Pete Vonder Haar at Blog 9 from Outer Space is not enthusiastic about a Sex and the City movie. Neither am I, really, and this wouldn’t rate a post except for a passing mention: At any rate, I’m sure a movie about a quartet of promiscuous 40- and 50-somethings will be much better than that… Continue reading Remake Poll 1: TV to Film
Why Go to Concerts?
An insane audiophile of my acquaintance recently remarked (in a locked LiveJournal, otherwise I’d link to it) that while live classical music is clearly superior to recorded classical music, it’s crazy to go to a live performance of pop music because “you’re not hearing actual instruments/voices, you’re hearing them miked and amplified through speakers just… Continue reading Why Go to Concerts?
Steven Erikson, Reaper’s Gale [Library of Babel]
I still have one Hugo nominee to read, but I needed to take a break between Glasshouse and Blindsight, so I rewarded myself with the latest in Steven Erikson’s epic Tales of the Malazan Book of the Fallen, Reaper’s Gale. We’re still a few books behind in the US, so this is a gigantic UK… Continue reading Steven Erikson, Reaper’s Gale [Library of Babel]
Eight Things
The slow-motion “meme” of the moment is this “eight things about yourself” list. Doctor Pion tagged me a while back, but I’ve been bad about actually responding, because I’m lazy. This seems like a good weekend topic, though, so here are some random facts about me (I’ll try not to repeat any from previous versions… Continue reading Eight Things
Biological SF and “Getting” the Web
Andre at Biocurious points out an interesting piece in Nature. They interviewed four prominent SF authors–Paul McAuley, Ken Macleod, Joan Slonczewski, and Peter Watts about biology in science fiction. The resulting article is a good read, with lots of interesting anecdotes and examples, and if you go to the supplementary information page for the article,… Continue reading Biological SF and “Getting” the Web
Don’t Fix What Ain’t Broke
Inside Higher Ed reports today on a new brainstrom from the ETS With criticism growing that standardized tests and grades fail to convey the full picture of applicants, the Educational Testing Service is preparing a standardized way for graduate schools to consider students’ non-cognitive strengths and weaknesses. Under the “Personal Potential Index,” which was developed… Continue reading Don’t Fix What Ain’t Broke
Olive Earth
I know, it’s “Live Earth,” but they’ve got this giant blue-green circle at the left of their logo, which makes it look like an illuminated initial capital… So, the latest charity rock specatcle is scheduled to start tonight. I can’t say I’ve been paying any attention– I only noticed it today because the New York… Continue reading Olive Earth
Summer at ACME College
“Ahhhh… summer at last. No more classes. No more committee meetings. Do you realize what this means?” “Ummmmm…. no. What does it mean? What are we going to do this summer, Brain?” “The same thing we do every summer…. Try to do PUBLISHABLE RESEARCH!!!” ———— “Are you pondering what I’m pondering?” “I think so, Brain,… Continue reading Summer at ACME College
Trust Me About the Sunscreen
Just in time to drive parents into a panic for the rest of the summer, the New York Times has a big article about sunscreen: Dr. [James] Spencer [a dermatologist in Florida] said that an S.P.F. 15 product screens about 94 percent of UVB rays while an S.P.F. 30 product screens 97 percent. Manufacturers determine… Continue reading Trust Me About the Sunscreen
sigh, Perpetual Motion
I suppose I really ought to say something about the “demonstration” of Steorn’s perpetual motion machine that’s supposed to start today, but, really, I don’t have much to say. I mean, if they were claiming that their device extracted free energy from extra dimensions thanks to their revolutionary new theory of quantum gravity, I might… Continue reading sigh, Perpetual Motion