Henley Everywhere 2008 Update
Tor.com is live. I am the superhero-comics blogger. (They have other people covering art comics and, presumably, manga.) Our own Bruce Baugh is the correspondent for gaming, largely considered. John Scalzi blogs about Science!!!! Alison Scott covers "related subjects." Pablo Defendini writes about SF media. Irene Gallo writes about art. Other bloggers include heavy-hitters like Beth Meacham, David Hartwell and Jo Walton. Tor will run regular short fiction on the site free, and already offers new stories by Scalzi and Charlie Stross. In other words, I am completely outclassed.
We had a soft open on a beta site last week so there’s already a bunch of content. My own pieces include:
- Flash in Two Pans
- Starting a Joke with the Punch Line
- Another version of my Dark Knight review
- Superhero Politics: The Art of the Impossible
- The Percentage of Billionaires Multiplied by the Percentage of Decathletes
- Another version of the post about PETA’s list of animal-friendly superheroes
- The Conquest of Earth Prime – this last is the closest thing I’ve got to a credo, currently.
Meanwhile, Bruce so far offers:
- Computer Gaming: Flagship Studios Problems
- The Roleplaying Scene: Summer 2008
- What Is Casual Gaming?
- The Gaming Beat: An Intro
Tor.com is also partially into a rollout of social-networking features like . . . whatever "social networking" is. I gather it means the site will be like Daily Kos or RedState for nerds. You – and by "you" I mean Hesiod – can create your own account and start your own diary and get things promoted to the front page and, I suppose, eventually get on Bloggingheads.tv – in SPAAAAACE!
I am proud to be part of the joint, and if you love print-media SF, fantasy, comics and art, with some love left over for moving-picture and internet versions of those same things, tor.com aims to be the place for you, too.
Comment by SomeCallMeTim —
July 20, 2008 @ 12:44 pm
I wish the Henley Media Empire naught but success.
Comment by nadezhda —
July 20, 2008 @ 1:27 pm
PNH, Tor, Jo Walton, Scalzi, Stross — congrats on a sweet gig!
Comment by Brett Peters —
July 20, 2008 @ 2:01 pm
Congratulations!
Comment by mds —
July 20, 2008 @ 2:32 pm
Don’t sell yourself short. You’ve clearly demonstrated superlative geekspertise for comics blogging. (Hey! Cage match with Mighty God King!) OTOH, though I love John Scalzi like a brother, he’s not actually, you know, a scientist. What, were they unwilling to let Thoreau use his pseudonym? Yes, yes, intelligent laymen can handle science journalism, but then why Scalzi in particular?
[Awaiting the moment when someone points out John Scalzi's secret degree in science education, whereupon mds slinks back to its lair in shame]
Anyhoo, congrats on the gig!
Comment by Lenny Bailes —
July 20, 2008 @ 6:21 pm
Why Scalzi in particular? See here.
Comment by Patrick Nielsen Hayden —
July 20, 2008 @ 6:48 pm
You are far from outclassed. But thanks for joining us.
The social stuff is still, of course, in the shakedown phase, which is fancy-talk for “doesn’t much work.” However, I should note that we don’t currently have a spec for hosting “diaries” or other user blogs on the site, although registered users can start all the forum threads they want.
Comment by Jim Henley —
July 20, 2008 @ 6:51 pm
I imagine that everyone can just send “tweets,” right? Also, there should be groups for the companies people used to work for.
Comment by mds —
July 20, 2008 @ 7:43 pm
Various attempts:
(1) Oh, that John Scalzi.
(2) Oh, well, sure, amateur astronomy. But what of the secrets of the subatomic? Or breakthroughs in life science? Or how to produce True Hermium on the path to hatching the Stone from the Egg?
(3) I refute it thus: [Kicks rock]
(4) Well, in fact it LOOK OUT BEHIND YOU! [Swift footsteps followed by slamming door]
Comment by Patrick Nielsen Hayden —
July 20, 2008 @ 7:55 pm
“Tweets” are last year. The new thing is embracing your inner Vingean post-Singularity machine intelligence.
Comment by Justin Slotman —
July 20, 2008 @ 8:04 pm
If only Tor Johnson was still alive to see how people have carried on his legacy….
(Sorry. And congrats. Good stuff over there.)
Comment by Mona —
July 20, 2008 @ 10:45 pm
Jim: I am super happy for you and Tor, but what happened to their awesome wallpaper page? It has been yielding an error message for at least a week — I wuvs their wallpaper.
Comment by Jim Henley —
July 20, 2008 @ 10:49 pm
Mona, quick like a bunny, grab any remaining wallpaper you want while it’s still available.
I suspect there will continue to be new wallpaper, mind you.
Comment by Bruce Baugh —
July 21, 2008 @ 3:58 am
When I embrace my nner Vingean post-Singularity machine intelligence I get grease on my shirt.
Comment by Barry —
July 21, 2008 @ 9:18 am
Bruce, that’s from embracing your Old, Tired 20-th century adding machine. Look for the Kewl New Thing.
Jim, as Highclearin.com’s attorney, I’m afraid that I have to serve divorce papers on you. Also, Highclearing.com is suing AOTP and Tor.com for alienation of blogaffections
Highclearing.com wants the house, and custody of the archives.
Comment by George Sorwell —
July 21, 2008 @ 10:18 am
Taking the Boeing!
Comment by Jim Henley —
July 21, 2008 @ 10:28 am
Not even a Piper Cub in this case.
Comment by Mona —
July 21, 2008 @ 10:46 pm
But Jim (said in very whiney voice): I don’t want the pics with title and authors listed etc…I DEMAND the old wallpaper page. My fave was they guy in the brown-hooded shroud holding a lighted orb of some sort in his extended hand — which I should have saved, had I only known how.
Comment by Mona —
July 21, 2008 @ 10:49 pm
Vernor Vinge is teh awesome. Is he signed with Tor?
Comment by mds —
July 22, 2008 @ 8:24 am
No; he’s so awesome, Tor is signed with him.