short fat guy online

• Reuters: The radio ban on the Dixie Chicks’ music causes Senate action: “[T]he fact that giant radio groups could ban a group’s music because of a political statement was [in the words of Senator John McCain] an ‘incredible, incredible act’ that serves as an example of how radio industry consolidation is causing the ‘erosion of the First Amendment.’”  Actually, I was more outraged by the list of “improper” songs following 9/11/01. 
    • Orson Scott Card makes a nice point, regarding Order of the Phoenix: “Every time you see The New York Times bestseller list and realize that this book is not at the top of it, but instead has been shunted into a ‘children’s book’ ghetto, remember: This is an active lie, a conspiracy to deprive J.K. Rowling of public recognition of her achievement, which was to write a series of books loved by readers of every age, without the blessing of the elitist literary establishment.”
    • USA Today: Dreamworks’ Sinbad bombs and suddenly it’s “the end of hand drawn animation” (again).  There are two flaws to this hypothesis.  A): there is a lot of 3D computer animation in Sinbad but it still couldn’t be saved.  And 2): Lilo & Stitch.  And, what the hell, let’s add C): Hollywood thinks spectacle trumps story.

Got this link from The Leaky Cauldron.  Purportedly it’s about one scene in the new Harry Potter book, but mainly it’s a chance to read some really cool facts about the moons of Jupiter.
    “Some scientists think the ice on Europa hides the biggest ocean in the solar system—bigger than the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian oceans combined.  Could there be life in the waters of Europa?  Microbes?”
    Or “At any given moment, dozens of [Io’s volcanoes] might be active, spewing the hottest lava in the solar system. The plumes rise 300 miles into space where it’s so cold that volcanic ash freezes before it falls back to the ground—sulfurous snow.”
    Now that’s magical.

I got confirmation from Amazon that Harry Potter & the Order of the Phoenix has been shipped.  I’m curious if it will actually show up tomorrow, as promised.  (I doubt it.  But it looks like my weekend will keep me busily occupied till Monday anyway.)
    I’m also afraid to venture too far into the Internet today, since too many killjoys are maliciously posting spoilers.  I went to the official site to check out some merchandise (for a while, I’ve wanted a sweatshirt with an embroidered Hogwarts crest, but the clothing offered is rather ugly), and I discovered an unfortunate spelling error [reproduced below].  I wrote them a nice letter to request a correction, so let’s see how long that takes, too.
    Have fun at the bookstores tonight.   [3:48 PM]
    Update: Got a response from hpcustomerservice@wb.com, who told me they don’t deal with WBshop.com and I need to contact customerservice@wbshop.com.  I passed my letter along at around ten tonight, but have only received an automated reply so far.

Hey kids, can you spot the spelling error?

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I have to admit I am really looking forward to getting the new Harry Potter book this weekend.  I’ve started perusing some of the fan sites this week (which is something I haven’t done much before) and have found a lot of interesting reading.  I’ve been avoiding any spoilers (unlike my voracious reading about Return of the King) but have at least come across some nice articles about author J.K. Rowling.
    First, there’s a three-part biographical look at the author, from the Scotsman (Part One / Part Two / Part Three).  Also, here’s a touching TIME article concerning Ms Rowling’s correspondence with a 6-year-old cancer victim.
    By the way, the above links, and much of this week’s reading material, come from The Leaky Cauldron.