The Hugo Award nominees have been announced. Several of my nominees made the final ballot (although a few of the ones I wanted the most didn't), and overall it looks like a pretty good list. Several of the nominees are already available as free downloads, and more are sure to be available soon at either the official Anticipation site or linked through this SF Signal post. For comments from nominees, see John Scalzi's initial thoughts and follow-up Q&A posts, Neil Gaiman's post, Charles Stross' post, Cory Doctorow's post
Buy from your local independent bookstore before the end of March and be eligible to win great stuff (small press books). See here for details.
Hypertext is now 20 years old. Doesn't it seem like longer than that?
Tonight's Battlestar Galactica finale (I really need to catch up so I can see this before it gets spoiled) will be followed by a trailer for Stargate: Universe. EW has a photo of the cast (in case you forgot who was cast). This episode may also have a cameo by real-life astronaut Garrett Reisman (who talks about it at Space.com).
The Middleman dvd will be released on July 28th. If you haven't seen this show, remember to watch the dvd. (Also, apparently the show is officially "dormant" not canceled, so more people getting the dvd might help bring it back.)
Big Bang Theory and 2.5 Men just received multi-year renewals.
SF Gate has an article on how an iTouch can be used as a contract-free iPhone.
Showing posts with label books. Show all posts
Showing posts with label books. Show all posts
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Monday, June 16, 2008
6-16-08
RIP Stan Winston. The visual effects and makeup genius died of cancer yesterday at the age of 62. From Aliens to Jurassic Park to Galaxy Quest (along with dozens of other films), he was responsible for how SF looked on film for much of the last 30 years. See SF Signal article or IMDB for more links.
New Hubble quasar images have been released.
Auto makers are working hard to find alternatives to expensive gas: Honda has begun commercial production on hydrogen fuel cell cars, and Japanese company Genepax has developed a car that will run on water only.
The mummified remains of a duckbilled dinosaur have been found in South Dakota. It is among the best ever found in terms of preserved quality and quantity. We may soon have more than an educated guess as to what they looked like.
This couple makes me smile: After 55 years together, they will finally be able to legally get married tonight.
It sounds like the 2nd half of Battlestar Galactica's final season (which will air next year) may be longer than previously announced. It will have an extra 2 episodes and another TV movie added.
Reminder: Firefox 3 is being released tomorrow. They are aiming for record downloads for day 1, so get it tomorrow if you plan to get it.
Borderlands Books in SF (a great specialty book store that frequently hosts crowded events with good authors) wants to put in a cafe. They have a petition to put before the planning committee to support their idea. If you want to sign the petition, go to Cheryl Morgan's blog. If you want to see more ways to help, go to John Scalzi's blog.
Adult Swim has a listing of the 10 Best Star Wars Moments from Family Guy and Robot Chicken (with videos included). I'd seen the Robot Chicken ones, but not the Family Guy ones.
DVR for tonight:
5pm The Middleman (ABC Family - premiere)
10:30pm Dana Carvey special (HBO)
New Hubble quasar images have been released.
Auto makers are working hard to find alternatives to expensive gas: Honda has begun commercial production on hydrogen fuel cell cars, and Japanese company Genepax has developed a car that will run on water only.
The mummified remains of a duckbilled dinosaur have been found in South Dakota. It is among the best ever found in terms of preserved quality and quantity. We may soon have more than an educated guess as to what they looked like.
This couple makes me smile: After 55 years together, they will finally be able to legally get married tonight.
It sounds like the 2nd half of Battlestar Galactica's final season (which will air next year) may be longer than previously announced. It will have an extra 2 episodes and another TV movie added.
Reminder: Firefox 3 is being released tomorrow. They are aiming for record downloads for day 1, so get it tomorrow if you plan to get it.
Borderlands Books in SF (a great specialty book store that frequently hosts crowded events with good authors) wants to put in a cafe. They have a petition to put before the planning committee to support their idea. If you want to sign the petition, go to Cheryl Morgan's blog. If you want to see more ways to help, go to John Scalzi's blog.
Adult Swim has a listing of the 10 Best Star Wars Moments from Family Guy and Robot Chicken (with videos included). I'd seen the Robot Chicken ones, but not the Family Guy ones.
DVR for tonight:
5pm The Middleman (ABC Family - premiere)
10:30pm Dana Carvey special (HBO)
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
12-11-07 Science/Tech/etc.
Britain plans to install 7,000 offshore wind turbines as part of a goal of having 20% of its energy from renewable sources by 2020.
Solar thermal power development in California is stalled while waiting to see if a property tax exemption will be extended.
Fark.com filed for a trademark for the phrase NSFW (not safe for work). Even if the trademark were granted, I don't see how it could possibly be enforced.
Life is listing the top 10 scientific discoveries of 2007: stem cell breakthroughs, DNA mapping, brightest supernova recorded, hundreds of new species identified, building a human heart valve from stem cells, "hot Jupiters" discovered, large birdlike dinosaurs found, evidence of the time period early man migrated out of Africa, the world's oldest animal (a 405 year old clam) was found, and a mineral with the chemical makeup imagined for kryptonite was found in Serbia (unfortunately they can't name it kryptonite because of krypton gas).
Somebody else discusses the trials and tribulations of cataloging their personal library. Unlike us, they only had to deal with about 3,500 books, but it is nice to occasionally see someone else going through some of the same issues.
JPL has an interesting article on the discovery of a silica patch by the Mars rover Spirit as it prepares to find a safe spot for the winter.
