Midweek marginalia

No wonder my TBR pile and wish lists keep growing and growing.

John Scalzi is auctioning a bound copy of the manuscript of his novel, The Last Colony, slated for release in May 2007. Proceeds will go to a book endowment fund at the Minneapolis Public Library and the higher the bid, the more additional goodies you get.

Speaking of authors, there is a fundraising drive for Robert Anton Wilson, the author of The Illuminatus! Trilogy, a work that has almost a cult-like following. I’ll admit that I have never made it much more than halfway through the first book, though. (There is also an update here.)

And speaking of conspiracies, in their own inimitable style Penn & Teller say to the 9/11 conspiracy theorists: Bullshit! (Via TCS Daily.)

Kevin at Collected Miscellany has thoughts very similar to mine on books and blogs.

I note with sadness that NYT political correspondent Ron Apple has died. Back in the day, he was the yin to Hunter Thompson’s yang in my pantheon of journalism heroes.

And while I’m not a huge NHL fan, the season’s first televised game of the Buffalo Sabres at the defending champion Carolina Hurricanes is a must see given the fact the teams have, respectively, former Stampede players Thomas Vanek and Chad LaRose.

How can you hear your soul if everyone is talking?

Mary Doria Russell, Children of God