There are few things I esteem more highly than books, and I’m not just saying that because I was honorary patron of Saskatchewan Library Week (October 15 to 22–and if you missed it, don’t worry; your local library will welcome you any week). Books have been my friends, companions and teachers since I learned to …
Tag: history
Photography
I’ve been interested in photography ever since I bought my first camera as a kid–an all-plastic (including the lens) special that cost all of $1. Over the next couple of years, with that camera and its sequel, a $10 Instamatic, I shot lots of pictures of friends, scenery, and my cat (LOTS of pictures of …
Hobart’s Funnies
Necessity is the mother of invention, as the old saying goes; and in warfare, necessities can be urgent indeed. As a result, many technological innovations occur during wartime. The First World War brought us huge advances in aircraft design; the Second World War brought us atomic energy. But on a less grandiose scale, technical innovations …
May 1994 science anniversaries
“What hath God wrought?” is one of those famous quotations associated with great historical events, like Neil Armstrong’s “One small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind.” But “What had God wrought?” wasn’t spoken: it was sent as a series of dots and dashes from Baltimore to Washington over the first public telegraph …
Three fathers of technology
This month, we celebrate the birthdays of three important scientists, each a “father” of a technology that has shaped this century. First up: April 9, the 75th birthday of John Presper Eckert, the father (well, one of the fathers) of the digital computer. While a research associate at the University of Pennsylvania in the mid-1940s, …
March 1994 science anniversaries
This March seems to be a month for important scientific birthdays, beginning with March 4, the 600th birthday of Prince Henry the Navigator of Portugal. Prince Henry began sending out expeditions along the Atlantic coast of Africa in 1418, motivated as much by hatred of the Muslims and a lust for gold as by a …
Galileo
One scientific anniversary stands out above all others this month: February 15, the 430th birthday of Galileo Galilei. Born near Pisa, Italy, in 1564, Galileo entered the University of Pisa as a medical student, but found that mathematics interested him more. Though he never got a degree, he was made professor of mathematics at his …
December 1993 science anniversaries
‘Tis the season for December’s science anniversaries, and there’s a biggy this month: the 90th anniversary of the first successful flight in a self-propelled heavier-than-air craft. But first, two other flight-related anniversaries. Twenty-five years ago, on December 21, 1968, NASA launched Apollo 8. The crew of Col. Frank Borman, Lt. Col. William A. Anders and …
November 1993 science anniversaries
This month’s science anniversaries begin with a first that was also a last. November 4 marked the 20th anniversary of the launch of Mariner 10, the first interplanetary probe to visit Mercury — and the last of the Mariners. Mariner 10’s main purpose was to photograph Venus, which it did from 5,770 kilometres on February …
Scientific hoaxes, Part 2
Last week’s column on Piltdown Man was supposed to be about scientific hoaxes in general, but my prolixity defeated me: I had a bunch of left-over hoaxes. In the spirit of Hollywood, therefore, I now present Scientific Hoaxes 2: Lost in My Research. Piltdown Man wasn’t the only fossil hoax. Faking fossils is a tradition …
Scientific hoaxes, Part 1
Science progresses not only when scientists have brilliant ideas, but also when they’re wrong. A wrong idea faces testing through experiments, and those experiments sometimes not only disprove the wrong idea, they uncover the truth. Because of this, science has always been susceptible to hoaxes. A well-executed hoax appears to have solid evidence behind it, …
Skyscrapers
“One dark night, when we were all in bed, “Mrs. O’Leary lit a lantern in the shed, “And when the cow kicked it over, she winked her eye and said, “‘There’ll be a hot time in the old town tonight. Fire! Fire! Fire!’” This famous bit of verse doesn’t mention it, and somehow I …
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Episode 148: Christopher Rowe
