(0) OFF ON THE TWENTY-FIFTH. Me and the reindeer will be dashing between family events tomorrow, so may your Christmas be merry and bright, or another holiday you celebrate be outta sight!
(1) SEASON’S GREETINGS. Kip W. created the blog version of a favorite carol:
Deck the file with scrolls of pixels!
Follow, la la la, and tick the box.
Stalk the gods with well-aimed clicksels,
Follow, la la la, and tick the box.
Jolly verses, filks a-sounding,
Follow la, follow la, tick that box
Jesting titles, puns abounding,
Follow, la, and don’t forget the box
(2) ALL-TIME BEST SELLING SFF AUTHORS. Gift-giving fans are making the cash registers ring this holiday season, giving The Wertzone’s Adam Whitehead the idea for an interesting roundup – “The SFF All-Time Sales List”.
George R.R. Martin is not in the top 10!
(3) WHERE’S SANTA? Follow Santa’s journey around the world with NORAD’s Santa Tracker. Yes, even the jolly old elf can’t escape the eye of our surveillance society!
(4) WORLD SF. Paul Kincaid reviews the VanderMeers’ The Big Book of Science Fiction for the LA Review of Books.
Of the 105 stories in The Big Book of Science Fiction, 31 are by women, which is a remarkable advance in comparison to many of its predecessors.
More remarkable is Sinisalo’s nationality. As a literature of the 20th century, science fiction has often been perceived as characteristically Anglo-American. The usual story goes like this: SF is often said to have originated in Britain (Mary Shelley, Wells), but with the advent of the pulps, particularly Gernsback’s Amazing Stories, the genre quickly became overwhelmingly American. Writers from Canada or Australia were allowed into the club, but anything not written in English was for all intents and purposes invisible. After Verne, Zamyatin, and ?apek, science fiction in languages other than English certainly didn’t feature in the histories. There may have been an awareness that science fiction was being written in Germany, in the Soviet Union, and perhaps even in Japan, but there was little idea of what that science fiction might actually look like. Even when work by Stanis?aw Lem and the Strugatsky Brothers began to appear in translation, these were regarded less as representatives of other science fiction traditions than as clever foreigners who had learned how to do an American trick. Only since the turn of the century has the idea of science fiction as an international literature once again started to take hold. Even so, representative anthologies still tend to be overwhelmingly American.
It may be a pleasing shock, therefore, to discover that the contents of this anthology include stories from Argentina, Austria, Brazil, China, Ecuador, Finland, France, Germany, Ghana, India, Japan, Mexico, Norway, Poland, Russia, and Spain.
(5) WITH OCCASIONAL SILVER LINING. John Scalzi selected 20 posts that represent the year at Whatever:
It’s a politics-heavy wrap-up, which is not surprising in an election year, and in this election year in particular; it could have been even more election-heavy but I didn’t want to depress everyone more than they already are. There are other things thrown in there as well for balance, including some happy stuff (really!). No matter how you slice it, however, 2016 was a dark mess, and many of the best Whatever entries this year reflect that.
(6) TODAY’S BIRTHDAY GIRL
- December 24, 1973 – Twilight series author Stephanie Meyer.
(7) SCHEMING STREAMING VIDEO. Steve Davidson might deserve a lump of coal for finding a new reason to worry about the Hugos this weekend — “It’s not that I don’t get it, I can’t get it!”.
Until very recently, Hugo voters in North America could pretty much count on everyone having access to the same shows, with little to no (or at least customary) expense associated with that access.
Things have been changing. I, for example, do not get HBO (nor any of the other premium movie channels). Which means that I can’t watch Game of Thrones, which means that I don’t vote for Game of Thrones, not because it isn’t a worthy property, but because neither I, nor anyone else, should vote for things they are not familiar with.
Personally, that’s a minor issue for me. I’m not that much into fantasy (ok, so it might have some SF elements looming) nor soap operas.
But what about The Man in the High Castle? That’s on Amazon Prime. Or the new Star Trek: Discovery coming to CBS’ premium streaming service. Or Jessica Jones on Netflix. Or some series on Hulu.
Right now, “TV” shows can be delivered to you through broadcast, cable, through multiple paid streaming services, through your gaming console and VR (strap your phone into a goggle system) is beginning to rev up.
An individual wanting to have access to everything that might be eligible will soon need to spend a tidy sum; internet access, multiple premium cable channels, Amazon, Hulu and Netflix subscriptions, two (or more) gaming consoles, a VR headset (and who knows what subscriptions) and, potentially, subscriptions to streaming services offered by multiple broadcasters and indie streaming outlets….
(8) THE POET LARIAT. Camestros Felapton lifts our spirits —
So this is pixels and what have you done
Another scroll over, a new one just begun
And so this is pixels, I hope you have fun
The near and the dear books, the old and the young
A very merry pixels and a happy new scroll
Let’s hope it’s a good one with a variety of beers
And so this is pixels for blogs and for books
The rich and the poor ones, the hobbits are Tooks
And so happy Scroll Pixels for pups and for not
For SF and F let’s stop all the fights
A very merry pixels and a happy new scroll
Let’s hope it’s a good one without any um, what rhymes with scroll? Roll? Poll? Drole? Prole? Soul? Stole? Mole?
