Tag Archives: Heritage Auctions

Pixel Scroll 9/20/24 It’s Not A Cookbook, It’s A Pixel Scroll!

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(1) BIG DEAL. Marie Vibbert counsels writers about “Playtesting Card Games” at the SFWA Blog. One bit of advice will sound very familiar.

Immolate Your Darlings

You’ve perhaps heard writers talk about “Murdering their darlings,” which refers to the agony of having to cut a beautiful sentence, scene, or even a sub-plot that you love but doesn’t serve the overall arc of the story. I once twisted five drafts of a novel around a scene I absolutely adored before I realized that it had to go. Ow, it hurt.

The same thing happens in games. There might be a mechanic, a special card, an illustration, a subtle joke…and you love it, but it has to go. It’s worse when you have this nice physical card you made for the mock-up.

Even your game’s theme, which might seem the most essential part of it, must be disposable. On the off chance your game is picked up by a publisher, one of the most common things they want to do is re-theme it, probably for some big franchise. (In case you thought someone set out to create the Go Bots 50th Anniversary Card Game.)

You cannot grow attached before completion. The game is in flux. Consider every part expendable in service to the greater whole….

(2) SFF ART UP FOR AUCTION. [Item by Sandra Miesel.] I’ve put some of my sf collection up for sale at RipleyAuctions.com The live auction is October 5 and registration is free. My pieces include: the Kelly Freas’  DAW cover painting for Soldier, Ask Not by Gordon R. Dickson and its preliminary sketch, Kelly’s Analog interior illustration for “The Second Kind of Loneliness” by George R.R. Martin; Kelly’s Laser Books sketch for The Extraterritorial by John Morrissey; Richard Powers’ cover painting for Far Out by Damon Knight; John Schoenherr’s Analog interior illustrations for “And He Fell into a Dark Hole” by Jerry Pournelle, “The Demon Breed” by James Schmitz, “Spaceman” by Murray Leinster, and the ultimate prize: Schoenherr’s scratchboard Analog illustration for the very first installment of “Dune World”. Sandra Miesel at Ripleyauctions.com.

Frank Kelly Freas, American (1922 – 2005), Soldier, Ask Not book cover

(3) REMEMBERING THE FAHRENHEIT FIFTIES. Heritage Auctions has an interesting item on the block – a volume of Fahrenheit 451 inscribed by Bradbury to Hugh Hefner.

40th Anniversary Edition. PRESENTATION COPY, INSCRIBED AND SIGNED BY THE AUTHOR TO HUGH HEFNER: “For Hef! Who published this when almost everyone else was afraid! With gratitude! Ray Bradbury. Nov. 3, ’93. 40 years later!”

Fahrenheit 451 was first published by Ballentine Books, Inc., in 1953, as a revision and expansion of his fifty-six-page novella, “The Fireman.” The novel was sold to Hugh Hefner’s new magazine, Playboy, which published the story in three installments in its fourth, fifth, and sixth issues (March 1954 to May 1954). 

(4) SPOTLIGHT ON MAD MAGAZINE. [Item by Steven French.] If you happen to be in Massachusetts over the next month, check out “What, Me Worry? The Art and Humor of Mad Magazine,” an exhibition running until October 27 at the Norman Rockwell Museum. 

It covers the full 72-year history of Mad, highlighted by the stretch from the mid-1960s to the early 1990s, when the magazine pilloried mass culture—television, movies, politics and more—in a way that introduced satire to kids raised on tamer entertainment like “Leave It to Beaver.”

The Smithsonian article on it is an interesting read in its own right!  “The Madcap History of Mad Magazine Will Unleash Your Inner Class Clown”.

… Mad magazine had its beginnings in 1947, when publisher Maxwell Gaines’ death in an upstate New York boating accident left his Educational Comics company to his 25-year-old son, William Gaines. Under Maxwell, the comics featured stories of science, animals, history and Picture Stories From the Bible. When William took over, he quickly shifted gears to “Entertaining Comics” (EC for short) and started publishing romance, westerns, science fiction, war and horror stories, most notably Tales From the Crypt. Gaines the younger had more than laughs and frights on his mind, however; woven into EC Comics were progressive ideals around racial equality, pacifism, environmentalism and the existential nuclear-age dread rarely spoken of in the placid, conformist 1950s.

In 1952, a comic book poking fun at other comic books debuted, but it would take four issues for Tales Calculated to Drive You MAD to take off. That fourth one featured the parody “Superduperman,” a blueprint for making hay of pop culture and politics. Amid a panic over youth corruption, inspired in part by EC’s other publications, editor Harvey Kurtzman convinced Gaines to retool Mad from a comic book into a magazine, and in July 1955 (Issue No. 24), a future mockery machine emerged….

(5) LITIGATION IS IN THE CARDS. “Cards Against Humanity sues SpaceX, alleges ‘invasion’ of land on US/Mexico border” – Ars Technica has the story.

Cards Against Humanity sued SpaceX yesterday, alleging that Elon Musk’s firm illegally took over a plot of land on the US/Mexico border that the party-game company bought in 2017 in an attempt to stymie then-President Trump’s attempt to build a wall.

“As part of CAH’s 2017 holiday campaign, while Donald Trump was President, CAH created a supporter-funded campaign to take a stand against the building of a Border Wall,” said the lawsuit filed in Cameron County District Court in Texas. Cards Against Humanity says it received $15 donations from 150,000 people and used part of that money to buy “a plot of vacant land in Cameron County based upon CAH’s promise to ‘make it as time-consuming and expensive as possible for Trump to build his wall.'”

Cards Against Humanity says it mowed the land “and maintained it in its natural state, marking the edge of the lot with a fence and a ‘No Trespassing’ sign.” But instead of Trump taking over the land, Cards Against Humanity says the parcel was “interfered with and invaded” by Musk’s space company. The lawsuit includes pictures that, according to Cards Against Humanity, show the land when it was first purchased and after SpaceX construction equipment and materials were placed on the land….

…Cards Against Humanity also set up a website to publicize its lawsuit. “We have terrible news,” the website says. “Seven years ago, 150,000 people paid us $15 to protect a pristine parcel of land on the US-Mexico border from racist billionaire Donald Trump’s very stupid wall. Unfortunately, an even richer, more racist billionaire—Elon Musk—snuck up on us from behind and completely fucked that land with gravel, tractors, and space garbage.”

The website claims that SpaceX made a “lowball offer” to buy the land after Cards Against Humanity complained….

(6) WRITER BEWARE. “Wolves in Authors’ Clothing: Beware Social Media Marketing Scams” says Victoria Strauss at Writer Beware.

For authors, one of the (these days, increasingly few) positives of social media is connecting with other authors. Especially if no one else in your family/social circle is involved in the arts (raises hand), it’s great to be able to find a community where you can discuss craft, business, the ups and downs of querying, the challenges of self-publishing–both sharing your own experiences and learning from others’.

But…what if that friendly author who just DM’d you on one of your social media accounts isn’t actually a writer, but someone who wants to sell you worthless “marketing” services?

… Oooh, conversion enhancement campaign! That’s some sexy jargon right there.

The name on the marketer’s Instagram account (which no longer exists) was Ashley Wallace of Ashley Digitals. You can see the author’s conversation with her–including an unconvincing excuse for why her website URL doesn’t work, an elaborate sales pitch, and false claims about clients….

(7) FOUR-PAGE GOTHAM GAZETTE INSERT IN THURSDAY NYT. [Item by Daniel Dern.] Our household gets the New York Times in the classic physical flattened-dead-tree version; I was bemused to discover the Thursday, September 19 edition included a four-page insert, the Gotham Gazette.

