(1) BRISBANE IN ’28 MOVES PROPOSED DATE. The committee bidding to hold the 2028 Worldcon in Brisbane Australia today announced they have changed the planned dates to be the weekend after the total solar eclipse that will be passing through Australia. They now propose to hold the con from Thursday July 27 to Monday July 31, 2028.
(2) ROCKY HORROR AT 50 (PLUS 1). [Item by SF Concatenation’s Jonathan Cowie.] Listen closely, but not for very much longer…
Way back in 1973 the Rocky Horror show burst on to the stage and it was astounding! Time had barely the chance to be fleeting before the cinematic adaption came out in 1975.
I remember seeing the film in 1977 and then the play three or four times the next few years, one London screening of which I was pleasantly surprised when some Hatfield PSIFA alumni (all in just new, well paid jobs) treated me to the second last show on the final day of its London West End run. (British theatre tradition has it that the second last show on the final day is done for fun with the final show played dead straight. For example, some crew wag had secretly sewed up the sleeves of Brad’s lab coat and so he struggled (failing) to put it on. Such were the japes.)
Then in the 1980s one of SF² Concatenation’s co-founding editors, Tony Chester, was on the committee for Denton, a Rocky Horror Show convention, asked for my moral support. At it, I remember declining to go to see yet another screening and so spent the time in the bar with a rather nice lady. After 45 minutes of chat I asked her what brought her to the convention and she replied that she played Magenta in the show… (And I’ll skip over the tale of the coach of rugby supporters that pulled up outside the hotel in search of libation who spotted a chap coming out of the toilets wearing a bra and suspenders. ‘Get the nonce’, they shouted and chased him into the hall where they came face to face with a sea of folk similarly scantily dressed. The rugby fans beat a hasty retreat.)
Before all this get lost in time, and space, and meaning, I mention it to illustrate that I have a loose, but to me non-trivial, relationship with the show.
All of which brings us up to the present and BBC Radio 4’s Front Row arts programme whose Monday night edition saw the first 15 minutes feature an interview with the show’s creator, Richard O’Brien. He was promoting the show’s 50th anniversary tour: well, 50+1 because ill health prevented him from doing it last year.
Richard O’Brien and Jason Donovan on 50 years of the Rocky Horror Show… You can check out the first 15 minutes of the Front Row episode here and let madness take its toll.
(3) BOARD ROOM: SMALL. Will McDermott tells the SFWA Blog about the challenges of “Playtesting Narrative Content in Board Games”.
Writing narrative content for board games is different from any other writing I’ve ever done. It’s even different than writing for video games or role-playing games. The reason is simple: length.
Novel and short story authors have plenty of space to tell a story. Even flash fiction generally gives you 500 to 1,000 words to work with. But board games provide at most 100 words per story beat—more often than not, you get fewer than 20 words to create an emotional impact.
It all comes down to space. Most board game narrative is presented on cards, which are ubiquitous game components. Sure, murder mystery and escape room games usually include booklets with everything from character bios to full scenes to read to players. Even these booklets must be concise, however, because paper, printing, and space in the box are the most expensive pieces of a game. You get a couple of paragraphs per story beat at most. Outside of murder mystery boxes, most storytelling games present their narratives via cards, which hold, at most, 50 words….
… The first thing to understand is that board game playtesting focuses on two main aspects: player engagement and players’ understanding of the game mechanics. Basically, did the players enjoy playing the game, and did they play the game correctly?…
(4) SAGA PRESS ANNOUNCEMENT. Motion and promotion at the Saga Press.
Tim O’Connell moves from Vice President, Editorial Director of Fiction at Simon & Schuster to Vice President, Publisher of Saga Press.
Throughout his career, O’Connell has edited and published acclaimed speculative fiction by prestigious authors such as Charles Yu, Ted Chiang, Naomi Alderman, Ann and Jeff VanderMeer, Paolo Bacigalupi, B. Catling, Omar El Akkad, Debbie Urbanski, and Karin Tidbeck. “My first fiction publication was Charles Yu’s How to Live Safely in A Science Fictional Universe, and science fiction and fantasy have always been central parts of my list,” says O’Connell. “This is a tremendous opportunity to continue to build upon the fabulous Saga legacy, which is already decorated with award winners and bestsellers.” Among O’Connell’s forthcoming titles for Saga Press are multi-award-winner Daryl Gregory’s When We Were Real, writer for the hit Netflix show The OA Damien Ober’s groundbreaking space fantasy Voidverse, and viral horror sensation Eric LaRocca’s next novel The Unbecoming of Porcelain Khaw. He will continue to acquire literary fiction and select nonfiction for the Simon & Schuster list.
Joe Monti is promoted to Vice President, Associate Publisher and Editorial Director, reporting to O’Connell.
A publishing industry veteran who formerly worked as a literary agent, Barnes & Noble buyer, and sales rep, Monti founded Saga Press in 2015 and has helped cultivate it into one of the most revered publishers of genre fiction. He has worked with bestselling and esteemed authors such as Tananarive Due, Charlaine Harris, Stephen Graham Jones, Ken Liu, Rebecca Roanhorse, Andrew Joseph White, and R. A. Salvatore, and has long championed work by marginalized voices. “As Saga Press approaches our tenth anniversary, we have entered a new and exciting phase of growth,” says Monti. “This is a continuation of what I always hoped the imprint might become with a full and dedicated team of passionate genre expertise at every level.”
