Happy Birthday to Your Keyboard!

You typed on a keyboard to access this website. The keyboard is, of course, derived from the one on a typewriter, which was patented 140 years ago today. Your input device is almost a century and a half old! Technology really speeds along, doesn't it? Thank you, Christopher L. Sholes, for all things QWERTY.

Remember Quinn & co. taking their "P-STATs" for college, in Is It Fall Yet? The actual SAT (on which the PSAT was based) was first administered 82 years ago.

The latest alt.lawndale.creators interview is with CINCGREEN and Ruthless Bunny, and they have a lot to say about their involvement with Daria fandom (and about the fandom itself). See the full-length interview on PPMB or SFMB. The next artist interview will be with Kemical Reaxion; the next author interview with MMan. Send in your questions today!

Portland Dariacon Deux was held recently, attended by cynigal and NomadX. Once again, yes, two Daria fans who meet for any reason whatsoever are considered to form a Dariacon. We don't have the membership numbers to be picky about it. See here for all the PDD news.

Densely written commentary is being posted about the latest Legion of Lawndale Heroes chapter (LLH 13.1: "Where Do We Go From Here?"), by Brother Grimace. Go thou, read, and post some more.

Derek has issued an Iron Chef on PPMB: "Write a scene where a character utters the line, 'Release the supersonic murderous psychic android squirrels that can smell fear!'" Do it to it.

PPMB

• Avenging, by Lorenzo Sauchelli (Part 12): "Yes, I am Leonardo Hamato," said the humanoid turtle. "I am here to be your sensei for the next two years."
• But What About the Baby (Sitter)?! by Kristen Bealer (Part 3): I think I'm actually getting dumber every minute I spend around Trent, Daria thought. The Crush Lives!
  
• The Cynic and The Defender, by Doggieboy (Part 4): "One time I tried to do a straight portal from Fostoria to Mammoth Caves in Kentucky. I ended up in a women’s locker room at Baylor University.”
• Stage Fright, by NightGoblyn (Part 1): A new story on the Evil Jane thread, with the welcome promise of much evil wicked badness in middle school.
  

A last historical note, which Jodie Landon would tell you about if no one else did: The first black American to be nominated for the presidency of the United States of America was . . . Frederick Douglass, who gained the nomination 120 years ago today. Party on.