Hubble has observed its first extra-solar sunset, as a Jupiter-like planet passed in front of its star, giving hints as to the atmosphere.
Umbilical cord blood is saving the lives of babies born with metabolic disorders at Duke University.
The House has voted to make the Do Not Call registry permanent, so we wouldn't have to re-register every 5 years. The Senate still has to approve it.
A new genus and species of dinosaur has been found in Antarctica. It is a massive plant-eating primitive sauropodomorph (like Apatosaurus) from the early Jurassic. There is a brief article here, or the full scientific paper can be read here in PDF.
Scientists think they have found the energy source for the northern lights.
Solar thermal power development in California is stalled while waiting to see if a property tax exemption will be extended.
Fark.com filed for a trademark for the phrase NSFW (not safe for work). Even if the trademark were granted, I don't see how it could possibly be enforced.
Life is listing the top 10 scientific discoveries of 2007: stem cell breakthroughs, DNA mapping, brightest supernova recorded, hundreds of new species identified, building a human heart valve from stem cells, "hot Jupiters" discovered, large birdlike dinosaurs found, evidence of the time period early man migrated out of Africa, the world's oldest animal (a 405 year old clam) was found, and a mineral with the chemical makeup imagined for kryptonite was found in Serbia (unfortunately they can't name it kryptonite because of krypton gas).
Somebody else discusses the trials and tribulations of cataloging their personal library. Unlike us, they only had to deal with about 3,500 books, but it is nice to occasionally see someone else going through some of the same issues.
JPL has an interesting article on the discovery of a silica patch by the Mars rover Spirit as it prepares to find a safe spot for the winter.
Hubble has observed its first extra-solar sunset, as a Jupiter-like planet passed in front of its star, giving hints as to the atmosphere.
Umbilical cord blood is saving the lives of babies born with metabolic disorders at Duke University.
The House has voted to make the Do Not Call registry permanent, so we wouldn't have to re-register every 5 years. The Senate still has to approve it.
A new genus and species of dinosaur has been found in Antarctica. It is a massive plant-eating primitive sauropodomorph (like Apatosaurus) from the early Jurassic. There is a brief article here, or the full scientific paper can be read here in PDF.
Scientists think they have found the energy source for the northern lights.
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
11-27-07 Couch Potato Corner
Billie Piper (Rose) will be returning to Doctor Who for 3 eps in season 4 (which premiers on the BBC in March). No word how they'll explain it or if any of the companions scheduled for the season overlap and meet each other.
NBC has picked up Chuck & Life for full seasons. What that means when nobody can write any more scripts is a mystery to me, but still good news.
Kyle XY will return for the 2nd half of its 2nd season on January 14th. It has 10 episodes to play.
Over at the scifanletter blog, they have made a space opera reading list. There are some good books there, although some I didn't really consider space opera, and lots of books are missing, butI still may have to check out a few of the ones I don't recognize.
The Universal Digital Library project has completed scanning 1.5 million works, and made them freely available (copyright permitting) today.
DVRs for tonight:
8pm Bones
9pm House & Reaper
NBC has picked up Chuck & Life for full seasons. What that means when nobody can write any more scripts is a mystery to me, but still good news.
Kyle XY will return for the 2nd half of its 2nd season on January 14th. It has 10 episodes to play.
Over at the scifanletter blog, they have made a space opera reading list. There are some good books there, although some I didn't really consider space opera, and lots of books are missing, butI still may have to check out a few of the ones I don't recognize.
The Universal Digital Library project has completed scanning 1.5 million works, and made them freely available (copyright permitting) today.
DVRs for tonight:
8pm Bones
9pm House & Reaper
Monday, November 26, 2007
2007 Books for Hugo consideration
Thanks to Locus, I've put together a list of books for us to consider for reading before Hugo nominations. If you want to see the full list (to see what I left off or just have a reference that links to Amazon for each book so you can see what they are), go to:
http://www.locusmag.com/2007/Directory1.html
If you don't yet have a membership to Worldcon next year, get one before the prices go up in January. This is also when they'll mail out the progress reports with the ballots for nominations. No date has been announced yet for a nomination deadline (but March is likely).
