2023 Worldcon has changed its dates and its location (unprecedented in the annals of Worldcons, we believe). Cons have changed committees and venues in the past, Suncon – 1977 – probably coming the closest in looking like it might not happen. The new venue is an as yet uncompleted facility. In other news, the convention announced that it was now able to process credit card sales for memberships, ten days before the registration deadline for Hugo nomination eligibility. Several commentors on File 770 have stated that the CC system is still not working for them. Glitches tend to multiply when there is a rush, and, with demand pent up for the past half year or so, that’s likely to cause problems as well. No such notices are showing on the website,, the information instead being distributed on Facebook and Twitter. Read this post on File 770 for more detail here and here. (Recent testing of the registration process – not done to completion – suggests things are working correctly.)
In related news, the recently released Human Rights Watch World Report 2023, offers this introduction: “The obvious conclusion to draw from the litany of human rights crises in 2022—from Russian President Vladimir Putin’s deliberate attacks on civilians in Ukraine and Xi Jinping’s open-air prison for the Uyghurs in China to the Taliban’s putting millions of Afghans at risk of starvation —is that unchecked authoritarian power leaves behind a sea of human suffering. But 2022 also revealed a fundamental shift in power in the world that opens the way for all concerned governments to push back against these abuses by protecting and strengthening the global human rights system, especially when the actions of the major powers fall short or are problematic.” and, in its section addressing the Uyghurs in China – “In the Xinjiang region, Beijing’s mass detention of an estimated one million Uyghurs and other Turkic Muslims—who are subject to torture, political indoctrination, and forced labor—and severe restrictions on rights to religion, expression, and culture for the general population, stand out for their gravity, scale, and cruelty. The UN found that violations in Xinjiang could amount to crimes against humanity, echoing the findings of Human Rights Watch and other human rights groups.
And, in other news –
The Museum of Sex will open a Miami installation
Paul Di Filippo, recovering from being struck by an SUV (our best wishes for a speedy recovery) nevertheless took the time to help celebrate a SFWA Grand Master on his 88th birthday with a modified Amazing Stories cover – Robert Silverberg as Richard Seaton of Skylark fame.
Stuart Hellinger shares this Tom the Dancing Bug cartoon, illustrating what happens when characters enter the public domain.
Talking about 1950’s British Hardcover Science Fiction. No “Mushroom publishers” in the mix.
In BIG IP News, Wizards of the Coast have pulled back (probably temporarily) on their new licensing structure for third party content. (We think this has more to do with taking the game on-line, plus Hollywood demands, than anything else.) Forbes also has interesting coverage.
One of my old hangouts just celebrated 60 years as a club: Eva Whitley shares photos from The Baltimore Science Fiction Society (BSFS) party.
There could be an Okoye series in the works.
Steven Barnes opines on an article about the deliberate creation of “curious” robots. (I think it means that they’re programmed to say “I know you are, but what am I?”)
Erin Underwood shares this excellent astro-photo of Saturn peeking out from behind the Moon.
Based on DNA analysis, ancient humans passed back and forth between North America and Asia numerous times in pre-history
More D&D Adventure: Fans could be the big losers in an IP war. (Strength: 18 Endurance: 22 IP Spell Casting: 0)
Arc Manor announces changes at Galaxy’s Edge: “One of the biggest changes is that Galaxy’s Edge will be changing its format from a bi-monthly magazine to semi-annual, themed anthology. Issue 62 (May) will be the last issue of the magazine in it’s current format, with the first anthology expected to come out later in the year.” Well, someone apparently gets that e-mags are sold like anthos but pay like periodicals. (From a press release. The magazine changes part, not the unfair pay structure thing.)
Robot maker and calendar publisher Lynne Fahnestalk shares a really cool “rock faces” museum display Some look like fans I know.
DEVOTV, a recently launched streaming channel, offers science fiction and horror fare. “No subscriptions, no ads” It will be interesting to see how this model works out.
Well, mileage may vary: Critically Panned Sci-Fi Movies That Are Actually Worth Your Time
On the other hand, Critically acclaimed after the apocalypse films highlighted on TCM
Chuck Gannon laments the closing of the USMC’s Future Directorate
Chris Barkley seems happy to learn that Stephen Colbert will be producing Chronicles of Amber series
Getty Images is suing AI art program Stable Diffusion
Ralston Stahler announces the release of a new Harlan Ellison collection and so does J. Michael Straczynski
Roy Kettle shares this animation of plate tectonics over the past billion years
First Native American Woman in space takes a walk
Late Breaking: A radio signal from a galaxy 9 billion light years away has been received on Earth
Note: Our featured image today was generated by Stable Diffusion from the prompt “12 angry men jury deliberations”.
Source: Auto Draft
