Little Brother at NYC's Books of Wonder, May 26, 5-7PM -- CORRECTED!
Update: Please note the correct date for this is May 26, not May 25! Sorry!
We've just finalized the details for a second NYC appearance on my book tour for Little Brother. On Monday, May 26, I'll be appearing at midtown's Books of Wonder from 5-7 PM for a free reading/talk/signing, complete with cupcakes!
This is in addition to the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund benefit on the night of May 25 at Comix -- hope to see you in New York!
Link
the latest
latest episodes
i will be there, and i will throw an egg at you!
goodbye, bogus twit
In after book tour butthurt
ah shaddup Chris.
Citrus, you're in bad company. After today you have no defense of ignorance.
i will bring an egg to throw at you, takuan!
do that bogus, I want to teach you hen empathy,
Tell me something children, just what do you think you have accomplished here beyond making someone spend time to delete your posts and possibly ban you?
is takuan the one who bans posts?
is that a question, Dangrosss?
by definition, yes. I don't want to get involved because I think that if someone worked so hard to make this site they should have a certain level of freedom with promoting their work, but I was wondering if you were the one who bans posts. Are you Cory?
Is that the Books of Wonder at 18 W. 18th st. next door to Adorama? With the amazing cupcakes? That's more like Chelsea than Midtown.
See you there
Takuan, I'm not sure what you mean. I thought I was being rather civil in my approach, rather than "LOL UR BOOK SUX U SUK 2 WTF" about it as I've seen in past threads. I don' think my question was extremely out of bounds or in exceedingly poor taste. It's an honest and actual question, not a rhetorical one meant to make a point.
"making someone spend time to delete your posts and possibly ban you?"
Are you serious? Really? Of all people, I'm sure Cory would be the last to delete my comment and ban me simply for expressing a critical opinion of his posting habits. Do you not read ANY of his posts, Takuan, or do you just completely miss the point of what Cory "Free Speech/Anti Censorship" Doctorow says in all of them? Astounding.
Sorry Cory. It really isn't anything personal, and I apologize if I didn't come off as diplomatic as I aimed to be. It's just, I'd read craphound for posts like this, y'know?
No, I am not Cory and furthermore, Cory would never be so chickenshit to hide behind a handle on his own blog on his own thread.
Secondly, posts are not "banned", they are either disemvoweled or deleted (or edited) by the Moderator, Teresa. Posters who make malicious posts are the ones that get banned. Especially repeat offenders. Go to the Moderation Policy Thread if you need to know more. It is alway listed on the right side of the page here.
What I am is someone who posts here and reads here and is getting well beyond pissed off with people like those above that think they are exempt from simple manners, the duty to learn and the obligation to stay within the well-published rules of the house. What I would love to do is explain their shortcomings in great and graphic detail for all the world to see and also remove a good deal of skin doing it.
However; Teresa is the Moderator, she has assistants. I am now one of those assistants and therefore must behave responsibly.
In that capacity, I have reported the offending posts to the Moderator and the Editors. We will all await their pleasure as to what THEY will choose to do under THEIR roof.
This crap has got to stop. I myself will recommend blanket bans against anyone who has been told three times to simply not do something. I am here to enjoy the creative work of intelligent people. Wiping the asses of immature brats - while occasionally needed - is NOT my idea of fun.
I trust I have answered your question and hope to enjoy your company under more productive circumstances.
Dear Citrusfreak
I will take you at your word that you are unaware of what a sore point the behaviour of some has become.
You suggest I read Cory's work. I have. Now I suggest you read what's been going on here lately. Understand that a good deal has been deleted already due to malicious content. As I said, you are in bad company. Don't be surprised if people assume you are part of something you really don't want to be.
Ummm....
I like the Little Brother updates, it's the filthy hippy drug and environmental posts that bother me.
I'm wondering if I should bring my 4 1/2 year-old son to the book reading. Any suggestions from the author or those who have been to past readings?
I'd really go for a filter system too.
XXXXXXX@10 (but may I call you LXX?) I've bought 10 copies of Little Brother so far; two to loan to friends and eight donated to various libraries and teachers, with plans to send more once Olga catches up marking who's gotten one so far (I have this mental image of some teacher getting flooded with dozens of copies, although I suppose that would be OK).
I got a lovely thank you card from the librarian at Felipe de Neve Library - unexpected but delightful!
Citrusfreak@5, if you hate to be that guy, then don't be that guy. Be a guy you don't hate to be!
Takuan, maybe you need to step back a moment and take a deep breath. You're sounding way too much like an overzealous hall monitor instead of the overzealous serial commenter we've all come to know and love. :-)
I think Cory is having a bit of fun with everyone now with all the Little Brother posts. My only lament is that it's now becoming divisive and taking up floor space.
