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Real/Virtual Interaction
Here’s an interesting (albeit ill-thought-out) use for cell phones. Designer Marc Ecko’s company has put up a series of LCD billboards that allow you to “write” on them with any Bluetooth-enabled cell phone. Select the paint color and nozzle size, then point and shoot. It’s a cool idea, and an interesting glimpse of the way…
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The other other white meat
This is for Chip, who has said on many occasions that she “likes them with mustard.” Australians have come up with a novel solution to the millions of feral cats roaming the outback …
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Google Earth’s “Book Layer”
Google–and let me just say right now that if I had to pick who would be running the world in 20 years, my money would be on these guys–has yet another wonderful time-waster in the form of the “Book Layer” in Google Earth. Now when you turn on the “Google Book Search” layer in Google…
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Site Selection for 2009 WorldCon
The race was between Kansas City and Montreal. Montreal won. It will be held August 6 through 10, 2009 at the Palais des congrès de Montréal. Hotel rooms, at current exchange, will be from $120 to $180. I am not a happy camper :/
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Live, from Yokohama … it’s Worldcon!
Okay, not live. But John Pomeranz has asked that this word get out to folks who might be interested in seeing the Worldcon and aren’t themselves in Japan this week: Fast Forward: Contemporary Science Fiction offers daily video reports from Nippon 2007, the first Worldcon in Japan. Click the link to the blog on the…
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Hugo Award and John W. Campbell Award winners for 2007
Awarded in Japan: Best Novel: ‘Rainbows End’ by Vernor Vinge Best Novella: ‘A Billion Eves’ by Robert Reed Best Novelette: ‘The Djinn’s Wife’ by Ian McDonald Best Short Story: ‘Impossible Dreams’ by Tim Pratt Best Related Book: ‘James Tiptree Jr: The Double Life of Alice B. Sheldon’ by Julie Phillips Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form:…
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Flashes in the sky
It wasn’t as spectacular as I hoped, but I watched the Aurigids meteor shower this morning. Saw about 15 really good ones in a half hour period. I wonder when my neighbor will discover that his security lightbulb has been, um, loosened? <G>
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Jim Baen’s Universe
SF Signal says: Jim Baen’s Universe made a splash last year as an online-only, DRM-free short fiction magazine. It has since attracted big-name authors and numerous accolades. It didn’t splash on me; I had no idea this site existed. Neat! Link
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NASA Photo Archives to be Available Online
NASA has partnered with the Internet Archive to build a giant, free, online repository of still and moving images from its enormous collection. Here’s a link to a CNET article about the deal, although Cory Doctorow notes that the article gets one important fact wrong: The agreement is nonexclusive, as agreements with government agencies should…
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Lunar “Ark” Proposed to Help Save Earth
Researchers at France’s International Space University have suggested that NASA’s planned moonbase be expanded to include both a “biological and historical archive” of human civilization, and also to include a scheme for extending the Internet from the Moon to Earth. The idea is to get all of our eggs out of one basket and be…