Dave Freer's Tree

writing moving and the world in general

Sun, 20 Dec 2009 17:40:09 GMT

It''s been a busy, trying, interesting few weeks. Writing has been exceptionally difficult - i do need a 'run' - still we have structured and fleshed a lot so it is coming on.

Save the Dragons site has had a few hiccups - my hosting provider had a major disk drive fail we recovered from that but there still some to be issues.

I've learned to make cheese and kill chickens... http://flindersfreer.blogspot.com/

South Africa continues down its interesting path. I really long to be out - but I know I will still care.

move along

Thu, 03 Dec 2009 07:59:24 GMT

Ok it's been a hectic couple of weeks since I posted (as anyone following http://flindersfreer.blogspot.com/ knows. But I am managing to write again. The beasties are apparently settled in their kennels ( http://flindersfreer.blogspot.com/2009/12/our-animals.html) and we're wading through the finale to leaving.

SA continues down its path- I see the young communist league are now calling for ex-Pes Thabo Mbeki to be prosecuted for his AIDS denialism (which - as he refused to acknowledge that HIV caused AIDS and accused anyone who said this was the case of being racists, and accusing black people of indiscriminate sexual promiscuity and belittling their culture, as well as preventing the ARV programme and the sponsored neonatal treatment means 300 000 preventable deaths can be laid at his door just from the latter. The ARV debacle is now accepted. The real damage which will far more - that promiscious, unprotected sex is something that has to be curbed hasn't yet. Um. A polygamous culture that believes that proof of fertility is good and out of wedlock kids with scant male responsibility acceptable IS a hotbed for spreading sexual disease, as is the migrant labour sy stem that still continues. Yet our new president has mutiple wives and had unprotected sex with a HIV positive 'girlfriend' and then had a shower to protect himself... But the local politicos and papers would rather take aim at the WHO than deal with our problem here. I am glad we are leaving, sad for SA

Update on the move, dogs and cats

Sat, 14 Nov 2009 17:33:17 GMT

(cross posted from the Bar for anyone who doesn't go there and doesnt follow Flinders family Freer)

Writing is at what I hope will be a very temporary standstill. The movers
arrive on Monday to pack our goods and chattels and of course the family
rock ( http://flindersfreer.blogspot.com/2009/11/rock-part-1.html )

Also on monday the people from Pets-en-transit are due to collect Roly (the
Old English Sheepdog, with the infamous black nose) Pugsley and Wednesday
(the Lab x dubious travelling salesman - Puggles is big, blond, thick,
good-natured, and Wensie is the evil over-lady) and 3 of the cats en route to Quarantine and then Australia. James has decided he wants his cat, Legolas (big tabby, possible problem with AQIS as he looks suspiciously like an African Wildcat) to stay here with the friends he will spend his short holidays with. They're good people, it's a similar environment and he will be spoiled, but it is still sad for us. The other three, Batman, his sister Robin (brave, brave Sir Robin) and La Duchesse also go to quarantine, to fly out later. I am forever grateful to Walt who helped me to make the decision to do this, and Francis who put together the site and has run things at http://www.savethedragons.nu/ - which has made the difference between an impossible ask and a mere steep hill. Thank you so much to everyone who has helped and supported us (when we get to the end of Save the Dragons I'll send off thank you letters and a status report on the beasties and selling the book). We're still a bit short, but I now believe we'll make it, somehow. We haven't come this far to give up, and some of the money is only due later...(better sell more books ;-)). I am of course worried about them in quarantine, but they are going to be in together in SA (the long part) and then it's just the last bit... We'll miss them, but the alternative was putting them down, as they are difficult to re-home. Anyway... net access will be erratic , but we'll try and keep posting on the family blog.

An interesting graph

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 13:22:00 GMT

http://labs.timesonline.co.uk/blog/2009/11/12/do-music-artists-do-better-in-a-world-with-illegal-file-sharing/

I have often wondered just who the copyright protectors were trying to protect. After all the creators of the original material do recieve the smallest share. If the other sectors were really looking after our interests, not theirs, wouldn't the easy answer be just to give a bigger share to the creators?

Salute

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 17:55:01 GMT

We raise a glass to the living and our dead.

