Various & Sundry Blog Bits

Every once in awhile, I like to do what the blogosphere calls "link dumping", but what I call "sorting through the sticky notes. It's basically stuff that doesn't warrant a full blog post.

• First, I've done a rethink on the podcast. Fortunately, it should allow me to do all the stuff that I want, and still retain a bit of fun. (And yes, Roger, I'll keep the music part, but that's doing to get a very slight revamp). Watch this space, as I'll be recording a new episode this weekend. Think longer episodes, but less frequently. 
• My condolences go out to pal Andy, who recently had a loss in his family. Have a cigar and a beer on me, pal.
• I may also, in the next few weeks, be redesigning the blog - the new template isn't growing on me, and it looks pretty much like a bad download. I found a better template, and it looks a little more homey and welcoming. Much like Mike's revamp.
• Although I have plans the night before, I'm not planning on celebrating Valentine's Day, preferring this NSFW alternative one month later
• Dumb things I've done department - purchase this a week before this went live 
• By the way, if you went to high school with me, please join me and several classmates in a night of sin on February 18th. 
• My review of Smallville: Absolute Justice is up on Comic Related, and I'll be doing my regular TV party column which should be up next week. Hope Chuck doesn't mind that this month's column will have no. verbs. whatsoever.
• If you love non-profits, grassroots collaboration, tech, or social media, please join me for tomorrow night's Chicago Net Tuesday. You'll thank me later.
• Finally, I'm on the "Comic subcommittee" of the Chicago Nerds Social Club. Expect greatness in the coming months.

The Only Who Halftime Superbowl Show I Would Watch

although this comes a close second:

Why I Find Skepticism Sexy

Sometimes, when I think the world is going completely insane...there's a moment that really makes my heart warm.

That moment came this week, when a British medical journal pulled an article that claimed vaccines caused autism.

Why did I like this? Part of it is that, well, it deals something of a blow to Jenny McCarthy, who is making a career out of claiming that vaccines cause autism, and is positioning herself as an "advocate", when most of what she's spewing is bad science...and most people, including Oprah, ate it up with a spoon.

Now, admittedly, I have a dog in this fight - my 21 year old cousin Michael is autistic. Fortuntely, he's a higher functioning autistic person, and is currently living in a group home. However, my parents took him in after my uncle and his new wife...well, pretty much gave up on him. In fact, my aunt (while she was live) and uncle did nothing...but had many opportunities.

Why am I bringing this up? It would have been easy for me to just blindly accept that there was something wrong with my cousin, or to easily point the finger at some early childhood trauma, some mistake of birth (like the fact that my cousin's umbilical cord was wrapped around his neck at birth)...but the truth is, we'll never know, unless we use the scientific method - we make a hypothesis, we test it out, and we see where the science takes us. It means basing our perceptions and assumptions on fact, not opinion or feeling.

Which is why I'm glad the Lancet pulled that article - we need to be skeptical in these modern times. We need to continually question the status quo, to experiment, and to always assume that our assumptions are faulty. Just ask Bill Maher, who got criticized after comments about vaccines...but who, quite frankly, should be applying as much skepticism to alternative medical beliefs as he does to religion. Or my friend Suzie, who keeps sending chain e-mails and then, in the other breath, declares that she does not consider Snopes.com (whose webmasters actually research urban myths) the "Delphic oracle."

(I would expect a Delphic oracle reference from Roger, or Mike Sterling, maybe even Scott, but Suzie? It's kind of hard to believe, I know).

Skepticism is sexy because it shows that we're continually thinking, continually growing, and are better able to justify our beliefs. Skepticism is what allows us to see behind the fear mongering that is Fox News...but also hold our leaders accountable. It allows us to not only have faith in the intangible, but also see the underlying logic in the world, and to bask in the fact that our universe actually works by a set of principles.

Or, in short, why I think Kari Byron is so much sexier than Jenny McCarthy.

Post 1300 - An Apology and a Policy

I have to admit, I probably may not have to do this, but I feel some responsibility, especially to those who have e-mailed me in the past few weeks.

Since I often blog about comics, television, pop culture, and other stuff, I usually get e-mails asking for me to post about a particular comic. Usually, they are the press release and zip file kind (yes, I'm talking to you, Maxim) or unsure of the game (like the creator who sent me an e-mail asking for a review...but included an Amazon link to his own book...which gave him the referral bonus). But several people wrote some really great e-mail - one gentleman even referred to me as "Mr. Dymowski" and offered sample chapters, and I thought I would write about them.

Unfortunately, I deleted those e-mails by accident, and if you sent me a request for a blog post...I need to apologize. I try to have a "good neighbor" policy when it comes to blogging - to treat people with a certain amount of respect - and by not getting back to you, I chose to shrug off that respect. I don't mind championing smaller efforts, but my lack of responsiveness is, well, a little disrespectful, and quite frankly, that's not right.

So here, to formalize a "review policy" of sorts, here's what I'll work towards doing in the future:

• If you send me a personalized, more human e-mail, I will acknowledge it - I'll send you a note letting you know I received it, as well as either a time frame for posting, or I will politely decline. At the very least, it's the professional thing to do. Most zip file and press release "pitches" are going in the trash.
• I will follow the FTC Guidelines for Blogger Disclosure- Not just because it's the law, but I never want to be accused of writing a blog post simply because I got something for it. Speaking of which...
• I will give an honest - yet tempered - opinion: I am more than willing, when I'm writing to share my concerns and thoughts on why I may not totally like something. I won't go out of my way to trash anything or anyone - there's too much of that on the blogosphere as it is. Life's too short to be bitter and cynical.
• PDF copies of your books are not only welcome, but encouraged - Last November, Twitter was abuzz about a blogger who declared that he would discard PDF copies. I know some of you smaller press people don't have money to burn in sending free preview copies. If someone else says no, send it to me, and I'll look it over. I'm all over helping the little guy out.
• Please don't be disappointed if I respond right away. - it only means that either I'm a little backlogged, or (more accurately) I goof up royally. A pleasant reminder is always appreciated.

Now you may be thinking, But Gordon, you're only a small scale blogger - why are you putting out a policy?  Because I am a small scale blogger - I don't have high numbers, or am I the latest social media/online darling. All I am is a guy with a blog, and I want to do right by anyone who visits here.

I made a mistake by inadvertantly dismissing people who contacted me in good faith - that's not just poor manners, but bad behavior. Consider this my attempt to begin making it right by them.