Erm. People. The LB posts make up what, 5% of Cory's posts? Less? And of all the posts in BB?
If you don't like the posts, don't read them. Hell, read BB using an RSS reader, and just read the articles with appealing headlines.
If Cory wants to advertise that he'll be in town doing a signing, that's great - I'll go along if he comes to London and I'm around. I like that he posted the instructables - book or no, they're definitely BB material.
It would be a different matter if they were splashing huge ads across every post, but they're not. Chill out and read the blog, or go elsewhere if it's not what you want to read.
The same reason I don't watch the View anymore...
"If you don't like the posts, don't read them. Hell, read BB using an RSS reader, and just read the articles with appealing headlines."
Perhaps the editors should be pleased. Not every site's readers would bother to explain what it is they don't like and why.
They'd just stop coming.
I really should stay out of this, but I want to make a few points that seem to be overlooked.
1) Cory is on a Book Tour. If you read one of the posts you would know that. The tour will end. The posts about the tour will end. You can power through until that happens. We believe in you.
2) The book is shaping up to be a bestseller in its genre. That's an exceedingly rare thing and not a garden variety vanity project as some have stated. As such, it deserves considerable screen space on BB.
3) CATFOTFIC. Look it up.
Have a nice day.
Good grief, 39 comments and no one pointed out the error: The entry heading says May 25, the main text says May 26 -- which is Monday. Cory or someone at bb needs to edit this entry and fix the dates so they all match, and so they reflect whatever Cory's actual schedule is.
well now,looks like my post accomplished something after all; the germ of a reasonable, polite discussion and a correction Thanks guys!
As to my behaviour: is there anything inconsistent about it since I became drunk with absolute power? For those that have just made a contribution,thanks again.
I bought a copy. :p
An author I really like, Neil Gaiman, has a little widget on the side of his journal counting down to the release of his next book (The Graveyard book, which looks great). It's very inobtrusive, serves as a promotion and it's even something I can put on my site if I like.
Gaiman also works his promotion into posts with other content.
A bit more subtlety, or content, around the promotion would go a long way here.
Interesting point, Simplehuman. But I wonder if then there would be accusations of "sneakiness"?
I'm just annoyed that the book's not available on Amazon UK unless I import a copy from America.
As for the posts, as with everything on the interweb, I read what looks interesting to me and ignore the rest - I fail to see why that is so complicated to people (people who aren't even paying for a service). If I did anything I felt newsworthy then I'd sure as heck post about it on www.pri.me.uk as often as I wished (you see what I did there?)
#14:
Yeah, West 18th Street is NOT Midtown. Midtown doesn't vaguely start until 23rd, and no one really thinks of anything below 34th Street as Midtown anyway.
I knew when I was playing "Guess the Store" that it was likely that Cory was misplaced.
This issue was brought to you by Cory Doctorow: You...The Road...Pure Cory Doctorow...
I hope a portion of the proceeds goes to those poor faceless kids with oversized feet...
I think everyone's getting tired of either the book or the comments. Everything that's to be said on the topic has been said before.
Cory's obviously not going to move the posts, so I suggest people who don't like them do as I do, and just scroll past them and look at the real content. Treat them like the other ads.
I just think people are making a mountain out of a molehill complaining over and over about this.
"I just think people are making a mountain out of a molehill complaining over and over about this."
Exactly, because asserting a point of view that differs from another's is, ipso facto, making a mountain out of a molehill. Er, yeah. Whatevs.
You know, I'm going to miss this when Cory's book tour ends. It's been fun to get up in the morning, see the Little Brother book jacket at the top of BB and click Comments to watch the heads exploding. Starts my day with a smile every time.
#44: You provided your own solution. DON'T COME BACK. You don't watch TBS anymore, right? Go read another "channel" on the internet if you don't like what's on this one, or go create your own blog of what you want to read about if you can't find anything you like, it's obviously what Cory and the rest of the crew did here.
And when someone wants to go to these book signings, where exactly would they go to find out dates, times and other infomration if it's not posted here? I wish there was a rule to life that you had to give a better solution if you want to pipe up with your own unsolicited criticism.
I, for one, was glad of the update about the NYC signing, at least; living nearish there.
Complaining about reading something you don't have to read is making a mountain out of a molehill, yeah.
*shakes head*
Don't like it, don't read it. Its really, really simple. Whining will get you nowhere, except looking kind of pathetic.
#56: Takuan is not a moderator, just a reader, its pretty clear that any such tone he projects is a joking matter. Since he has no power to be drunk on.
I, for one, welcome our new Imaginary Moderator Overlords.
