…what with his wife, Emily, giving birth to twins. It sounds like he’s pretty happy with this state of affairs, though. Go leave him a congratulatory comment. Or, better yet, go buy one of his books— they’re great fun for you to read, and will help keep Toby supplied with the vast number of diapers… Continue reading Tobias Buckell Is Outnumbered…
Category: Books
Matter and Interactions and Dark Matter for Kids
New ScienceBlogger and American Gladiator Ethan Siegel of Starts With a Bang has a couple of nice posts about dark matter and how we know it’s there (one, two). These posts reminded me that I never did follow up on the discussion following my post about Magic World Media, who are looking to publish kids’… Continue reading Matter and Interactions and Dark Matter for Kids
Physics for Kindergarteners
The monthly Sigma Xi email newsletter for April included a link to Magic World Media, a new company producing children’s books about science: Magic World Media was founded in 2008 by scientists in order to offer children a view into the mysterious ways of life and the universe through books and other forms of media.… Continue reading Physics for Kindergarteners
Tolkien, Religion, and the Death of Western Culture
I was rather surprised when Friday’s quick post about Tolkien spawned a lengthy comment thread full of people arguing against the suggestion that The Lord of the Rings is affected by Tolkien’s Catholic faith. I’m no Tolkien scholar, but my impression of the field is that this is simply not a controversial statement, that there… Continue reading Tolkien, Religion, and the Death of Western Culture
Tolkien Not Religious?
Arts & Letters Daily had a link to a City Journal article about religious symbolism in science fiction, which attempts to claim that there has been a recent swing toward Christian symbolism in the genre (at least, in movie and television SF– the only books mentioned are forty-ish years old). There are a number of… Continue reading Tolkien Not Religious?
Hugo Nominations Announced
The nominees for this year’s Hugo Awards were announced last night. The most important category is, as always, Best Novel: Anathem by Neal Stephenson (Morrow; Atlantic UK) The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman (HarperCollins; Bloomsbury UK) Little Brother by Cory Doctorow (Tor Teen; HarperVoyager UK) — Free download Saturn’s Children by Charles Stross (Ace; Orbit… Continue reading Hugo Nominations Announced
(Wis)Con or Bust
In an effort to wrest something positive from the smoking ruins of the fannish precincts of LiveJournal, a number of people (Kate included) have put together a community to raise money to provide financial assistance to fans of color who want to attend Wiscon or some other convention. They’re auctioning off a lot of interesting… Continue reading (Wis)Con or Bust
Talk Like a Physicist
One of last year’s highest-traffic posts was, weirdly, Talk Like a Physicist. I say “weirdly” because it wasn’t much more than a link to Tom at Swans On Tea. It’s that time of year again, and Tom’s back with an updated list of vocabulary for your physicist-talking needs. I don’t have much to add, but… Continue reading Talk Like a Physicist
How to Teach Physics to Your Dog: Coming This Christmas
I have an official release date for the book-in-production: December 22nd. There’s no lay-down date, though, so they may turn up in stores before then. Mark it down on your Christmas list now… There’s also an official title and cover: Emmy’s slightly miffed that she’s not the dog on the cover, but that’s what she… Continue reading How to Teach Physics to Your Dog: Coming This Christmas
The Queen on Facebook
The book is now starting through the production process, and people at Scribner are thinking about publicity. I got email asking whether I could set up a Facebook page for Emmy as a promotion. I’m not sure whether that meant a fan page for the dog, or a Facebook profile for her, as if she… Continue reading The Queen on Facebook