As part of HBO/MAX’s promotion of its new Penguin live-action show, which has just started. I/we haven’t yet tried it (but we just finished, and enjoyed, the first two episodes of Agatha All Along, over on Disney+, which, perhaps-arguably, is bat-adjacent via Walt’s round-eared mascot.)

Here’s some article links — note, the first link has readable images of the four-page insert. Wak, wak, wak.

“The Penguin: Gotham Gazette Offers Interesting Post-The Batman Details” at Bleeding Cool.  This article has readable images of full four online pages. The others below have some partial shots.

“How the New York Times became the Gotham Gazette for a day” at Fast Company. Including “But if you pass through Grand Central Station today, or Little Italy, or Times Square, you’ll see old-school newspaper hawkers schlepping copies of the Gotham Gazette”  [also, according to the ComicBook.com article listed below, at Times Square, Penn Station]

“The Penguin Takeover Heads to New York City to Celebrate Premiere” at Comicbook.com. This article includes deets on the “Penguin take-over” events in NYC and elsewhere:

HBO and Max are gearing up for the premiere of The Penguin with a takeover of the Big Apple. The spinoff of The Batman brings Colin Farrell back as Oz Cobb, aka the titular Penguin and foe of the Dark Knight. The Penguin has started a global campaign leading to the premiere on Thursday, September 19th, with one of its first stops at San Diego’s Gaslamp Quarter. The Penguin Takeover will involve exclusive merchandise trucks all across New York City, along with the lighting of iconic landmarks and collaboration with local businesses using Penguin’s signature plum purple hue….

Max is continuing The Penguin’s presence internationally following the Iceberg Lounge’s success in San Diego. The Penguin will bring the iconic Iceberg Lounge to select locations in France, Spain, The Netherlands, and Thailand, along with other local promotions in the APAC, EMEA, and LATAM regions. Fans might also spot The Penguin’s purple Maserati in the streets of São Paulo, Paris, and other major cities.

The Penguin Takeover will feature the Feast of San Gennaro, the New York Latino Film Festival Block Party, early fan screenings at Alamo Drafthouse, and specialty menu items at participating businesses as Gotham comes to life. The takeover will extend beyond New York, with The Penguin’s iconic Iceberg Lounge and other experiences in select cities worldwide.

Also coverage at MSN.com: “The Penguin makes The Gotham Gazette real for one day only as the Max series takes over The New York Times to explain everything that’s happened since The Batman”.

And Looper: “HBO’s Penguin Confirms Where Batman Is (Or Isn’t)”.

(8) MEMORY LANE.

[Written by Cat Eldridge.]

Anniversary: Buck Rogers in the 25th Century (1979)

Forty-five years ago on this evening, Buck Rogers in the 25th Century first aired on NBC.

It is of course based on characters created by Philip Francis Nowlan. It started out as a comic strip that first appeared in daily U.S. newspapers on January 7, 1929, subsequently appearing in Sunday and international newspapers, then there were books, a radio adaption, comic books, a serial film. You get the idea. 

So after all of that came this series. It was developed by Glen Larson who created Battlestar Galactica and Leslie Stevens who created Outer Limits.  

It lasted but two seasons in total comprising thirty-seven episodes. A feature-length pilot episode for the series was released as a theatrical film, Buck Rogers in the 25th Century. It did spectacularly well at the box office as it cost just three and a half million and made eighteen point seven more than that!  

The film was narrated as was the first season by William Conrad who had found stardom as a detective in the two series, Cannon and Nero Wolfe. Yes, he played Wolfe though briefly as it lasted but fourteen episodes. Who here saw him as Wolfe? 

The only cast that counts was Gil Gerard as Captain William “Buck” Rogers and Erin Gray as Colonel Wilma Deering.  Oh, and Mel Blanc in the first season voicing Twiki. Felix Silva would voice him in the second season. Other cast members I’ll note are Tim O’Connor as Dr. Elias Huer, Pamela Hensley as Princess Ardala and Henry Silva as Kane. Andrew Thom Christopher as Hawk, a bird man with the most comical feather for hair I’ve ever seen! 

Later interviews with Gerard and Gray as well as the directors say that neither got along with the other as they thought each was getting more lines and better stories. Oh well. 

Buster Crabbe who played Buck Rogers in the original thirties Buck Roger’s film serial would play Brigadier Gordon in an episode here. Yes, a nod to his other film series. 

The casting director had a fondness for one of our favorite series. Many of the actors who had played villains in the Batman series guest-starred here such as Frank Gorshin, Roddy McDowall, Julie Newmar and Cesar Romero. 

It’s worth noting that the series re-used most of the props, star fighters, stages, some of the effects film and even costumes from Battlestar Galactica. The network obviously being keen on keeping costs down at all costs.

Ratings were fine for the first season, but dropped drastically in the second season and cancellation was decided by mid-season. 

It has streamed on Amazon and on Peacock, not surprisingly on the latter as that’s owned by NBC, and Prime, but not is not currently streaming anywhere. 

(9) COMICS SECTION.

(10) SQUID GAME RETURNS. “’Squid Game’ Season 2 Trailer: New Players, New Game” – Variety introduces the trailer.

“Squid Game” is back and Netflix has released the first teaser for its hotly anticipated second season. The footage comes as the final reveal of the streamer’s annual Geeked Week fan event.  

The teaser picks things off right after Season 1’s finale, when Seong Gi-hun abandoned his plans to go to the U.S. and instead started a daring chase with a newfound motive. In the short teaser, he appears back in his 456 uniform amid a crowd of new contestants. Another massive cash prize awaits them, with a quick look at the games to come.

The globally successful Korean series follows financially struggling individuals competing in deadly games for a chance to win a life-changing prize, revealing the dark depths of human desperation and resilience…

(11) THE SHAPE OF THINGS TO COME. “Scientists discover weird new kind of shape found in nature” reports Boing Boing.

Mathematicians have identified a new class of shapes that “tile space without using sharp corners.”

From bathroom floors to siding on buildings, it’s common to cover areas without gaps by arranging shapes with straight edges and flat surfaces. In the natural world though, those kinds of shapes are rare. Patterns like those in muscle tissue are created with flowing curves, rounded surfaces, and almost no sharp angles. But the mathematics of these “soft shapes” have been a mystery until now.

“Nature not only abhors a vacuum, she also seems to abhor sharp corners,” says University of Oxford mathematician Alain Goriely who, with colleagues from the Budapest University of Technology and Economics, discovered the new shape class called “soft cells.”

From Oxford University:

In 2D, these soft cells have curved boundaries with only two corners. Such tiling patterns are found, among others, in muscle cells, zebra stripes, the shapes of river islands, in the layers of onion bulbs, and even in architectural design.

In 3D, these soft cells become more complex and interesting. The team first established that, in 3D, soft cells have no corners at all. Then, starting with conventional 3D tiling systems such as the cubic grid, the team showed that they can be softened by allowing the edges to bend whilst minimising the number of sharp corners in this process. Through doing this, they found entire new classes of soft cells with different tiling properties.

Professor Gábor Domokos said: ‘We found that architects – including Zaha Hadid – have constructed these kinds of shapes intuitively whenever they wanted to avoid corners.

(12) TRANSCENDENCE. [Item by SF Concatenation’s Jonathan Cowie.] The concept of transcendence or subliming (the term used in Iain M. Banks’ Culture novels) is a minor, but recurring SF trope by which a civilization evolves to a point when they leave our space-time continuum for a ‘higher’ plane of existence.  I think I first came across this half a century ago reading Arthur C. Clarke’s Childhood’s End.  Anyway, Isaac Arthur over at Isaac Arthur Science Futurism this week takes a bit of a dive into this concept…

Many seek a path to enlightenment through study and meditation, but what does science tell us about transcendence? And could entire civilizations seek to leave this reality behind?

