Tuesday Amazon Deals: Kindle Deals (Flynn, Rowling, more), Watchmen, 3D Blu-Ray player, more!

Post-Cyber-Monday, most of the deals have reset, but from yesterday's post, the deals on NCIS, The Simpsons, CSI, Miyazaki movies, BSG, and actually most of the DVD and video game deals (including the $10 Vita games) are still active.

As always, there's a ton of good Lightning Deals if you've got the patience/luck (today has Assassin's Creed 3, Call of Duty, the UA Prestige Collection, Electric Company, Tartt's The Goldfinch (but see below for a Kindle deal), and more).

The Deal of the Day offers Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag for $29.99 (50% off) for PC, PS3, or Xbox360, or Rocksmith 2014 (No Cable Included) for $32.99 (45% off) for PS3, Xbox, Mac, or PC (the latter two as digital downloads). The PS3 version of AC4 can also be had as a digital download for instant gratification.

The other daily deal is on the DEWALT DCK422KA 18-Volt NiCad Cordless 4-Tool Combo Kit with Impact Driver for $189 (40% off). I find tools less interesting than video games, but I know not everyone agrees with me. :-)

The Android Deal of the Day is Carcassonne for free! I love the iOS version of this; if it's as good on the Android, it's a great game (and for free, it's worth trying).

Kindle Daily Deals offer three recent hits for $2.99 a pop: Tartt's The Goldfinch, Philipp Meyer's The Son, and Hannah Kent's Burial Rites. I know that Tartt's the big name here (and deservedly so), but Kent's the one people should be checking out. Also a daily deal: My Mother Was Nuts, by Penny Marshall, for $1.99.

Other good cheap Kindle books: Gillian Flynn's Gone Girl for $3.49, JK Rowling's The Cuckoo's Calling for $3.29, John Green's The Fault in Our Stars for $2.99, John Grisham's A Time to Kill for $2.99, and Markus Zussak's The Book Thief for $2.49.

For the kids, Warriors #1: Into the Wild is $1.99.

For the adults like me, Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking is $2.99.

In movies/TV, Babylon 5: Seasons 1-5 + Babylon 5: The Movie Collection is $159.99 (55% off). Spoiler altert: The B5 movies are to B5 what Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is to the Indiana Jones movies. Speaking of which, Crusade: The Complete Series is $13.49 (78% off).

The Blu-Ray Tim Burton Collection + Book (with Pee Wee's Big Adventure/Beetlejuice/Batman/Batman Returns/Mars Attacks!/Corpse Bride/Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) is $24.99 (50% off), and worth nabbing even with the backorder.

Also backordered is the Watchmen Collector's Edition: Ultimate Cut + Graphic Novel for $32.99 (56% off).

The Terminator Anthology on Blu-Ray is $22.99 (54% off).

On DVD, Michael Palin - Pole to Pole (which is not, it turns out, a porno) is $16.99 (66% off). And The Tudors: The Complete Series is $41.99 (58% off).

And the Blu-Ray/Digital/DVD edition of Star Trek Into Darkness is $7.99 (80% off).

In video games, Best of PlayStation Network, Vol. 1 is $19.99 (50% off). Tokyo Jungle was my favorite game of 2012, and almost makes this worth it single-handedly.

There are a bunch of action movies on sale, all of which net you $7.50 in movie cash to see Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit (which is directed by Kenneth Branagh). Better deals here include GI Joe Retaliation (67-80% off) and Jack Reacher (70% off), but better movies like the Mission: Impossible, Jack Ryan, and other films are 45-60% off.

In movie-related hardware, the Sony BDP-S5100 3D Blu-ray Disc Player with Wi-Fi is $79.99. Aside from the 3D capability, it also includes Netflix, Youtube, Hulu Plus, and other apps.

In toys, the Playskool Heroes Transformers Rescue Bots Beam Box Game System is $34.99 (42% off), and the Playskool Heroes Marvel Spider-Man Adventures Web Racing Funhouse Playset is $32.99 (27% off).

In books, Star Wars Origami is $9.90 (42% off).

Finally, in kitchen stuff, the Le Creuset Signature Enameled Cast-Iron 4-1/2-Quart Round Dutch Oven (set includes a trivet and cast iron cleaner) is $199.99 (37% off, legitimately $100+ off other sellers). That's a great price, but also still way more than I can afford to think about for a dutch oven. But if it works for you, it's a hell of a deal.