(I'm pretty sure the + symbol means that 2007 was the 1st US printing, not the first printing, so it may be an earlier book that is still eligible for a Hugo)
2007 Books I've read and liked:
• Briggs, Patricia • Blood Bound • (Ace, Feb)
• Bujold, Lois McMaster • The Sharing Knife: Legacy • (Eos, Jul)
• Butcher, Jim • White Night • (Roc, Apr)
• Harris, Charlaine • All Together Dead • (Ace, May)
• Kenyon, Sherrilyn • Devil May Cry • (St. Martin's, Aug)
• Kenyon, Sherrilyn • The Dream Hunter • (St. Martin's Paperbacks, Feb)
• Rowling, J. K. • Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows • (Scholastic/Arthur A. Levine Books, Jul)
2007 Books I know we own, but I haven't read yet:
• Caine, Rachel • Thin Air • (Roc, Aug)
• Gilman, Laura Anne • Burning Bridges • (Luna, Jun)
• Jones, Diana Wynne • The Game • (Firebird, Mar)
• Lackey, Mercedes • Fortune's Fool • (Harlequin/Luna, Mar)
• McKinley, Robin • Dragonhaven • (Putnam, Sep)
• Novik, Naomi • Empire of Ivory • (Ballantine Del Rey, Oct)
• Sanderson, Brandon • The Well of Ascension • (Tor, Aug)
• Scalzi, John • The Last Colony • (Tor, May)
• Traviss, Karen • Ally • (Eos, Apr)
2007 Books by authors we've bought before or who've been recommended & have potential (I don't think we have these, but there are a few where I'm not sure):
• Armstrong, Kelley • No Humans Involved • (Bantam Spectra, May)
• Asaro, Catherine • The Fire Opal • (Luna, Jul)
• Baker, Kage • The Sons of Heaven • (Tor, Jul)
• Bear, Elizabeth • New Amsterdam • (Subterranean Press, May)
• Bear, Elizabeth • Undertow • (Bantam Spectra, Aug)
• Bear, Elizabeth • Whiskey and Water • (Roc, Jul)
• Berg, Carol • Flesh and Spirit • (Roc, May)
• Bear, Greg • Quantico • (Perseus/Vanguard, Mar)
• Bova, Ben • The Aftermath • (Tor, Aug)
• Britain, Kristen • The High King's Tomb • (DAW, Nov)
• Brooks, Terry • The Elves of Cintra • (Ballantine Del Rey, Sep)
• Bull, Emma • Territory • (Tor, Jul)
• Butcher, Jim • Captain's Fury • (Ace, Dec)
• Card, Orson Scott, & Aaron Johnston • Invasive Procedures • (Tor, Sep)
• Cherryh, C. J. • Deliverer • (DAW, Feb)
• Cook, Glen • Lord of the Silent Kingdom • (Tor, Feb)
+ Courtenay Grimwood, Jon • 9Tail Fox • (Night Shade Books, May)
+ Courtenay Grimwood, Jon • End of the World Blues • (Bantam Spectra, Oct)
• Crowley, John • Endless Things • (Small Beer Press, May)
• Czerneda, Julie E. • Reap the Wild Wind • (DAW, Sep)
• David, Peter • Darkness of the Light • (Tor, Jun)
• Davidson, MaryJanice • Undead and Uneasy • (Berkley, Jun)
• Douglas, Carol Nelson • Dancing with Werewolves • (Juno, Nov)
+ Feist, Raymond E. • Into a Dark Realm • (Eos, Apr)
• Feist, Raymond E., & Joel Rosenberg • Murder in LaMut: Legends of the Riftware, Book II • (Eos, Aug)
• Fforde, Jasper • First Among Sequels • (UK: Hodder & Stoughton, Jul)
• Foster, Alan Dean • Patrimony • (Ballantine Del Rey, Oct)
+ Gentle, Mary • Ilario: The Lion's Eye • (Eos, Jul)
+ Gentle, Mary • Ilario: The Stone Golem • (Eos, Sep)
• Gibson, William • Spook Country • (Putnam, Aug)
• Goonan, Kathleen Ann • In War Times • (Tor, May)
• Grossman, Austin • Soon I Will Be Invincible • (Pantheon, Jun)
• Haldeman, Joe • The Accidental Time Machine • (Ace, Aug)
• Hallaway, Tate • Dead Sexy • (Berkley, May)
• Harrison, Kim • For a Few Demons More • (Eos, Mar)
• Herbert, Brian, & Kevin J. Anderson • Sandworms of Dune • (Tor, Aug)
• Hobb, Robin • Renegade's Magic • (UK: HarperVoyager, Jul)
• Huff, Tanya • The Heart of Valor • (DAW, Jun)
• Kay, Guy Gavriel • Ysabel • (Canada: Penguin Canada, Jan)
• Kerr, Katharine • The Spirit Stone • (DAW, Jun)
• Lackey, Mercedes, & Roberta Gellis • By Slanderous Tongues • (Baen, Feb)
• Lackey, Mercedes, & James Mallory • The Phoenix Unchained • (Tor, Oct)
• Lackey, Mercedes • Reserved for the Cat • (DAW, Nov)
• Lee, Tanith • The Secret Books of Paradys • (Overlook Press, Dec)
• Lindskold, Jane • Wolf's Blood • (Tor, Mar)
• Lynch, Scott • Red Seas Under Red Skies • (UK: Gollancz, Jun)
• MacLeod, Ken • The Execution Channel • (UK: Orbit, Apr)
+ Marillier, Juliet • The Well of Shades • (Tor, May)
• McCaffrey, Anne, & Elizabeth Ann Scarborough • Acorna's Children: Third Watch • (Eos, Aug)
• McCaffrey, Anne, & Elizabeth Ann Scarborough • Maelstrom • (Ballantine Del Rey, Jan)
• McDevitt, Jack • Cauldron • (Ace, Nov)
+ Miller, Karen • The Innocent Mage • (Orbit, Sep)
• Modesitt, L. E., Jr. • The Elysium Commission • (Tor, Feb)
• Modesitt, L. E., Jr. • Natural Ordermage • (Tor, Sep)
• Moon, Elizabeth • Command Decision • (Ballantine Del Rey, Mar)
• Niven, Larry, & Edward M. Lerner • Fleet of Worlds • (Tor, Sep)
