Hugh Massingberd

The genius who invented the modern obituary is dead. You can read his obit here
I wish you'd met him.

Merry Christmas

Go to church. It's the least you can do.
And for the atheists, do something for the poor. Sod aid, which will do a lot of harm (though you could send your own money, if you know what it will do effectively).
Lobby the EU and the US to abolish tariff barriers.

Our household has sold its soul to Satan

The Christmas present to the household is Sky Plus. All those extra channels and stuff. I feel cheap and shabby. But I will have the Simpsons and the Sci Fi Channel! And no doubt some other stuff. And it will record things I never knew I wanted to see. Is that good?
Now I'm asking: do I need a 36" plasma TV to do it justice? I hate myself already.
But i want to see Battlestar Galactica. And Heroes Season 2.

Books of the Year

Ha!

I'm not going to tell you yet. But partly because when I started thinking about them, I realized that several of the books I've most enjoyed aren't officially published until next year. But that must be true for a great many sf readers, who tend to read in advance of official dates: proof copies are hardly difficult to come by, and any devoted, rather than casual, fan has umpteen opportunities to secure a reading edition of a book early.

So: in no order, some of next month's good books that I've read, and lots of you will have too (not reviews, just a list). If not, some are in the shops anyway, defying the official date.

Charlie Stross: Halting State (also the Merchant Princes titles available in America and in UK bookshops, but not yet officially published)
Iain M Banks: Matter (the new Culture novel, enough said. Does that mean it's good? Oh yes, it is)
Neal Asher: Prador Moon (fantastic giant crab-like maniac killing alien nonsense)
Mark Wernham: Martin Martin's on the Other Side (I haven't decided about this; is it good? is it pants? We have time to decide before we write anything, fortunately)
Adam Roberts, Swiftly (very good idea. still reading it)