We've been clearing the backlog of stuff for the move. masses of old photographs. Men and women in uniform... 4 wars worth. I daresay there'll be some plonker out there who'll say they were imperial wars... But the world you might have had without their sacrifice was not a very pleasant one. And the little districts in little far off countries gave more - by ratio - than the great powers did.

I stood at little memorial in the back of beyond in New Zealand. Beautifully kept... maybe 20 names in two wars. The same surnames repeated... In a sparsely populated area like that it must have seemed all their dreams gone to dust and ashes. And yet in the second World War those families sent more sons...

Here too. (And while it was English speakers who responded heavily, there were many Afrikaans volunteers too - my mother. There were Zulu volunteers who died heroically on the Mendi.) Yet, today the TV announcer in SA do not wear poppies (we do) and there are no headlines of rememberance services. The memorials grow weeds in many places.

Yet we will remember them, and the sun shall never set on them.

Salute.

Somali insanity

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 11:09:22 GMT

http://www.news24.com/Content/Africa/News/965/0eacbed15c5e4324803a578d676cf315/06-11-2009-10-06/Somali_rebels_issue_aid_rules

These people need help. I prescribe a lead injection between the eyes. (serverely affronted by this. People are starving, sick and all these arse-wipes can do is... set conditions to them being helped. They are a source of enduring shame to themselves, their so-called 'religion' and the human race.)

Beggars cannot be choosers.

newnew

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 18:14:28 GMT

www.NewNewForum.com

if you have any bright ideas you want to talk about. It's run Dr Andrew Burt the founder of Critters.org as a reaction to his experience with old-boys club sites.

http://savethedragons.nu has a write up there.

Crab bucket

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 17:39:52 GMT

Because crabs don't often escape from traps: "Self-made ghettoes are hard to get out of."

Sir Terry Pratchett (interveiw -http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20427326.000-terry-pratchett-fighting-to-keep-the-fantasy-alive.html )

The man is a genius. I'd have made him a bleedin' Emperor, not a mere Knight. That so describes so much of SA's situation. This ought to be one the richest countries on earth with the lowest GINI co--efficient, and the most wonderful vibrant human rights culture. It had every ounce of the potential. But the crabs climbed into the bucket after the smelly bait-remains and now they can't get out and are ripping each other apart.

proofs in and a stick in the eye, and kids exams, and furkid worries

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 15:32:13 GMT

Tired and stressed out, Proofs for Sorceress of Karress are in, waiting on new quotes for quarantine and transport of the dogs and cats. If you haven't got around to supporting http://www.savethedragons.nu/ and can and want to... now would be a good time. B has a sore eye from getting a stick in it. We're a bit in the wars... http://flindersfreer.blogspot.com/ for the expanded version.

Worrying about the kids too of course - it's exams coming and they've had a bit of torrid time, with their Gran (who seemed I think as eternal as rock and unchanging) and with parents and their old way of life suddenly uprooted. Pads has a great foundation so I hope he's OK. James... I'm still scared that he thinks he's too clever to have to work (and so far his marks do not indicate the truth of this). He hasn't got a lot of leeway in a couple of subjects - and he really is bright enough to pull firsts, not have the old man worrying about him passing. I guess I just loved the stimulus of uni too much not to work very hard, and I was married and had worked at deadly boring stuff. So the distractions were less, and the alternatives known and stark.

Ah well. I follow the ancient worrier way.

Agender

Sun, 01 Nov 2009 09:23:38 GMT

A piece I read this morning brought up the whole sexual stereotyping thing in my mind again. Back when my older boy was in I think grade 4 or 5 they had a class on gender stereotypes. Teacher held forth about how bad it was. My kid grows increasingly puzzled. Asks teacher for clarification. "Well your mommy always has to cook supper..."
giggle. "My mom doesn't cook, dad does that." (true. We did start by alternating, but I like to cook and detest washing up. B would rather wash a mountain than have to boil an egg)
"Well, your dad always drives..."
"Not if mom is in the car. Never!" (true, B gets car-sick unless she drives. I've driven her somewhere I think thrice in her life. To have babies. And once when she was really sick.)
"Well your mom gardens..." helpless laughter.
"So who is the boss in your house?"
"I don't know, Ma'am." (true again with kids. Before they were born even, we decided on a common front, in front of them. We argued about things when they were weren't there to listen.)

