So we (my wife and I) went to see the Spielberg-butchers-H.G. Wells epic The War of the Worlds on Friday. The acting was OK, although I find it hard to watch Tom Cruise without being aware of the fact that the man seems to be, based on recent outbursts, seriously nuts. (Still, if I let …
Presented without comment, except the comment that I know when I don’t know enough to comment: “A physicist at the Israel Institute of Technology in Haifa has proposed a new class of time machines that seems to avoid some of the difficulties inherent in other theoretical time machines. Like many time machine models, the new …
This story describing a study with bad news for biomass caught my eye because of the Future Energy panel I was on at Westercon. They don’t mention wheat, which is what they turn into ethanol in Saskatchewan, but I’d be surprised if the results were any different.
Scientists are close to figuring out what makes a Stradivarius violin so special…and how to duplicate it in a modern instrument. I confess this is one of the few times I may be sad if scientists actually succeed in their quest for new knowledge.
Doesn’t this remind you of the Gadarene Swine (Luke 8:26-39)? Assuming you were paying attention in Sunday School, that is. And except for the absence of Jesus. Although, in a Hollywood here-comes-Satan spectacular, this would be one of those little mostly unnoticed news stories that heralds the beginning of the Apocalypse…remember, you heard it here …
Back home at last, and waiting for me was something I’d hoped to have with me in Calgary: a Stowaway Bluetooth folding keyboard for my Audiovox Harrier. This is just amazingly cool. It’s a full-size keyboard (minus the row of number buttons) with a good solid feel and a nice brace that makes it stiff …
The phrase “science fiction convention” conjures in many people’s minds images of strange people in strange costumes doing strange things. Well, last Sunday at Westercon, a major North American science fiction convention held this year in Calgary, I saw a blue-skinned woman, a green-skinned Medusa (complete with snaky hair), and (most frightening of all) a …
Another 10 a.m. panel Monday morning, this one on the Future of Energy (ironic, considering the distinct lack of energy to be had at 10 a.m. on the fourth day of a four-day SF convention). It actually went very well. My fellow panelists were Karl Johanson, Blair Petterson, A. M. Arruin and Hayden Trenholm. After …
Myself and S. M. Stirling, lost in contemplation about Group Dynamics in Speculative Fiction.
Alice (a.k.a. Princess Annelise, ruler of the Barbieverse), getting ready for the Westercon Masquerade.
UPDATE: Now with links! First, a welcome to any readers finding their way here from Kathryn Cramer’s blog! I ran into her at a panel this afternoon and she told me she’d linked to my coverage of Westercon–and sure enough, I see my readership has gone up. Some. At least temporarily. Please feel free to …
This morning I met with a few SF Canada members for breakfast, at which we tried to convince Danita Maslan to join. Then, after helping my wife and daughter get up to the pool for some swimming, I returned to the room to blog about yesterday’s events and to do some last-minute research for the …
