AMAZING NEWS: Countdown to Eclipse 4/7/24 (Don’t Look Directly At Eclipse!)

LATER TODAY:  Ken Burnside is offering a class on the Squadron Strike Spreadsheet of Doom. “If you’re an SF author and want to have space combat in your setting, I strongly recommend you sit in on this.”

ECLIPSE SPECIAL

Despite prior stoopid Presidential examples to the contrary, DO NOT LOOK DIRECTLY AT THE SUN during the eclipse unless your eyes are properly protected.

(Our featured image for this post depicts fictionalized version of naked eyes exposed directly to an eclipse)

To find out when and what you’ll see, try this Zip Code – based tool.

Or view this map of totality from NASA

No special glasses?  Learn how to quickly and inexpensively make a “pinhole” camera from NASA.

History of Eclipses

Bill Nye on What Happens During An Eclipse

Upcoming Eclipses – NASA

ECLIPSE SPECIAL FOR REALITY-CHALLENGED INDIVIDUALS

The sun is NOT being eaten
The end of the world is not upon us
This is a natural phenomena, caused by the unique  orbital mechanics of our solar system, the Earth and the Moon
People who look hairier during an eclipse may be lycanthropes, or it may just be the lighting
If you see bodies ascending towards heaven, some local rube has filled sex dolls with helium
The Moon has not been kicked out of its orbit by an explosion at a nuclear storage facility
Cthulhu has not risen

AMAZING PEOPLE NEWS

Richard Graeme Cameron, publisher of Polar Borealis and regular contributor to Amazing Stories (among many other things) announced that he has been diagnosed with  skin cancer, expressing more concern over receiving rejection slips than the diagnosis.  Everyone at Amazing Stories hopes for and expects a positive outcome and wished Graeme the best!

Farah Mendelsohn shared a post about religious, versus traditional, garb for women

Fred A Levy Haskell of MinnSTF and other Fannish Fames, shares his thoughts on the recent Hugo controversy

David Agranoff continues his review series of stories collected in The Science Fiction Hall of Fame

Friends Paul Weimer, Allison Hartman Adams, Christopher J. Garcia and James Bacon request submissions for a special Be The Change  issue of Journey Planet:  How do we go about fixing the Hugo Awards?

Gary Farber notes Tom Digby’s passing

Speaking of Dave Langford’s Dow Weir Award win, the latest issue of Ansible has been published

Lynne Fahnestalk (Rivet of Robots) won the award for Best 3D art at the recent Norwescon – Congrats!

John J. Pierce informs us that the world’s first electrified road – that charges ELVs as they drive – has been opened in Sweden

Ellen Kushner, channeled by Gary Farber, shares a report of an audio book team quitting over having to record the Jewish “Shema” prayer around

Jeff Vandermeer announces the fourth Southern Reach novel – Absolution also 10th anniversary editions of the Southern Reach Trilogy

Mr. Sci Fi – Marc Zicree – would like to remind everyone about his show – Star Command

Lee Gilliland wants everyone to become a Harvard Grad with this FREE Introduction to Computer Science and Programming course

Sara Felix has published a one-shot detailing the April Fools Hugo Award sculpture

AMAZING NEWS

Fandom

Natasha Bardon announces that she has declined a nomination for a Hugo Award and, yes, last year is the reason

The CORFLU 41 Memory Book is now available for order

Universal acclaim for Dave Langford’s winning the Doc Weir Award

Hugo Award “Second Chance” nominations

Vernor Vinge memorial video

Science

We’re getting closer to a “Matrix” future

Damien Walter podcast states that we’ll never have starships

Space

Pluto has been elevated to the Official State Planet of Arizona.  Take that other 49 states!

NASA selects new Moon Buggy contractor

Blue Origin announces that Ed Dwight, the first Black Astronaut, has been selected as crew for the next New Shepherd launch

Nuclear Fusion sets record  for sustained reaction

Industry

Harper Collins is cramming more words onto a page

Disney control battle:  resolved in Iger’s favor, but here’s what led up to the fight

Is OpenAI’s manager of its startup funds an AI?

Literature

Jason Bleckly reviews Allen Steele’s Captain Future in Love (published by Amazing Selects)

DAW announces the release of John Wiswell’s Someone You Can Build A Nest In 

Dave Langford announces a book that collects the author profiles from New Worlds magazine, from Ansible press

Murania Press announces updated for 2024 edition of THE BLOOD ‘N’ THUNDER GUIDE TO PULP FICTION

Film & TV

A new podcast begins to take a look at every SF film ever made:  first episode features one of our favorite SF Academics – Lisa Yaszek

A different director says that Star Trek’s Section 31 show is different

Keith DeCandido discusses Discovery’s latest season on Reactor

Earth Abides gets adapted for the screen

Land of the Lost to return in 2025

Film Rights to ERB’s John Carter revert to the estate

Retro

Gillian Anderson is up for an X Files reboot

Social Commentary

An interview with ALA President detailing how horrible it is out there for librarians these days

How do residents of Hiroshima feel about the film Oppenheimer?

Jon Stewart discusses the impact of AI on the Daily Show, and has some biting commentary

There are actually two survivors of the Tulsa Race Massacre still alive, and they are hoping to testify

Just For Fun

Video compares the sizes of fiction starships.  (Note:  Damien Walter not included)

The Death of Captain Future – Japanese TV program (Note:  Allen Steele not included)

Upcoming Events

Sunday, May 25th will feature the Black Queer Book Fair in Houston, TX 

October 18-27 – Fantasy Fest in Key West