We've never really fitted the gender standard mold, sharing things, doing what we liked or what needed to be done. Chip in if the other is working. I liked the Elizabethan concept that a gentleman was a man of many parts (my musical ability lets me down, alas. But I'll take on anything else). I cleaned house and changed kids when B was working and I was home writing. It needed doing and I could do it, and it was my 'share'. I iron better than B (thanks to the army). She sews better than I do. I found knitting mindlessly boring even if it is a traditionally male preserve (it was, yes) On the other hand I like making preserves (and not only traditional male ones like cider). Yes, I do the woodwork. But B has built walls and painted the house. The idea of there being a single 'boss'in our house is ludicrous. It depends on what's being decided on and when. We didn't 'decide' it would be like this. It's just the way we've sort of evolved. I suppose if one of us was strong and the other weak it might have been different - but then I'd never have married someone who wasn't brighter and as strong-willed as I was. I realise it's all a little atypical, but I do see a lot of similar patterns among my friends, to varying degrees. Are they henpecked, not real men? Metrosexual? Gay? Actually, I'd say it was the opposite. My friends tend to be people I climb with, dive with. They're the sort of people who don't need reassurance that they really are male (or female) as some kind of security blanket. Who don't give a toss if some other plonker thinks that doing the dishes is a bit feminine. They tend to be the far end of knowing they're male and as tough as old bootleather in the extremis positions they put themselves in. They don't need gender stereotypes to identify their sex. What's wrong with unzipping your fly and having a look if you're in doubt? Or if you care.

Inheritance and nanny

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 12:31:11 GMT

I was interested to see a UK law commission has produced a position paper on what they see as potential law-changes with regard to inheritance and people who die intestate. They're proposing that marriage no longer be pre-requisite for someone to inherit the estate. If you've been together for two years the surviving partner gets half the estate, and at 5 becomes the heir.

Blink.

Is this same bunch who said lifetime spinster sisters who live together cannot enjoy family status (ie when one dies the other must sell their home to pay inheritance tax)

Now the logical answer - to me - is don't be a plonker and die intestate. And formalise your relationship and its responsiblities and obligations if it going on a long time (no actually I don't care if you're gay or polyandrous - that is you and your partner/s choice, and you should be able to formalise it, if death may say leave one party without a home or with kids to look after. If they'd said make that easy,and beneficial, that would have my support.)

But let's take a hypothetical case. Joe divorces Edna - to whom he pays maintenance. Joe inherited a two room apartment from his granny, and Fred - a guy he worked with - boards there. It's a casual arrangement (like many of these) and Fred gives Joe 500 bucks in cash every month. They live as bachelor men (just as spinster sisters might). Five years and one day later, Joe steps off the pavement and is his hit by a Mack truck - dead on impact. Edna's maintenance check dies with him. But... she still has the apartment to sell. Except Fred says, sorry, we've been together 5 years. Edna has hissy fit. But short of having had a spycam in their bedrooms bedroom she has not a leg to stand on. Anyway, why does a partner actually have to have had a physical relationship? There are probably a good few married couples out there who haven't had sex for years. Of course she might argue they hadn't been togther 5 years but four years and 364 days... (as further example of 'ridiculous')

I think I see what they were trying to achieve, but maybe a little less nanny and a bit more advantage would work better...

another Short

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 16:13:41 GMT

It looks like I mave placed another short I wrote in the dark ages THE HUMAN CONQUEST OF A GALACTIC EMPIRE :IT'S A DIRTY JOB, BUT SOMEONE'S GOTTA DO IT
PART 1 : NEITHER SLEET, NOR SNOW, NOR ALIEN MONSTERS...

I'm mildly amused by this, as it is the least PC story I ever wrote (and gee I am so famous for those). The basic premise is that our idea of sexual harassment may be some other species idea of basic etiquette.

We continue

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 17:26:33 GMT

I must admit not having written for the last few days. But tomorrow, come hell or high water I must get back to the grindstone. It's been a bit emotionally wrenching, but good to see friends and family rally round. We remain a tribal crew - and it is quite wonderful that my 'village'is spread across the world.

And my lads... It was good to have them home. We've raised to exceptionally fine lads, is all I can say, and that in part was their grandmother. We continue.

