Back from WorldCon

We still haven't enabled the dynamic blog content on the Schlock Mercenary home page, because we found the memory leaks and they appear to be permanent holes in the FreeBSD implementations of php and MySQL. Plugging said holes means switching to another operating system, and that has to wait another week or so. (If you're a FreeBSD zealot, by all means complain about my nigh-libelous description of your bestest little devil-friend TO SOMEONE ELSE. I'm just repeating what the server guys have told me. No, I don't want your offer of technical help. No, I'm not printing an apology or a retraction. Yes, you'll get over it. I promise.) I'm back from WorldCon. You can read my reports on the event starting here. Upshot, it was wonderful. And thank you for buying books while I was gone. You covered my expenses AND allowed us to sock away about $100 besides. This raises an interesting point -- one which a number of readers have raised with me privately: I probably ought to redesign the Schlock Mercenary home page so that Schlock books (of which there will soon be TWO) are more prominently advertised. I'm going to hold off on that until after we've gotten the blog working, but until then I'm leaving the Store link right here. By the way, Under New Management got reviewed in Analog in this last issue. I haven't seen it myself. As soon as I have I'll post the relevant bits. Mostly all I know is that the review was positive. Finally, be sure to check out my updated convention schedule. Late-breaking news! I'll be speaking at ApacheCon on October 12th or 13th down in Austin, and I've accepted an invitation to be a guest at A-Kon in Dallas next June. Both of these schedule bits came in this week. The fans in Texas have spoken. I shall visit them twice in twelve months.