One more week till:
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That’s right! Seven more days until the Midnighters trilogy reaches its mighty climax. In honor of this last week, I’m doing a tridecalogism countdown.
Today’s word is: “nonattendance.”
As in, “Rex is having a very important meeting tonight,” Dess said. “Nonattendance is compulsory!”
In unrelated news, here’s how to build a hoverboard from a leaf blower. Alas, this hoverboard will be really loud and only hover about as high as an air hockey puck.
But still. Hoverboard!

From BoingBoing, and thanks Bill!












February 23rd, 2006 09:40
Cool. I want a hoverboard.
February 23rd, 2006 10:39
Wow, I totally forgot about the Blue Noon coming out… I must go pick that up after Tennis next week…
February 23rd, 2006 12:04
im soooooooooooo excited!!! i love midnghters! now i can tell my mother what i want for my b-day…
man if i had a leaf blower…..that would be TOTALLY cool. and why cant they make actual hoverboards? that work of metal in the ground? is that a really stupid question? anyway, if they do make them, well they wont be cheap.
February 23rd, 2006 12:39
Oh my God I cant believe it, its almost here.
February 23rd, 2006 16:38
Is that coming out in paperback? I just ordered Touching Darkness yesterday, because the paperback is out soon.
Yeah, I WOULD get them in hardcover, but I’m a moneyless bum…:(
February 23rd, 2006 16:39
Also, they really need to get to work on hoverboards….you know, the good kind.
February 23rd, 2006 18:49
ONE MORE WEEK!!!!! So exited. But then It’ll be over, and then Specials will come out, and then that’ll be over, too. Which sucks.
February 24th, 2006 02:42
I’m thinking of makign the hoverboard, but I live in the country, and I don’t think they work on gravel roads. :’( I shall hoverboard, Nevermore! (Heeheehee!)
But I need to preorder the book soon so I will have it as soon as possible. (A.K.A. A.S.A.P) Now I will go to the amazing website with the same name as a large forest, river, and a group of vicous females.
February 24th, 2006 03:03
True hoverboarding will happen when they figure out how to make superconductors that work at room temperature. Right now the best they can do is a material that superconducts at roughly -210F (-135C).
February 24th, 2006 05:39
Hi i am doing a book critique on your book UGLIES. I was wondering what is the Theme, Motif, and Symbols of your book? It would be really nice if you responded Thank You very much.
February 24th, 2006 07:05
Youre wikked, chelsea. it’s not Scotts job to rite youre report for you!
February 24th, 2006 13:16
yeah, i was …..well not really yelled at….but, yeah for asking the theme. its really easy to figure out anyway. hope you get an A, i did
February 24th, 2006 14:00
Reason #72378678612 Why I Love The Midnighters: I see numbers everywhere, so I love that her power is being a polymath.
I love the number 13; thus, I love the tridecalogisms.
February 24th, 2006 14:02
numbers are good
February 24th, 2006 14:44
Didn’t they make hoverboards on Mythbusters?? THAT was wicked cool.
Hahaha.
Midnighters rock.
February 24th, 2006 14:56
I always wanted a hoverboard ever since I was like…6. Really. It’s true.
I swear.
No really.
By the way, I’m not that other Chelsea.
February 24th, 2006 16:11
hoverboard? i want one!
February 24th, 2006 17:20
So if you don’t want to tell me your themes, motifs, and stuff. When were you born?
February 24th, 2006 18:49
I was born May 5, 1963, in Dallas, Texas.
The theme of UGLIES is: “Everyone wants a frackin’ hoverboard, so why doesn’t someone invent them?”*
And John H: I’d brave -135C to hoverboard. Oxygen doesn’t turn into a liquid till way down at -183!
Just wear a jacket.
February 25th, 2006 00:15
You know, Alexa has a good point. I’m stoked for it to be coming out (already ordered mine off Amazon), but…then it’s OVER. And then I’m so, so, so excited for Specials to come out (although nervous because Tally’s heart completely belongs to David, you know that, right Scott?) but then THAT’S over too! Then what are we going to do?
You better get writing now, otherwise you’ll have blood thirsty fans after you.
Hey, a hockey-puck-size-hover is a good start! Before you know they’ll be like computers where everyone has one and you can good a pretty decent one for cheap….I hope.
-Hannah
February 25th, 2006 07:09
Once again i must ask information from you. Did you ever go to college? and What would be the coolest fact about you? Do you have any kids? If not, Do you plan on ever having kids? What is Your Favorite book?
I’m sorry about asking all these questions but i need to write a page single spaced talking about your life. Your answers would be really appreciated.
February 25th, 2006 12:38
wow!!! ok i do admit that somtimes when i see a long word in a book i am reading, i check to see if its 13 letters. i dont know why, but i do.
and, WHAT?? oxygen can turn into liquid??? im scared….
