Yes, when cows and dolphins fly...The blog book comes out in March 2007

Well, I heard from my production editor at Rowman & Littlefield today. The target date for the release of the blog book that those of you in my classes hounded me to finish has been set.

Using Blogs to Enhance Literacy will be released March 2007. I know Amazon.com in Canada and a couple of Japanese booksellers already have pre-order stuff up on their sites. I'm sure for those of you interested, Amazon in the US and BN will have their information up soon as well.

I'll post URL information on the blog when the book comes out, since a number of you have asked about it now and again.

Of course, the book is dedicated to all of you who've taken my classes in Writing, Research, Technology or Writing for Electronic Communities or Information Architecture at Rowan. Some of you will find yourselves quoted in the book (and you thought I wasn't paying attention to your ramblings). It's my way of getting even for all the times you've quoted me (correctly or not) in your papers!

Goodbye to the print version of Boondocks!

Many of you know how much I love the newspaper version of Boondocks. I had heard rumors that the print version was being shut down in favor of the Cartoon Network version, and future book & movie deals.

Today I learned that the rumor is true. Happy freakin' Halloween....

Needless to say, I am saddened. The CN version is rarely timely or all that interesting. Book versions of the 'toon are fine, and remind me of the Calvin & Hobbes' series from years ago. (Or the Far Side, or Bloom County...pick your example, I miss them all.)

Producing a daily strip burns out great artists and social commentators. I'm sure Aaron McGruder is tapped out, just like Bill Watterson and Berke Brethed burned out years earlier from their great successes. Maybe in the future McGruder will return to his roots, like Brethed has with "Opus." I can only hope.

While progress happens, sometimes progress just sucks.

So, while I still have a chance to read the daily re-run in the paper, I will. But, those days seem pretty numbered.

I'm going to miss Riley, Huey, Granddad, the neighbors, and especially Ceasar.

Thanks for making my morning and weekend comics reading a highlight for these last couple of years, Aaron McGruder. I've appreciated the trip.