Tuesday Amazon Deals: Kindle Deals (Flynn, Rowling, more), Watchmen, 3D Blu-Ray player, more!

Post-Cyber-Monday, most of the deals have reset, but from yesterday's post, the deals on NCIS, The Simpsons, CSI, Miyazaki movies, BSG, and actually most of the DVD and video game deals (including the $10 Vita games) are still active.

As always, there's a ton of good Lightning Deals if you've got the patience/luck (today has Assassin's Creed 3, Call of Duty, the UA Prestige Collection, Electric Company, Tartt's The Goldfinch (but see below for a Kindle deal), and more).

The Deal of the Day offers Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag for $29.99 (50% off) for PC, PS3, or Xbox360, or Rocksmith 2014 (No Cable Included) for $32.99 (45% off) for PS3, Xbox, Mac, or PC (the latter two as digital downloads). The PS3 version of AC4 can also be had as a digital download for instant gratification.

The other daily deal is on the DEWALT DCK422KA 18-Volt NiCad Cordless 4-Tool Combo Kit with Impact Driver for $189 (40% off). I find tools less interesting than video games, but I know not everyone agrees with me. :-)

The Android Deal of the Day is Carcassonne for free! I love the iOS version of this; if it's as good on the Android, it's a great game (and for free, it's worth trying).

Kindle Daily Deals offer three recent hits for $2.99 a pop: Tartt's The Goldfinch, Philipp Meyer's The Son, and Hannah Kent's Burial Rites. I know that Tartt's the big name here (and deservedly so), but Kent's the one people should be checking out. Also a daily deal: My Mother Was Nuts, by Penny Marshall, for $1.99.

Other good cheap Kindle books: Gillian Flynn's Gone Girl for $3.49, JK Rowling's The Cuckoo's Calling for $3.29, John Green's The Fault in Our Stars for $2.99, John Grisham's A Time to Kill for $2.99, and Markus Zussak's The Book Thief for $2.49.

For the kids, Warriors #1: Into the Wild is $1.99.

For the adults like me, Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking is $2.99.

In movies/TV, Babylon 5: Seasons 1-5 + Babylon 5: The Movie Collection is $159.99 (55% off). Spoiler altert: The B5 movies are to B5 what Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is to the Indiana Jones movies. Speaking of which, Crusade: The Complete Series is $13.49 (78% off).

The Blu-Ray Tim Burton Collection + Book (with Pee Wee's Big Adventure/Beetlejuice/Batman/Batman Returns/Mars Attacks!/Corpse Bride/Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) is $24.99 (50% off), and worth nabbing even with the backorder.

Also backordered is the Watchmen Collector's Edition: Ultimate Cut + Graphic Novel for $32.99 (56% off).

The Terminator Anthology on Blu-Ray is $22.99 (54% off).

On DVD, Michael Palin - Pole to Pole (which is not, it turns out, a porno) is $16.99 (66% off). And The Tudors: The Complete Series is $41.99 (58% off).

And the Blu-Ray/Digital/DVD edition of Star Trek Into Darkness is $7.99 (80% off).

In video games, Best of PlayStation Network, Vol. 1 is $19.99 (50% off). Tokyo Jungle was my favorite game of 2012, and almost makes this worth it single-handedly.

There are a bunch of action movies on sale, all of which net you $7.50 in movie cash to see Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit (which is directed by Kenneth Branagh). Better deals here include GI Joe Retaliation (67-80% off) and Jack Reacher (70% off), but better movies like the Mission: Impossible, Jack Ryan, and other films are 45-60% off.

In movie-related hardware, the Sony BDP-S5100 3D Blu-ray Disc Player with Wi-Fi is $79.99. Aside from the 3D capability, it also includes Netflix, Youtube, Hulu Plus, and other apps.

In toys, the Playskool Heroes Transformers Rescue Bots Beam Box Game System is $34.99 (42% off), and the Playskool Heroes Marvel Spider-Man Adventures Web Racing Funhouse Playset is $32.99 (27% off).

In books, Star Wars Origami is $9.90 (42% off).