Is that the posts you're talking about, vis don't don't like it don't read it, or the comments? Because, really it should apply both ways.
I don't know. Takuan, normally do enjoy your say in things, but when Ms Neilsen intervenes, her comments are usually distinguished by their sensibility and thoroughness. Effectively saying 'I'm telling!' does not typically demand respect.
Your attempts to monetize this free service has not gone unnoticed, Doctorow! How dare you to force me to read your blog, you wiley creature!
ROSETHORNN, you made me laugh! Now I have to go get some work done. Play nice, everyone!
#59:
You do make an excellent point. I let my temper get in the way of my reasoning.
What happened to Cory is he's excited about his book release and wants to share. I guess that might go over some people's heads though. After all its just another stupid book right? nothing to be excited/proud of there? (Yes, that's sarcasm)
Being that it's his blog, that's his right. His fans are interested, I'm sure.
I look at Craphound occasionally, but I probably wouldn't have looked at it in time to go to this reading.
I just hope I remember. It's on Memorial Day, which might make it interesting.
I'm REALLY tired of CATFOTFIC posts. Just gather your petticoats and flounce out, OK? It's real easy to note the LB posts and skip them. Those of us who want to comment about how BOW (which really should have a branch on Worlds of Warcraft called BOW WOW) is in Chelsea, not Midtown, or who want to jump up and down about what a great store BOW is, really don't feel like wading through all this ungrateful garbage. And it's many comments in a row, which makes it not really comparable to the ease of skipping LB posts, pace Scottfree.
Scottfree, meaning no disrespect to your comment's content, Teresa's last name is 'Nielsen Hayden'. It's one name, two words, no hyphen, i before e. Since you clearly respect her I assume you want to get it right. Many of us refer to her as TNH for short.
Niall, how did you come by that very high horse you're riding?
If you're so tired of reading about Little Brother, how is it that you missed my explanation yesterday about why I'm removing rather than disemvowelling such remarks? It wasn't far down the comment thread.
In fact, how is it that any of you complainers have missed the many explanations in previous LB comment threads about why Cory is posting these entries? If you've read enough LB entries to grow this tired of them, you must surely have read some of those explanations. So why are you talking as though you've never seen a one of them?
As for Takuan being off balance: yes, he is. He's been officially made an assistant moderator. (That's as opposed to situationally acting as an informal moderator, which any perceptive and responsible Boing Boing commenter is welcome to do, as long as they get it right.) He is consequently feeling obliged to behave himself -- and if you've been reading Boing Boing's comment threads for any length of time, you know how big a change that is.
Cut him some slack. He's working hard and learning fast.
You're operating under the assumption that we read the comments of those posts. I hardly ever comment, and hardly ever read the comments. I just read the posts themselves. The two do not always go hand in hand.
I would assume, and correct me if I'm mistaken, that Cory is posting these posts as a means of self promotion, to inform people of new information pertaining to his book/tour.
Howdy Teresa!
Ain't this fun! Well, what do you think? Should the axe be swung after three warnings? I welcome intelligent imput from all sources but only defer to yours or the editors.
Oh, and if anyone thinks I'm drunk with power, please point out the violations.
Kisses to all
To echo TNH's comment - It does seem that all the complainers are saying the same 4 or 5 things over and over again. It's really boring. I've made the mistake several times of spouting off some "great idea" before reading everything, and later finding out that several people have already said the same thing.
Nothing on BB is going to change because of the constant complaints. So either skip what you're not interested in (it's easy, really!), or as many of you have threatened to do, please just leave.
What do all you people do when you turn on the TV wanting see a certain show, and there is a commercial that annoys you playing? Do you get so bent out of shape that you start writing letters to the TV station? (They run that SAME commercial EVERY DAY!)
Or do you go make a sandwich, pick up a magazine, you know just keep your blood pressure under control and wait it out?
TNH,
While I was writing my responce (post 70) Takuan chimed in again.
I think it is now plain that Takuan should not have any administrator power/position whatsoever if he/she cannot she that post #68 has nothing to contribute to the community but instead should have been a personal communication to you.
That person is not only not mature enough to keep from gloating and relishing being in the spotlight/discussion, but he/she isn't mature enough to do it in private.
Yeah, pretty much what yomommastache said. You might want to tell them to turn it down a notch, the whole "hamming it up" thing isn't really working for them.
Anyway, I really REALLY don't think I'm being outrageous here; I'm not even asking Cory to stop making his promotional posts! I'm simply asking for a way to filter them out from the others. I'm pretty sure Kotaku has something like what I'm asking for, as many people complained about having to read so much about GTA IV, you can filter it out by tag.