An hour-long chat with Christopher Rowe, Hugo, Nebula, World Fantasy (and others) shortlisted author of the critically acclaimed novellas The Navigating Fox and These Prisoning Hills, as well as the story collection Telling the Map. Websitechristopherrowe.net Facebook Instagram@cvrowe1234 Twitter/X@ChristopherRowe Bluesky@christopherrowe Christopher Rowe’s Amazon Page The Introduction Christopher Rowe is the author of the critically acclaimed… -
Episode 147: Kerstin Stanford
An hour-long chat with Kerstin Stanford, author of the middle-grade fantasy novel Escape from Portaliege: A Sam Harte Adventure. Websitekerstinstanford.com Facebook@kerstin.stanforddorren Twitter/X@StanfordDorren Instagram@stanforddorren TikTok@kerstinstanford Kerstin Stanford’s Amazon page The Introduction Kerstin Stanford is a California-based author, marketing professional, and event construction enthusiast. Her debut novel, Escape From Portaliege: A Sam Harte Adventure, follows 12-year-old Sam… -
Episode 146: L. Jagi Lamplighter
An hour-long chat with L. Jagi Lamplighter, author of the YA fantasy series The Books of Unexpected Enlightenment and the Prospero’s Children series. Websiteljagilamplighter.com SuperversiveSF Blog Fantastic Schools and Where to Find Them X/Twitter@lampwright4 L. Jagi Lamplighter’s Amazon Page The Introduction L. Jagi Lamplighter is the author of the young-adult fantasy series The Books of Unexpected… -
Episode 145: Omari Richards
An hour-long chat with Omari Richards, “lifetime blerd” and author of the new The Kimoni Legacy fantasy series, as well as the Tales of Nahawalla short stories. Websiteomari-richards.com Facebook Instagram@omari_a_richards Omari Richards’s Amazon Page Omari Richards was born to Dominican immigrants in America and grew up in a household filled with laughter, music, fellowship, and… -
Episode 144: Nick Stitle
A 45-minute chat with Nick Stitle, the 17-year-old author of the epic fantasy Stormless. Websitenickstitle.com Facebook@nickstitleauthor Instagram@nickstitle_author Twitter/X@nickstitle Nick Stitle’s Amazon Page The Introduction Injuries forced Nicklas Stitle to stop playing tennis after his freshman year of high school, and he realized that was an opportunity to begin working on the story he had been… -
Episode 143: Genevieve Gornichec
A long chat with Genevieve Gornichec, author of the historical fantasies The Witch’s Heart and The Weaver and the Witch Queen. Websitegenevievegornichec.com Facebook@gengornichec Twitter/X@gengornichec Instagram@gengornichec Genevieve Gornichec’s Amazon Page The Introduction Genevieve Gornichec earned her degree in history from Ohio State University, but she got as close to majoring in Vikings as she possibly could, and her… -
Episode 142: M.J. Kuhn
An hour-long chat with fantasy writer M.J. Kuhn, author of the internationally bestselling Among Thieves and its new sequel, Thick as Thieves. Websitemjkuhn.com X (Twitter)@mjkuhnbooks Instagram@mjkuhnbooks TikTok@mjkuhnbooks Facebook@mjkuhnbooks The Introduction M.J. Kuhn, author of the internationally bestselling Among Thieves and its new sequel, Thick as Thieves, is a fantasy writer by night and a mild-mannered… -
Episode 141: Hayden Trenholm
An hour-long conversation with Hayden Trenholm, award-winning playwright, novelist, and short-story writer and member of the Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy Association Hall of Fame. Websitehaydentrenholm.com X@HaydenTrenholm Hayden Trenholm’s Amazon Page The Introduction Hayden Trenholm is an award-winning playwright, novelist, and short story writer. He has also been a public servant, an actor, a bartender,… -
Episode 140: Edo van Belkom
An hour-long chat with award-winning Canadian horror writer Edo van Belkom, author of the Wolf Pack YA books, now a Paramount+ TV series. Websiteedovanbelkom.com Twitter@edovanbelkom Instgram@edovanbelkom Facebook@edo.vanbelkom Edo van Belkom’s Amazon Page The Introduction Edo van Belkom is an award-winning Canadian author who began his career as a reporter for newspapers in and around Toronto, mainly… -
Episode 139: Natalie Wright
An hour-long chat with Natalie Wright, author of the new fantasy novel Season of the Dragon, as well as the H.A.L.F. series and the Akasha Chronicles. Websitenataliewrightauthor.com Facebook@nataliewright.author Twitter@nataliewright_ Instagram@nataliewrightauthor Natalie Wright’s Amazon Page The Introduction Natalie Wright writes fantasy and science fiction novels and short stories. She’s the author of the award-winning H.A.L.F. series…
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