Link Treats

This batch of links isn’t quite as heavy, at least in my mind. I hope you find something of interest.

Lessons sports teach you: Perfection is the enemy of excellence
Sam B. at Fit, Feminist, and (almost) Fifty shares her thoughts on the problems of perfectionism.

Trayvon Martin, The East, and the Consequences of Inaction
My inner seven-year-old is a lot like the Belle Jar’s. It’s part of why I’m so cranky all the time.

OMG, like there are totally things called Valley Bees!
I’m so sure, Bug Girl!

Angry Young Woman
A poem from Wordlander. It’s awesome.

To Succeed, Fail Boldly
The Weekly Sift offers some words of hope.

Weekly Linkroll

Busy weekend, plus new toys in the house. We finally have an ereader AND a tablet. Kind of exciting. Now I want to read ALL THE THINGS!

Instead, I’m posting interesting links for you. See how much I love you? 😉

Why society still needs feminism
Caitlin O’Donnell at Times-Delphic with a great, yet sad, list of reasons why feminism is still sorely needed.

Wrong on the Internet: Bogus USA Spider Chart
Bug Girl with some good info on a spider chart that’s been making the rounds.

The Essence of the Process Is Revision
It took me a long time to get this, but now that I do, I find I really like the editing and revising. There’s a better story/book waiting at the other end of it, and it’s worth the work. H/T Visible + Real for the link from The Art of Non-Conformity.

The Final Epic Act Of The Departing Commander Of The International Space Station Truly Rocked
This video (created by Canadian astronaut Cmdr. Chris Hadfield on board the International Space Station before he returned to Earth) made my week. I’m guessing you’ve already seen it, but if you haven’t, go watch it!

Celebrating Mighty Girl Heroes: Ten Women You Might Not Know, But Should
Jennifer de Beer at A Mighty Girl shares a great list of awesome women you may or may not know about. I knew seven of them.

Weekly Linkroll

Looks like we’re going to combine a couple weeks of links here, considering I haven’t been keeping up with blog business lately. There’s been gardening, writing, and general enjoying of spring, so it’s not like I’ve been goofing off. Much.

Book Review: Winter Well: Speculative Novellas About Older Women
First, a little self-promotion. My next novella is coming out in three weeks, and Jule’s Book Reviews has already reviewed Winter Well, the collection it’s in. May 24, folks!

White Lady Feminism, Christian Blogging, and the Worst of Both Possible Worlds
Dianna Anderson has some interesting thoughts on the similarities between online feminism and online Christianity. Dissent is often necessary.

Sexy Pool Party
It’s the last shot that really made me laugh.

Things No One Will Tell Fat Girls… SO I WILL
The Militant Baker on body image and loving yourself.

The Myth of the Free Market: You’ll Find a Unicorn Before You Find a Free Market
Scriptonite Daily with thoughts on the free market, or if there really is one. A long read, but worth it.

Kentucky woman ordained as priest by dissident Roman Catholics
Sofia Perpetua, with NBC News, discusses the ordination of a woman as Catholic priest. I didn’t know there were dissident groups who did this. Cool.

Honey bees, CCD, and the Elephant in the Room
Fascinating post at Bug Girl’s Blog on colony collapse disorder in honey bees and how a lot of folks might be taking the wrong approach. Dr. Doug Yanega guest posts.

Newsflash: Spot Reduction/Spot Training Does NOT Work
Fit, Feminist, and (almost) Fifty calls out a longstanding exercise myth.

14-Year-Old Scientist Makes a Groundbreaking Discovery
Maria Elena Grimmett is working to ensure that people around the world have safe drinking water.

Little Girls Are Better at Designing Superheroes than You
A fun tumblr project by Alex Law. Law draws superheroes based on little girls’ costumes. Kinda cool.

Applications open for Mars One, the first human space colony
Casey Johnston at Ars Technica tells us about the private space project that plans to colonize Mars.

Weekly Linkroll (Monday edition)

Yeah, links didn’t happen yesterday. But here they are today.

An Open Letter to Jane Doe, the Victim of the Steubenville Rape Case (Trigger Warning)
Lucy’s Football made me cry last week. This post is beautiful, and I’m torn between hoping that Jane Doe reads it and that she is staying the hell away from the Internet for a while.

I Am Not Your Wife, Sister or Daughter. I Am A Person.
The Belle Jar discusses the problem with the language used when standing up for women. Even if this is used in a well-meaning way, it’s still defining women by their relationship to men, not on their own. Patronizing and not good.

New Peacock Spider Video!
Bug Girl’s Blog posts a really cool video featuring peacock spiders. Even if you’re afraid of spiders, you might dig this. So cute!

Dark woods
I love cemeteries, so this Wordland post hit the spot. So many stories lay hidden.

Long Hidden: Speculative Fiction From the Margins of History
One week left to get in on this wicked cool kickstarter that will fund a speculative fiction anthology with stories from the points of view of folks who normally don’t get to write history (wow, long sentence is long). I gave what I could and am excited to read it when it comes out. The list of writers already signed up is pretty amazing. Check it out.

Eisenstadt v. Baird: The 41st Anniversary of Legal Contraception for Single People
Can you believe that  legal access to contraception for single people has only been around in the US for 41 years?

New poll finds the majority of women voters consider themselves feminists
Feministing shares the results of a recent Ms. poll. Surprisingly good news.

Pterosaur: Dinosaur Named After Daisy Morris
Five year-old girl discovers a new dinosaur and has it named after her!

Weekly Linkroll

Another Sunday is well under way. Happy St. Patrick’s Day to everyone who’s into that. I’m still processing the verdict in the Steubenville rape case and wondering at the insanity of the news coverage of it all. Those poor rapists and their ruined lives. The pity party going on for them is just outrageous.

Well, you know what? If you don’t rape people, you don’t ruin your life. Pretty simple. Maybe try that the next time the option presents itself.

Anyway, let’s see what else happened on the internet this week.

R-E-S-P-E-C-T
Artist Lee Moyer discusses sexism in cover art, prompted by questions from Jim Hines. An interesting read.

Pope Francis Vs. Black Francis
Well, the Catholic Church has a new pope who took the name Francis. It was only a matter of time. Thanks, Mother Jones, for doing it first.

The Rhetorical Power of Pig Pain
Shakesville’s super takedown of Richard Dawkins’ assholish tweeting about abortion this week. FYI: fetal pain is a myth. This guy is supposed to be a scientist?

Sir Patrick Stewart: ‘Violence Against Women Is Learned’
Patrick Stewart talks personally about domestic violence for Amnesty International. Wonderful and heartwrenching.

The Art Of Asking: For Writers And Storytellers
Chuck Wendig at Terrible Minds ponders AFP’s amazing TED talk. What does it mean for writers?

Dad hacks Donkey Kong for his daughter; Pauline now saves Mario
Ars Technica on the latest Donkey Kong hack. I heard about this on NPR earlier this week. Neat!

Happy St. Urho’s Day, 2013
I like this idea for a holiday better than St. Patrick’s Day, really. Bug Girl’s Blog gives us the lowdown.

What if “it” REALLY were an inside job, not a terrorist attack?
Teacherken over at Daily Kos has the inside scoop. The truth seems pretty clear.