Snapshots 28 Days Later

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Here are 7 developments of interest to fans.

(1) Islamic scholarship has ruled on eating mermaids. Down in the comments there’s also a learned discussion about eating unicorns…

(2) Click here to see a batch of photos taken at Pulpfest, the new event that broke away from PulpCon.

(3) SMOFcon 27’s second Progress Report has been posted at the convention website.

(4) John King Tarpinian is the latest to find the classic picture of Ray Bradbury “on July 4, 1939 while he was attending the first World Science Fiction Convention in New York. It was taken during a visit to Coney Island. Ray is the very tan gentleman on the far right in the back row. Others in the picture include fan (and later book dealer) Robert Madle, fan (and later Shasta Press owner) Erle Korshak, and fan (and later writer) Ross Rocklynne.”

(5) Now  Google Earth goes to the Moon:

Just in time to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the first moon landing, Google has just enabled a model of the moon in Google Earth. Moon in Google Earth features a 3D model of the moon with both current and historic images, panoramic, street view-like photos, and models of numerous lunar landers, as well as guided tours with videos (one narrated by Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin).

(6) For all you gadget lovers: i.Saw – The World’s First USB-powered Chainsaw.

(7) The New York Times published an excellent article on Jack Vance, who still has new work coming out!

Vance, who is 92, says that his new book – a memoir, “This Is Me, Jack Vance!” – will definitely be his last. Also arriving in bookstores this month is “Songs of the Dying Earth,” a collection of stories by other writers set in the far-future milieu that Vance introduced in some of his first published stories, which he wrote on a clipboard on the deck of a freighter in the South Pacific while serving in the merchant marine during World War II. The roster of contributors to the collection includes genre stars and best-selling brand names, among them Simmons, Neil Gaiman, Terry Dowling, Tanith Lee, George R. R. Martin and Dean Koontz. It’s a literary tribute album, in effect, on which reliable earners acknowledge the influence of a respectably semiobscure national treasure by covering his songs.

[My thanks for the links included in this post go to Andrew Porter, David Klaus, John King Tarpinian and Moshe Feder.]

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3 thoughts on “Snapshots 28 Days Later”

  1. The site you link to regarding mermaids characterizes this as “described as the follies and vanities of theology. A rich source of ludicrous religious injunctions from Islam” follows.

    In the spirit of equal time, a guide from Jeff and Ann Vandermeer on what’s kosher among imaginary animals.

    Regarding mermaids:

    “Mermaid – A: “No, for the obvious reasons.” EM: “What if you marry one? Is that kosher? Will a rabbi marry you?” A: “Kosher is a term about eating, not about sex.” EM: “I’m not talking about sex–I’m talking about marriage!” A: “If the mermaid is Jewish, the rabbi will probably marry you. But only if you’re Jewish too. But you’ll definitely have to find the right rabbi…”

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