things to put in hotpot

Yesterday was a couple of terrific talks by Betty Hull and Michael Swanwick, a forum on Science Fiction, the Galaxy awards (a masterpiece of rapid award ceremonying) -- a delighted Rob Sawyer got the award for being the most popular foreign SF writer in China -- then closing ceremonies. After that, a hotpot dinner, at which I was being shown to my place at the table with the other westerners, and I sighed and said Nothing Against Any Of These People But I Have Been Eating With Them For Days, and sat at the table with my interpreter and some of the editors, much to their concern as they were served the Chinese Things to put in Hotpot, as opposed to the Western version of Things to Put In Hotpot. I think I had more fun than the people at the Western table, even if I wasn't that keen on the duck entrails and never actually tried the green spiky thing that looked like sea-slugs. And after, a tea house and conversation with local SF writers. It was good.

The Great Firewall of China is very real. No blogspot or livejournal of any kind seem to get through. People send me links I can't read.

But I could read this NYT interview with Bill Gibson.
And I loved this NYT OpEd on Jack Kirby.

Right. Today it's Pandas and a Temple. Or something.