Monday Madness

I'm pleased to report that the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America have completed their (always delicate) cranial-rectal extraction operation. (Hat tip John Scalzi). For those not following the brouhaha, Andrew Burt decisively lost his bid to be President of the organization.

In other news, I finished reading Chris Roberson's latest novel, The Dragon's Nine Sons. It's a retelling of the "Dirty Dozen" movie, set in an alternate future where the Chinese Empire and the Aztec-based Mexica Dominion control the world and are at war with each other. The novel's interesting enough, and the alternate history is fascinating. However, I do have a problem - in the book, all Mexica technology requires a human sacrifice to start. Various sensors and sacrificial altars are hard-wired into the equipment.

I grant that the Aztecs were pretty damn bloodthirsty, and enjoyed sacrifice, but this setup is entirely too impractical. Nor is it really needed to advance the plot. But in the grand scheme of things, it's a quibble with an otherwise entertaining book.

Word Count for Space Rescue
Complete (46,281) Goal (80,000)
57.85% complete
Since Last Post = 3,000 words

Things accomplished in fiction: the plan has been explained, and has become the first casualty of war. Funny how that happens.

We're Hiring

I don't usually post about work, but I'm getting a bit desperate. I am the IT director for a small and financially stable bank in the Chicago area. One of my network admins is looking to move back to Texas, and I am desperately trying to replace him before he goes.

We're a small shop (total staff, counting me, is three) and I think the pay is competitive. I've made four offers to various people, but haven't been able to seal the deal. I keep hearing the economy is weak, but damned if I see that in the job market. So, if you're interested, email me at cgerrib at comcast dot net. Some key points:

1) The job is in Oak Brook, and does involve some driving to other sites in the Chicago area. Mileage is paid, but you need your own wheels.

2) We do various background checks, so if something criminal or credit-related will pop up, I need to know about it up front.

3) We're a Windows shop, running Active Directory. Our mainframe functions are outsourced.

Email cgerrib at comcast dot net for more details.