SPECIAL NOTE TO US CITIZENS:  Whatever your party affiliation, please, please, please take the time this coming Tuesday to exercise your franchise and VOTE!

PRESS RELEASES & NEWSLETTERS (See full text below)

UK Blog Awards; StarShipSofa; Medium; Krypton Radio; CAI Pictures; S.C. Flynn; RPGNet; Planetary Resources; TOR.com; World Fantasy Awards; Quantum Muse; Omni

SOCIAL

Echoing our sentiments above – Rep. John Lewis, Civil Rights Hero

Guilty of writing above her station

Driven Off Twitter

Wondering About the Pipeline Protest?  Here’s Why It’s a Protest

Empowerment:  This is how to raise a child

ENTERTAINMENT

Screw Disney:  THIS is an amusement park!

Wonder Woman Trailer – officially AMAZING!

Navy Plans New Ship:  Kinda Looks Like Something Familiar….and More

Freeman Dyson (of Sphere fame) Wants a Green Universe (via Mike Walsh)

Finally!  (Maybe):  A New Starship Troopers may help wash the taste of Verhoeven out of our collective movie mouths….(If they don’t have powered armor in this one I’m gonna bounce on over to Hollywood and give them a few rounds from my ‘Y’ rack; anything that’s left over is gonna get a taste of my hand flamer, a dose of fire pills and a couple of thirty-second bombs….)

Leiber Does’t Fare Well When Young People Read Old SF

Arisia’s Next Guests for BDSM Programming: Penny & Leonard (“Thank you Maam!  May I please calculate another?!”)

Dr. Strange Primer

R. L. Stine penning book for Marvel

INDUSTRY

WSFS YA Award News

New Release: Everythings Better With More Cthluhu

New Release: Myrmicologists Rejoice!

Boskone 54 Souvenier Book Ad Space Available

Canopus Award (via Alex Shvartsman)

The Grimm Future now available

CoCs:  A Discussion

SCIENCE

Unless ‘fer sure you’re gonna be around in 2034, Don’t Miss This Super Moon!

James Webb Space Telescope has a secret

They’re making spacesuits in…Brooklyn.

There’s nickel-iron in them thar (Martian) hills!

Making a Light Sail?  Here’s some tips

ISS Crew Returns Safely

Penguin Detectives Wanted

PRESS RELEASES & NEWSLETTERS

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The Krypton Radio newsletter ROCKS FROM SPACE is back, direct to your inbox! Here’s the latest: We’ve had a pretty rough month this month. We lost both Michael Brown, our Four Color Bullet comics columnist, and Vagabond “Tony” Carter, (Robert Hess when not on the air) both to heart attacks within about a week’s time. Michael was 46, and Robert was only 40, and they both died of heart attacks. Two finer men we have never known, and Krypton Radio wouldn’t have grown to be what it is without them. We are saddened, and surprised by the suddenness of it, and confused as to how we’re supposed to go on without these men by our side. It’s just not something you get over. Time shouldn’t heal all wounds. Sometimes you want the people in your life to be a part of you forever, and Robert and Michael always will be. Also, a minor correction, station owners Susan Fox and Gene Turnbow have been invited to Arisia in Boston in January of 2017 – that’s January, not February – as Radio Guests of Honor. Remember, you can get some great new shirts at some great new prices on Krypton Radio’s Secret Lab, right on our web site. We have sizes up to 6XL, so there are shirts that fit everyone. If you’re a patron of Krypton Radio via our Patreon campaign, we’re done being cagey about it. Just go pick out which shirt you want, and if you’re donating $10 a month or more, we’ll send you any one design you want for free. Just email us at kryptonradio@kryptonradio.com with your selection (but you have to be a Patreon supporter to qualify). See the link at the bottom of this newsletter for the Patreon campaign itself. Keep it tuned to Krypton Radio. It’s the best geek radio there is. Video of the Day: Silver Surfer Cruises New York for Halloween Performance artist Jesse Wellen has himself painted up as the Silver Surfer and cruises the streets of New York on a silver board. Read more. Happy Halloween: Spooky Deals for PC and Console! Halloween is one of the best times of the year to get great deals on games. Check ’em out. Read more. Cosplay at L.A. Comic Con 2016 The best costumes at L.A. Comic Con 2016. Check ’em out. Read more. The Strangest Marvel Yet (‘Doctor Strange’ Review) “What mysteries lie beyond the reach of your senses?” Susan Chester-Woods reviews. Read more. Once Again, An Obituary: Robert Hess, “Vagabond ‘Tony’ Carter”, Gone at 40 Another Krypton Radio team member has passed on in the space of two weeks. Robert Hess, you will be sorely missed. Read more. Krypton Radio is listener supported radio. If you like what you’re hearing (and reading) please become a patron of Krypton Radio. Just five green things a month. That’s all we ask.

