AMAZING NEWS: 12/1/24: I Ate Too Much On Thanksgiving and Can Only Lie Around And Read Amazing News Edition

This Week’s News Is Brought To You By –

Of Special Note

It is a sad week, seeing the passing of Linda Bushyager, Trina King and Trent Zelazny.  Condolences to all.  They are and will be missed.  We’ll all catch up with them again on the River World.

Other Special Note

Our Holiday Sale & Gift Guide is on-going until December 31st.  Check it out!

AMAZING PEOPLE NEWS

Regina Kanyu Wang shares a new profile pic with her PhD Diploma.  Congratulations again, Regina!  (Not a public post.)

Fandom

A group of Fans is attempting to fund raise for a Superman statue (to honor Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster I presume?)

Science

Video of folks testing out an “Artificial Gravity Lab”

Reviews

Dave Hook offers up a review of The Last Dangerous Visions in this “deep dive”

Steven Barber offers some additional thoughts.

Awards

Cory Doctorow’s coinage – “Enshitification” has been added to the dictionary.

Literature

There are multiple genre entries in this NY Times Top 100 Books of 2024 list.  (Paywalled.  Do a google search in incognito mode)

New Releases

David Brin announces the release of a hardcover edition of Sun Diver, the very first Uplift novel

Ann Stolinsky of Celestial Echo Press sent out a long email to contributors to the two volume Ruth and Ann’s Guide To Time Travel anthology series about the release party and readings at this past Philcon.  The anthologies have been submitted for several award considerations, and a handful of the stories have been submitted for the Pushcart Prize.  Check them out at Celestial Echo Press.  (Full disclosure:  I wrote the introduction for Volume 1, and have a story in Volume 2.)

Retro

There’s some pretty cool, desirable and a few odd offerings at this auction of SF film and TV props

Social Commentary

Did you know that there were “Sci Fi Influencers”?  Apparently so, as Feedspot compiled a list of the Top 60 of them here.  (Flawed list:  no 4E, no me…)

UK passes Assisted Dying Laws, advancing the cause of bodily autonomy

Just For Fun

AI Fascinated has an entire library of Youtube videos, created by AI, that offer some interesting takes on retro-futurism

Mini-Editorial

There’s Disruption, and then there’s doing things that in a different world would be a terminal offense.  One such was recently announced, a new book publisher intending to flood the market by producing 8,000 books in a single year.  And yes, you guessed it, by using AI. 

But they’re not doing so in the traditional way (if you can call AI “traditional”.  Nope.  They’re offering to use AI to “proof, produce, publish and distribute” your book, for as little as $5,000 per.

Beyond questions of what their AI’s take on the Oxford Comma is, all you need to know in regards to this effort is the maxim:  Money Flows To The Writer, NOT the other way around. 

This is horrible, no doubt.  But I’m sure its just a precursor to more and worse.  I expect it won’t be long before Amazon becomes not only the largest book stributor, but the largest publisher, and the largest “author”.

In the Future

Monday:

These Streets Are Bruised by Alexander Zelenyj – FREE STORY

Tuesday:

The Big Idea: Sung-Il Kim

Wednesday:

Unexpected Questions with Elaine Isaak

Thursday:

What Happened to the PROTEUS from FANTASTIC VOYAGE?

Friday:

Matt’s Reviews: Water Witch by Connie Willis and Cynthia Felice

Featured Image

Our store’s sale flyer