• Nye, Jody Lynn • An Unexpected Apprentice • (Tor, Jun)
• Pratchett, Terry • Making Money • (UK: Transworld/Doubleday UK, Oct)
• Roberson, Chris • Set the Seas on Fire • (UK: BL Publishing/Solaris, Aug)
+ Roberts, Adam • Gradisil • (Pyr, Mar)
• Roberts, Adam • Splinter • (BL Publishing/Solaris US, Sep)
• Robinson, Kim Stanley • Sixty Days and Counting • (Bantam Spectra, Mar)
+ Robson, Justina • Keeping It Real • (Pyr, Mar)
+ Robson, Justina • Selling Out • (Pyr, Oct)
• Rusch, Kristine Kathryn • Recovery Man • (Roc, Sep)
• Sawyer, Robert J. • Rollback • (Tor, Apr)
• Schroeder, Karl • Queen of Candesce • (Tor, Aug)
• Shetterly, Will • Gospel of the Knife • (Tor, Jul)
• Shinn, Sharon • Reader and Raelynx • (Ace, Nov)
• Simmons, Dan • The Terror • (Little Brown, Jan)
• Sinclair, Linnea • The Down Home Zombie Blues • (Bantam, Dec)
• Sinclair, Linnea • Games of Command • (Bantam Spectra, Mar)
• Slattery, Brian Francis • Spaceman Blues • (Tor, Aug)
• Smith, Sherwood • The Fox • (DAW, Aug)
• Steele, Allen • Spindrift • (Ace, Apr)
• Stross, Charles • Halting State • (Ace, Oct)
• Stross, Charles • The Merchants' War • (Tor, Oct)
• Tolkien, J. R. R. • The Children of H£rin • (UK: HarperCollins UK, Apr)
• Valente, Catherynne M. • The Orphan's Tales: In the Cities of Coin and Spice • (Bantam Spectra, Nov)
• Walton, Jo • Ha'Penny • (Tor, Oct)
• Watt-Evans, Lawrence • The Ninth Talisman: Volume Two of the Annals of the Chosen • (Tor, May)
• Weber, David • Off Armageddon Reef • (Tor, Jan)
• Williams, Liz • Precious Dragon • (Night Shade Books, Jun)
• Williams, Tad • Shadowplay • (DAW, Mar)
• Yarbro, Chelsea Quinn • Borne in Blood: A Novel of the Count Saint-Germain • (Tor, Dec)
• Zahn, Timothy • The Third Lynx • (Tor, Nov)
2007 Young Adult books by authors we've bought before
• Bell, Hilari • Shield of Stars • (Simon & Schuster, Apr)
• de Lint, Charles • Little (Grrl) Lost • (Viking, Sep)
+ Dickinson, Peter • Angel Isle • (Random House/Lamb, Oct)
• Gaiman, Neil, & Michael Reaves • InterWorld • (Eos, Jul)
• Jacques, Brian • Eulalia! • (Philomel, Oct)
• Le Guin, Ursula K. • Powers • (Harcourt, Sep)
• Lee, Tanith • Indigara • (Penguin/Firebird, Oct)
+ Marillier, Juliet • Wildwood Dancing • (Knopf Books for Young Readers, Jan)
• Sanderson, Brandon • Alcatraz Versus The Evil Librarians • (Scholastic, Oct)
http://www.locusmag.com/2007/Directory1.html
If you don't yet have a membership to Worldcon next year, get one before the prices go up in January. This is also when they'll mail out the progress reports with the ballots for nominations. No date has been announced yet for a nomination deadline (but March is likely).
(I'm pretty sure the + symbol means that 2007 was the 1st US printing, not the first printing, so it may be an earlier book that is still eligible for a Hugo)
2007 Books I've read and liked:
• Briggs, Patricia • Blood Bound • (Ace, Feb)
• Bujold, Lois McMaster • The Sharing Knife: Legacy • (Eos, Jul)
• Butcher, Jim • White Night • (Roc, Apr)
• Harris, Charlaine • All Together Dead • (Ace, May)
• Kenyon, Sherrilyn • Devil May Cry • (St. Martin's, Aug)
• Kenyon, Sherrilyn • The Dream Hunter • (St. Martin's Paperbacks, Feb)
• Rowling, J. K. • Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows • (Scholastic/Arthur A. Levine Books, Jul)
2007 Books I know we own, but I haven't read yet:
• Caine, Rachel • Thin Air • (Roc, Aug)
• Gilman, Laura Anne • Burning Bridges • (Luna, Jun)
• Jones, Diana Wynne • The Game • (Firebird, Mar)
• Lackey, Mercedes • Fortune's Fool • (Harlequin/Luna, Mar)
• McKinley, Robin • Dragonhaven • (Putnam, Sep)
• Novik, Naomi • Empire of Ivory • (Ballantine Del Rey, Oct)
• Sanderson, Brandon • The Well of Ascension • (Tor, Aug)
• Scalzi, John • The Last Colony • (Tor, May)
• Traviss, Karen • Ally • (Eos, Apr)
2007 Books by authors we've bought before or who've been recommended & have potential (I don't think we have these, but there are a few where I'm not sure):
• Armstrong, Kelley • No Humans Involved • (Bantam Spectra, May)
• Asaro, Catherine • The Fire Opal • (Luna, Jul)
• Baker, Kage • The Sons of Heaven • (Tor, Jul)
• Bear, Elizabeth • New Amsterdam • (Subterranean Press, May)
• Bear, Elizabeth • Undertow • (Bantam Spectra, Aug)
• Bear, Elizabeth • Whiskey and Water • (Roc, Jul)
• Berg, Carol • Flesh and Spirit • (Roc, May)
• Bear, Greg • Quantico • (Perseus/Vanguard, Mar)
• Bova, Ben • The Aftermath • (Tor, Aug)
• Britain, Kristen • The High King's Tomb • (DAW, Nov)
• Brooks, Terry • The Elves of Cintra • (Ballantine Del Rey, Sep)
• Bull, Emma • Territory • (Tor, Jul)
• Butcher, Jim • Captain's Fury • (Ace, Dec)
