son," Tim Pratt's short story "Impossible Dreams," beth_bernobich's novelette "A Flight of Numbers Fantastique Strange," Kris Rusch's novelette "Except the Music," and anything published by Jack Skillingstead in 2006.

My good friend Michael Harrison has produced a very funny critique of the Iraq Algebra Study Group:

We think that direct talks with these math brains might lead to insights and opportunities for joint studying and maybe even structured tutoring. We know Timmy has differences with these two, accusing them, at times, of busting the curve and intentionally being know-it-all math weenies, but it’s time to focus on the goals and tasks at hand.  [full piece]

Via Laura:

I Elfed myself.

Via rambleflower:

For the December meeting of the New York CD Mix of the Month club, I believe I mentioned that we had a karaoke outing at iBop on 35th Street. I believe I also mentioned that surreptitious video of me attempting Janet Jackson's "Nasty" was taken by Alan Camuto. I must still be a little drunk from our Christmas Eve party, because you'll find that video here behind the cut.

Epidode #32 of "ShunnCast" is now available, in which Bill and his companion engage in a war of practical jokes with the sister missionaries, with hilarious, painful, and sometimes terrifying results. And the zero hour creeps ever nearer...

http://www.shunn.net/podcast?id=32

See also shunncast.

I love Christmas music, but "The Twelve Days of Christmas" can be pretty tedious to listen to. Especially so as an instrumental number, where each verse gets that much more repetitive than the previous one. Something you might want to think about.

Via Laura, via A Whole Lotta Nothing:

Flickr's Christmas Easter egg: Add a note to your photo with text "ho ho ho hat," and Flickr draws a Santa hat on it. Add one that says "ho ho ho beard" and you get a long white beard.

Example.

I did in fact make it out to the December convocation of the CD Mix of the Month Club, which was held at IBop Karaoke on 35th Street. A good time seemed to be had by all that made it, and I nurture secret hopes that Alan will post that video of me singing "Nasty" on YouTube.

Because I haven't made a meeting since September, I brought two offerings this time around: Strange Bedfellows, plus Songsmither Smackdown!! as a bonus mix. The former is a collection of collaborative tracks, with my personal favorite being the extended version of the Billy Joel track "Zanzibar" that includes a hell of a trumpet solo from Freddie Hubbard. The latter is a face-off between two artists that are better known for juvenile humor than for their songs in their catalogs that, as opposed to being direct parodies, are skillfully written and performed in the styles of other artists. (Some Rutles is thrown in for good measure.)

(The story so far.)