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Enclosed is a press release for our proof-of-concept short we filmed on location in Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire entitled THE THREE HARES, which is now live, 31st October 2016, All Hallow’s Eve, on Vimeo and YouTube.

Here is a link to the proof-of-concept short:
https://vimeo.com/154523899

Please find the Press Release at link below:
https://www.caistudio.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/press.release.oct_.2016.tth2_.pdf

Here is a link to the teaser:
https://vimeo.com/137145967

Based on true legends of the west country, THE THREE HARES focuses on the mysterious symbol of the Three Hares (three hares entwined in a circle connected by their ears) and three shape-shifting sibling hare witches.

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RPGnet Newsletter #75
November 1, 2016

Kickstarter Spotlight – Kickstarters You Might Have Missed Edition

Typically, the Newsletter only does one Kickstarter Spotlight per month. After last week’s edition, however, two of your fellow RPGnetters put in requests for Kickstarter Campaigns to be featured in the Newsletter. So, this week, in place of our normal Threads You Might Have Missed feature, we’ll take a quick look at those two additional gaming-related Kickstarters. As always, if you have suggestions or requests for Newsletter content, please shoot me (Iustum) a PM.

First up, requested by RPGnetter El Ravager34, is Mythic Wars: Clash of the Gods & Cthulhu Rises. This campaign from Excalibre Games US offers both the base game (Mythic Wars: Clash of the Gods) and an expansion (Cthulhu Rises). Mythic Wars is a deckbuilding, dice-rolling tabletop game wherein the players battle it out between groups of deities called factions. The full game rules are available linked from the Kickstarter campaign, making it fairly easy for prospective backers to get a feel for whether this is the type of tabletop game for them.

Excalibre Games has been producing well-regarded tabletop games (predominantly hex-and-counter war games) for many years, so this foray into a different style is well-worth your time to check out. The Mythic Wars: Clash of the Gods & Cthulhu Rises Kickstarter runs until December 2.

Second, RPGnetter Allandaros pointed out the Operation Unfathomable Kickstarter Campaign from Jason Sholtis of the Hydra Cooperative. (Full disclosure – Allandaros is a member of the Hydra Cooperative.)

Operation Unfathomable is a “gonzo funhouse” underworld campaign setting for the OSR Swords & Wizardry RPG. The Kickstarter campaign page has loads of previews of the book’s content and art, so a prospective backer should be able to discern pretty quickly whether it would be a useful addition to their OSR library. Also worth noting is that Sholtis is using primarily his own art in the book, which will definitely help maintain its consistent aesthetic. The campaign is also very transparent with regard to shipping costs and has some useful charts to help prospective backers make sense of the various pledge levels. (In fact, after seeing them, Yr. Humble Editor is more than happy to sign a petition that would make similar charts mandatory for all future gaming Kickstarters.)

Overall, if you have any interest in running an underworld-based OSR campaign, it is well worth your time to check this out. The Operation Unfathomable Kickstarter runs until November 10.

New Columns

Christopher Cecil offered up a new Fuzzy Thinking: “A Hard Hobbit to Break.”

Fred Furtado of Superseeds rounded out his series on trophy-based superheroes in “The Trophy Room, Part Three.”

And, Sandy Antunes leapt back up on Sandy’s Soapbox with some tongue-in-cheek advice about “Making IP Theft Work for You!”

New Reviews

The week started off with four more new gaming accessory reviews from Antonios S:

• “Metal Tech Dice Set (black);”
• “Forest Dice Pouch (beige & black);”
• “Elvish Graphite Suede Dice Cup;” and,
• “BattleTech Dice Set: House Marik.”

Antonios S also reviewed to supplements for the Dice City board game. First up was “Dice City: Crossroads,” where Dice City becomes more tactical and more themed in a single expansion. Second was “Dice City: All That Glitters,” a meaningful, if somewhat limited, addition to the original game.

John T. Jessop took a look at “Red Mists: Swords Against Sorcery,” a slim, beautiful, visceral and flawed gem of an RPG that gets right most of what makes S&S such a compelling genre.