(13) FROM THE CRYPT, ER, ARCHIVE. The Paul Lynde Halloween Special of 1976 has a highly eclectic cast – like Margaret Hamilton and Betty White vamping together!

Bringing Witchypoo from HR Pufnstuf and Wizard of Oz’s wicked Witch of the West together but only Paul Lynde could give you the band KISS and Donny and Marie Osmond in the same show.

[Thanks to John King Tarpinian, Chris Barkley, Cat Eldridge, SF Concatenation’s Jonathan Cowie, Steven French, Kathy Sullivan, Teddy Harvia, Mike Kennedy, and Andrew Porter for some of these stories. Title credit belongs to File 770 contributing editor of the day Jon Meltzer.]

Pixel Scroll 9/19/24 They’re Altogether Scrolly, The Pixel Family

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(1) SEAT OF POWER. Maybe you sat in this and had your photo taken at a convention? It’s on offer from Heritage Auctions; the bidding is currently up to $23,000.

Touring Iron Throne from Game of Thrones (HBO® Original 2011-2019). Original touring Iron Throne, measuring approximately 65″ x 86″ x 63″ and weighing 310 lbs. Molded from the original screen-used throne, this replica is expertly crafted from plastic with a painted metallic finish and jewel embellishments to resemble the hilts of once-regal swords. As George R. R. Martin wrote, “The Iron Throne is the throne of the conqueror, made from the swords of defeated enemies, a symbol of conquest.” Arguably one of the most coveted seats in pop culture, this seat of power is only rivaled by Captain Kirk’s command chair from Star Trek. The Iron Throne is also the most coveted item in George R.R. Martin’s fantasy epic, and the catalyst for the entire history of conquering, being conquered, and wanting to conquer in the titular “game of thrones.” This Iron Throne was crafted exclusively for promotional events and tours, such as Comic-Con, Hollywood premieres, and the Game of Thrones Touring Exhibition, which visited major cities worldwide, including New York, London, Paris, Madrid, Berlin, and Sydney. The exhibit featured iconic costumes, props, and set pieces from the series, allowing fans to immerse themselves in the world of Westeros. Over 1.5 million fans attended the tour, with lines often stretching for blocks as attendees eagerly awaited their turn to sit on the throne and take part in one of the biggest television and pop culture experiences of the 21st century. …The throne exhibits display age and wear with minor scuffing along its painted finish. Due to excessive weight and/or size of this lot, special shipping arrangements and additional charges for crating will apply. Comes with a COA from Heritage Auctions.

(2) TUNES FOR NOSFERATU. “’Silents Synced’ raises the dead with ‘Nosferatu X Radiohead’” in the LA Times behind a paywall.

The count with a penchant for sucking blood, like all the good horror villains who have followed in his footsteps, refuses to stay dead.

“Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror,” F.W. Murnau’s celebrated silent-era vampire film, has been given new life for the 21st century: It’s returning to theaters this fall with its orchestral classical score replaced by Radiohead’s dense and moody albums “Kid A” and “Amnesiac.” Few people have actually heard the original Hans Erdmann score since much of it was lost; later shows either built off what remained or created new orchestral scores.

The original movie, an unauthorized 1922 “Dracula” adaptation now in the public domain, has inspired filmmakers for more than a century, including Werner Herzog’s 1979 “Nosferatu the Vampyre,” E. Elias Merhige’s 2000 “Shadow of the Vampire” with Willem Dafoe and Robert Eggers’ upcoming “Nosferatu.”

The revamped version, dubbed “Nosferatu X Radiohead,” marks the debut of “Silents Synced,” a series that marries classic silent films with alternative rock. “Nosferatu” will be followed by Buster Keaton’s “Sherlock Jr.” to the tunes of REM’s “Monster” and “New Adventures in Hi Fi”; other films will feature the music of Pearl Jam, They Might Be Giants, the Pixies and Amon Tobin. (The Buster Keaton film will be preceded by a Charlie Chaplin short backed by music from Girls Against Boys.)

“Silents Synced” has its world premiere Saturday at the American Cinematheque’s Los Feliz Theatre. “Nosferatu” also will be shown at the Gardena Cinema Sept. 25 and twice more in October. The series rolls out nationally in 200 theaters on Oct. 4.

(3) ‘TIS THE SEASON. Horror Vibes Coffee of Los Angeles “specializes in serving handcrafted specialty beverages inspired by iconic horror cinema and horror culture!” Even if you can’t make it there to sample the drinks, the website’s product descriptions are pretty entertaining.

According to the FAQ these drinks are in highest demand: “The Candyman, Scissorhands and Nightmare on Maple St are the most popular! They can be made either iced or hot.”

Right now they have an array of Halloween-themed drinks, and art to match, such as:

(4) BULGACON 2024. [Item by Dr. Valentin D. Ivanov.] The speculative fiction and futurism club Ivan Efremov is organizing Bulgacon 2024 – the annual meeting of speculative fiction fans in Bulgaria on the holiday weekend of September 21 to 23. This is the 25th edition of the festival, which takes place every year at a different location. This year it will be held in Sofia at the National House of Science and Technology, at 108 G.S. Rakovski Street. The event will also be dedicated to the 50th anniversary of both the House of Culture Sredets and the Ivan Efremov club itself.

The British writers Ian McDonald and Farah Mendlesohn will be the official guests on-site.

The program of the festival is extremely varied and includes presentations of new Bulgarian speculative fiction books, lectures, meetings with authors, exhibitions, meetings among fan clubs, a quiz and many more interesting activities. Part of them will be conducted in English and the online events will be open to all interested (see links below).

Among the highlights are the panels on the future of YA literature in Bulgaria and about the legacy of Lyubomir Nikolov, a prominent fantasy writer and translator who left us earlier this year. The program will introduce the speculative genre development in India, Israel, Latin America and East Asia. The writer Harry Turtledove will hold an online session on alternative history with emphasis on Bulgarian alternatives.

The artist Veronika Prezhdarova will present her performance “Manifesto of Fake Art”. Ian McDonald and Farah Mendlesohn will lead several discussions dedicated to the speculative genre around the world, on the prognostic and social power of speculative fiction.

Winners of speculative short story and poetry contests will be announced. The theme of the contests was “Dreamers” with a sub-theme “Fantastic Sofia”.

The event will start at noon on September 21 and it is organized with the support of Sofia Municipality.

Further information about Bulgacon 2024, including the program, is available here:Bulgacon 2024 and on Facebook. The information about on-line events and how to see them will appear soon there.

(5) MEDICAL UPDATE. Barry Malzberg “took a spill and broke his collarbone and is now hospitalized.  He is due for surgery, but all is not grim,” Paul DiFilippo told friends today. “Compassionate fellow author Nancy Kress took it upon herself to reach out.”

Nancy Kress reported:

I just spoke to Barry, after Erika [one of Barry’s daughters] said it was okay. His surgery was postponed from yesterday till today, about an hour from now. He sounded very strong and we talked about a lot of different things.  He said it was okay to tell Michael Cassutt that he is in the hospital. In fact, Barry said “Tell everybody!” I can’t say he sounded cheerful exactly because after all he is Barry but he did sound better than I had feared.

(6) EXTENDED WHONIVERSE. “Doctor Who: Jo Martin’s Fugitive Doctor Is ‘Most Wanted’ at Big Finish” according to Bleeding Cool.