February 25th, 2006 12:56
hi amy,
and oh yeah, what a co-winky-dink, i do that sometimes too, and wierdly, when im bored i just say some random 13 letter word to my bro to wierd him out, its funny, you should see the look of my bro’s face. : &
and yes, water, H2O, note the O is oxygen, and i dont even pay attention in science class!
February 25th, 2006 12:58
I discovered Uglies last week, and I couldn’t put it down. As a middle years teacher, I am excited to include your books in my classroom library. I have ordered Pretties, and I can’t wait for Specials to come out…
Thanks for the engaging and intelligent literature!!
February 25th, 2006 13:02
i dont say co-winky-dink a lot, by the way
February 25th, 2006 14:02
Hey Mr. Westerfeld,
I’m doing project for school on my favorite author. I picked you because I really enjoyed your books. I am having a really hard time finding info about you. I have to do a author study and a timeline including 15 things about you. I was wondering if you could help me out. Thank you so much!
J
February 25th, 2006 15:48
Man, a week is too long to wait!! I also looked and counted how many letters were in a word once I had read the first one. I told my mom and I think she was a bit worried about me. She just doesn’t appreciate cool books.
February 25th, 2006 20:20
I’ve had this desire to go out and find/buy a hoverboard ever since I’d read Uglies…
Can’t wait for Blue Noon!
February 26th, 2006 04:59
Amy: Liquid Oxygen makes really good rocket fuel – it’s what gets the Space Shuttle into space!
February 26th, 2006 08:20
wow :O I want to make a hoverboard!!
February 26th, 2006 09:34
so, like when it gets really cold the oxyen fuses to a hydrogen to make liquid?? ok i am no longr going to ask questions about liquid O2…..mabye….
February 26th, 2006 17:02
There isn’t an excerpt, is there? If not how about one to tide us over?
And hoverboards would rule, and I think I’ve been wishing they would make one ever since I saw “Back to the Future” 2, where Micheal( is that how you spell it?) J. Fox’s(spelling?) character goes to the future and “borrows” a hoverscooter from a little girl. And I think there is some of the information about college and stuff if you try to look, I remember reading it somewhere…
And I so agree that David is for Tally. Although there was some scary forshadowing in Pretties when Tally said something that she couldn’t take back in the future to make David go away, kind of like in those movies where the kid yells at the dog/wild animal to go back where they belong, but those usually turn out good, so maybe this will? I just got a really bad feeling.
February 26th, 2006 17:10
A P.S. on Tally
The most important thing to remember: Tally can’t be an evil Special!!!! She got out of being a Pretty, so she can’t stay a Special. Right? RIGHT?
February 27th, 2006 07:18
Scott! Are you watching the Olympics’ closing ceremony? The’ve got real hoverboarding!
February 27th, 2006 09:27
Are you serious, there are hoverboarding in the Olympics??? Oh darn, how could i missed that?, wait is there an actuall real-live-fly-working-fully-powered-hover board? I thought Scott was joking the whole entire time!
February 27th, 2006 11:14
So scott do you have an update for us on how that midnighters tv series might be coming along?
February 27th, 2006 12:05
wow that is alot qusetions to answer scott. but there was hoverboadring in the olympics??? cool
February 27th, 2006 12:30
Julia and others:
To help with these school reports, I’ve started a Scott Facts page.
Go there for the answers ye seek.
And what’s the deal with the Olympics? What sort of hoverboards were these? On wires?
Onyx: No clue on Midnighters TV. But I think that the merger between UPN and the WB is probably a bad thing in the short term. But if they don’t do anything this year, the rights revert to me, and I can sell it to someone else . . .
February 27th, 2006 12:58
Whoa, you’re a vegetarian too? o_O
Whoa, you grew up partly in CT too? o_O
Whoa, you have the same birthday as my cousin…well…the May 5th part.
February 27th, 2006 16:21
The hoverboard at the Olympics was part of the acrobatics at the closing ceremony: they set up a huge, huge horizontal fan (probably like a windtunnel thingie), and the acrobats floated above it. It looked really difficult and dangerous. Some of them even did somersaults (sp?), and there was one guy on a board. I think they went up about 8 metres or something, wow. See picture at http://www.torino2006.org/ITA/OlympicGames/photogallery/gallery_228_29.html and click ‘precedente’ for the four before that. But really, you should see it in motion.
February 28th, 2006 05:14
I saw that hoverboard thing on TV, it looked fun!
I’ll be ordering Blue Noon from Amazon UK soon, so glad they stock the US editions there!
February 28th, 2006 09:38
I just wish that I could get UK books from the US amazon.com, but they make you wait for the US editions.
March 1st, 2006 14:13
Scott thats awesome news.