Morning Coffee (2/27/15)

Happy Friday! There's a LOT GOING ON so these links may be less strictly happy than is usual for Fridays. Sorry.

Because first, this is really important: No Boys Allowed: School visits as a woman writer

And the Internet went generally insane yesterday, but this is the big one, yay: The FCC just approved the strongest net neutrality rules yet

The Science of Why No One Agrees on the Color of This Dress

Apparently I don't have a link about the llamas. You remember the llamas.

HOWEVER, there’s a giant owl terrorizing a small Dutch town.

Maybe the world is going crazy because music is going to start coming out on Fridays. What?!?!

Classic Alice has ONE WEEK LEFT. If you could give $5 or even $2 it would be really helpful, I swear.

Jay Carney is going to work for Amazon. Does that mean they'll start commenting on things??

I hope they find Lupita's dress.

Okay, something fun. Lego food!

Morning Coffee (2/26/15)

If you've wondered why I care so much about Classic Alice, this is why.

Bertrice Small has died. I haven't read her - I should rectify that! - but she was so, so important to the romance genre and women in publishing. Two great quotes from that obituary: "I do not write weak women" and "If you're going to undress a heroine, you'd better damn well know what she's got on underneath."

Aaaaah, I'm VERY EXCITED about this Brian Wilson biopic.

Perfect: Boston Is a YA Dystopian Novel

The Punisher: Jeb Bush and the Schiavos

Ooh, they're rebooting DuckTales.

This is much funnier than it sounds: A mysterious tunnel was discovered in a Toronto park. We have many, many questions.

"Edward’s taste tends to run to jewel-encrusted goblets, mahogany armchairs, and tapestries of King Harold being gouged in the eye."

Morning Coffee (2/25/15)

Never too early: The 15 films to look forward to at next year’s Oscars. (One of them is Star Wars.)

Oh, Aaron Schock.

Jeb Bush’s foreign policy vision: Sound confident and compliment his brother.

Henry VIII's evidence to support break with Rome turns up in Cornish library

Speaking of things turning up, I'm enjoying the controversy over the newfound Sherlock Holmes story.

What If "Barks and Recreation"?

I never watched Two and a Half Men but this finale recap was great.

Hahahaha: "Thank every item in your refrigerator deeply – kiss each one of them softly and slowly with your mouth – then prepare for each item a small Viking funeral."

Morning Coffee (2/24/15)

Me elsewhere: A few thoughts on 50 Shades of Grey

No, You Absolutely Do Not Have to Love Your Job

The War for the Soul of Geek Culture

Notorious Revenge Porn Asshole Hunter Moore Is Finally Going to Prison

5 stories that prove the rules of the Oscars are even weirder than you thought

This would . . . not be my guess for fastest selling Playmobil.

Oh, right, it's ALL THE SITES DO RANDOM BRACKETS season. But Forever YA's Teen Heartthrob Madness looks fun.

Spin the Globe, Sri Lanka: The Two Faces of Paradise

I Dedicate This Novel to the Man Who Convinced Me to Stop Writing Silly Genre Fiction and Crank out a Thinly Veiled Memoir

Morning Coffee (2/23/15)

Me elsewhere: Your TV news for the week.

Need an Oscars rundown? Here you go.

More awards: We've got some Emmy rule changes.

And in book awards: The Nebula nominees were announced and I'm very pleased with the Norton list.

This is an important read about what this winter is actually doing to Boston.

Wow: We do not apologize for using lynching imagery to sell photo-editing software

The battle over E.L. James's level of involvement in the next Fifty Shades movie is going to be fascinating.

"Random doofuses are roaming the sidelines, pocketing game balls and swapping in random ones they found in a closet somewhere."

film review comment bingo

Morning Coffee (2/20/15)

Happy Friday!

This Sound of Music fiftieth anniversary profile of Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer is great and the ending made me cry.

Jenji Kohan's HBO pilot sounds intriguing - historical hysteria, possibly Salem? Whee.

Also sounding intriguing: Ishiguro's new Arthurian novel.

Whoa: This Teeny Chair Can Assemble Itself

This Nick Hornby interview is delightful and made me wonder why I've only read a few of his books.

Oooh: A Glimpse Inside the Hidden Vault Where Harvard Keeps Millions of Books

Jacqueline Wilson is writing an update of What Katy Did!

"If Chris Evans were your boyfriend, New England would not be covered in snow right now."

And to make sure your Friday gets off to a good start, here's Eddie Redmayne playing the piano.

Morning Coffee (2/19/15)

Happy Lunar New Year! The Google doodle is very cute. (Sheep-related, of course!)

Classic Alice creator Kate Hackett wrote an interesting financial breakdown of what exactly goes into making the show. Even if you don't watch this specific show, behind-the-scenes stuff like this is enlightening.