[Thanks to John King Tarpinian and Gregory Benford for some of these stories. Title credit goes to File 770 contributing editor of the day Redheadedfemme.]
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I don’t care about not having a TV. I watch DVDs, and don’t miss commercials at all.
The visual media can overwhelm you in the same manner that having a lot of books can.
Happy Holidays to all!
Lee made the best suggestion (previous scroll) for finishing those lyrics
Merry Christmas and a troll-free New Year! [actually Christmas here – hot and sunny as is traditional (?!)]
The visual media market is lot more complicated than what Davison is suggesting. Arrow, Flash, Quantico, Legends of Tomorrow, and Person of Interest all were on network television, but are now on Netflix and also out in DVD, the latter pretty much by the summer following the end of a season. And it’s a certain that the new Trek show will on DVD as well.
Even when I had cable, I never took HBO as it was too expensive. Expecting any of us to have seen all the possible Hugo nominees is nigh until impossible.
Happy holidays!
Happy holidays and season’s greetings to all the Filers! May everyone celebrate whatever they celebrate surrounded by the warmth of their loved ones.
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays, fellow Filers!
The early scroll catches the pixel?
—
In the UK, Sky TV purchase a lot of the U.S. shows for first runs that might otherwise end up on Netflix (such as most of the DC shows), so you either need to pay for them as them your main provider or use their Netflix-equivalent NowTV. You then need to have Netflix for e.g. Stranger Things, The Expanse, Jessica Jones, and Amazon for their exclusive shows. Not very helpful, and I don’t have enough TV watching time to justify forking out for all sources.
—
I personally intend to have a happy Christmas, and wish everyone the cheerful celebration of their choice.
Christmas is still five hours away here in Chattanooga, but Merry Christmas, and the very best holiday wishes to all.
Complements of season from the real Jersey Shore. Too wit, Grêve d’Azette. Bouan Noué to all!
@Greg: Xmas in Chattanooga starts at 10pm?
Happy holidays everyone!
May yours be happy, fun, and safe .
Currently sitting down to a Christmas brunch/lunch with the in-laws.
Merry Christmas, a belated Yuletide Greetings, Chappy Chanukah, et al.! Or, maybe just Happy Holidays!
Tangent… This is the first year I’ve tracked all (at least 90%+) of my reading, on Goodreads. I’d made a goal to read 100 books this year when Goodreads prompted me to make some sort of goal. Turns out, I vastly overestimated the amount I read, and I just hit the 50 book mark today (included in those are some novellas).
My 50th book in 2016: The World of Null-A. I had no idea Aristotle was going to be such an important factor in that one.
Not sure what the next read should be. I should be able to get to a 1 book per week average by January 31st. Having just finished To Ride a Rathorn, I’m tempted to go straight to the next Kencyrath novel, but I also have 30+ new books on my Kindle that I got for FREE.
The visual media world is even more fragmented that you might think, since there’s no sign of many of the Netflix and Amazon original series being planned for DVD release (unlike Game of Thrones).
The only way to see those series in to subscribe to that service.
What is belated with Yuletide!? But thank you, I was just wondering what kind of epithet that would be suitable. I was trying to decide between happy or merry.
Anyhow, just to be safe, I wish you all a happy merry belated yuletide.
Merry Christmas to all Filers!
I’m back in the UK, and it’s still Christmas Eve here for another 20 minutes, so we’re waiting impatiently for Santa to drop by.
Yule was the 22nd.
Ah, ok. I guess if you go back a few hundred years that might be true. But we celebrate Yule at the 24:th.
I hope all the Filers have a lovely and book- (and comic-, and movie-, etc) filled holiday, whatever you may celebrate!
Season’s greetings to all. Little Dog and I are spending the evening binge watching “The Magicians” while eating stollen. It’s heaven. Tomorrow is church and a festive midday dinner with my father. Plus presents afterwards. We always give each other books, so you know how tomorrow evening will be spent: reading and leftovers. Hurrah! May you all have celebrations that make you equally happy.
Merry midwinter to all!
I’m old school. I looked on Wikipedia and it seemed from the article the that Yule is more closely linked with the solstice than with Christmas, so I figured I was late.
My girlfriend (Jewish) and I (raised Christian) go the safe route by pretty much celebrating from a little before the solstice until a little after the New Year.
ETA there’s an implied wink on that “old school” remark, in case that isn’t clear.
Still waiting for the Season 5 DVD release of Person of Interest in the U.K. Which is blocked by Channal 5, who have the broadcast rights, not getting off their arse to show it yet.
Just turned midnight here so Merry Christmas one and all
Well, it’s now the 25th here in the UK, so just time to send season’s greetings to all Filers everywhere before taking myself off to bed (with a book, naturally).
Re (6): Stephenie Meyer has an E in the middle, not an A. (Stephen + ie)
@Hampus: Different tradition, I think. Most US neopagans celebrate Yule at the solstice.