O’Connell will report to Simon & Schuster Vice President and Publisher Sean Manning.
“Since the Saga Press team joined Simon & Schuster in 2023, I’ve been awed by their deep expertise and inspired by their unabashed geeking out over their work,” says Manning. “Genre is now the hottest market in the literary landscape, and this growth ensures our commitment to leading the way.”
Ella Laytham joins Saga Press as Art Director.
Laytham started her publishing career as a designer for Atria/Gallery and has most recently worked at Penguin Random House. She specializes in sci-fi, fantasy, and horror, and her celebrated cover designs include the New York Times bestsellers The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones, A Fate Inked in Blood by Danielle L. Jensen, All Good People Here by Ashley Flowers, and Lady Macbeth by Ava Reid. Laythem will report to Simon & Schuster Art Director Jackie Seow.
The Saga Press team is rounded out by:
Senior Editor Amara Hoshijo, Senior Editor Nivia Evans, Editor Sareena Kamath, Assistant Editor Jéla Lewter, Editorial Assistant Caroline Tew, Editorial Assistant Anna Hauser, Senior Publicist Christine Calella, Associate Publicist Karintha Parker, and Marketing Associate Savannah Breckenridge.
(5) “INCORRECT” ANIMAL NOISES. This looks awfully good. The Wild Robot, in theaters September 27. Based on Peter Brown’s The Wild Robot.
The epic adventure follows the journey of a robot—ROZZUM unit 7134, “Roz” for short — that is shipwrecked on an uninhabited island and must learn to adapt to the harsh surroundings, gradually building relationships with the animals on the island and becoming the adoptive parent of an orphaned gosling….
A powerful story about the discovery of self, a thrilling examination of the bridge between technology and nature and a moving exploration of what it means to be alive and connected to all living things.
(6) COMICS SECTION.
- Speed Bump is sure the future won’t change some things.
- Candorville has a list of basic needs that’s not like everyone else’s.
- Carpe Diem complains about decorations.
- The Far Side decided a monster with one head was not enough.
- Tom Gauld pitched another beauty:
Tom Gauld on X: “My latest @newscientist cartoon. https://t.co/6IY59ZOif0” / X
(7) DOCTOR WHO. Titan Comics is bringing out Doctor Who: The Fifteenth Doctor #3 on September 25.
Join The Doctor in a new comic book adventure! FEATURING THE FIFTEENTH DOCTOR & RUBY SUNDAY! The Doctor and the Cybermen clash while Ruby faces an insectoid threat. But is everything as it seems? And what is the true nature of the terrifying evil that stands ready to unveil itself.
(8) POLARIS DAWN PATROL. [Item by Steven French.] CNN describes the mission’s goals: “SpaceX launches Polaris Dawn, one of its riskiest missions yet”.
SpaceX’s latest mission — a bold and risky trek into Earth’s Van Allen radiation belts by a four-person crew of civilians who will also aim to conduct the first commercial spacewalk — just took flight.
The mission, dubbed Polaris Dawn, lifted off at 5:23 a.m. ET….
Astronomer Chris Impey describes the risks of space travel (radiation sickness, going blind, getting lost forever in the immensity of the Void …) as “Polaris Dawn”, a “high-risk mission” using only civilian astronauts, prepares to launch: “Space travel comes with risk—SpaceX’s Polaris Dawn mission will push the envelope further than ever” at Phys.org.
Since 1961, fewer than 700 people have been into space. Private space companies such as SpaceX and Blue Origin hope to boost that number to many thousands, and SpaceX is already taking bookings for flights to Earth orbit.
I’m an astronomer who has written extensively about space travel, including a book about our future off-Earth. I think a lot about the risks and rewards of exploring space.
As the commercial space industry takes off, there will be accidents and people will die. Polaris Dawn, planned to launch early in September 2024, will be a high-risk mission using only civilian astronauts. So, now is a good time to assess the risks and rewards of leaving the Earth….
… In total, 30 astronauts and cosmonauts have died while training for or during space missions….
(9) FANTASY DIY PROJECT. [Item by Bruce D. Arthurs.] Caught a post on Mastodon by a talented fellow who built a remote-controlled walking table that reminds people of Terry Pratchett’s Luggage from the Discworld books. Amazing work. Here’s the blog post with photos and details about how it was built: “Carpentopod: A walking table project”.
(10) HAPPY 30TH ANNIVERSARY. [Item by N.] Mainframe Studios, the company behind the cult Canadian CGI series ReBoot, have released a remastered copy of the first episode for free, in celebration of its 30th anniversary: “ReBoot Season 1 Episode 1 – The Tearing”.
Originally aired on Sept 10, 1994, The Tearing is the very first episode of the classic series, ReBoot! Venture back to Mainframe with Bob, Dot, Enzo and your other favourite characters.
