I have a gentleman here cleaning my vents and no that's not a metaphor

This morning's walk at the local nature preserve is giving off real Kingdom of the Spiders vibes, don't walk off the path, folks, there's no guarantee you won't get eaten alive and if you do, you will have deserved it

Yep, and I have warned people about it on Whatever. Under no circumstances am I going to be offering "marketing services" to anyone, especially unsolicited. whatever.scalzi.com/2026/01/20/r...

This morning's scam spam email from "Gloria Steinem," who I am delighted to tell you at age 92 has embarked on a new endeavor, "working with authors to boost their Amazon book sales." You're never too old to start a new fake career!

Yes, okay, Monday, you finished credibly

Update: We have been allotted precisely two minutes and thirty seconds of direct sunlight

Some Mahiro Maeda mecha-designs for The #ANIMATRIX The Second Renaissance. IMO Maeda gets extra credit for rendering the Wachowskis' vision in grand style while also creating a personal statement—each shot, stylish, filled with humor (or horror). #THEMATRIX #前田真宏 @lillywachowski.bsky.social

It's good to see friends doing well.

Bad advice: "Never show fanart in a professional portfolio!" Good advice: Show the kind of work you want to get. It's not fanart, it's SAMPLES!

Happy birthday among the stars to the patron saint of us all, the great Octavia Butler.

I think early on there was some natural curiosity in seeing if generative "AI" was going to be beneficial. I think we caught on that a) it wasn't going to make our writing better, b) it was all based on stolen work anyway. Any writer using it at this point is lazy and/or looking for an angle.

"Fuck You, Pay Me" is a phrase most associated with Harlan Ellison, although many other writers have echoed the sentiment including me. I did write an essay a number of years ago in which "Fuck You, Pay Me" is prominent, and here it is for future reference: whatever.scalzi.com/2012/12/09/a...

Why is it always the fault of feminism and never men being live-action trash can fires?

We have a winner! whatever.scalzi.com/2026/06/22/w...

I have moved out to the country, therefore I am compelled to eat a lot of peaches

First full day of summer bursting with sunshine as you can see

Sounds like a recent former president of the United States in that regard, alas

I don't have any great insight to the fall of Kier Starmer, but I will say I that from here across the pond it appeared he had all the charisma and effective legislative force of a wet saltine cracker

Somebody should write a book that has cats as spies in the great houses of power

And thus South Carolina begins its descent into licentiousness and anarchy scdailygazette.com/2026/06/17/s...

I'm #63,212, look, I didn't do anything to deserve that high ranking, one day 20 years ago the algorithm just decided allowing two scoops of ice cream before bedtime was the key to good male parenting and my ranking hasn't come down since

Feels like a black velvet painting (complimentary)

Important news: I am so covered in cat hair right now

Homer makes an excellent point

Happy 2nd Busiest Sales Period For Me, it turns out that every year lots of dads get Scalzi books as gifts, and I appreciate every kid who decided one of my books was the perfect Father's Day gift, and also all the fathers who were delighted, or at least pretending to be, to get one of my books.

My good deed for this Summer Solstice: Escorting this handsome creature out of our garage, where any one of our pets would have been happy to hug it with their teeth, and over to the nearby creek where it can eat all the bugs it wants.

Just a couple of hours left! Go!

Okay, which of you ordered a rosy-fingered dawn

I spent my Saturday making a Pink Floyd cover. Yes, I did the guitar solos.* No, David Gilmour has nothing to worry about. I had fun anyway. You might enjoy. (*After fumbling BADLY on an actual guitar, did it with a synth guitar sound + a virtual amp/pedal matching Gilmour's) youtu.be/WHXc12gTFs0

Thomas House of Dublin exhibiting the pro-human solidarity that all of us should demonstrate.

24 hours left to enter!

Some people worked in an era of television. He *was* an era of television. (gift article) www.nytimes.com/2026/06/19/a...

I and lots of other people are finalists this year and it would be nifty for you to check out our stuff and maybe vote for it if you like it. There's a whole "Hugo reader packet" that comes with membership to help with that.

It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood.

Today is a good day to celebrate and support Black creators! If you are a Black creator, especially in the nerd space, please consider posting what you do below and also how we can buy it or support it, if possible!

I'm giving away a signed (and if you want, personalized) advance reader copy of Monsters of Ohio, and you can win it! Go to the link below to find out how to enter the contest, and then leave your entry (there, not here)! You have two days to enter! Good luck! whatever.scalzi.com/2026/06/19/w...

As that last post was downbeat even if necessary, please allow this picture of Sugar the Cat to at least temporarily lift your spirits.

So, hey: If you casually conflate "The Israeli Government" and "The Jews" in my comments, you're gonna catch a block. I'm not going to indulge your either intentional or unexamined general antisemitism by using Netanyahu, et al as cover. If you can't or won't parse the difference, keep walking.

Yuuuup. "Don't Engage, Just Block" is still very much the way to go around these here parts

One fewer thing wrecked www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...

Green blue update

Now that's a hell of a mix up

Correct. I get clearance from Krissy and Athena before I post any photos of them, and generally speaking I don't post photos of other private individuals without getting direct permission first. It's polite and makes the point people should be in control of their own presence online.

Mamdani giving a speech at the Knicks victory parade and Obama giving a speech at the opening of his Presidential Library on the same day is the BARBENHEIMER of oratory, it's MAMBAMA

Read about The Traveler on Whatever’s Big Idea! Thank you so much @scalzi.com for having me! whatever.scalzi.com/2026/06/18/t...

"ADMINISTRATION REGISTERS RECORD GROWTH" wapo.st/4vWAPAW

Unlike the previous three days, June 18 has no anniversary significance for me and Krissy, but I'm gonna post this picture of her from last night anyway, because she's pretty great and I dig her the most. Thank you for indulging me.

As long as Chuck doesn't write one about some dude collecting ridiculous guitars I should be fine

Dave Klecha's and my novel The Runes of Engagement is in the humorous fantasy bundle! Check out all the great novels in that list:

Whomst amongst us, am I right