• Card, Orson Scott, & Aaron Johnston • Invasive Procedures • (Tor, Sep)
• Cherryh, C. J. • Deliverer • (DAW, Feb)
• Cook, Glen • Lord of the Silent Kingdom • (Tor, Feb)
+ Courtenay Grimwood, Jon • 9Tail Fox • (Night Shade Books, May)
+ Courtenay Grimwood, Jon • End of the World Blues • (Bantam Spectra, Oct)
• Crowley, John • Endless Things • (Small Beer Press, May)
• Czerneda, Julie E. • Reap the Wild Wind • (DAW, Sep)
• David, Peter • Darkness of the Light • (Tor, Jun)
• Davidson, MaryJanice • Undead and Uneasy • (Berkley, Jun)
• Douglas, Carol Nelson • Dancing with Werewolves • (Juno, Nov)
+ Feist, Raymond E. • Into a Dark Realm • (Eos, Apr)
• Feist, Raymond E., & Joel Rosenberg • Murder in LaMut: Legends of the Riftware, Book II • (Eos, Aug)
• Fforde, Jasper • First Among Sequels • (UK: Hodder & Stoughton, Jul)
• Foster, Alan Dean • Patrimony • (Ballantine Del Rey, Oct)
+ Gentle, Mary • Ilario: The Lion's Eye • (Eos, Jul)
+ Gentle, Mary • Ilario: The Stone Golem • (Eos, Sep)
• Gibson, William • Spook Country • (Putnam, Aug)
• Goonan, Kathleen Ann • In War Times • (Tor, May)
• Grossman, Austin • Soon I Will Be Invincible • (Pantheon, Jun)
• Haldeman, Joe • The Accidental Time Machine • (Ace, Aug)
• Hallaway, Tate • Dead Sexy • (Berkley, May)
• Harrison, Kim • For a Few Demons More • (Eos, Mar)
• Herbert, Brian, & Kevin J. Anderson • Sandworms of Dune • (Tor, Aug)
• Hobb, Robin • Renegade's Magic • (UK: HarperVoyager, Jul)
• Huff, Tanya • The Heart of Valor • (DAW, Jun)
• Kay, Guy Gavriel • Ysabel • (Canada: Penguin Canada, Jan)
• Kerr, Katharine • The Spirit Stone • (DAW, Jun)
• Lackey, Mercedes, & Roberta Gellis • By Slanderous Tongues • (Baen, Feb)
• Lackey, Mercedes, & James Mallory • The Phoenix Unchained • (Tor, Oct)
• Lackey, Mercedes • Reserved for the Cat • (DAW, Nov)
• Lee, Tanith • The Secret Books of Paradys • (Overlook Press, Dec)
• Lindskold, Jane • Wolf's Blood • (Tor, Mar)
• Lynch, Scott • Red Seas Under Red Skies • (UK: Gollancz, Jun)
• MacLeod, Ken • The Execution Channel • (UK: Orbit, Apr)
+ Marillier, Juliet • The Well of Shades • (Tor, May)
• McCaffrey, Anne, & Elizabeth Ann Scarborough • Acorna's Children: Third Watch • (Eos, Aug)
• McCaffrey, Anne, & Elizabeth Ann Scarborough • Maelstrom • (Ballantine Del Rey, Jan)
• McDevitt, Jack • Cauldron • (Ace, Nov)
+ Miller, Karen • The Innocent Mage • (Orbit, Sep)
• Modesitt, L. E., Jr. • The Elysium Commission • (Tor, Feb)
• Modesitt, L. E., Jr. • Natural Ordermage • (Tor, Sep)
• Moon, Elizabeth • Command Decision • (Ballantine Del Rey, Mar)
• Niven, Larry, & Edward M. Lerner • Fleet of Worlds • (Tor, Sep)
• Nye, Jody Lynn • An Unexpected Apprentice • (Tor, Jun)
• Pratchett, Terry • Making Money • (UK: Transworld/Doubleday UK, Oct)
• Roberson, Chris • Set the Seas on Fire • (UK: BL Publishing/Solaris, Aug)
+ Roberts, Adam • Gradisil • (Pyr, Mar)
• Roberts, Adam • Splinter • (BL Publishing/Solaris US, Sep)
• Robinson, Kim Stanley • Sixty Days and Counting • (Bantam Spectra, Mar)
+ Robson, Justina • Keeping It Real • (Pyr, Mar)
+ Robson, Justina • Selling Out • (Pyr, Oct)
• Rusch, Kristine Kathryn • Recovery Man • (Roc, Sep)
• Sawyer, Robert J. • Rollback • (Tor, Apr)
• Schroeder, Karl • Queen of Candesce • (Tor, Aug)
• Shetterly, Will • Gospel of the Knife • (Tor, Jul)
• Shinn, Sharon • Reader and Raelynx • (Ace, Nov)
• Simmons, Dan • The Terror • (Little Brown, Jan)
• Sinclair, Linnea • The Down Home Zombie Blues • (Bantam, Dec)
• Sinclair, Linnea • Games of Command • (Bantam Spectra, Mar)
• Slattery, Brian Francis • Spaceman Blues • (Tor, Aug)
• Smith, Sherwood • The Fox • (DAW, Aug)
• Steele, Allen • Spindrift • (Ace, Apr)
• Stross, Charles • Halting State • (Ace, Oct)
• Stross, Charles • The Merchants' War • (Tor, Oct)
• Tolkien, J. R. R. • The Children of H£rin • (UK: HarperCollins UK, Apr)
• Valente, Catherynne M. • The Orphan's Tales: In the Cities of Coin and Spice • (Bantam Spectra, Nov)
• Walton, Jo • Ha'Penny • (Tor, Oct)
• Watt-Evans, Lawrence • The Ninth Talisman: Volume Two of the Annals of the Chosen • (Tor, May)
• Weber, David • Off Armageddon Reef • (Tor, Jan)
• Williams, Liz • Precious Dragon • (Night Shade Books, Jun)
• Williams, Tad • Shadowplay • (DAW, Mar)
• Yarbro, Chelsea Quinn • Borne in Blood: A Novel of the Count Saint-Germain • (Tor, Dec)
• Zahn, Timothy • The Third Lynx • (Tor, Nov)
2007 Young Adult books by authors we've bought before
• Bell, Hilari • Shield of Stars • (Simon & Schuster, Apr)
• de Lint, Charles • Little (Grrl) Lost • (Viking, Sep)
+ Dickinson, Peter • Angel Isle • (Random House/Lamb, Oct)