My thanks to all of those of you who sent messages of support. For those of you who still have parents... a small request from me. Give them a call.

Out, bright candle

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 02:52:34 GMT

Johanna Alida Freer, 1916-2009.
May the circle be unbroken, by and by, Lord, by and by.

Onward

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 17:33:33 GMT

Well, I am coping somehow... writing through mom's illness, the hard decisions and farewells and uncertainties. I think it best to keep busy... I hope it doesn't come through into the book.

Starting afresh will be better than this, I hope.

Meanwhile: I got talked into twitter. I am wondering just how many people one reaches with these various net initiatives. They do take a lot of time, and I'm never sure if the posts interest anyone. But in my usual fashion, I just keep right on trying.

My mother is much the same. They're looking into step-down care of some sort.

Twitter

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 05:43:15 GMT

I am on as davefreersf

Dave

Limbo

Mon, 19 Oct 2009 18:18:28 GMT

We're in a difficult spell, in which there seems no movement at all (it reminds me of the publishing industry at present - many companies seem to be comatose on their response to proposals - because of their uncertainty I assume.) Mum is still only giving minimal responses. Her swallowing seems slightly improved, and her coughing. I know this seems callous but I desperately wish we had progress in some direction, or that we knew how bad the damage was, and if there was any real prospect of recovering, and how much. My mother was the original energiser bunny and was still hyperactive and very independent to very last. Her vision deteriorating frustrated her enormously (didn't stop her, but did limit her) and I hate to imagine what loss of mobility and communication could do.

Update

Fri, 16 Oct 2009 16:44:44 GMT

Defying all expectation, mum is hanging in there, which means the bleed must have stopped again. We have no idea what damage has been done or if there is any chance of recovery (the specialist said he honestly didn't know either) Her respiration has improved and she now being fed naso-gastrically. She's basically comatose at this stage. One or other of us have been with her 24/7 since it happened, but she does seem to be stabilising. There is still a high risk of pneumonia or another bleed or the damage being too bad. But it was fairwell. Now it is wait-and-see again.

status

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 17:21:48 GMT

Bad news I am afraid. The bleeding has started up again, and barring a miricle, my mother is dying.

May a brave heart go well into a great light.

Progress on mum

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 08:27:12 GMT

The radio system is now back up (running badly), so I am reposting this. Thank you all.

Status - My mum is in hospital, no longer critical. She's 92 11/12 so is quite ‘fragile'. She had lost most of her vision due to macular degeneraton but was overwise in good health, very mentally sharp and active still walking her little dog (or little dog walking her) inside the grounds of the secure complex where she lives in with my older sister. She's due for a CAT scan today but it looks like a clot on right hindbrain. She has some movement of left leg and very little of right arm. She's still able to speak somewhat intelligibly. Physio and speech therapy start immediately. Thank you all for thoughts an prayers.

We had an ‘interesting' trip back as yesterday was the first major big storm of summer. They also chose yesterday to leave unmarked stone piles on the road (for putting into the road - about 5 foot high pile of shale boulders.) on one of the worst hills. We came home in rain and mist and nearly hit the first one, but managed to skirt all but the final one just off the top of the hill. They'd just dumped them so they had taken too much road and on the camber and soft edge we slid into the ditch of soft mud. In loading some of their damned rocks to put on the back for weight, B managed to trap her finger and possibly break it. We failed to get out, and so I walked back (a mile or so, in the total dark -there are no lights here and the mist was down) to fetch the other truck. There were 2 stuck logging trucks blocking the road further on. Anyway, I got the other truck (big old heavy diesel) and more by luck than good judgement managed to squeeze past the loggin trucks (you cannot go slowly as the verge is soft, and the gap was so narrow I actually touched the side-mirror)

We managed to pull the other truck out and, after a fair epic (nearly stuck across the road) turned around and got home to delighted but very wet dogs - they had my study open and dry, but had to wait at the gate. The power was out and my computer (fortunately unplugged in case of storms) was not working. Found the problem, fixed it. However the radio sytem that does our internet is not working, and landline dialup is so bad as to make even getting a web page time out.

It never rains in Southern California.