And, Edward Kabara reviewed the “Call of Cthulhu Seventh Edition Keeper Rulebook,” and found it to suffer from some design/layout problems, but to be a reanimation of a great rule system.

Sign Off

Have a good week, everyone.

• Iustum
  Newsletter Editor

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I am extremely excited to share that Planetary Resources has finalized a 25 million euro investment and cooperation agreement with the Luxembourg Government and the public-law banking institution “Société Nationale de Crédit et d’Investissement” (SNCI).

This funding will accelerate the company’s technical advancements with the aim of launching the first commercial asteroid prospecting mission by 2020.

We’re honored to be working with Luxembourg’s bold and visionary SpaceResources.lu initiative, and are excited to develop the resources on asteroids for a prosperous future for humanity, here on Earth and in space.

Read the full release on our website here.

Cordialement-

-Chris Lewicki
President, CEO & Chief Asteroid Miner
Planetary Resources, Inc.

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BLOG ORIGINAL FICTION EXCERPTS     Dream-casting Brandon Sanderson’s The Way of Kings Last week, we learned that the film and licensing rights to Brandon Sanderson’s entire Cosmere have been purchased by DMG Entertainment, and it’s likely that they’ll begin adapting the series with The Way of Kings. Alice Arneson shares some thoughts on the announcement, then turns to a group of Sanderson’s dedicated beta readers for casting suggestions: check out their picks for Kaladin, Shallan, Adolin, and the rest of the major characters, and nominate your own cast in the comments! SHARE THIS:         Spin by Robert Charles Wilson is the Tor.com eBook Club Pick for November! At the beginning of each month, the Tor.com eBook Club gives away a free sci-fi/fantasy eBook to club subscribers. We’re happy to announce that the pick for October 2016 is Spin, by Robert Charles Wilson , the Hugo Award-winning first book in Wilson’s Spin trilogy. This title will be available for download from November 1st to the end of day (EST) November 7th; for legal reasons the offer is only open to readers in the U.S. and Canada, but all are welcome to join the conversation on Tor.com throughout the month! SHARE THIS:         Find Out What’s Inside Brandon Sanderson’s New Cosmere Book Arcanum Unbounded On November 22nd, fans of Brandon Sanderson’s books get to find out how they’re all connected! Arcanum Unboundedis a collection of stories that take place within the “Cosmere,” the overarching universe that contains the author’s many epics. New readers will find a wealth of exciting introductory stories into Sanderson’s myriad worlds, and established fans will get to enjoy tales from the Mistborn series and read a new multi-chapter Stormlight Archive story before the next book, Oathbringer, arrives. Check out the full Table of Contents here, and let us know what you’re most excited to read! SHARE THIS:         Women of Harry Potter: Ginny Weasley Is Not Impressed Sarah Gailey starts off a new series of essays about women in the world of Harry Potter with a deep dive into one of the books’ most underappreciated and undervalued characters: Ginevra Molly goddamn Weasley, who let a monster into her heart, looked into the eyes of a murderer, fought for her life, and won…. SHARE THIS:         19 Positive Approaches to Religion in Sci-Fi and Fantasy Leah Schnelbach discusses nineteen books and short stories that tackle religious questions in respectful and positive ways-while these stories sometimes go to uncomfortable places, they each take faith seriously, and would be worthy additions to the TBR stacks of believers and non-believers alike. Please add your own suggestions for further reading in the comments! SHARE THIS:         When the Marvel Magic Feels Flat: A Non-Spoiler Review of Doctor Strange Marvel’s Doctor Strange-starring Benedict Cumberbatch, Tilda Swinton, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Benedict Wong, and Rachel McAdams-is out in theaters this week, and Alasdair Stuart has some good news for fans in his non-spoiler review: it’s a solid adaptation, and a very entertaining movie. The bad news is that it could have been so much more… SHARE THIS:         100 African Writers of SFF – Part Two: Writers in the U.K. A crime writer whose grandfather was a king…a white South African anti-apartheid activist…a free-market neo-liberal Rastafarian from Zimbabwe…a South African rap/ jazz-rock star, illustrator, and author: these are just a few of the amazing writers you’ll meet in Part Two of our series “100 African Writers of SFF ,” in which award-winning author Geoff Ryman explores the burgeoning literary communities producing science fiction, fantasy, and speculative fiction across the continent of Africa and beyond. SHARE THIS:       NEW ORIGINAL FICTION   The Loud Table, by Jonathan Carroll “The Loud Table” by Jonathan Carroll is an SF/fantasy short story about four elderly men who regularly hang out. One of the men is worried that he’s getting Alzheimer’s, but the truth might be even more discomforting. SHARE THIS:         Dune: Red Plague, by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson Even in his dreams, he could still hear the long-ago cheering and feel the energy and heartfelt dedication of the crowd. It roared around him, making his sleep restless. Young Manford Torondo could see the beatific face of Rayna Butler, his inspiration, his beloved mentor-whose vision had brought healing and faith to the human race after the bloody generations-long Jihad. “Dune: Red Plague” is an all-new Tale of the Great Schools of Dune-written to accompany the new novel Navigators of Dune (Tor, September 2016). SHARE THIS:         The Auntie, by Alyssa Wong and Wendy Xu To help our readers celebrate Halloween (the best holiday of the year, in our opinion), Tor.com presents “The Auntie”, a delightfully haunting witch duet from the artist Wendy Xu and author Alyssa Wong that’s sure to cast a spell on you! SHARE THIS:       Tweets From Tor.com Follow us on Twitter! Tor.com @tordotcom 8m Robert Charles Wilson’s SPIN has much to recommend it; here are 5 reasons why we love it: https://t.co/KoxcS vjHo3 Tor.com @tordotcom 1h 6 Times People Noped Straight Out of Reality: https://t.co/roVdbglFEA @bbeaulieu@Rob_Ziegler @erniecline… https://t.co/8PtSW kgcm5 Tor.com @tordotcom 2h INVISIBLE PLANETS ed. & trans. by @kyliu99 brings together stunning stories w/ unique takes on speculative fiction: https://t.co/0rhd7 dVnKI Tor.com @tordotcom 3h It’s good to know that even the Great A’Tuin celebrates Halloween: https://t.co/rhzxkUTSeuhttps://t.co/NITEu 4KM5j FOLLOW US:

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2016 World Fantasy Awards

Final Ballot and Life Achievement Award Winners

 LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT

David G. Hartwell

Andrzej Sapkowski

 NOVELS

* Anna Smaill, The Chimes (Sceptre)

 LONG FICTION

* Kelly Barnhill, The Unlicensed Magician (PS Publishing)

SHORT FICTION
* Alyssa Wong, “Hungry Daughters of Starving Mothers,” (Nightmare magazine, Oct. 2015)

ANTHOLOGY
* Silvia Moreno-Garcia and Paula R. Stiles, eds., She Walks in Shadows (Innsmouth Free Press)

 COLLECTION
* C. S. E. Cooney, Bone Swans (Mythic Delirium Books)

 ARTIST

* Galen Dara

 SPECIAL AWARD – PROFESSIONAL

* Stephen Jones, for The Art of Horror (Applause Theatre Book Publishers)

 SPECIAL AWARD – NONPROFESSIONAL

* John O’Neill, for Black Gate: Adventures in Fantasy Literature

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We hope you all enjoyed last October’s horror issue.  Next up at Quantum Muse we return to our disordered and querky state of varity.

the November, 2016 issue of Quantum Muse is now up at www.quantummuse.com.

This month we feature the art of Alastair Temple.

following is a list of this months selections.

The Report by Harris  Tobias

Ultima Ratio: Phase I – Retroviridae by John Henson Webb Deep Water by John Henson Webb Catching A Ride To Lovecraft  by Andrew Dunn

Please remember to check out our weekly flash fiction and discussions.

Have a happy whatever

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Time-tripping with Lucid Dreams Would you like to arrive in the Americas with the Pilgrims, experience ancient Rome, or visit future, domed cities on Mars? Whatever time tripping fantasy you harbor, you can, with proper training and practice, attempt to fulfill it in your dreams.

Most of the time, you probably don’t realize you’ve been dreaming until after you wake up. By then the dream has already come to an end. Some people, however, are conscious that they’re dreaming while the dream is in progress, a state of consciousness known as lucid dreaming. And, research now reveals, lucid dreamers can direct their dreams, much like a film director directs a film. They can create or eliminate characters, fly to distant locales, change their actions and the actions of others, even alter dream weather, scenery, or props. With all those capabilities, lucid dreamers can certainly teach themselves to dream of historic or future locales. –and read the rest here.   LUCID DREAM TIME TRAVEL A major requirement for successful dream control is the ability to remember, appreciate, and record your dreams

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