A leading children's author was told to drop a fire-breathing dragon shown in a new book - because the publishers feared they could be sued under health and safety regulations. picked by AutumnLotus 11 months ago

The hacker, who goes by the name "Gabriel", claims to have taken a digital copy of author J.K. Rowling's seventh and final book, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows", by breaking into a computer at London-based Bloomsbury Publishing. picked by DrNothing 1 year ago

The Harry Potter Lexicon is a well-known fansite that has earned approbation from everybody, including the author herself. But when Steve Vander Ark decided to publish a print version of the Lexicon through RDR publishers, Rowling and Warner Brothers decided enough was enough and filed a lawsuit to prevent publication. This lawsuit provides a great opportunity to draw a new line between the confli... read full post picked by jwrichards 7 months ago

Jerry Seinfeld and his wife have been sued over her top-selling cookbook for kids by a rival author who complained of plagiarism and accused the the star of defaming her on TV host David Letterman's show.

I wonder if he is asking "What's the deal with lawsuits." picked by unoriganl 9 months ago

Alice Walker, author of The Color Purple felt that motherhood was a form of servitude. Her radical ultra-feminist views, her opinion that children enslaved their mothers tore apart her own family. She even disowned her own daughter. A daughter who finds tremendous joy in being a mother. picked by 2manyusernames 2 months ago

ELK CLONER, 1982: Regarded as the first virus to hit personal computers worldwide, "Elk Cloner" spread through Apple II floppy disks and displayed a poem written by its author, a ninth-grade student who was designing a practical joke. picked by AutumnLotus 1 year ago

The author was on a private visit to Australia and decided to visit a bookstore and autograph some of his books. picked by hisidea 1 year ago

Daniel Goleman, author of Emotional Intelligence, asks why we aren’t more compassionate more of the time. Sharing the results of psychological experiments (and the story of the Santa Cruz Strangler), he explains how we are all born with the capacity for empathy -- but we sometimes choose to ignore it. picked by KingKoopa 9 months ago

What more can be added to the debate over U.S. interrogation methods, and whether waterboarding is torture? Try firsthand experience. The author undergoes the controversial drowning technique, at the hands of men who once trained American soldiers to resist—not inflict—it. picked by misslesh 3 months ago

Magic words? Author unknown. picked by misswinkle 1 year ago

Salvador Dali carved out a reputation that was arguably as eclectic as his paintings: eccentric, exhibitionist, genius, showman, author, agent provocateur and – oh yes – the most successful surrealist painter in history. But The Dali Dimension: Decoding the Mind of a Genius (2004) brings into focus another appellation befitting the Catalan master: man of science. The page, unfortunate... read full post picked by teresag 6 months ago

but not his ex-girlfriend, the author of a kiss-and-tell book about their relationship. picked by TchEngRox 8 months ago

The last screenplay by the late Jerome Bixby, author of a classic short story which was made into a Twilight Zone episode, created Star Trek's Mirror Universe, as well as other screenplays was made into a movie which did poorly in theaters. After it was pirated, it achieved a greatly increased popularity. picked by 2manyusernames 11 months ago

Having lost a close friend to an RTA* the author does the decent thing by protecting the bereaved from an insight they didn't need.

As a final tribute he then tried to give a little back to the community by leaving it in the places where once he went looking for it.

Slightly NSFW as there are photos of the mags.

*Road Traffic Accident picked by pocksucket 2 months ago

George McCorkle, a founding member of the Marshall Tucker Band and author of Southern rock anthem “Fire on the Mountain,” died this morning in a Nashville-area hospital of complications from cancer. picked by punthe 1 year ago

PZ Myers, author of the Pharyngula blog, was denied seating at a preview of "Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed", a movie which purports to blow the whistle on academic intolerance. picked by joeyneutrino 7 months ago

Sci-fi author Larry Niven speculates on the sexual life of Superman. For example: could he mate with Lois Lane without his Kryptonian-muscle-powered ejaculate blowing off the top of her head? picked by VoodooPeacock 2 years ago

Blog entry outlines author's intention to launch a viral campaign. picked by TheBlueFrog 2 years ago

The author admits that people may not be pleased with some things said about 2pac, Eminem, The Game, and the NWA reunion attempt. picked by unzercharlie 2 years ago

The Norman B. Leventhal Map Center has 200,000 historic maps and 5,000 atlases. Many are online in high resolution. You can explore the collection by location, subject, date, publisher, author and projection. They give virtual tours, select a map of the month and have a section called Maps in the News, where they profile Darfur and Iraq. picked by 2manyusernames 2 years ago