Absent

Mon, 12 Oct 2009 10:02:09 GMT

My Mum has had a stroke and is hospital. I probably won't be around posting for a while

Dave

rats tails and the delights of country life

Sun, 11 Oct 2009 11:51:18 GMT

Now you'd think 4 cats would depopulate the local area of rodents, but they seldom go that far from the house, and I think my gifted gardening efforts have increased the local carrying capacity. Besides the dogs and people keep other predators a bit further off (caracal, Eagle owls, jackal, serval (about a week ago we had one at dusk stroll across the road in front of us - beautiful creature) all of which are common here, and probably make our cats seem like Pooh-bear. Anyway, evening ritual here, we take the dogs out, and then they go upstairs to their baskets and get a dog-biccy preparatory to settling down. B goes up first and lifts the cat bowls and opens the gate. I give Button (blind very old) her human supported physical excercise for the day, holding on (and lifting a bit) as she climbs the stairs. Only this time there is shriek from the top of the stairs...

Roland is always first in, and had found Legsie-cat we think, with a rat. And had... er... redistributed it. And now was sitting in his basket waiting for a biccy, like a good dog.
Well, like a good dog with a twitching rat-tail sticking out of his furry face. Like a sort of animated cigarette.

B of course is no woos (she puts up with me) but this one shattered her gravitas. ("anti-gravity discovered - how witches' broomsticks really flew - with rat tails and eye of newt(on)") As she said it was more a question of whether Roly opening his mouth and dropping it would be better or worse. Anyway, dropping poor Buttons your heroic monkey (I don't get a lot of chances with Mrs Monkey - she's not your fainting violet) bounded up the stairs, narrowly missed landing on his face falling over a very cross Legsie-cat ("That's MINE. I want it back! MEEEEOWWWW!) and grabbed Roly (rat-tail still animated -which guided the wisdom of my next actions in REMOVING him. (otherwise we would have had a very live rat being hunted around the bedroom by 3 dogs and probably several cat. Cough. Yes, it has happened. Ask me about the bat in the loo saga one day). Anyway Roly was extracted from bedroom, Rat was extracted from face (and hurtled off into the night to find a psycologist) and amid more "That was my rat" ("mine actually, you stole it from me" from Robin-cat) from Legs, and of course suitable excitement ("I'll just run across the bed quickly" from Wednesday, and an aimable 'there is excitement?' bark from Puggle) and comments from Duchess "no decorum" and Batman weaving between my feet just to help, Roland went upstairs and had his biccy, without quite so much rat.

He spent the next 5 minutes while we brushed our teeth etc molesting cats with his big black nose in case another one of them had his rat under their furry bellies...

On a more gloomy note I see the SA government is up in arms about some 'white' SA woman in Ireland claiming refugee status because she felt if she came back she would be the victim of criminal racial discrimination, which led her to fear for her wellbeing and life in the longer term. Outrage here - this is second one (the first in Canada.) The SA govt is planning to contest it for tarnishing their reputation. I'd back off quietly, if I was them. The current 'defence'of their yeah-sayers is huh, white South Africans only are 12% of the victims of crime. How can they claim they're being targeted? Boy I do hope maths is a stronger suite in the rest of the world than it is around here. Depending on whose figures/estimates you trust 'white' South Africans now make about 8-8.9% of the population. (I think the lower figure is probably accurate, and when you add another 4 million illegals the figure is probably 7.5%). It's fairly clear cut that yes, she's right. Of course some of this is criminal racial profiling of 'wealthier' targets - still means she is more likely to be one, than the average citizen. There is also a degree of brutality which is probably fairly accurately interpreted as racially motivated payback. Sigh. In 15 years many of the people they should be paying back have died or left. These are just victims chosen on skin colour - apartheid repeating itself. Of course the bottom line is that crime is just totally out of hand here, and if they had the political will to deal with that, differences in the demographics of their victims would be irrelevant. There is however an element that sees it as celebratable ethnic cleansing - and as they have bodyguards (small private armies really,) they don't care if poor black folk get killed in the process. Shades of Zimbabwe. Anyway, SA's once shining reptation is on its way to the toilet. But I expect a repeat of the Caster Semenya debacle, with denial and lots of screams of 'racist'.
I really wanted this country to work. :-(

Pragmatic green and hybrid cars and other things

Wed, 07 Oct 2009 18:18:02 GMT

I'm a biologist. I am a supporter of sustainable self-sufficiency. I suppose in that sense you could call me 'green'. It's not for everyone and I hold no brief nor have any interest in pointing fingers at anyone else's choices. That said I often look at self-proclaimed 'green' people and want take their heads and push them into the bowl and give them a good flushing. Not only are they being short sighted and blind to their own issues, let alone the huge complexity (and usually the science) of the matter, but they're actually doing a damn good job of damaging the entire idea, and tarring us all with the fruitbat nutbar label.