Obviously nothing about ISIS is funny, but . . . this is funny. CNN Uncovers ISIS’s Dastardly Scheme to Lure Western Women With Kittens and Nutella

Amazing: Pinterest deleted Rand Paul's fake Hillary Clinton page for a terms of service violation

New England's ridiculous winter, in 6 photos

Hillary Clinton's uncontested nomination is dangerous for her and her party

Apparently Nora Ephron hated blue. I guess everyone has to have some flaw.

17 Things From Target No Human Can Resist Buying

The Onion: Area Woman Not Good Enough Artist To Justify Eccentricities

Morning Coffee (2/18/15)

Ooh, check out the Volta Google doodle.

Wow, divers found 1000-year-old Israeli gold coins.

You can read the first seven chapters of the Fug Girls' upcoming novel The Royal We!

11 Animals That Are Dealing With Winter Better Than You Are

Hallmark Channel is expanding their kitten sports season.

Bosch isn’t great TV, but that’s why it might be the hit Amazon desperately needs. (I'm looking forward to trying it!)

Anthony Horowitz (of Foyle's War) is writing a new BBC cop drama!

How to Tell If You Are in a Victor Hugo Novel

Morning Coffee (2/17/15)

My dad, cousin, and aunt are going to be on Genealogy Roadshow tonight learning about our family! Tune in!

Classic Alice is tantalizingly close to 50% funded. Please chip in.

Sad news: Lesley Gore has died.

Jonathan Franzen Is a Parody of Jonathan Franzen

"I’ve heard about people who arrange their books by colour. These people are clearly ill and need help."

Ooh, Game of Thrones Monopoly!

And an Iron Throne MADE OF ICE.

I don't agree with 100% of this, but it makes some important points: We're Talking About Young Adult Fiction All Wrong

How One Stupid Tweet Blew Up Justine Sacco’s Life

The Onion: Man Under Mistaken Impression He His Own Harshest Critic

Morning Coffee (2/16/15)

Me elsewhere: TV news!

Did you see that the Classic Alice funding campaign was extended? There's an adorable video with puppets.

Former poet laureate Philip Levine has died.

Frick Collection masterpieces on show at the Mauritshuis in The Hague I saw this exhibition's mirror - when pieces from the Mauritshuis were at the Frick - and it was great.

Vermont Ex-Janitor Bequeaths Secret Millions to Library, Hospital

A Matchmaker and a Festival Keep an Irish Tradition Alive

Coffee chains in America, in one map

23 Problems Only Vampire Diaries Fans Understand

The Onion: Receipt Brazenly Placed In Bag Without Permission

Turns Out I Have No Idea What “Breaking On The Wheel” Means

Morning Coffee (2/13/15)

Sad news: David Carr has died.

On to your regularly scheduled happy Friday:

Chris Evans, with a beard, in plaid, talking about Transcendentalists. You're welcome.

My bookseller friend Jonny with an important message: Why books are the only Valentine’s Day present worth giving

16 Hilarious Literary Valentine's Day Cards

Speaking of, want some adorable Classic Alice valentines? Any donation gets you EIGHT.

Which "Shameless" Guy Should Be Your Valentine This Year? (I got JimmySteve, which . . . could be worse. Obviously the correct answer is Lip, but obviously I'd never get him because his quiz answers are all about sex and I want Lip for his BRAIN.)

This Is What A Cup Of Tea Looks Like In 22 Different Countries

A walk through the old pastry shops of downtown Tehran

How to Tell If You Are in a Logic Puzzle

Morning Coffee (2/12/15)

Donations to Classic Alice this week get you adorable valentines, on top of all the regular perks!

Important: I'm Brianna Wu, And I'm Risking My Life Standing Up To Gamergate

Local folks, this Hippo event app looks great.

These all sound good: 4 Small Press Books to Read in February

The amazing diversity of languages around the world, in one map

Why Americans Don't Read Foreign Fiction

Proposal for a Theme Park Draws From Crimea’s Distant Past

The Onion: Literary Study Finds All Modern Narratives Derived From Classic ‘Alien Vs. Predator’ Conflict

Two Medieval Monks Invent Dinner Parties

Morning Coffee (2/11/15)

Three Muslim college students were killed in North Carolina, and this is getting a shocking lack of coverage on major news sites.

Jon Stewart is leaving the Daily Show, and the end of Todd VanDerWerff's piece about it almost made me cry.

Check out my cousin's fundraiser for St. Baldrick's.

Fantasy readers, donating to Classic Alice in the next week gets you entered to win a signed, personalized book by the awesome Lev Grossman.

The Wheel of Time pilot story is crazy. Read Charlie Jane Anders and Todd VanDerWerff to understand.

