A 127-mph submarine!
Tag: science fiction
Hard on the heels of my column about ray guns…
…comes this story, headlined “Star Trek-like ‘Tricorder’ becomes science fact”: A press release at Purdue University has unveiled the startling news that a portable sensing system to analyze chemical components is now a reality. About the size of a large car battery, the unit is, at less than 20 pounds, much smaller than the refrigerator …
Final ballot for Nebula Awards announced
The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA) have announced the final ballot for this year’s Nebula Awards, made up of the top vote-getters from the preliminary ballot, which is a list of all the stories that received at least 10 recommendations from active members of SFWA by the end of 2006. The final …
Rise of the ray-guns
“Set phasers on stun!” Captain Kirk used to order his crew, the usual preference of the United Federation of Planets being to avoid killing aliens, no matter how bad their make-up, if at all possible. Alas, in the real world, we don’t always have that option. Aside from the Taser, which zaps people with an …
Free 2007 science fiction swimsuit calendar!
Every year The Web Site @ the End of the Universe creates a free downloadable science fiction calendar. This year, it’s the swimsuit edition! (That’s Miss January at left.)
Who needs a flash drive…
…when you’ve got DNA? Japanese scientists say it might be possible to use DNA to store text, images, music and other digital data for thousands of years inside living organisms. Masaru Tomita and colleagues at Tokyo’s Keio University say data encoded in an organism’s DNA, and inherited by each new generation, could be safely archived …
Robert J. Sawyer honored by Toronto Public Library
Robert J. Sawyer, a friend and someone whose Writing With Style sessions on writing science fiction I’ve twice attended at the Banff Centre, has received the Toronto Public Library Celebrates Reading Award. Established in 2001, this is one of Canada’s top book-related honours. The award, which includes a cash prize of $2,500 and a crystal …
Something like this, I did use in my new novel
A staple of underwater adventure movies since at least the original Thunderball is now available for anyone who wants one…and can even be used in a pool. The Seadoo Sea Scooter Dolphin has handles and a propeller: you just hold on, and it pulls you through the water. It’s designed for use by anyone, in …
Website about Canadian science fiction updated
The SF Canada website, which I maintain, has just been updated for winter. We have an interview with agent Scott Hoffman, conducted by Celu Amberstone and a new bit of short fiction, “Aisles of the Blest,” by Leslie Carmichael. I also updated the membership list. Up-to-date information about the activities of the authors who make …
Index to science fiction awards
If you want to know who won what when in the field of science fiction literature, then the Locus Index to Science Fiction Awards, newly updated, is the place to go. And if you’re interested in SF and don’t visit Locus Online regularly, you’re missing out. In fact, if you’re really interested in SF, especially …
Robert A. Heinlein’s legacy lives on:
This NASA story, about how the Moon bears witness to the early history of the solar system, and could tell us whether “extinction events” caused by heavy bombardments from outer space really recur every 26 million years on Earth as some have hypothesized, is headlined “The Moon is a harsh witness.” Somebody there has read …
Yes, it’s a silly way to spend $15,000…
…but if you don’t think this Star Trek-themed home theatre is cool, you have no poetry in your soul. Uh-oh, did I just let my inner geek out in public again? Darn.
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