Happy Holidays (both recently passed and upcoming) and Merry Christmas to those who celebrate tomorrow’s holiday, to all of our readers from all of us at Amazing Stories.
(And our assurances from the scientific side that the Sun WILL return, the crops WILL grow (the cats WILL prevent the rodents from eating most of the stores) and pretty soon no one will have to chop through ice to obtain potable water. We hope you’ve enjoyed this year’s 297,637,000,000 trip across the Universe and are looking forward to the next.)
According to news reports, the return to flight of Bezo’s Blue Origin’s New Shephard spaceship was aborted.
NASA is laser-beaming credential videos to Earthlings. Closest we’ve come so far to Space Cats, other than in the movies.
ESA shared video from the Mars Express orbiter of the Labyrinth of Night, a fascinating terrain feature on Mars
Cory Doctorow takes a look at AI in this piece on Locus. David Brin shared a few comments.
Linda Bushyager shares the anniversary of her novel Master of Hawks republication
Scientists at the National Ignition Facility announce that they have replicated their Fusion experiment successfully several times, producing more energy output than input
Charlie Stross wants tech billionaires to stop trying to create 50’s Science Fiction for real
Origins: Was the original draft of (The) Star Wars inspired by Edgar Rice Burrough’s A Fighting Man of Mars? (and if so, shouldn’t ERB have gotten those honorary degrees?)
“Story Analyzer” writing tool is AI, according to this post
Whales communicated with successfully in first trial. (Can you guys talk to those killer whales about their rudder fetish?) (And, this kind of borks ST’s The Voyage Home, doesn’t it?)
The author of a FanFic sequel to The Lord of the Rings has been sued by the Tolkein estate. (Get your copy now as they are to be destroyed.)
The Sci-Fi Hall of Fame discussion drops part 2, all about Campbell’s short story Twilight. Listen here.
No, we’re not done with space news quite yet: The Planetary Society details China’s plans for the future.
TOR.Com announces the closing of Small Beer Press
Well, if you aren’t yet sated with inappropriate comments about the 7th planet, this article will probably take care of that: The Mighty James Webb Peers Directly Into Uranus (Heh. They said “peers”.)
The Snark is Strong In This One: The Guardian piles on to the review bombing of Rebel Moon. (No piles reported on Uranus.)
