A few simple desultory philippics

Jeet Heer, in the New Republic, on the crisis of the Hugo Awards. Yes, I just actually typed the words "the New Republic, on the crisis of the Hugo Awards." 2015 is a strange place.

Marko Kloos is a stand-up dude.

The supposedly "moderate" Sad Puppies, struggling to obscure their complicity with Vox Day.

The psychology of sad & rabid puppies. Occasionally strays into assertions that are unfalsifiable, but smart anyway.

Jeet Heer again: "The nomination process works on the wisdom of crowds, which the final vote winnows to a winner. Slate voting undermines." Quite right. Teresa and I don't even nominate or vote for exactly the same people and works, and our two hearts beat as one. Repeat after me: Slates break the Hugos.

Puppies deleting their embarrassing internet history.

"Someone sensible has looked at how the available data compares with Brad Torgerson's claim to have drawn up his Hugo nominations slate with 'the democratic selection system of the Hugo awards...No "quiet" logrolling. Make it transparent.'"

GRRM on the claimed "transparency" of the SP selection process. "We want democracy. We want transparency. We don't want log-rolling. General elections need to be honest, but primary elections should be honest too. And you guys do NOT believe in any sort of political litmus tests, I know, you've said as much a hundred times...so I know you will welcome my own suggestions for Sad Puppies 4, right? Oh, and PNH and TNH, and N.K. Jemisin, and Connie Willis, and David Gerrold, and John Scalzi, and all my friends in the Brotherhood Without Banners...we all love science fiction, we all love puppies..."