It looks like Big Finish is doing its part to get us that Jodie Whittaker/Jo Martin team-up we’ve been hoping for. Earlier today, the audio drama production powerhouse announced that the Fugitive Doctor (Martin) would be returning in January 2025 for The Fugitive Doctor: Most Wanted. Over the course of three exciting audio adventures, Martin’s Doctor will go one-on-one with ruthless bounty hunters, a mythical Russian witch, and even the Daleks (Nicholas Briggs, of course). Meanwhile, our Doctor is doing all of this while trying to stay one step ahead of Time Lord agent Cosmo (Alice Krige, best known for her role as the Borg Queen in the “Star Trek” universe). “Doing these audios has been super fun! There wasn’t enough time in the TV episodes to see all the different sides of the Fugitive Doctor. She’s gung-ho, but there’s a softer side to her. With these episodes, the listeners will hear her vulnerability, her kindness, and her loyalties. She’s a lone wolf, and that can’t be easy,” Martin shared about what listeners will learn about the Fugitive Doctor…

(7) ANYTHING BUT SUE. Or maybe this name. “Child Named Loki Skywalker Faces Passport Issues Due to Disney Copyright” – Mens Journal explains.

Unique names have become more common in recent years, from Elon Musk naming his child a combination of numbers and letters to parents taking inspiration from shows like Game of Thrones for their children’s monikers. Of course, this can present a bevy of issues when dealing with legal documentation. 

One British couple learned about some of these obstacles the hard way. Their son was born on May 4, 2017 on the annual Star Wars Day, so the Star Wars fans knew they had to name him something special. They opted for the unique name of Loki Skywalker Mowbray. 

The family planned to go on vacation to the Dominican Republic next month, but when they tried to get Loki Skywalker’s passport in order, the U.K. Home Office—similar to the U.S. State Department—informed them that they cannot process the application as “Skywalker” is a trademarked name by Disney. As such, they would have to get permission from the entertainment conglomerate in order to get a passport. 

“We were not aware that this could be a potential issue,” father Christian Mowbray told Suffolk News. “We understand that Loki’s middle name is copyrighted, but we have no intention of using it for personal gain.”…

(8) TODAY IN HISTORY.

Michael Chabon’s third novel The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay is published on September 19, 2000. It went on to win the Pulitzer Prize for fiction the following year. 

Among Chabon’s other credits are The Yiddish Policemen’s Union, a 2007 detective novel; Telegraph Avenue, a 2012 novel; and Moonglow, a 2016 novel. He has also written screenplays and several collections of short stories. 

(9) TODAY’S BIRTHDAY.

[Written by Paul Weimer.]

Born September 19, 1922 — Damon Knight. (Died 2002.)

By Paul Weimer.  What can I say about the man the SFWA Grand Master Award is named for? Member of the Futurians of New York city, for openers, there where the Deep Magic was written, one might say.

One can talk about his extensive genre criticism, a model and a role model for genre critics in the field ever since. In Search of Wonder, his first collection of essays, collects the essays that earned Knight a Hugo in 1956 for “Best Book Reviewer” (Fan Writer as a category would not exist until over a decade later). Creating Short Fiction, although perhaps dated today, was a book about the craft of writing short fiction. He was an editor of the twelve series of Orbit anthologies, which published original stories from people ranging from LeGuin and Russ to Poul Anderson, Gene Wolfe, and Norman Spinrad (whose story, “The Big Flash” which won him a Hugo award for Best Novelette)

Damon Knight

Or one can talk about this extensive body of fiction. While he wrote a fair sheaf of novels, his short fiction is where he excelled. And honestly, in this day and age, it’s the easiest and best way to get into his work (as noted above, Short Stories was his thing) He wrote in an era of twist and zinger endings that really pack a punch, sometimes with a sledgehammer and sometimes with a scalpel. The Devil getting outfoxed in “The Last Word”. “Not with a Bang” features a really nasty protagonist, possibly the last man on a devastated Earth, who is undone by his would-be wife’s prudishness. 

And oh yes, people outside the genre might not know of his work in criticism or the fact that his name is on the Grand Master Award, or just about any of his extensive short fiction…except for one more story to mention. It’s a story everyone knows. Enough rebroadcasts of The Twilight Zone have ensured that, and so will six more words, as Knight came up with the definitive twist ending for the series (no surprise given the above) but this story is the gold standard: 

“To serve man…it’s a cookbook!”

(10) COMICS SECTION.

(11) PRO TIP. Kurt Busiek shared this pointer today:

Remember, when designing an ensemble cast or team, you want a variety of body shapes and fashion sensibilities. Ideally, each character should be immediately recognizable even in silhouette.

— Kurt Busiek (@kurtbusiek.bsky.social) 2024-09-19T02:16:39.883Z

(12) JOHN CASSADAY, R.I.P. Daniel Dern sent along links to more obituary notices about comics artist John Cassaday, who recently died.

(13) YUCKTASTIC. GamesRadar+ warns “Venom 3 is the latest movie to unveil its popcorn bucket, and I don’t know how much more I can take of this trend”.

…Yes, this trend is still happening. Venom 3 is the latest upcoming movie to throw its hat in the ongoing inappropriate popcorn bucket race, and its design is truly disturbing. Really. I’ll never look at a symbiote the same way again. 

Although it has not yet been officially unveiled, the bucket was leaked online by Detective Wing and later shared by Discussing Film on Twitter which has since attracted some rather concerning comments. The bucket in question features Venom’s head with the Symbiote’s mouth wide open – presumably where fans will be able to reach in and grab their popcorn. See the post below. 

With the summer movie slate done and dusted we thought we were safe from the trend, but it looks like it has rolled onto spooky season too as just recently, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice dropped its take on the trend: a striped Sandworm bucket. Although this one seemed to be taking the trend back to the good old days when buckets were cute and on theme, Terrifier 3 later upped the ante, previewing a bloody bucket in the shape of Art the Clown’s head. Gross….

(14) BIG DOINGS. [Item by SF Concatenation’s Jonathan Cowie.] This week’s Nature cover story, “Jumbo Jets”, is of jets from super-massive black holes that affect the very structure of the universe’s cosmic web…

Powerful jets of radiation and particles generated by supermassive black holes can affect the distribution of matter and magnetism in the cosmic web — the large-scale structure of the Universe. In this week’s issue, Martijn Oei and colleagues report the discovery of the largest known jet structure originating from a black hole. Identified from radio images, the jets in the structure extend for about 7 megaparsecs (23 million light years), putting it on a truly cosmological scale. Named Porphyrion by the researchers, the structure is captured on the cover in an artist’s impression that shows Porphyrion emerging from a filament of the cosmic web and shooting its jets into the surrounding voids.

(15) PLUG AND PLAY. [Item by Steven French.] Interesting piece on the need for ethical issues to be thoroughly explored when it comes to ‘Brain-Computer Interfaces’: “Ethical challenges in translating brain–computer interfaces” in Nature (behind a paywall).

Brain–computer interfaces (BCIs) have the potential to revolutionize treatment for individuals with severe disabilities. As these technologies transition from the laboratory to real-world applications, they pose unique ethical challenges that necessitate careful consideration.

(16) TESTIMONY ABOUT TITAN SUBMERSIBLE AT COAST GUARD PANEL. “Titan submersible’s scientific director says the sub malfunctioned just prior to the Titanic dive” – AP News has the story.

The scientific director for the company that owned the Titan submersible that imploded last year while on its way to the Titanic wreckage testified Thursday that the sub had malfunctioned just prior to the fatal dive.

Appearing before a U.S. Coast Guard panel, Steven Ross told the board about a platform issue the experimental submersible experienced in June 2023, just days before it imploded on its way to the Titanic site. The malfunction caused passengers onboard the submersible to “tumble about,” and it took an hour to get them out of the water.

The submersible pilot, OceanGate co-founder Stockton Rush, crashed into bulkheading during the malfunction, Ross said. No one was injured in the incident, Ross said, though he described it as uncomfortable.