Finally, in kitchen stuff, the Le Creuset Signature Enameled Cast-Iron 4-1/2-Quart Round Dutch Oven (set includes a trivet and cast iron cleaner) is $199.99 (37% off, legitimately $100+ off other sellers). That's a great price, but also still way more than I can afford to think about for a dutch oven. But if it works for you, it's a hell of a deal.

Mets cuts

So the Mets gave out their non-tenders yesterday, and I think they went a little overboard. Their 40-man roster was full, so they technically didn't have to cut anyone, although they'll obviously need space for free agents, Rule 5 players, etc.

Cutting Jordany Valdespin was a no-brainer. He was an egotist who couldn't match his ego with his play on the field, and the sort of player who brings down a clubhouse. Add in the steroid suspension, and that's an easy cut.

Scott Atchison wasn't terrible, but he was basically an inning-eating middle reliever with no upside, and there's no reason to pay more than the rookie wage for anyone like that.

Omar Quintanilla was a tougher call. He's a mediocre bat, but an amazing fielder. I'd like to have seen him coming off the bench in the late innings, but I understand the move if they can replace him on the offensive side.

But once Quintanilla was cut, why the hell cut Justin Turner? He's the ideal bench player, capable of starting at all infield positions, giving power off the bench, and working hard in the clubhouse.

And Jeremy Hefner is out next season thanks to an injury he got while pitching for the Mets; I just think that's plain bad form. He was also a surprisingly solid player at times (and one of the best pitchers in the Majors last June).

The Mets are rebuilding next year (as always), so it's not like they're going to not have room for players like Q and Turner.

Mets cuts

So the Mets gave out their non-tenders yesterday, and I think they went a little overboard. Their 40-man roster was full, so they technically didn't have to cut anyone, although they'll obviously need space for free agents, Rule 5 players, etc.

Cutting Jordany Valdespin was a no-brainer. He was an egotist who couldn't match his ego with his play on the field, and the sort of player who brings down a clubhouse. Add in the steroid suspension, and that's an easy cut.

Scott Atchison wasn't terrible, but he was basically an inning-eating middle reliever with no upside, and there's no reason to pay more than the rookie wage for anyone like that.

Omar Quintanilla was a tougher call. He's a mediocre bat, but an amazing fielder. I'd like to have seen him coming off the bench in the late innings, but I understand the move if they can replace him on the offensive side.

But once Quintanilla was cut, why the hell cut Justin Turner? He's the ideal bench player, capable of starting at all infield positions, giving power off the bench, and working hard in the clubhouse.

And Jeremy Hefner is out next season thanks to an injury he got while pitching for the Mets; I just think that's plain bad form. He was also a surprisingly solid player at times (and one of the best pitchers in the Majors last June).

The Mets are rebuilding next year (as always), so it's not like they're going to not have room for players like Q and Turner.

Sigh

So a person of color posts a reply (responding to a thread Jim Hines's excellent piece here) a long, well-written post about the issues he's faced in fandom as a POC to a mailing list, including some really offensive stuff that has happened to him.

First line of the first response is "I find top posting offensive."

And it goes on from there (the same asshole who made that post and then dismissed a whole bunch of the initial poster's concerns also claims, of course, that Rene Walling was Just Misunderstood.)

Of course, I can't give more info about the person who posted or where they did so, since it's a list that's notorious for getting itself worked up whenever anyone dares quote it, but I can say that this is the sort of shit that makes many rational people think that the best thing that could happen to self-identified SMOFs would be for them to stick their faces in blenders and frappe away.

(And yes, there have been intelligent responses by people who aren't assholes, too. But it's a crappy ratio.)

Sigh

So a person of color posts a reply (responding to a thread Jim Hines's excellent piece here) a long, well-written post about the issues he's faced in fandom as a POC to a mailing list, including some really offensive stuff that has happened to him.

First line of the first response is "I find top posting offensive."

And it goes on from there (the same asshole who made that post and then dismissed a whole bunch of the initial poster's concerns also claims, of course, that Rene Walling was Just Misunderstood.)

Of course, I can't give more info about the person who posted or where they did so, since it's a list that's notorious for getting itself worked up whenever anyone dares quote it, but I can say that this is the sort of shit that makes many rational people think that the best thing that could happen to self-identified SMOFs would be for them to stick their faces in blenders and frappe away.

(And yes, there have been intelligent responses by people who aren't assholes, too. But it's a crappy ratio.)