40th Anniversary of the Moon Landing
Today is apparently the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing. If that isn’t something worthy of mentioning on this blog, then I don’t know what is. Obviously I was not alive when this event occurred, but I have fond memories of watching live broadcasts of the shuttles heading off into space when I was a kid, and thus have the utmost respect for the fine folks who set foot, for the first time in human history, on the surface of our little moon. If you have forgotten their names, they are: Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins. Each had a part to play in getting mankind to the Moon and back, and thank goodness it was a success. As Armstrong said: That’s one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind. The whole thing is pretty amazing, if you ask me. We might look back now and think of it as relatively trivial compared to our ridiculously technology-oriented lives, but Apollo 11 is to space and flight as the printing press is to books. NASA and Apollo 11 have played a crucial role in changing the United States and much of the world for the better. That’s something to acknowledge and be proud of.So, remember the day we put someone on the moon. It’s important. And to the fine men and women of NASA, I salute you! If you’re interested in learning more about this historic event, check out NASA’s webpage for the 40th anniversary. There are all sorts of goodies there.
Guest Posts Wanted (Again)
I’m moving to Florida in a couple weeks and am looking for a whole load of guest posts to keep things interesting around here while I’m on the road. What am I looking for? Anything discussing science fiction, fantasy, writing, or related subjects, whether it be a top 10 list or a rant about something happening in publishing. I’m not overly picky about subject matter. If you’d like to contribute a post or two, let me know here, via a Twitter message to @shaunduke, or via email at arconna[at]yahoo[dot]com. Thanks,Shaun
SF/F Links: Mid-July Links
Here we go: Futurismic has a really elaborate image that maps out the various scientific disciplines based on published papers, etc. It’s astonishing and hard to describe. Also at Futurismic is news that humans are naturally optimistic. Apparently a lot of people think things will get better. Dystopias are out! (Well, not really, but it’s fun to say, I suppose.) Wired lists 10 strange species discovered in 2008. And by strange, I really do mean strange. Ideas are already swimming in my head from this list. io9 lists 10 eco-catastrophes from early science fiction. Lots of stuff I’ve never read, and all interesting. I’m not sure I linked to this edition of Grasping For the Wind’s Inside the Blogosphere about relatively unknown SF/F authors. Good stuff there. NextRead asks: How do you choose what NOT to read next? SF Signal wonders what the dream price for eBooks is. Me too, actually. Personally, I think under $5 for new “mass market” editions (or at least 40% off cover price). That would make them appealing, I think. Theological Scribes asks why there are hardly any Christian science fiction tales. I think the better question is why there are hardly any Biblic retellings in science fiction format, because there are a heck of a lot of books that look at the future without necessarily violating a “Christian” worldview. Christopher Morris makes some interesting observations of NYT Bestseller’s lists from today and way back when. Funny how so much of what sells is genre fiction… Metaphysical Fantasy lists some subgenres of the fantasy genre with decent descriptions. A good list to acknowledge. Publetariat offers a pros/cons discussion of royalty-based indie publishing. Good stuff! John C. Wright wonders which science fiction and fantasy books we would read to our children. He goes into a great discussion of the various books he’s considered and tried, and even talks about Harry Potter in some detail. Great post. Jesse’s Blog makes some interesting observations about how we perceive the Other. Definitely worth reading if you’re interested in such discussions. The Launch Pad asks whether kids are reading enough science fiction these days. Good observations here and certainly a question that needs to be asked. Incredible Things has a list of twenty incredible bookcases. Simply stunning. And that’s it! Enjoy!