This all-new remaster was captured and upscaled by the team behind the new documentary series, ReBoot ReWind. Huge thanks to Jacob Weldon, Raquel Lin, Mark Westhaver of Disappearing Inc, Bryan Baker, Tanner McColeman and Linus Media Group.
[Thanks to Andrew Porter, John King Tarpinian, Chris Barkley, N., Lise Andreasen, Bruce D. Arthurs, Cat Eldridge, SF Concatenation’s Jonathan Cowie, Steven French, Kathy Sullivan, Teddy Harvia, Mike Kennedy for some of these stories. Title credit belongs to File 770 contributing editor of the day Steve Davidson.]
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1) BRISBANE IN ’28 MOVES PROPOSED DATE.
Probably a good option: accommodation in the days leading up to, and during, the eclipse are likely to be in high demand & expensive.
(9) I think my father (and at least two of his brothers) would have enjoyed this, and probably built their own.
9)
WANT!!!
-grabby hands-
(5) So Rozzum wants to become a universal robot, eh?
(10) Not something I ever saw, but the work is amazing. The facial textures, and the things that glow are fabulous.
But why does Bob get a shower in his clothes?
10) A tremendous show. Hexadecimal was the greatest villain EVAH!
Offogs and offats living together. We’re offoomed.
A Pixel For Ecclesiastes
(5) Planning to see this as the first movie I’ve seen in a theatre since the pandemic.
(7) Is.. is the Doctor fighting the Joker?
(5) My wife has read all three Wild Robot books aloud to our kids, aged 3 and 6. They are big fans, and we are very excited about the movie!
9) The framing of this one is a little bit pessimistic about civilian/non-governmental space initiatives.
What tripped me was the “In total, 30 astronauts and cosmonauts have died while training for or during space missions…”.
A total of 19 people have died on missions. Only one of those died on a non-government mission.
Of the 11 people who died in training, 4 died while flying high-performance military airplanes doing things unrelated to the space program. 1 of those 11 people died in a non-governmental program during the test firing of a rocket.
Going into space is necessarily risky. But going into space is also necessary for the progress of humanity.
Thus far, non-governmental space flight programs seem to be doing at least as well as government programs.
[fingers-crossed and best wishes for the current mission by SpaceX]
Regards,
Dann
The true delight is in the finding out rather than in the knowing. – Isaac Asimov
Title call-out references the superlative “Allamagoosa” by Eric Frank Russell, a Hugo short story winner, Astounding May 1955. I’ve always loved the offog.
Dann: um, yeah, well the civilian/commercial ones work is all based on what came from NASA and the DoD. NASA’s budget, as of 2019, was $30B. Let’s see, ten years ago or so, Apple had $78B IN CASH.
Maybe we could increase funding to NASA (and the NIH, while we’re at it)?
Broadly, cash-on-hand reserves seem to run at roughly 3 to 6 months of corporate operations. If the world turns dark and stinky, companies have enough cash on hand to cover all of their expenses for 3 to 6 months. Apple’s cash on hand is in line with that principle. As is the case with General Motors which has roughly US$30B in cash on hand.
The implied desire to seize money that has been legitimately earned is a bit baffling.
In any case, all of NASA’s work was based on prior military research. Are we also looking to increase DARPA funding now?
As has been the case throughout recorded human history, military spending and technological development have ultimately been repurposed to meet non-military needs. SpaceX and other civilian programs are a continuation of that trend.
Private enterprise remains the best method of determining how military-based technologies are deployed to fulfill non-military applications as it wastes far less money than governmental programs. The now-defunct Soviet Union provides a classic case study in government mismanagement of the market if nothing else. Hayak’s “The Use of Knowledge in Society” is a good starting point for those lacking a firm understanding of reality-based economics.
On a related note, I have finally had a chance to return to Robert Kroese’s “Mammon” series. The characters and narrative remain entertaining and compelling. The periodic dissertating diversions into presenting bite-sized economic primers remain rough patches. They are solid info dumps, but info dumps they remain. The series is otherwise very good and worth trying.
Also…the SpaceX spacewalk was successfully completed! Humanity progresses!
Regards,
Dann
Me on Goodreads.
(8) A quartet of astronauts, including civilians, flies through a radiation belt… Isn’t this the plot of The Fantastic Four?
@mark
“Maybe we could increase funding to NASA”
Or maybe we could look for other ways to get access to space than NASA, a sclerotic agency who has not, after 60 years, learned to budget or plan a project.
Offer $1 billion to whoever brings back 100 lbs of lunar material. Offer $10 billion to the first private Mars sample return. Don’t over-program or -manage the projects, just have a single guy in an office somewhere who has the authority to write the check.
The first private space walk just occurred. NASA is less and less necessary. NACA was quite successful, and it was an advisory agency. Perhaps NASA should move to that role.
Steve Green wrote:
Also the Red Ghost and Super-Apes, and later the U-Foes(I wasn’t around/reading those but I misremembered there being 3 either the 1st group or the 2nd. I think I only read one appearance each, maybe the Marvel Handbook entry(s) too.)
Waiting to see if they gain superpowers and follow the FF or the others!