A New SF Manifesto of Bologna: Jetse de Vries and the Literature of Change (Part One)
(You can read parts two and three at the following links: part two; part three.) I struggled for hours on how to respond to Jetse de Vries’ post on whether science fiction should die. Part of the problem with the post is that it’s just another re-hash of several tired, inaccurate, and as-yet-properly-researched arguments we’ve […]
Academic Goodies: The Science Fiction of My New Year
Well, I said I would post the proposal abstracts for the various academic conferences I will be attending. All three of them deal with science fiction on some level, as indicated here. It should be interesting to present all of these papers and field questions from the audience. I don’t get many opportunities to talk […]
A New Hope: Final Resolutions to the Power of Science Fiction
(…or why optimism in science fiction is not all that hard to find if you’re really looking) What is it about so much of science fiction that drives writers and film-makers to grasp the pessimistic (dystopias, end of the world schemes, et. al.)? I think I’ve finally figured it out. Whether or not this is […]
The Twelve Days of Christmas, (WISB Science Fiction and Fantasy 2009 Remix)
We science fiction and fantasy fans don’t have enough Christmas songs to keep us happy. So, I submit to you my 2009 SF/F version of “The Twelve Days of Christmas.” Enjoy:On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me,An accidental time traveler.On the second day of Christmas my true love gave to […]
Seven Science Fiction Movies That Should Be TV Shows
There are a lot of fantastic movies out there that have the potential to be more. Terminator, for example, certainly had the possibility of a TV show built into it, and with the moderate success of the Sarah Connor Chronicles, everyone can see why (even if you didn’t like the show to begin with). But […]
Nothing Belongs To Us: the Anti-property Universe
Human beings are funny creatures. I should know; I’m one of them. We have, with rare exception, an unhealthy obsession with ownership. The T.V. in my house? Mine. The books and shelves? Mine. The nine leopard geckos? Mine. It’s not unusual for us to claim ownership, to want to have control, psychological or otherwise, of […]