• Gaiman, Neil, & Michael Reaves • InterWorld • (Eos, Jul)
• Jacques, Brian • Eulalia! • (Philomel, Oct)
• Le Guin, Ursula K. • Powers • (Harcourt, Sep)
• Lee, Tanith • Indigara • (Penguin/Firebird, Oct)
+ Marillier, Juliet • Wildwood Dancing • (Knopf Books for Young Readers, Jan)
• Sanderson, Brandon • Alcatraz Versus The Evil Librarians • (Scholastic, Oct)
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
10-9-07
DVRs for tonight:
8pm Bones
9pm House
Reaper
Pixar has started researching their 2012 movie, an animated version of Burrough's John Carter of Mars.
MSNBC has listed 10 businesses they think will be gone in 10 years. Sadly, one on the list is used book stores. I can see their point, but I hope they're wrong.
Space has an interesting article on next generation telescopes and what scientists hope to use them to find.
Bittorrent is offering its technology to other companies to make their video streaming and downloading more affordable.
Denvention (the Denver Worldcon next year) is planning to have a Critter Crunch event, the original robot battle competition created by the Denver Area Mad Scientists. They are starting to pull together details for the convention. It should be fun. Anyone who wants to join should do so before Progress Report 2 in January, because that will have the Hugo nomination ballot and hotel reservation information.
George Harrison's solo work is now available from iTunes. This was the last holdout, so now all their songs are available. The Beatles' songs are still being remastered and should appear by early next year.
Just because it's weird: Play-Doh bunnies in New York (it's an ad for Sony, but a cute one).
Transparent solar panels as windows. They are working on it now. I hope they get it functional.
Scientists have designed a mostly self-sufficient space habitat. This could (far too many years from now) allow for a station on the moon or Mars that doesn't require so many costly re-supply missions. The technology will also help with sustainable farming and recycling applications here on Earth. Cool.
Check out the Nissan electric concept car. It has 3 wheels and a rotating cabin, so you can turn around and start driving at a 90 degree angle from where you were looking. It is funny looking, yet cute in a strange (my designers probably spent too much time looking at Hello Kitty) sort of way.
CNet has a slideshow today of Home Appliances of the Future (from a Japanese technology center that demos everything from the really weird to the somewhat cool).
8pm Bones
9pm House
Reaper
Pixar has started researching their 2012 movie, an animated version of Burrough's John Carter of Mars.
MSNBC has listed 10 businesses they think will be gone in 10 years. Sadly, one on the list is used book stores. I can see their point, but I hope they're wrong.
Space has an interesting article on next generation telescopes and what scientists hope to use them to find.
Bittorrent is offering its technology to other companies to make their video streaming and downloading more affordable.
Denvention (the Denver Worldcon next year) is planning to have a Critter Crunch event, the original robot battle competition created by the Denver Area Mad Scientists. They are starting to pull together details for the convention. It should be fun. Anyone who wants to join should do so before Progress Report 2 in January, because that will have the Hugo nomination ballot and hotel reservation information.
George Harrison's solo work is now available from iTunes. This was the last holdout, so now all their songs are available. The Beatles' songs are still being remastered and should appear by early next year.
Just because it's weird: Play-Doh bunnies in New York (it's an ad for Sony, but a cute one).
Transparent solar panels as windows. They are working on it now. I hope they get it functional.
Scientists have designed a mostly self-sufficient space habitat. This could (far too many years from now) allow for a station on the moon or Mars that doesn't require so many costly re-supply missions. The technology will also help with sustainable farming and recycling applications here on Earth. Cool.
Check out the Nissan electric concept car. It has 3 wheels and a rotating cabin, so you can turn around and start driving at a 90 degree angle from where you were looking. It is funny looking, yet cute in a strange (my designers probably spent too much time looking at Hello Kitty) sort of way.
CNet has a slideshow today of Home Appliances of the Future (from a Japanese technology center that demos everything from the really weird to the somewhat cool).
