Many people are, but if you want to know all there is to know about Vinge’s neato idea and what it’s doing to SF, check out Charlie’s Tough Guide to the Singularity.

This is that music thing what’s going around.

1. The person (or persons) who passed the baton to you.
   Took it from Tim, who offered…

2. Total volume of music files on your computer.
   None. I’m still a 20th century guy, I guess. Soon, though.

3. The title and artist of the last CD you bought.
   Man-made by Teenage Fanclub

4. Song playing at the moment of writing.
   “Marrakesh Express”, Crosby, Stills & Nash

5. Five songs you have been listening to of late (or all-time favorites, or particularly personally meaningful songs).

   “Shipbuilding”, Elvis Costello
   “Redemption Song”, Bob Marley
   “Brown-eyed Girl”, Van Morrison
   “Jungleland”, Bruce Springsteen
   “Jackie Wilson Said”, Dexy’s Midnight Runners

6. The five victims to whom you will ‘pass the musical baton.
   I think any five people can take it from here…

So, Marianne’s gone to Toodyay for the weekend, which is swell. Hopefully she’ll come back well and rested and all that good stuff. Last night went very smoothly. Got the girls home, gave them dinner (thanks mum!), got them through bathtime, into pyjamas, then snuggled up on the couch and watched some of The Rescuers for a while. After that a story, brush teeth and off to bed. Normally we have some problem settling them both, but they both went off to sleep pretty easily at about 7.30pm. I was in bed by 10.30pm and feeling pretty smug. Usually one or other girl is up during the night, but both woke up round 3.30am. We’ve all been awake ever since. Yay. I was going to, and probably still will, spend the day proofreading (the girls are going to nanny’s after dance class), but I think I need a nap first.

You’re probably thinking ‘he can barely shut up, how come so little posting this week?’ Well, it’s mostly because I somehow mysteriously screwed up my left shoulder on Monday night. It must have happened when I was sleeping, but I’ve been not-so-good for a chunk of the week. That, with sleep deprivation has kept me away.

That’s not to say, of course, that I’ve not been busy. I finished copy-editing Best Short Novels: 2005 on Tuesday, and then spent half an hour on the phone with the very nice Kathy from Bookspan in New York going over them this morning at about 5.30am. I think the book goes to print next week, so copies should exist soon-ish. I’m also in the midst of proofing the next Locus, getting ready to do the first column edits for the August issue, gearing up to do my very late taxes, negotiating two separate deals for five books over two years, looking at possible covers for eidolon, and lots of other stuff.

The most interesting things, in some ways, have been eidolon and a Terry Dowling thing I’m doing. Stories are coming in steadily for the anthology – keep ’em coming, btw, we’re only reading till the end of the month – and Jeremy sent me a possible cover yesterday. It looked grainy and contrasty and crap. I was tired and in discomfort, so I told him it was junk. He sent me a decent copy of the art today and it’s cool and whimsical and lovely. And, yes, it’s by Shaun Tan. The Dowling thing is a semi-secret, but if I tell you, you won’t tell anyone else, right? Well, the nice folk over at Cemetery Dance will be publishing a brand new collection of Terry’s horror fiction, Basic Black: Tales of Appropriate Fear in July of this year. It should be very cool – you need to have it, especially all of you USA-ians who may not know his stuff too well. For reasons not known to yours truly, I’ve been invited to write the introduction to the book, which is kind and flattering and generous of them. I’ll do what I can, but when you hold the book in your hands, feel free to skip that bit.

What else? Travel plans develop slowly. As mentioned I’ll be in Melbourne in July, Oakland & Madison in Oct/Nov and Brisbane in April next year. If you’re in any of those places next year, and would like to catch up, drop me a line. Deadlines also loom. I need to email the Starry Rift people that I’ve not been in touch to remind them I need stuff, and…there’s enough to get on with. This weekend Marianne goes away for a bit of a rest, which she needs. I’ll be playing with the girls, getting the carpets cleaned, tidying the house and so on. Might buy a cd, which would be irresponsible, and do a few other things. I’ll certainly be reading some of Chris Roberson’s anthology Adventure Vol.1, which arrived yesterday and is the coolest of the new pulp anthos I’ve seen so far. Busy times, but good times. Just wish the shoulder would get over it.

The finalists for the 2005 Locus Awards have been announced over at Locus: Online. Go check ’em out. There’s some good stuff on the list. Winners will be announced at Westercon in July.