And He Built A Geometrically Precise House

heinlein1It may have been the Golden Age of science fiction but every author knew there was more gold outside the field than inside.

Robert A. Heinlein worked hard to market his work to the mainstream. He sold to the Saturday Evening Post (1947). He scripted Destination Moon (1950; its special effects won an Oscar). He tried to get his stories on television.

His fame among Americans received a mighty boost in 1952 thanks to his latest serial in Boy’s Life, an appearance on Edward R. Murrow’s radio show This I Believe, and a Popular Mechanics feature about the house he and Virginia Heinlein built in Colorado Springs.

”A House To Make Life Easy” by Thomas E. Stimson, Jr. ran in the June 1952 issue of Popular Mechanics. It begins:

In what kind of house will a spaceship captain live during his stopovers on earth?

It’s too early to say yet, though probably it will contain some of the features of a residence just built by Robert A. Heinlein in Colorado Springs, Colo.

The engineering training that gives him a solid background for writing about the mechanics of space travel also has helped him in designing a house that’s called extreme today but may become conventional before the 20th century has run its course.

Curiously, “Mrs. Heinlein” appears in several photos, but unlike Robert, her first name is never mentioned. Popular Mechanics may have been enthusiastic about the house of the future, however, it showed no curiosity about the family of the future – or even the next decade. The traditional 1950s family roles remained undisturbed —

A time-consuming domestic chore is that of carrying dishes to the dining table before a meal and then carrying them back to the kitchen after a meal is finished. In the Heinlein house the table rolls right into the kitchen where all the silver, china and food dishes are laid out. Then the table is pushed through the wall into the dining area. It goes back into the kitchen again after a meal and Mrs. Heinlein transfers the dishes directly to the dishwasher.

[Link via David Brin.]

Yolen Honored By NEPR

Paul Lambert, President, NEPR Foundation, with Jane Yolen.

Paul Lambert, President, NEPR Foundation, with Jane Yolen.

Jane Yolen received the 2014 New England Public Radio Award for the Arts and Humanities Award at a ceremony in Holyoke, MA on May 12.

Established by the New England Public Radio Foundation in 2008, the award recognizes the contributions of local talent, and brings greater public awareness to the critical role played by musicians, artists, dancers, actors, writers, and teachers in western New England.

NEPR selected Yolen because —

She is a mentor, a friend and an inspiration to many writers living here in western New England, and has worked extensively with schools and libraries in the local community to bring the joy of reading, writing, and art and illustration to children and adults alike. We are lucky to have her among many distinguished authors and illustrators choosing to make a home in our region.

[Via Locus Online.]

More About Jay Lake

One positive and another definite downer from Jay Lake’s blog.

Although the NIH trial treatment didn’t help him, the doctors say the data they got from his participation will help patients in the future.

Unfortunately, his condition is now so poor Jay will be unable to move on to a second trial he had intended to do if the first didn’t work. No one anticipated the first trial would take so much out of him.

Of the many fine comments on the post Lynne Whitehorn’s is my favorite: “Jay – thank you for making me a braver person.”

Happy 80th Harlan!

harlan with birdIt’s Harlan Ellison’s 80th birthday. To celebrate the day here are the Top 10 most-read File 770 posts about him:

1. Ellison Coming To The Simpsons
2. Harlan Ellison 2010 Grammy Nominee
3. Ellison Recovering From Spill
4. Ellison’s Health Overshadows Hall of Fame Induction
5. Ellison’s Big Pair
6. The Harlan Ellison Links Keep on Coming
7. Ellison’s Website Stats
8. Ellison Added To SF Hall of Fame
9. Harlan Ellison on The Simpsons 1/12
10. Ellison, Card in The Delivery

And here’s a bonus: a 30-second clip of Harlan as himself conversing with “H.P. Hatecraft” in the Scooby-Doo episode “Shrieking Madness.”

Juanita Coulson’s DUFF Trip

By John Hertz: With the help of my counterpart, the Australia–New Zealand DUFF Administrator Bill Wright, plus travel wizard Robin Johnson, electronic liaison Jeanne Bowman, and a host of others, an itinerary for the 2014 Down Under Fan Fund delegate Juanita Coulson has been arranged.

Coulson lives in London — Ohio. Therefore she goes not east, but west; and, as 1985 DUFF delegate Marty Cantor fears none will know if not said, also south.

She visits Auckland (New Zealand), Melbourne and Sydney (Australia).

Uncertain of guitar chances, she brings a thumb-piano. In any event she is reputed to have outsung a steamboat.

She crosses the International Date Line as well as time zones. I give local hours and days.

Saturday, 31 May 14

leave Columbus by United Airlines 4 p.m.

Chicago – 2 1/2 hrs to change planes: leave 8:30 p.m.

Los Angeles – 2 hrs to change airlines, Air New Zealand: leave 10:30 p.m.

Monday, 2 Jun 14

arrive Auckland 6:30 a.m.

connecting person, Jan Butterworth <jan.butterworth01 (at) gmail (dot) com>.

Thursday, 5 Jun 14

leave by Air New Zealand 8:30 a.m.

arrive Melbourne 10:30 a.m.

connecting persons, Murray & Natalie Maclachlan <mizpeh (at) optusnet (dot) com (dot) au>

Friday, 6 Jun 14

53rd Australia national science fiction convention Continuum X, Rialto Hotel

Natcon chair, Julia Saganovich

Tuesday, 10 Jun 14

leave Melbourne by Jetstar Airways 1 p.m.

arrive Sydney 2:30 p.m.

connecting persons, Marilyn Pride and Lewis Morley <lewisandmarilyn (at) aol (dot) com>

Friday, 13 Jun 14

leave Sydney by Air New Zealand 11:30 a.m.

Auckland – 3 hrs to change planes: leave 7:30 p.m.

Los Angeles – 23 hrs to change airlines

arrive 1 p.m. (5 hrs before her departure time), staying overnight

connecting person, Jerome Scott <Jerome (at) greatscottvisuals (dot) com>

Saturday, 14 Jun 14

leave Los Angeles by United Airlines 5 p.m.

Chicago – 1 hr to change planes: leave 6 p.m.

arrive Columbus 8:30 p.m.

NA Adm’rJohn Hertz

236 S. Coronado St., No. 409

Los Angeles, CA 90057  U.S.A.

Phone  (213) 384-6622

ANZ Adm’rBill Wright

Unit 4, 1 Park St

St Kilda West, VIC 3182  Australia

Phone  (61-3) 9534 0163

E-mail  [email protected]

Shrinkage on the Ant-Man Team

Edgar Wright of Scott Pilgrim vs. the World and The World’s End is out as director of Ant-Man, a Marvel superhero movie due to be released July 17, 2015. The announced cast includes Paul Rudd, Michael Douglas and Evangeline Lilly.

Ant-Man is a character who can reduce himself to microscopic size and communicate with insects. He’s had an undistinguished history at Marvel except for his role in founding the Avengers, which was enough to inspire a fan to make this fake Ant-Man trailer back in 2011. People are still being taken in by it – and leaving irate comments afterwards.