Friday, September 14, 2007
Roundup for 9-13-07 part 2
CNet article about using Torrents to watch TV now that networks (esp NBC) are making it harder to watch them legitimately.
http://www.cnet.com/8301-13739_1-9775271-46.html
NBC has put all their new pilots on Amazon for free download, and SF Signal is having a poll as to which genre show will be the first to die.
http://www.sfsignal.com/archives/005632.html
Microsoft is trying to get BBC shows as downloads for the Xbox platform.
http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/technology/article2412752.ece
Another argument-generating best list - this one is the top 100 women of genre film and television. What I've seen so far seems to at least consider a pretty wide spectrum.
http://www.pinkraygun.com/2007/09/11/top-100-women-of-genre-film-and-tv/
If looking at these photos of beautiful old libraries makes you drool, you too could be a book addict.
Red Dwarf videos have been put online here.
Interesting look at the 8 most common visions of the future in film and why they won't happen.
New free speculative fiction online here. Some new stuff as well as things that qualify for Project Gutenberg.
http://www.cnet.com/8301-13739_1-9775271-46.html
NBC has put all their new pilots on Amazon for free download, and SF Signal is having a poll as to which genre show will be the first to die.
http://www.sfsignal.com/archives/005632.html
Microsoft is trying to get BBC shows as downloads for the Xbox platform.
http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/technology/article2412752.ece
Another argument-generating best list - this one is the top 100 women of genre film and television. What I've seen so far seems to at least consider a pretty wide spectrum.
http://www.pinkraygun.com/2007/09/11/top-100-women-of-genre-film-and-tv/
If looking at these photos of beautiful old libraries makes you drool, you too could be a book addict.
Red Dwarf videos have been put online here.
Interesting look at the 8 most common visions of the future in film and why they won't happen.
New free speculative fiction online here. Some new stuff as well as things that qualify for Project Gutenberg.
Monday, September 10, 2007
Roundup for 9-10-07
Since there were almost no women nominated for Hugos last year, someone has put together a list of all (?) eligible women for next year's award, so that people will have time to familiarize themselves with the works and keep them in mind when nominating next year. Since those of us going to the Denver Worldcon will be able to nominate and vote, it is something to keep in mind.
http://wiki.feministsf.net/index.php?title=Women_eligible_for_2008_SF_Awards
Along the same lines, Locus has just released their new Forthcoming Books list. This is a monthly list of books coming out, and a good reference for what is eligible to nominate as well as what to buy.
http://www.locusmag.com/ForthcomingBooks.html
Article on the accomplishments of the Hubble telescope.
http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/070910_mm_mysteries_hubble.html
It looks like someone other than Futon Critic has done a detailed review of the new TV season. Check it out if you want another opinion on what may be worth watching.
http://www.star-telegram.com/408/story/228053.html
Indy 4 now has a title: Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.
http://www.scifi.com/scifiwire/index.php?category=3&id=43991
http://wiki.feministsf.net/index.php?title=Women_eligible_for_2008_SF_Awards
Along the same lines, Locus has just released their new Forthcoming Books list. This is a monthly list of books coming out, and a good reference for what is eligible to nominate as well as what to buy.
http://www.locusmag.com/ForthcomingBooks.html
Article on the accomplishments of the Hubble telescope.
http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/070910_mm_mysteries_hubble.html
It looks like someone other than Futon Critic has done a detailed review of the new TV season. Check it out if you want another opinion on what may be worth watching.
http://www.star-telegram.com/408/story/228053.html
Indy 4 now has a title: Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.
http://www.scifi.com/scifiwire/index.php?category=3&id=43991
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
8-22-07
The upcoming HD-DVD release of Star Trek: TOS will have standard DVD on the flip side of each disk. This totally goes against the usual "make them buy it as many times in as many formats as possible" Star Trek marketing and makes it much more tempting to me.
http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/newsitem.cfm?NewsID=7914
From the "I can't believe I haven't heard everything yet" files: They are now making scratch-n-sniff "musty book smell" stickers for people to apply to e-book readers so they can have the smell of a book while reading electronic copies.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070822/wr_nm/internet_books1_dc_1
Another depressing article about how few people actually read books. It's based on the "Reading at Risk" study I linked to a few weeks ago, but they added quotes from people who do/don't read. Laurel: Sorry, I know you've seen this already.
http://www.cnn.com/2007/LIVING/wayoflife/08/21/reading.ap/index.html
Documentary on the history of SF TV. It's 30 minutes, so I've only seen the very beginning. It looks good though, so I'll probably watch the rest later.
http://www.sfsignal.com/archives/005510.html
I've never used Google Earth, just their online maps, but they just added some great features: a virtual telescope called Sky, which shows you the view from where you are and lets you zoom into Hubble photos and click popups with info, and a Book Layer, which tells you what has been printed about a location in public-domain books.
http://news.com.com/2300-1032_3-6203876-1.html?part=rss&tag=6203876&subj=news
http://www.space.com/news/070822_google_sky.html
http://www.sfsignal.com/archives/005514.html (about book layer)
http://earth.google.com/index.html
A new wine cafe has opened in Woodside for local wineries too small to have their own tasting rooms. Sounds nice.
http://www.insidebayarea.com/ci_6686781?source=rss
http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/newsitem.cfm?NewsID=7914
From the "I can't believe I haven't heard everything yet" files: They are now making scratch-n-sniff "musty book smell" stickers for people to apply to e-book readers so they can have the smell of a book while reading electronic copies.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070822/wr_nm/internet_books1_dc_1
Another depressing article about how few people actually read books. It's based on the "Reading at Risk" study I linked to a few weeks ago, but they added quotes from people who do/don't read. Laurel: Sorry, I know you've seen this already.
http://www.cnn.com/2007/LIVING/wayoflife/08/21/reading.ap/index.html
Documentary on the history of SF TV. It's 30 minutes, so I've only seen the very beginning. It looks good though, so I'll probably watch the rest later.
