And the Sevagram goes to...

... occasional HDTD commenter Charlie Stross, who just won the Prix Hugo for his novella, The Concrete Jungle. Congratulations Charlie!

Comments

[Bernard Guerrero]

I have it on good authority that he was originally going to call it "The Stone Cows", but decided it was too Steve S. ;^)

[Carlos]

Bernard, too many things are. Remember when the schmuck found this blog? He's a walking existence proof that the tawse does not build character.

I kinda like "At the Mountains of Milton Keynes". ("The Concrete Jungle" reference is incredibly obscure on the left side of the Atlantic.)

[Francis Burdett]

>I kinda like "At the Mountains of Milton Keynes". ("The Concrete Jungle" reference is incredibly obscure on the left side of the Atlantic.)

[checks shoes / L-label R-label]

umm why is the concrete jungle reference lost on us?

That is unless I am totally confused which is not unlikely

http://tinyurl.com/cl6du

or perhaps further afield (but somewhat tying in the subject of my offblog email)

http://tinyurl.com/8vxbw

But I agree that any mention of Milton Keynes, especially a geographically fanciful one, is welcomed.

Though silly I always imagine a city of blind economists (there being many cities of bisexual poets)

[Carlos]

It's not the movie (hm, IMDB says that Losey was from La Crosse, Wisconsin). At least I don't think it is. A British comedian once called Milton Keynes "the concrete jungle", it being designed in Early Parking Garage and deadly dull, and the quip stuck.

Wisconsin has more concrete cows, incidentally. I can safely say that without knowing how many there are in MK.

[Bernard Guerrero]

"the tawse does not build character." Aye. Can't imagine why anybody ever thought it did. Might breed toughness or insensitivity (or maybe sociopathic tendencies), but I'd hardly those to character.

"Though silly I always imagine a city of blind economists (there being many cities of bisexual poets)"

See, I always just pictured _really_ conflicted economists.

[Carlos]

Bernard, Bad Mama recently sent me a whole bunch of references on the links between childhood abuse, brain damage, and aggressive violent behavior. It's fascinating, grisly stuff. Makes you wonder if the original sin was Adam cuffing Cain on the head.

On the other hand, there have been studies which show that baboon and even hyena societies can learn to chill out.

[Bernard Guerrero]

Interested to see the links, if you can forward.

[Dave MB]

Speaking of the Prix Hugo and of alternate history, check out this Hugo Award Ceremony Script, just posted on Making Light. And if you don't read Making Light regularly, why not?