“One passenger was hanging upside down. The other two managed to wedge themselves into the bow end cap,” Ross said, adding that he did not know if a safety assessment of the Titan or an inspection of its hull was performed after the incident.

An investigatory panel has listened to three days of testimony that raised questions about the company’s operations before the doomed mission. Rush was among five people who died when the submersible imploded en route to the site of the Titanic wreck in June 2023….

(17) THE LONG WAY HOME. [Item by SF Concatenation’s Jonathan Cowie.] New research indicates that there was European contact with the Americas…

During the 15th century, the European countries of Spain and Portugal began sending ships on expeditions to find new trade routes to Asia. An accidental outcome of this search was that explorer Christopher Columbus encountered land in the Western Hemisphere in 1492. He landed in the Caribbean islands. So most ‘modern’ European contact with South America was after that date.  However new research published online as a pre-print in Nature — “Ancient Rapanui genomes reveal resilience”  — reveals an earlier contact the long way round.

Sequencing the genomes from the remains of 15 Easter Island (Rapanui) individuals that were radiocarbon dated to 1670–1950, and comparing these with those from S. America they found genes in common. Looking at the slight differences in these genes — genes change over time — they estimate that the Easter Islanders encountered S. Americans in S. America around 1250–1430.  This was before Columbus. (Click for larger image.)

Genetic path from Europe to Americas the long way round via the Pacific wet bit.

(18) VIDEO OF THE DAY. Ryan George shows us the “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade Pitch Meeting”.

[Thanks to Andrew Porter, John King Tarpinian, Chris Barkley, Dr. Valentin D. Ivanov, Daniel Dern, Paul Weimer, Cat Eldridge, SF Concatenation’s Jonathan Cowie, Steven French, Kathy Sullivan, Teddy Harvia, and Mike Kennedy for some of these stories. Title credit belongs to File 770 contributing editor of the day Jon “(snap snap)” Meltzer.]

Pixel Scroll 9/11/24 I’ve Clicked To Scroll It Stealthily In Narnia

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(0) File 770 was crashed most of the afternoon. Customer Service said high bot traffic is to blame. That may be fixed now. Let me quote Alan Arkin to whoever is sending these bots my way: “Argo fuck yourself!”

(1) LIFE IN PANDEMIC TIMES. “Station Eleven 10th anniversary: Emily St. John Mandel on what she’d change” at Slate. “Emily St. John Mandel on her eerily prescient sci-fi classic—and what she’d change about it now.”

You’re in a unique position in that you wrote a pandemic book in 2014, then had the TV adaptation come out in 2021. You experienced people’s responses to art about pandemics before COVID, during COVID, and now. I’m curious what the differences may have been.

I remember absorbing a lot of comments online to the effect of How did you predict this? Which I absolutely did not. There was always going to be another pandemic. What was interesting to see was the differences in the way between how I imagined a pandemic would be and how it actually is. In the Station Eleven pandemic, the mortality rate is insane. It’s like 99 percent or something. I didn’t have to go that far. It turns out society gets extremely disrupted extremely quickly, with vastly lower numbers than that.

Something I hadn’t anticipated was the in-between state of pandemics. For all my research into pandemics, I’d kind of thought of a pandemic as a binary state. You’re either in a pandemic or you’re not in a pandemic. But I remain fascinated by the month of February 2020 in New York City—we knew it was coming, but we didn’t believe it. It’s this uneasy territory wherein it’s very hard to make informed, reasonable decisions around risk management when you’re kind of in a pandemic and kind of not. We’re kind of there again now. Obviously, it’s much better than it was, but I do a lot of events where typically people will be unmasked at this point, but often there are a few people in the audience wearing a mask, and that is absolutely rational, and also being unmasked is rational at this point. That was something I just didn’t expect.

One thing that doesn’t ring true to me about the book anymore isn’t necessarily something I got wrong, but just the way our country has changed. When I wrote the book, I wrote a scene where all these flights are diverted to the nearest airport and everybody gets off the plane. They go to a television monitor tuned to CNN or something, and the announcer is talking about this new pandemic and everybody believes what the announcer is saying, which—I swear to God, that was plausible in 2011. At this point, absolutely not. I can’t even imagine that happening.

(2) NATIONAL BOOK AWARD. Two of the five National Book Award longlists were announced yesterday reports Publishers Weekly, for Translated Literature and Young People’s Literature. The shortlists come out October 1. The winners will be announced during an awards ceremony in New York City on November 20.

The works of genre interest in the 10-book longlists are named below.

Translated Literature

  • The Book Censor’s Library by Bothayna Al-Essa, translated from the Arabic by Ranya Abdelrahman and Sawad Hussain (Restless)
  • Woodworm by Layla Martínez, translated from Spanish by Sophie Hughes and Annie McDermott (Two Lines)
  • Pink Slime by Fernanda Trías, translated from the Spanish by Heather Cleary (Scribner)

Young People’s Literature

  • The First State of Being by Erin Entrada Kelly (Greenwillow)

(4) WILL GAIMAN STEP BACK FROM GOOD OMENS? According to Deadline: “’Good Omens’: Neil Gaiman Offers To Step Back From Season 3”.

Neil Gaiman is understood to have offered to step back from the third and final season of Prime Video‘s fantasy drama Good Omens.

Deadline revealed on Monday that pre-production had paused on the BBC Studios-produced show in the wake of allegations made by four women against Gaiman, which he denies. This came after Disney’s planned feature adaptation of Gaiman’s 2008 YA title The Graveyard Book also was put on pause.

Now, we understand that Gaiman has made an offer to Amazon and producers to take a back seat on the latest season so that it can continue amid crisis talks over the Terry Pratchett adaptation’s future. Deadline understands Gaiman’s offer is not an admission of wrongdoing following a podcast from Tortoise Media that chronicled accounts of two women, with whom he was in consensual relationships, who accused him of sexual assault. Another two have since come forward. Gaiman’s position is that he denies the allegations and is said to be disturbed by them. His rep did not respond to a request for comment….

(5) WOT’S THAT? TV Guide says “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Has an Accent Problem”.

Tom Bombadil made his The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power debut this week, played by character actor Rory Kinnear in a voluminous beard and wig. Known for his role in The Fellowship of the Ring (notably cut from the Peter Jackson movie), Bombadil is enigmatic yet silly; a mythic figure who hints at ancient wisdom while living out his days as a jovial, eccentric hermit. And like his harfoot neighbors, Rory Kinnear’s version speaks with a strong regional accent, playing into a recurring problem throughout the show.

Tolkien’s linguistic worldbuilding is famously sophisticated, and The Rings of Power puts a lot of work into its use of constructed languages like Quenya. Unfortunately its English-language choices are nowhere near as thoughtful, embracing clumsy stereotypes from around the British Isles. The most uncomfortable example is the nomadic harfoot community in Season 1; they’re the only characters who speak with Irish accents.

Writing in The Irish Times, critic Ed Powers described these “twee and guileless” harfoots as “a race of simpleton proto-hobbits, rosy of cheek, slathered in muck, wearing twigs in their hair and speaking in stage-Irish accents that make the cast of Wild Mountain Thyme sound like Daniel Day-Lewis.” He made the convincing argument that they reflect offensive images of Irish culture as “pre-industrial and childlike.” Unfortunately the show’s accent problems don’t stop there.

Overseen by American showrunners, the accent choices in The Rings of Power are deeply rooted in unexamined classism and regional stereotypes.….

(6) SUZANNE PALMER FUNDRAISER. “Fundraiser for Suzanne Palmer by Meguey Baker : Changing Suzanne’s Story: Emergency Funds for a Writer” at GoFundMe.