Romance Gone Awry: Two Bad Breakups and One Ugly Accusation at Nicholas Sparks’s Christian Prep School

"There’s not a television show in the world casting actors in the hopes nobody will have any chemistry."

What Harper Lee's publisher owes her

Jane Austen family letters offer ‘deeply personal’ insight into author’s world

Morning Coffee (2/10/15)

If you somehow managed not to see 3000 social media updates about this in the last few hours: Spider-Man is joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Adnan Syed Of “Serial” Wins Motion To Appeal Against His Murder Conviction

Female Leads A Hollywood Rarity, Study Finds

How Men's Rights Leader Paul Elam Turned Being A Deadbeat Dad Into A Moneymaking Movement

I love this word cloud of common passwords.

The Things Adaptations of King Arthur Should Be Including

Nifty: Cunard Ships Will Travel Back in Time

"If Stanley Tucci were your boyfriend, Nora Ephron would still be alive somehow."

Morning Coffee (2/9/15)

Me elsewhere: Weekly TV news and an interview with Kate Hackett of Classic Alice.

Speaking of which, we're getting down to the wire. Please help Save Alice.

Don't miss Obama: The Vox Conversation.

The Grammy voting process is completely insane

Interesting: The year of outrage

It's a miracle that I haven't yet given in and subscribed to Acorn.

Proofreading is important!

Pride and Prejudice, explained in two charts

My friend did a lookbook shoot for Pyknic and now I want a whole bunch of their shirts.

Lines From Tina Brown’s The Diana Chronicles That Made Me Lose My Entire Jaw

Morning Coffee (2/6/15)

Happy Friday!

Amazing: Emma Thompson Used to Cheer Up Prince Charles

Your Rational Love of Whiskey Is (Thankfully) Demolishing Vodka Sales

S'mores Oreos? That I'll consider.

Oooh, Doctor Who Lego.

If Taylor Swift Lyrics Were About King Henry VIII

I'm not even particularly into the new Cinderella movie, but the fashion and makeup lines are nifty.

British knight returns library book after 65 years, with $2,200 to cover fine

23 Awesome Mugs Only Book Nerds Will Appreciate

Restaurant Reviews From John Muir, Conservationist

Morning Coffee (2/5/15)

Fingers crossed: FCC Proposal Would Classify Internet As A Public Utility

This story is amazing: What happened when I confronted my cruellest troll

Related: Twitter CEO: 'We suck at dealing with abuse'

Um, whoa: This Book Uses Facial Recognition to Judge Whether You Deserve to Read It

Would you like to see cats reenacting a drunken holiday musical episode? Of course you would.

Questions I Have About The Harper Lee Editor Interview

Maureen Johnson's The Shadow Cabinet is out in the UK today! Here's a playlist for the series.

Important investigative journalism: Why Do Cats Love Boxes So Much?

Morning Coffee (2/4/15)

I'm as excited at the prospect of reading more Harper Lee as anyone, but I'm also really concerned.

This is the greatest/most terrible thing ever: Vermont Considers Latin State Motto, Commenters Freak Out About Latinos

In better Vermont news: A University Recognizes a Third Gender: Neutral

Ooh: New York Attorney General Targets Supplements at Major Retailers

Go Hillary Clinton!

!! Michelangelo bronzes discovered

This made me want to read Marilynne Robinson AND more Poe.

Future Episodes of House Hunters International

Morning Coffee (2/3/15)

More Women Than Ever in Congress, but With Less Power Than Before

Headline of the day: German neo-Nazi party cancels protest after boarding wrong train

The Psychopaths of GamerGate Are All That's Left, and They're Terrifying

Here are yesterday's ALA Youth Media Award winners!

Curious about this Classic Alice thing I keep talking about? They have a shiny new trailer for the show, so that's a good place to start!

These videos have me very excited for the Casual Vacancy miniseries.

Life-changing: Here’s How to Turn on Chrome’s Mute Button for Obnoxious Audio Tabs

Lip Smackers are no more. Nooooo.

My friend Daye did some of the voices for new game Life Is Strange, and it looks really neat!

Morning Coffee (2/2/15)

Here's my TV news roundup for the week.

Sad news: Geraldine McEwan (Miss Marple, among many other roles) has died.

How an Amish missionary caused 2014's massive measles outbreak

Disney Has Finally Created A Latina Princess

All politics is identity politics

Did Archaeologists Just Find Miguel de Cervantes, 400 Years After His Death?

This Rent-a-Man ad is perfect.

At the Super Bowl of Linguistics, May the Best Word Win

Never Say This to a Knitter. Really, Just Don't Do It.

Gleeful Mobs Of Women Murdering Men In Western Art History