MetaFilter

The opening round nominees for the Goodreads Choice Awards have been announced. More than a dozen have previously appeared on Fanfare. [more inside]
posted by Wobbuffet at 6:20 PM PST - 49 comments

More and more people are tasked with putting a price on what they do in the ever-growing gig economy, outside the constraints of corporate pay structures and even preset rates on apps such as Uber. You may hear us called gig workers, independent contractors, or freelancers; people who, like myself when I decided to write and coach writers full time five years ago, are thrown out into the capitalist wild. We release the rope of a job and the health insurance it may provide, and bet on ourselves to do what needs to be done so we and any dependents can live (and retire) with dignity. Before new freelancers discover organizations, communities, and mentors, they have few pricing resources as a guide, aside from the random inspirational Instagram post that says “Know your worth.” For myriad reasons, humans are very bad at this. Paulette Perhach writes in Vox on the challenge of setting fees for your work.
posted by Bella Donna at 10:21 AM PST - 49 comments

Jurassic Park but with a cat. A one-minute video. [more inside]
posted by russilwvong at 8:58 AM PST - 20 comments

The great Detroit architect Nathan Johnson passed away at age 96. Although Mr. Johnson designed buildings of all types, he was particularly important as a pioneer and innovator of modernist architecture for Black churches. Lots of great photos on this thread. [more inside]
posted by wicked_sassy at 6:28 AM PST - 12 comments

Small, kind, domestic scifi stories in a climate-changed US. "When she pressed the county seal into the page, embossing an eagle rampant and ivy wreath, the diploma-shaped ache in her chest eased almost to nothing. It should have been hers anyway." "The Notary of No Republic" by J. Byrd (published this year): a self-appointed public servant gets a complicated request. "'Hope is a habit, Dix.' A bad habit, yes, a dangerous one. Hope had shaped this foundering world into what it was." "A Luxury Like Hope" by Aimee Ogden, also published this year: despite everything, an aunt tries to use lemons.
posted by brainwane at 3:59 AM PST - 14 comments