Recently I’ve had anniversaries on the brain. It started with this blog post by Dayton Ward, where he ran through a list of film anniversaries — twentieth, twenty-fifth, right on up — that are being celebrated this year. You look at the list for 1982, the year that many critics consider to be filmed science … Continue reading On Annivesaries and Convention Panel Ideas
Tag: science-fiction
Yes, that subject line breaks that titling standard I’ve used for the better part of five years. But it’s a standard that’s going away when I unveil the new website design, so I don’t feel so bad. The first day here in Cherry Hill was nice. I had dinner with Jay and Pam Smith and … Continue reading At Philcon
The rumors are true! I’ll be attending Philcon this weekend. Here’s where I can be found, if you should so happen to be in Cherry Hill, New Jersey… TOLKIEN’S OTHER WORKSSat 6:00 PM in Crystal Ballroom Three (1 hour)Panelists: Allyn Gibson (mod), Daniel Grotta, Jay Wile, Robert Kauffmann, Mark MandelJ.R.R. Tolkien is best known today … Continue reading On My Philcon Schedule
Yesterday evening I received a surprising e-mail — it was a pre-invite to Philcon. Well, it was surprising to me; things like this are always surprising to me. Philcon is, obviously, a science-fiction convention held every November in Philadelphia. I knew of it it when I lived outside Philly about a decade ago, but working … Continue reading On Contemplating Philcon
I saw this on Andrew Sullivan’s Daily Dish. Yes, it’s unremittingly raunchy, but it’s also stupendously hilarious in a way that only a geek could love. Rachel Bloom’s “Fuck Me, Ray Bradbury.” And it’s a super-catchy song, too! I’m now wondering if the deejay at, say, Farpoint come February could be persuaded to play this … Continue reading On a Raunchy Ray Bradbury Music Video
I’m reading P.D. James’ The Children of Men. I’ve never read this before — or, if I did, it’s completely unfamiliar to me. I’ve also not seen the movie, though I’ve wanted to; just have never gotten around to it. Haven’t even bought it. But I saw the movie tie-in edition of the novel, with … Continue reading On Puzzling Reading
Last year, some noise was made about a television series based on The Time Traveler’s Wife, Audrey Niffenegger’s novel about a couple, Henry and Claire, who live a very strange life — he travels through time at random, living his life out of sequence, while she lives on the slow path, moving into the future … Continue reading On The Time Traveler’s Wife: The Television Series
On occasion, my mind is stunned into a stupor. Sometimes it doesn’t take much. Writing about Twilight: New Moon collector dolls sufficed this morning; a thousand brain cells cried out in terror and were silenced. While in that slack-jawwed state, however, something occurred to me. There’s no Philip K. Dick Reading Day. There’s a Tolkien … Continue reading On A Needed Holiday
The second downloadable issue of h+ Magazine is now available. It’s a magazine on transhumanism and other futuristic trends. I enjoyed the first issue immensely. This issue has an interview with Vernor Vinge on the subject of the Singularity. If this is of any interest, give it a shot.
This weekend, I’m at the Farpoint convention here in Baltimore. This is my fourth Farpoint. My first was back in the halcyon days of 2006. I remember it well, mostly because of the carpet at the Hunt Valley Marriott. The convention has moved, a little closer to Baltimore. Alan Tudyk, better known as Wash from … Continue reading On the Weekend
I own Newt Gingrich’s 1945. Confession time. I paid full price for it. On the day it came out. 1945. It’s legendary in science fiction circles. Then-Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich made a deal with Baen Books for a series of alternate history novels. Co-written with William Forstchen, 1945 posited a world where Adolf … Continue reading On Newt Gingrich’s 1945
When I was a junior in high school, I had to write a major research paper for my English class. Semester long project, that sort of thing. What did I want to write about? I pondered this. I pondered this some more. And then I read a review of Hans Moravec’s book, Mind Children. The … Continue reading On H+ Magazine