(1) NAILED TO THE INTERNET DOOR. Finding that professional organizations aren’t moving quickly enough, Clarkesworld editor Neil Clarke has drafted his own “AI statement”. I’ve complained that various publishing industry groups have been slow to respond to recent developments in … Continue reading
Just ten days before the January 31 deadline for people to join and be eligible to nominate for the 2023 Hugo Awards, the Chengdu Worldcon announced it finally had the capability to take credit card payments for memberships. Now that … Continue reading
(1) STOP LOAFING AROUND. Cora Buhlert snagged another figure, who stars in her latest toy photo story called: “Masters-of-the-Universe-Piece Theatre: ‘Wun-Dar and His Wonderful Dinosaur’”. … “Halt, stranger! State your business!” “Relax. Like I said, I’m Wun-Dar. You know, legendary hero, … Continue reading
(1) SPEAK MEMORY. The Guardian wonders, “Death of the narrator? Apple unveils suite of AI-voiced audiobooks”. Apple has quietly launched a catalogue of books narrated by artificial intelligence in a move that may mark the beginning of the end for human narrators. … Continue reading
(1) BROADCAST MUSIC. Rolling Stone assures us these are the 100 “Best TV Theme Songs of All Time”. WE APOLOGIZE IN advance for all the TV theme songs we are about to lodge back into your heads. Or maybe we should … Continue reading
(1) HARPERCOLLINS UNION EMPLOYEES STRIKE. “HarperCollins Workers Strike for Better Pay and Benefits” – the New York Times has the story. Unionized employees at HarperCollins went on strike Thursday, saying they planned to stop working until they reached an agreement … Continue reading
(1) WHAT’S UP AT THE LOST AZTEC TEMPLE OF MARS? Heritage Auctions’ recent article “Harlan Ellison Collection Continues With Showcase Auction November 12th” features an interview with J. Michael Straczynski, giving a substantial update on plans for Harlan and Susan … Continue reading
(1) TO BOLDLY SNIFF. No need to be shy about writing this subgenre:“Imagining The Real World by Rae Mariz” at Stone Soup. …I write climate fiction and it took me a while to realize how saying that in a declarative … Continue reading
(1) GOOSEBUMPS. [Item by Martin Morse Wooster.] Yahoo! Entertainment interviews R.L. Stine on the 30th anniversary of the Goosebumps series. Stine reveals his inspiration is…Ray Bradbury! “’Goosebumps’ at 30: R.L. Stine on the blockbuster book franchise and why he’s ‘Stephen … Continue reading
(1) WORD OF MOUTH BECAME WORD OF EYE. The New York Times analyzes “How TikTok Became a Best Seller Machine”. …Now one of the commanding forces in adult fiction, BookTok has helped authors sell 20 million printed books in 2021, … Continue reading