Let me tell you about Suzanne. She’s a writer, a world-builder, and a dear friend of mine over the past three decades. We need art to live. We need stories and storytellers. We need Suzanne. It’s easy to think that artists just make art, but they also have lives, and bills, and accidents that are terrible, or hilarious, or both, depending on the telling.

So when she told me the story about her kid stepping through the ceiling, plaster raining down on their sister’s bedroom below, it was with the smile of a writer who sees the humor in the misadventure. I knew it would become a family legend. But when she told me about being crushingly tight on funds due to payment for her work being months late, I knew that was no laughing matter.

I’m asking us all to step up….

(7) ANALYZING CONCORD’S FAILURE. [Item by Steven French.] Here’s the latest gaming news from the Guardian: “Sony’s big-budget hero shooter Concord failed spectacularly – here’s where it went wrong”.

As is now traditional, right after I’d filed last week’s Pushing Buttons, huge gaming news broke: Sony was pulling its hero shooter Concord from sale just two weeks after launch – because nobody was playing it. Everyone who bought it on PlayStation 5 and PC was refunded, and the future of the game is now unclear.

This is a brutal sequence of events. Sony bought the makers of Concord, Firewalk Studios, in 2023. Concord had been in development for eight years, and it was an expensive game, with bespoke cinematics and a long-term plan that would have cost $100m or more to develop. In its two weeks on the market, it sold fewer than 25,000 copies, according to estimates. This is a shocker, even compared with the year’s other bad news for developers and studios.

Much has been written about why Concord flopped so spectacularly. As Keith Stuart pointed out in his review of the game, it launched into a crowded genre, the hero shooter, in which many players already have their preferred game (Overwatch, Valorant or Apex Legends, to name three). Sony’s marketing of the game also seemed to fail, in that almost nobody knew about Concord before it arrived. (I barely knew about it, and it’s my job to know these things.) Criticisms, too, were levelled at its characters and design: it was generic and didn’t have any particularly interesting gameplay ideas.

The failure of Concord is also symbolic of the existential-level problems in modern game development: they are so expensive to create, and they take so long that a game can miss its moment years before it is released. All this makes publishers risk-averse, but if you’re simply trying to recreate what’s popular, it’ll be out of date by the time it’s finished….

(8) DID DISNEY MUFF THE MOFF? “Lucasfilm Sued for Recreating Grand Moff Tarkin Actor Peter Cushing’s Image in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” at IGN.

Peter Cushing

Disney subsidiary Lucasfilm is being sued over its recreation of Grand Moff Tarkin actor Peter Cushing’s image in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.

As reported by The Times, a friend of Cushing has alleged Disney did not have permission to recreate the actor’s image with special effects for Rogue One. Disney tried and failed to have the case dismissed for a second time on September 9, 2024.

The plaintiff Kevin Francis is suing Lucasfilm through his film company Tyburn Film Productions and also brought claims against Rogue One producer Lunak Heavy Industries, the late executors of Cushing’s estate, and Cushing’s agency Associated International Management.

Francis claimed he must give authorization for any recreation of Cushing’s image following an agreement made between him and the actor in 1993, one year before his death at age 81.

Lucasfilm claimed it didn’t think it needed permission to recreate Cushing’s image due to his original contract for Star Wars (the 1977 film which became Star Wars: Episode 4 – A New Hope) and the nature of the special effects. It also paid around $37,000 to Cushing’s estate after being contacted by his agent about the recreation.

On September 9, deputy High court judge Tom Mitcheson dismissed the appeal, stating the case should go to trial. “I am also not persuaded that the case is unarguable to the standard required to give summary judgment or to strike it out,” he added. “In an area of developing law it is very difficult to decide where the boundaries might lie in the absence of a full factual enquiry.”

(9) TODAY’S BIRTHDAY.

[Written by Lis Carey.]

Born September 11, 1952 – Sharon Lee.

By Lis Carey: She is best known as one half of the writing team of Sharon Lee and Steve Miller, creators of the popular and very enjoyable Liaden Universe series of novels and stories. Her solo works include two Maine-based mysteries, a fantasy series set in the fictional Maine town of Archer’s Beach, and several dozen short stories, both sf and fantasy.

Sharon Lee and Steve Miller in 2017.

It may interest some to know that her “day jobs” over the years have included (in addition to a lot of secretarial work) advertising copy writer, call-in talk host, nightside news copy editor, freelance reporter, photographer, book reviewer, and deliverer of tractor trailers.

 Born and raised in Baltimore, MD, she met fellow beginning new writer Steve Miller. They married in 1980, around the time Sharon made her first professional sale, “A Matter of Ceremony,” to Amazing Stories.

 In 1988, Sharon and Steve moved to Winslow, Maine, and lived there until 2018, when they moved “into town,” to Waterville, on the other side of the Kennebec River. Throughout their writing lives, they’d been carefully supervised by a succession of cats, and this remains true for Sharon. She currently has three Maine Coon cats, including veteran editorial cats Trooper and Firefly, and the new apprentice, Rook.

Sharon is working on the next Liaden book, Diviner’s Bow. She makes no guarantees on how long she will continue writing the series, but will continue to credit Steve as co-author on any new Liaden works she writes. She’s adamant that Liaden would not exist without both her and Steve, and that he is still an integral part of continuing to tell stories in that setting. Because of that, new Liaden stories will continue to bear both names.

(10) COMICS SECTION.

(11) KISSES FROM SPACE. [Item by lance oszko.] Orbital Author Reading gives new meaning to Book Launch. “Kisses from Space”. “Kisses from Space – St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital”.

Polaris Dawn Mission Specialist and Medical Officer Anna Menon invites you to embark on a celestial journey as she reads Kisses from Space, a children’s book published by Random House. Inspired by the resilient spirit of the young patients at St. Jude, Anna’s heartwarming tale comes to life by bridging the gap between the cosmos and our earthly hearts. These courageous children, in turn, have lent their creativity to the book by crafting artwork inspired by its whimsical illustrations. As you immerse yourself in the magic of Kisses From Space, know that every page turned contributes to a noble cause: supporting St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

(12) WESTEROS: EVERYTHING MUST GO. Heritage Auctions is running “HBO® Original Game of Thrones The Auction”, an huge event offering over 2,000 costumes, weapons, props, and set decorations, from October 10-12. For example:

…Among the essential pieces in this auction, my favorite is Oathkeeper, a Valyrian steel sword. Although initially forged for Jaime Lannister (through Tywin Lannister) from Eddard Stark’s legendary sword “Ice,” it was later gifted to Brienne by Jaime with the poignant directive, “It was reforged from Ned Stark’s sword. You’ll use it to defend Ned Stark’s daughter.” Oathkeeper thus became a symbol of Brienne’s journey from an underestimated sole female heir, whose worth was once seen as limited to marriage, to her rise as the Lord Commander of the Kingsguard….

(13) DO YOU KNOW THE WAY TO BABYLON-I-AY? Live Science celebrates a “Babylonian Map of the World: The oldest known map of the ancient world”.

…This tablet, which depicts how Babylonians perceived the world thousands of years ago, is peppered with details that offer insight into an earlier time. For example, the ancient world is shown as a singular disc, which is encircled by a ring of water called the Bitter River. At the world’s center sits the Euphrates River and the ancient Mesopotamian city of Babylon. Labels written in cuneiform, an ancient text, note each location on the map, according to The British Museum. …

(14) CHINA’S MARS PLANS. “China aims for historic Mars mission ‘around 2028’ as it vies for space power” reports CNN.

China’s historic attempt to bring samples from Mars to Earth could launch as soon as 2028, two years earlier than previously stated, according to a senior mission official.

The country’s Tianwen-3 mission would carry out two launches “around 2028” to retrieve the Martian samples, chief mission designer Liu Jizhong said at a deep-space exploration event in eastern China’s Anhui province last week.

