Weekly Linkroll

So, there’s a football game this evening. My feelings about football have become so mixed over the last few years. So many problems with the sport on so many levels.

But my favorite city’s team is playing tonight, so I’m kind of excited.

Charles Street, Baltimore, looking north

Not only that, but my second favorite city’s team is also playing.

Coit Tower and neighborhood, San Francisco, also looking north

If the 49ers were playing anyone other than Baltimore, I’d be rooting for them. Sorry, guys.

But it hasn’t been all football this week. Here are some links for you that I hope you enjoy.

Twenty Great Writers on the Art of Revision
Emily Temple shares some super quotes on writing and revision. I’m especially fond of what Raymond Chandler had to say.

Finishing School – Book the First: Etiquette & Espionage (trailer)
This is seriously impressive book trailer. Can’t wait to actually read the book.

Girl comes out to parents with help of a cake
Awesome coming out story.

Pro-choice on Amtrak: The time I told a group of anti-choice teenagers about my abortion
Michelle Kinsey Bruns on Feministing talks about sharing her story of abortion with a train car full of anti-choice teenagers. Powerful stuff.

Is Twitter a better predictor of the flu than Google and the CDC? Researcher says, yes
Interesting Medcity News article on tracking the spread of this year’s flu season.

Think Women Haven’t Been in Combat Situations Already? The History of Crossdressing Soldiers
Women in the U.S. military will finally be able to fill combat positions, officially. But it’s not like they haven’t fought before. The National Journal looks at a few women who crossdressed their way into battle.

Interplanetary Cessna
xkcd’s What If column takes on the question, “What would happen if you tried to fly a normal Earth airplane above different Solar System bodies?” Venus is a terrible place.

And to finish up… a fun parody tune from Beauty for Ashes.

Weekend Linkroll

Another Sunday has rolled around. The last not-frigid day for a while. We’ll be reaching highs of 5 degrees by Wednesday up here. Yes, climate change is to blame. Joy.

So, while I can still feel my fingers, I have links to share.

Food and Wine Thursdays: Wine Aromas
I’ve mentioned my dislike of gatekeepers, right? The Satellite Show has the same opinion when it comes to wine.

The Mystery of the Third Step
Ellis Nelson ponders George Mallory’s attempt to climb Mt. Everest. Did he get there before Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzin Norgay? Maybe!

Six Words Can’t Possible Contain Her
An interesting exercise from A Thousand Shades of Gray. “What is next? Anything is possible.”

$150k Goal: Interview with Amber Benson: Authorship, Indie Film, and Erotica
Patrick Rothfuss interviews Amber Benson. Fun things happen.

The Morgenthaler Decision
Twenty-five years of real legal abortion in Canada, and the sky didn’t fall! Interesting website. Especially the page discussing the benefits of decriminalizing abortion and the harm anti-abortion laws can cause. Happy anniversary, Dr. Morgentaler!

New report shows how the principle of “personhood” is already criminalizing pregnancy in the US
However, here in the U.S., we’re still missing the boat and women are being treated as criminals for it. Thanks to Feministing for the link.

But let’s finish this week on a positive note…

In Which I, John Scalzi, Sing a Lost Bob Dylan Song For Jay Lake
Scalzi does a surprisingly good Bob Dylan, and this “lost” Dylan song is classic.