@Greg:
If I’d known you were in town, I might’ve tried to make contact while I was out earlier! I was over in East Brainerd and Collegedale running a couple of errands before coming back to Hixson.
@John Lorentz: “there’s no sign of many of the Netflix and Amazon original series being planned for DVD release”
Actually, season one of Daredevil has hit Blu-ray. I’m hoping the other MCU/Netflix shows follow suit.
I remain skeptic towards neopagans since I saw them selling symbols to be used to pray to Loki. We were just looking at the symbols and shaking our heads.
@hampus
LoL
Oh, and btw, midwinter was the 21:st and not 22:nd this year.
I really thought Camestros was simply hinting at (dancing around) the obvious rhyme “trolls,” and that this was the joke.
Hey, Happy Holidays to all of you lugs. It’s a pleasure to interact with you. Here’s to another year of keeping our sanity together, or at least helping one another not to miss it. (I normally say Merry Christmas, but I think I might as well join the war on monolithic consumer holidays, at least some of the time.)
Happy holidays and best wishes for the new year to one and all!
Merry Christmas and happy holidays!
(2) ALL-TIME BEST SELLING SFF AUTHORS – Ooooh. Makes sense though that the living entrants to that list would be the ones with broad appeal.
@Hampus: Yeah, I know. It’s not actually my tradition, so I can’t tell you why the Pagan Calendars for this year all have Yule as the day after the solstice.
I’ve encountered a few pagans who see Loki as a trickster god instead of an evil one. My favorite take on him was from an old Lester del Rey book: he’s the only one in all of Asgard who has a sense of humor.
@ Rev Bob
Actually, season one of Daredevil has hit Blu-ray. I’m hoping the other MCU/Netflix shows follow suit.
That’s good to hear. I know that House of Cards and Orange Is The New Black are out on DVD (our library has both), but I hadn’t heard of any DVD/Blu-Ray releases of the genre shows.
It doesn’t affect us (at least for Netflix) because we finally signed up for that service last September and have been slowly catching up on the massive backlog. And it was cheaper to sign up for a Comcast package that included HBO, Showtime, The Movie Channel and Cinemax (we already had Starz) than it was just to add HBO to our service, so we have far too much TV available to watch right now.
“Yippee ki-yay, pixel-scroller!”
Merry Christmas, happy Karen New Year, happy holidays and seasons greetings from Yangon!
We’ve already had a festive power cut 🙂
Merry/Happy/Joyous/Festive etc., etc., etc.!
Spent the day up at my parents’ having Christmas dinner (did not want to stay over and come home tomorrow on account of impending forecasted snow & rain & ice). Am now starting the Sense8 Christmas special, and have procured fixing for French toast tomorrow a.m.
@ Camestros: Thanks for the boost, and an apology for having misspelled your name. Call it a combination of late night brain-fuzz, aging eyes, and keming issues. 🙂
Best wishes of the season to all, and may your holiday be as safe and pleasant as possible.
Wishing all of you Filers a Happy Holiday Season, with whatever makes it good for you: family, friends, great food and drink, books, movies, and SJW credentials. 🥂
For those of you who are struggling in finances or in spirit, remember that there are people here who care. I wish you the strength to fight on, and the hope for a better future. <3
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! And Happy Hanukkah, and everything else!
(2) surprised not to see Jules Verne on that list
@P J Evans,
Happy, uh, midsummer all!
Soon Lee on December 24, 2016 at 8:52 pm said:
My apologies to all south of the Equator – and may this summer be cooler than last.
Happy Dies Natalis Solis Invicti to all!
Hampus, can you tell us what would be the–err–American cultural equivalent of praying to Loki? Are we talking like Satan or like The Joker? Most of my knowledge of Loki is heavily filtered and, I expect, somewhat Sanitized For Your Protection.
No apologies necessary P J Evans. Some us are still not entirely used to Christmas in summer.
Happy Holidays to everyone here at File 770
My eight year old nephew has just given up on a vigilant three hour search of the skies outside, hoping to get a glimpse of the big guy and his team of reindeer flying around. He had a plan all laid out to flag him down, and then do some negotiaing and bargaining for the really good toys that he wants this year.
We armed with a spotlight that is almost as big as he is. But after three hours the batteries powering the light finally gave up the ghost.
No sightings to report yet here in Missouri.
Merry Christmas to all.
And having finished the Christmas special, I think one of the reasons Sense8 keeps working for me is the way that, in the midst of all of the drama and the terrible things that happen to everybody, they still find room to insert moments of pure joy.
Happy merry whatever-you-want to @Mike Glyer and all @Filers! 😀
@kathodus: Oh! I just started tracking dates I read books within the past year. I somehow didn’t think about seeing how much I’ve read in a year, since I started this with the Hugos in mind, but (blush) duh, now I’m curious. I’m sure my total is low compared to you and some other power-reading Filers, but I’m going to try to remember to check when I’m at my regular computer.
@bbz: “reading and leftovers” – that sounds lovely. 🙂 Enjoy!