The projected mission launch is more ambitious than a 2030 target announced by space officials earlier this year, though the timeline has fluctuated in recent years. A 2028 target appears to return to a launch plan described in 2022 by a senior scientist involved with the Tianwen program – a mission profile that would see samples returned to Earth by 2031.

The latest remarks follow China’s landmark success retrieving the first samples from the far side of the moon in June.

It also comes as an effort by NASA and the European Space Agency to retrieve Mars samples remains under assessment amid concerns over budget, complexity and risk. The US space agency, which first landed on Mars decades ago, said it is evaluating faster and more affordable plans to allow for a speedier result than one that would have returned samples in 2040….

(15) VIDEO OF THE DAY. Once upon a time on Letterman: “James Earl Jones presents things that only sound cool when he says them.”

[Thanks to John King Tarpinian, Chris Barkley, Cat Eldridge, lance oszko, Lise Andreasen, Andrew (not Werdna), SF Concatenation’s Jonathan Cowie, Steven French, Kathy Sullivan, Teddy Harvia, Mike Kennedy, and Andrew Porter for some of these stories. Title credit belongs to File 770 contributing editor of the day Daniel Dern.]

Pixel Scroll 8/10/24 Mere Pixel Scroll Won’t Thrill Me At All

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(1) LEARN ABOUT CHINESE SFF FILM AND TV. A technical problem prevented Xueting C. Ni from participating virtually in a Glasgow 2024 program item, however, the good news is that they distilled the information they wanted to present into this video now available on YouTube: “Glasgow Worldcon: Chinese Scifi Film And TV”.

(2) XIRAN JAY ZHAO TEACHES GRRM A TRICK. Or tries to. They’re both at Glasgow 2024. Afterwards they tell fans, “I’m not telling any of you exclusive top secret information about Winds of Winter.” So there.

(3) DAVE SIGHTING, FOLLOWED BY DAVE SLIGHTING. Ursula Vernon could hardly avoid hearing about this moment at a hotel across from the Glasgow 2024 Worldcon site. For reasons.

And the encounter has already inspired Great Art.

(4) GUFF WINNERS ASSEMBLE. Many of the GUFF delegates past and present at Glasgow 2024 took a group photo.

(5) IT IS THE END, MY FRIEND. The last Keith Kato Chili Party happened at Glasgow 2024. Here’s the ribbon:

(6) MORE DARKLIT TESTIMONY. John Durgin has added his account about the problems authors are having with DarkLit Press in “Kosa and the DarkLit debacle”, an open Patreon post.

…There are a number of reasons I’m coming forward now. First off, I had a number of friends who still kept their books with DarkLit, and I didn’t want to possibly hurt their titles by burying the press. Now that the press is folding, that doesn’t matter anymore. Secondly, I’ve seen many of those who spoke up get attacked for doing so by the press. Making Yolanda out to be a villain when we all knew it wasn’t true. Bashing Austrian Spencer’s editing quality when everyone knows he’s a top notch editor (never mind the fact that even if he DID provide a below average edit, he was still OWED money.) And then making Steve out to be some trouble maker for dropping facts that I can tell you are 100% correct.

The lack of accountability from day one was an issue that many of us discussed in private. We all wanted DarkLit to work. We had established a bond and supported one another wholeheartedly, had no reason to wish any ill will on the success of the publisher….

… It wasn’t until we grilled the new leadership and didn’t accept the vague answers we were given that we finally discovered they didn’t even have access to all the sales numbers yet. This was another massive red flag.

It was these issues along with seeing the things they said to try and ruin the image of anyone who spoke out that led me to pull my book. I can tell you things got pretty heated in the discord group. I can also tell you there was no damn misogyny in those heated exchanges. Many of the authors who had issues with the way things were headed were female. It really bothers me that Caitlin used that today when that is the furthest thing from the truth. We were left in the dark. We wanted information, and too often didn’t find it out until we wouldn’t take no for an answer. We would have demanded that transparency no matter who was in charge. …

Durgin refers to this statement from Caitlin Marceau, who was Editor-in-Chief of DarkLit Press.

(7) JIM CAUGHRAN (1940-2024). Longtime fan Jim Caughran, Fancyclopedia 3’s first editor, died August 6 at the age of 83. He discovered fandom in the 1950s while a teenager living in Nebraska.

He was in the cast of the cult favorite fan movie The Musquite Kid Rides Again in 1960 as “Doc Eney”. He was a member of FAPA, The Cult and OMPA. John Trimble published A Fanzine for Jim Caughran in May 1962.

In the last decade Jim wrote several letters of comment to File 770. He lived in Toronto at the time of his death.

(8) MARY WINGS (1949-2024). Pioneering creator of queer comics Mary Wings died July 3. “She was the first openly gay woman to write a comic book about lesbians. She went on to write detective novels with a queer woman in the lead.” The New York Times paid tribute: “Mary Wings, Pioneering Creator of Queer Comics, Dies at 75”. The link bypasses the paywall.

(9) COMICS SECTION.

(10) HISTORIC ANIMATION ART. Here are a couple more treasurers up for bid in Heritage Auction’s “The History of Animation – The Glad Museum Collection Signature® Auction” running from August 16-19.

Created for the very first shot in Walt Disney’s monumental theatrical short The Band Concert, presented is an unbelievably rare original color model cel setup displayed on its Master production background. A detailed, elaborate image, this complete setup features the whole band: Goofy, Clarabelle Cow, Horace Horsecollar, Peter Pig, Paddy Pig, and the one and only Mickey Mouse as conductor. Directed by Wilfred Jackson (1906 – 1988) and released on 2/23/1935, The Band Concert is notable for being the very first Mickey Mouse cartoon in color….

When the Mad Scientist fires his powerful death ray at the base of the Daily Planet, compromising the structure of the tall building, it’s up to the Man of Steel to stop the potential catastrophe. From Superman, or The Mad Scientist, the first animated appearance of the iconic superhero, we proudly present a magnificent and unbelievably rare Key Master setup showing the Last Son of Krypton displaying his powers by holding the collapsing building mid-flight with his bare hands.

(11) HOBBIT ANTECEDENTS. “Fossils suggest ‘hobbits’ roamed Indonesian island 700,000 years ago” – from a paywalled LA Times story.

Twenty years ago on an Indonesian island, scientists discovered fossils of an early human species that stood about 3½ feet tall — earning it the nickname “hobbits.”

Now a new study suggests ancestors of the hobbits were even slightly shorter.

“We did not expect that we would find smaller individuals from such an old site,” study co-author Yousuke Kaifu of the University of Tokyo said in an email.

The original hobbit fossils — named by the discoverers after characters in J.R.R. Tolkien’s novels — date back to between 60,000 and 100,000 years ago. The new fossils were excavated at a site called Mata Menge, about 45 miles from the cave where the first hobbit remains were uncovered.

In 2016, researchers suspected the earlier relatives could be shorter than the hobbits after studying a jawbone and teeth collected from the new site. Further analysis of a tiny arm bone fragment and teeth suggests the ancestors were 2.4 inches shorter and existed 700,000 years ago.

“They’ve convincingly shown that these were very small individuals,” said Dean Falk, an evolutionary anthropologist at Florida State University who was not involved with the research.

The findings were published this week in the journal Nature Communications.

Researchers have debated how the hobbits — named Homo floresiensis after the remote Indonesian island of Flores — evolved to be so small and where they fall in the human evolutionary story. They’re thought to be among the last early human species to go extinct.

Scientists don’t yet know whether the hobbits shrank from an earlier, taller human species called Homo erectus that lived in the area, or from an even more primitive human predecessor. More research — and fossils — are needed to pin down the hobbits’ place in human evolution, said Matt Tocheri, an anthropologist at Canada’s Lakehead University.