http://www.sfsignal.com/archives/005510.html
I've never used Google Earth, just their online maps, but they just added some great features: a virtual telescope called Sky, which shows you the view from where you are and lets you zoom into Hubble photos and click popups with info, and a Book Layer, which tells you what has been printed about a location in public-domain books.
http://news.com.com/2300-1032_3-6203876-1.html?part=rss&tag=6203876&subj=news
http://www.space.com/news/070822_google_sky.html
http://www.sfsignal.com/archives/005514.html (about book layer)
http://earth.google.com/index.html
A new wine cafe has opened in Woodside for local wineries too small to have their own tasting rooms. Sounds nice.
http://www.insidebayarea.com/ci_6686781?source=rss
Monday, August 13, 2007
8-13-07
Funny gimmick: It looks like Two and a Half Men and CSI are going to swap writers for one episode this season. The CSI is going to have Christine Baranski as the co-star of a murdered TV diva. (Probably a dream fulfillment since the writer is known to have feuded with both Rosanne Barr and Cybil Sheppard on their shows. Sounds like he learned Joss Whedon's lesson since 2.5 Men doesn't have a name in the title. ;)
http://community.tvguide.com/blog-entry/TVGuide-Editors-Blog/Ausiello-Report/Csis-Case-Murdered/800020277?rssDate=12345678
Promoting the DVD and the start of season 2, Heroes is airing 4 cast-favorite episodes hosted by 2 actors each starting next Monday.
http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news.aspx?id=20070810nbc01
World Fantasy Award nominees announced. 2 of the novels I already wanted to read. I never heard of a 3rd but have added it to my wish list because it sounds great. The other 2 don't interest me and I tend to think they made the list by author name without anyone bothering to read them first. The sad thing is you have to get down to Best Anthology before you find something I've already read. You can guess which books fit in which categories if you check out the list.
http://www.locusmag.com/2007/08_WfaFinalists.html
New Line is trying to mend fences with Peter Jackson to get him involved in The Hobbit after all.
http://www.scifi.com/scifiwire/index.php?category=3&id=43212
The Heroes-Star Trek crossovers continue. Nichelle Nichols (Uhura) will guest star in 5-6 episodes this season. Dominic Keating (Malcolm Reed from Enterprise) will also have an arc. James Kyson Lee (Ando) wants to play Sulu in the new movie.
http://www.trektoday.com/news/110807_01.shtml
In trying to find out if Jeckyll was hacked for US television (I can't find runtimes, but it sounds like it was), I found that Steven Moffat wrote 42 episodes of a show called "Press Gang" back in the early 90s. I'm curious about this, even if it is aimed a bit younger. (Oh, and rumors persist that Steven Moffat will take over Doctor Who if Russell Davies leaves.)
Comic Con video interviews about B5:Lost Tales. My volume isn't working right now, but supposedly Samm Barnes talks about short promo-sodes filmed that weren't included on the dvd but might be pulled from later.
http://media.dvd.ign.com/media/888/888522/vids_1.html
Australia's largest bookseller is trying to kill itself. Clearly the management know absolutely nothing about the book business. If you want to see clever commentary about it, check out (TOR editor) Teresa Neilsen Hayden's blog entry for Friday:
http://nielsenhayden.com/makinglight/archives/009263.html
http://community.tvguide.com/blog-entry/TVGuide-Editors-Blog/Ausiello-Report/Csis-Case-Murdered/800020277?rssDate=12345678
Promoting the DVD and the start of season 2, Heroes is airing 4 cast-favorite episodes hosted by 2 actors each starting next Monday.
http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news.aspx?id=20070810nbc01
World Fantasy Award nominees announced. 2 of the novels I already wanted to read. I never heard of a 3rd but have added it to my wish list because it sounds great. The other 2 don't interest me and I tend to think they made the list by author name without anyone bothering to read them first. The sad thing is you have to get down to Best Anthology before you find something I've already read. You can guess which books fit in which categories if you check out the list.
http://www.locusmag.com/2007/08_WfaFinalists.html
New Line is trying to mend fences with Peter Jackson to get him involved in The Hobbit after all.
http://www.scifi.com/scifiwire/index.php?category=3&id=43212
The Heroes-Star Trek crossovers continue. Nichelle Nichols (Uhura) will guest star in 5-6 episodes this season. Dominic Keating (Malcolm Reed from Enterprise) will also have an arc. James Kyson Lee (Ando) wants to play Sulu in the new movie.
http://www.trektoday.com/news/110807_01.shtml
In trying to find out if Jeckyll was hacked for US television (I can't find runtimes, but it sounds like it was), I found that Steven Moffat wrote 42 episodes of a show called "Press Gang" back in the early 90s. I'm curious about this, even if it is aimed a bit younger. (Oh, and rumors persist that Steven Moffat will take over Doctor Who if Russell Davies leaves.)
Comic Con video interviews about B5:Lost Tales. My volume isn't working right now, but supposedly Samm Barnes talks about short promo-sodes filmed that weren't included on the dvd but might be pulled from later.
http://media.dvd.ign.com/media/888/888522/vids_1.html
Australia's largest bookseller is trying to kill itself. Clearly the management know absolutely nothing about the book business. If you want to see clever commentary about it, check out (TOR editor) Teresa Neilsen Hayden's blog entry for Friday:
http://nielsenhayden.com/makinglight/archives/009263.html
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