where the blogs of society howl

On this sad day, my thoughts are with the survivors of this morning's tragedy in Orlando, the families and friends and loved ones of the victims, and the good people there, especially in their LGBT community. I hold out hope that someday, we can finally fully accept each other's differences and move beyond hate and fear and violence.

Happier topics after the cut.

A reminder: It's your last chance to contribute to Geeks Doing Good, the Indiegogo campaign to help Worldbuilders! You can get all sorts of nifty goodies (including book bundles, game bundles, a sweet calendar with art by Karen Hallion, and coffee!), enter to win a cabin on the 2017 JoCo Cruise, or just contribute to a worthy cause! Go!

Did you know that the Doubleclicks are launching an American tour? They'll be all over the country! (Except for California. Dagnabbit. Let's hope they announce plans for my home state soon.) Head to their website to find out where they'll be playing and how you can get tickets! They always put on a fun show, so try to catch them if you can.

Meri Amber, the Australian sensation, is holding another fun contest on Facebook! You can win a set of metal gaming dice, a copy of Meri's CD Retro Sherbet, and more! Click here to enter, but don't delay - she'll pick a winner July 1.

Seattle's Sarah Shay has wrapped up her May Covers project. She posted a new song, almost all covers, every day in May on her Patreon page. You don't need to be backing her on Patreon to hear them, but you should anyway; she's good, and she could use your support. (And if nothing else, you should go hear "Rigel's Song", which she wrote for a friend's baby. It's sweet and hopeful, and we could use more of that nowadays.)

And I'll close with a penguin video today. I need one. I think we all do. Take care, everyone.