I'm pragmatic about it, and believe that reasonable, sensible compromises can be reached a lot of the time. That if those holding forth about it - on any side - should be pragmatic, intelligent, informed and... not wanting to make it someone else's problem only.

Ok so what brought this on was Queensland Newspaper article about a petition to ban 4X4 from school pick-ups and to make them more expensively taxed, because they're dangerous and they pollute. Now in the interests of open-ness I own a 4X4 truck. It's a 16 year old diesel, with 360 000 km on the clock. And yes, we took our kids to school in it sometimes.

The petitioners miss the point with their broad brush. Firstly, a 4X4 is not a vanity choice for me or many of us. By living where I have been I have kept at least 10 people (outside of my family) from living in a city, living in an area where at low density the environmental damage is minimal (a city exhausted its capacity to self-heal in proportion to damage many people ago. Now every single citizen merely adds to damage. I rate towns and small cities as pragmatically necessary evils - whereas megacities are an environmental evil we should be trying to get rid of. Suburbia is less bad by far.) It's a lifestyle choice that's not for everyone, or even available to everyone, but especially in over-urbanised countries environmentally makes sense - especially if you decentralise many of the facilities that don't have to be in the city. I don't know a real country dweller who would not be delighted to have a good road that didn't ever need 4X4 (but of course there is still terrain on the farm itself). There is no way that their tax base can pay for those roads. In other words if Joan Tofu in her hybrid with her appartment in town wants Joe Farmer off the road in his 4X4 - she needs to face extra tax to make that possible. Not just Joe. Her problem too. The plus side is good roads will decentralise cities - not as much as sensible telecommuting would but still.

Secondly, the environmental cost of a vehicle is not just its emissions. The impact of making, maintaining and disposing of it, it is probably the equivalent of the first 5 or more years of that. I like the idea of electric vehicles, but I also am aware that making and disposing of batteries in pollution terms is a PROBLEM. It's a environmental problem whose cost to the evironment considerably exceeds that of making and disposing of a conventional ICE. It's not insoluble. But it means your Prius is going to have to save A LOT of gas before it is better for the environment. If you actually want to be good to the environment someone has to do that maths. My own guess is that you save yourself money by replacing your gas-guzzler with a new hybrid, but don't -- until you kept it for a LONG time and driven it for many kilometers -- tell me you did it for the environment. The key to environmental common sense is to keep a vehicle until the emissions and maintenance environmental costs are at least equal to the replacement costs in the same terms. Most likely the best environmental answer is keep driving it as long as possible, even though new vehicles are far better, and then buy the best you can, for efficiency and longevity.

My pet eg. is my chest of drawers. It is a 'green' disaster, made of mahogany - a tropical and subtropical hardwood, quite endangered. Yet... I reckon it's the answer to many environmental problems. It's a Military chest - circa 1860-ish. It's done 150 years of constant use, and there is no real reason why it should not see out my kids - and, if the way we live and fashion do not change radically, another 200 years. That's time to grow quite a tree. And when you figure that against replacement of say board made from woodchips which might give you 20 years if you're very lucky... I'm of the feeling it's a very green piece of furniture for a pragmatic fellow like me.

SAVE THE DRAGONS COVER

Tue, 06 Oct 2009 15:09:33 GMT

http://community.livejournal.com/save_the_dragon/2971.html

Please go and vote!

Dave

new homes etc.

Tue, 06 Oct 2009 15:03:35 GMT

Well if you can cope with any more excitement after the launch of DRAGON'S RING...
There is the good news that we have somewhere to live while we try to establish a home for the great rock http://flindersfreer.blogspot.com/
And Jim Hines's http://www.jimchines.com/novels/princess/ also launched today (not of course with the fanfare of DRAGON'S RING ;-) - and he was kind enough to mention DR on his blog. I like his goblins. I have that sort of taste.