frankwu (Free subscription) | 11/23/2009
Don't forget - for all your holiday shopping needs: On Friday, Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, we are going to start a set of auctions on eBay for a slew of Tuckerizations (wherein the author inserts your name as a character in a novel)! We've got Tuckerizations lined up from Cory Doctorow, Charlie Stross, David Brin, Elizabeth Bear, Nalo Hopkinson, Julie Czerneda and Mary Robinette Kowal...
Science Fiction Observer (Free subscription) | 11/22/2009
This slim (22 pages) volume based on the script by John Ostrander attempts to provide a somewhat novel perspective of the events from Revenge of the Sith as part of the relentless effort of the Star Wars franchise to presents a coherent narrative for adults while remaining within the limits of an overblown children story. It looks like one of the main purposes of Seconds to Die is to remind the readers...
The Eternal Golden Braid (Free subscription) | 11/22/2009
Prepare the Red Matter! So now that it is finally out on DVD, I finally watched the "reboot" of Star Trek . So, Fred, you're a trekkie from way back, what'cha think of it? Sorry, but I am not a trekkie or a trekker. I am a science fiction fan who is a big fan of the original Trek series (but not to the extent that I ever owned a costume or even attended a Trek convention, or even, past a...
Gordon's Notes (Free subscription) | 11/18/2009
I've had a post brewing for weeks that I'm still playing with. It's not quite right, and may never be, but this Reich comment is pertinent ... Robert Reich's Blog: Obama, China, and Wishful Thinking About American Jobs ... The dirty little secret on both sides of the Pacific is that both America and China are capable of producing far more than their own consumers are capable of buying. In the U.S.,...
Planet Intertwingly (Free subscription) | 11/15/2009
Fun cover, huh? That's for John Morressy's enjoyable fantasy-versus-science-fiction story "Spirits from the Vasty Deep". I'm reading more of these magazines because all the books are packed up for the move. This was a really good issue. The best story here was "A Stage of Memory" by David Brin and his brother Daniel. Kenneth W. Ledbetter's "Outpost on Europa" has no great...
Mad Hatter's Bookshelf & Book Review (Free subscription) | 11/13/2009
This is a little late, but the news have been chafing me a bit. In a surprising move Isaac Asimov's estate has authorized a trilogy of new I, Robot Universe books. This is shocking because Asimov had plenty of time to add to that Universe if he so desired considering the last book in the series was written about a decade before he passed away and he was prolific till the end. Suffice it to say if he...
frankwu (Free subscription) | 11/11/2009
If things go according to schedule, there should be a TAFF auction at Windycon this weekend (I meant to send Anne some things, but plum forgot - so those will go to... a TAFF auction at Philcon. Donated items for the Philcon TAFF auction so far include: An Astroboy clock! An Ultraman blaring alarm clock! Romulan Bird of Prey (old style, from "Balance of Terror") with blinking lights and...
Biology in Science Fiction (Free subscription) | 11/10/2009
The Institute for Ethics & Emerging Technologies (IEET) will be hosting a seminar on the "Biopolitics of Popular Culture" : Popular culture is full of tropes and cliches that shape our debates about emerging technologies. Our most transcendent expectations for technology come from pop culture, and the most common objections to emerging technologies come from science fiction and horror,...
Alien Life (Free subscription) | 11/08/2009
Welcome! "Alien Life" tracks the latest discoveries and thoughts in the various elements of the famous Drake Equation . Here's today's news: g Stars - NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope has discovered a young star where young planets jostle about like unsettled children. The system may be similar to our own solar system before our planets settled into their familiar orbits. See article . g Message...
Sci-Fi Fan Letter (Free subscription) | 11/04/2009
The most recent Mind Meld on SF Signal deals with what speculative fiction novels first published in the last 10 years should be included in high school literature courses. I had to read the Chrisalids and 1984 in class, but most of my speculative fiction reading was done after school. I read mostly fantasy but felt after a while that I should read some of the SF classics as well, and started with...
The Guardian (Free subscription) | 10/29/2009
Mickey Zucker Reichert signed to produce new series of Dr Susan Calvin stories Publishing's enthusiasm for the undead – which has already this autumn seen posthumous sequels published to The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Dracula, Winnie the Pooh and Noddy – is set to bring one of Isaac Asimov's most enduring creations, Dr Susan Calvin, back to life. A new series of authorised sequels...
Mike Hudack (Free subscription) | 10/17/2009
himmelsblog : TSA responds to a post from a mommy blogger (My Bottle’s Up) who claims that she was separated from her child during the security process at ATL. TSA even released a video clip from security to rebuke the untruths. Not easy to beat up on those that have Big Brother-like capabilities. Wonder if BlogHer will support the blogger in the network? (heads up from @ComcastCares ) Update:...
Boston 1775 (Free subscription) | 10/16/2009
I have various topics in mind to write about, including a too-long-delayed series on Dr. Benjamin Church, Jr. But I’m so busy with next weekend’s “Abolitionism in Black and White: The Anti-Slavery Community of Boston and Cambridge” symposium that I’m going to grab any material the web offers me for a while. Recently the novelist and social critic David Brin asked me if...
Alien Life (Free subscription) | 10/12/2009
Welcome! "Alien Life" tracks the latest discoveries and thoughts in the various elements of the famous Drake Equation . Here's today's news: g Abodes - Astronomers have discovered an enormous ring around Saturn that may be linked to the moon, Phoebe. The finding highlights connections between the moons and rings of the Saturn system. The research could also help in determining how the system...
The Impolitic (Free subscription) | 10/07/2009
This is a really interesting read. David Brin posts A rant about stupidity... and the coming civil war... . Read it all but here's a couple key grafs. Obviously, this is blatantly the agenda of Murdoch and Limbaugh and their foreign backers, since they do not even offer their own measures or agenda for deliberative negotiation with the party and president chosen by the American majority. They never...
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