You know just in case it got lost in the other thread, I give you "Little Blogger", a parody...
http://ec2-72-44-50-95.z-1.compute-1.amazonaws.com/little_blogger.jpg
Takuan,
You are by way of being my half-brother, in an odd and entirely modern way. A younger half-brother, for which, neener, but a half-brother.
This means that in addition to noogies, I get to give you some advice, which you may or may not need at this point. Because I've been about where you are now too, very recently.
Although I got a lesser dose of it than you're getting right now, I too spent a while with other commenters telling me I was Doing It Wrong. And yet, somehow, I wasn't dashed out of my seat to make room for them, despite their explanations of "proper" moderation.
If a critic says something factually accurate or genuinely useful, thank them and learn from it. But remember that the grumps we have always, picking at nits because it's easier than being constructive or interesting. If you do something genuinely wrong, Teresa will tell you about it. She chose you to join the squad because she thought you would do a good job, and I concur entirely.
Well done so far, and welcome to the family.
CitrusFreak12
I hardly ever comment, and hardly ever read the comments. I just read the posts themselves.
Now this is what I really don't understand at all. So... you are reading BB on your browser or feed reader and when you come across a post you like you read it. You never or almost never read the comments. Ok, fair enough. But then you complain about posts (esp this one) that you are not interested in, why? Why wouldn't you or anyone else just scroll on by? This behavior makes no sense to me.
My theory is that you enjoy bitchin' and moanin' for some unknown reason. One or two therapy sessions might be in order here.
Hey, if Takuan's been booted upstairs then his old job is open, right? Where do I apply?
oh, I can still do both
CitrusFreak12 @ 79: Sod it. It's apparent by now that I'm not going to get any help, only hostility.
Considering that both Cory and Teresa have weighed in with their opinions (Teresa: the people complaining about the Little Brother posts are "as thick as two short planks"; Cory's opinion of people who think they get to dictate what goes on Boing Boing is "Anything I can do to get rid of 'em, give me more of that.") I think the answer is no, you're not going to get any help.
You know, if you're angered by seeing "so many" little brother posts, perhaps its time to take a break from the Internet, because this suggests some pretty serious problems.
Also, its pretty plain to me that Takuan's tone in his previous post was flippant, IE, joking. I think some people need to chill the heck out.
See my previous comment about taking a break from the net.
*shakes head*
You know, there are bigger things to get worked up about than "there's a post on a blog that I don't like. ZOMGZ."
Thanks for linking to that Lexica, I'd missed that.
I would suggest people begin to post and assemble an ongoing series of HOWTOs inspired by the young adult novel Little Brother. Tackle the all-important skill of lying to authority figures.
I stand before you and look you in the eye (or near your ear) and tell you in a calm and fidgetless way that I believe a new and powerful sticky meme is arising here. Our sea of comments have become a sort of sub-blog of their own here inside this bigger blog! We are my fellow commenters, Little Bloggers!
Not everyone finds those posts boring. Some do. apparently. But some people find all the art posts boring, probably. Some people are sick of hearing about copyright law in Canada. So what? Let it go. Everyone has different interests and tastes in these regards.
Here's a suggestion:
Disable comments on the Little Brother posts.
Since the vast, vast majority of the comments are people complaining about the glut of LB posts or people complaining about the complainers, why don't we just avoid the whole thing and get rid of the comment threads for those posts?
Sure, people might have legit comments to make about the book or the appearances but NO ONE is responding to them anyway, which just defeats the point of keeping the comment option available.
hahahaha :D
Or just link to some multiplayer online combat game, and the pro-Little Brother and anti-little brother sides could team up and virtually beat the crap out of each other.
That would be rad.
Disable comments on the Little Brother posts.
I have already made that suggestion. Answer pending.
We could call it "Cory and his friends versus the World"
If it had graphics, all the players on Cory's side would get to wear red capes and goggles.
The other team would be represented by little RIAA logos.
;)
Hello, this is one of Teresa's assistant moderators speaking. I've turned off comments on these two threads ("Little Brother tonight in Seattle's Third Place Books" and "Little Brother at NYC's Books of Wonder, May 25, 5-7PM") for a bit. Teresa tells me she's shutting down some other Little Brother threads as well.
You may notice that a bunch of comments have disappeared. They haven't actually been deleted, they've been unpublished. The comments are still there in BoingBoing's database, they just aren't showing up. This gives Teresa a chance to go through and re-publish them if she decides I've been too zealous.
I've deleted complaints about the Little Brother entries, even polite ones, and the joking ironic ones, because they just encourage more rude complaints.
It's possible that I've missed a few, since I just learned how to use the administration interface yesterday. And it's a little clunky.
One of Cory's comments was also unpublished, at his own request.
It's Teresa's decision when to reactivate comments for these threads.