“This question remains unanswered and will continue to be a focus of research for some time to come,” Tocheri, who was not involved with the research, said in an email.

(12) SKELETON CREW. “’Star Wars: Skeleton Crew’ Trailer Unveiled At Disney D23” and Deadline would like to tell you about it. Premieres December 3 on Disney+.

The first trailer for the new Disney+ Lucasfilm series Star Wars: Skeleton Crew dropped in the Honda Center room at Disney’s D23 in Anaheim on Friday

Jude Law came onstage and said the series harkens to the Amblin kid fantasy films of the 1980s ala The Goonies.

“I fell in love with Star Wars when I was a 10-year-old boy,” he said. “[This] series is told from the perspective of the kids.”…

…In the clip, young kids are zipping around a space academy environment. They come across a tunnel in the woods, zip down, find a ship, fly through hyperspace, encounter big monsters and fire off turret guns. Oh, and Law plays a Jedi. It’s very young-skewing….

(13) D23 BRINGS PLETHORA OF DISNEY NEWS. The Hollywood Reporter has a long list of additional news announced at Disney D23: “D23: All the Updates from Marvel, Star Wars and Pixar from 2024 Panel”.

Bob Iger got a rock star-worthy welcome Friday night, as roughly 12,000 screaming fans gave the Disney CEO a standing-ovation as he kicked off a super-sized panel at D23.

“Wow. That was more than a warm welcome,” Iger told the crowd, adding, “Boy did I miss you.”

It was a homecoming for Iger, who was temporarily retired two years ago during the last D23, which is a chance for Disney’s to show off upcoming projects from Pixar, Marvel, Lucasfilm and 20th Century….

The article has new information learned at D23 about Agatha All Along, Daredevil: Born Again, Ironheart, Fantastic Four, Captain America: Brave New World, The Mandalorian & Grogu, Andor, Frozen III, Zootopia 2, The Incredibles 3, Hoppers, Toy Story 5, Inside Out TV spinoff, Avatar: Fire and Ash, Monster Jam, and Moana 2.

Here are two of the trailers presented:

[Thanks to Steven French, Ersatz Culture, Kathy Sullivan, Teddy Harvia, Mike Kennedy, Andrew Porter, John King Tarpinian, Chris Barkley, Cat Eldridge, and SF Concatenation’s Jonathan Cowie for some of these stories. Title credit belongs to File 770 contributing editor of the day Jon Meltzer.]

Pixel Scroll 8/8/24 I Filed The Scroll, And The Scroll Won

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(1) GLASGOW 2024 IN MEMORIAM LIST. The Worldcon In Memoriam 2024 was played today during Opening Ceremonies.

This is a listing of members of our community who have passed away since the last In Memoriam list was compiled for Pemmi-Con and Chengdu last year. This covers the period from July 9, 2023 to July 15, 2024. Any submission received after the 15th July was passed along to Seattle Worldcon.

(2) BIG HEART AWARD. The recipient was honored during Opening Ceremonies. “This award is given to those who go above and beyond in welcoming new people to fandom, and supporting the ideals of fandom.”

(3) SPECIAL COMMITTEE AWARD. Glasgow 2024 is giving a Special Committee Award to the game Dungeons & Dragons. The award is described as “an armadillo with a traffic cone on its head, and a resin die underneath it”. Okay. Photograph on Flickr.

(4) CHINESE VIDEO TOUR OF GLASGOW DEALERS ROOM. [Item by Ersatz Culture.] From the Eight Light Minutes publisher’s Weibo, a 47 minute video. See it at the link: 2024Worldcon  @八光分文化的微博 – 微博. I think there might be footage of other areas, but I only skim-watched bits of it.

(5) A NATION OF RIBBON CLERKS. Here are a couple examples of private edition ribbons people are handing out at Glasgow 2024.

Hugo, Girl! podcast is distributing this set. (Photo courtesy of Scott Edelman).

On behalf of Diabolical Plots:

(6) A CALL FOR GRACE. Caitlin R. Kiernan suspects their criticisms here will be “Falling on Deaf Ears”, a blog entry at Dear Sweet Filthy World.

…I made [two posts] to Facebook, and I will say up front, yes, both were inspired by the way I’ve seen George R.R. Martin slurred and mocked over nothing in the past couple of weeks. The most childish, mean-spirited, petty shit, and often from authors I thought I respected, who I would have imaged to be above schoolyard taunts. Generally, I usually miss the stuff, Writers bore me, and I tend to avoid them online….

[The second was:] We are all standing on the shoulders of giants. Don’t like that? Tough. We can do what we can do because someone was there before us. This is very true in publishing, maybe especially true in speculative fiction. And we should show respect to our elders (and that’s what they are), even when their poltics do not align with our own. You think you’d have as many opportunities had there never been a, say, George R.R. Martin? Really? We *owe* these people. They opened doors, and, you know, if they don’t fit *your* sensibilities, stop and think of all the reasons that might be. Jesus, did we forget how to cut folks some slack? I think we did. This is not about who was the most transgressive or progressive at some earlier point in history; this is about having the decency to respect those who have gone before. Egalitarianism is all fine and well, until it becomes an excuse to act like a shit.
Postcript: Fuck, I’m 60. Stop and try to imagine what it was like just getting publishers to buy stories about queer and trans characters when I began publishing in 1993…

…This is why I have never been part of this “community,” why I have never even really tried….

(7) MEANWHILE, ABOUT THOSE CHENGDU HUGOS. The Chengdu Worldcon Hugo Awards belonging to non-attending winners arrived in the United States in late January, but as Dave McCarty told Chris Barkley, all of the display cases and some of the awards were damaged in transit from China. They either needed to be repaired, or replacement parts made. There having been no word five months later, in June, Barkley started asking those waiting if they’d gotten theirs. Nope. Now there’s been some action – and the results are alarming. Here’s a Hugo just received by a Hugo, Girl! podcaster.

(8) CLARION WEST COMMENTS ON GAIMAN, DISCUSSES THEIR POLICIES. Clarion West has posted a statement about the allegations against Gaiman and more specifically about how they select instructors and respond to sexual harassment or abuse at the workshop. They issue a call for transparency and action in the SFF community as a whole. “Silence Does Not Lend Itself To Change”.

News of the allegations against Neil Gaiman began breaking as this year’s six-week workshop hurtled into its third week. As we emerge from the workshop and have time to process this news, our board and staff want to take a moment to recognize that a culture of silence and protecting prominent authors has been widespread in the SFF community, and that it often disproportionately affects the most marginalized and vulnerable in our society. The silence, and its impact, is not acceptable. 

This is an important conversation for everyone in the SFF community about protecting the most vulnerable in our industry from predation, and how to learn to listen to victims and make it easier for them to come forward without causing them further harm.

The Clarion West board of directors and our entire team are deeply invested in establishing a safe and harassment-free environment for those who participate in our programs. 

How do we do this? 

We believe that personal behavior is as important as professional standing and endeavor to make selections for instructors based on what we know of their personal and professional comportment. The process for instructor selection allows for concerns to be heard, both during selection meetings and privately. 

To address concerns around instructor behavior, Clarion West has had a written instructor policy against harassment or sexual misconduct with students for at least 25 years. This policy is given to every workshop instructor. Neil Gaiman received a copy of this policy when he taught for us in 2013. Organizers were not aware of accusations or inappropriate behavior by Gaiman prior to inviting him, nor were they made aware of any abusive behavior during his tenure. 

In more recent years, the organization has created and posted our Code of Conduct and an Anti-Harassment Policy publicly. We’ve made significant efforts to improve the process for students, staff, and community members to report harassment as well as the procedure for investigation and follow-up. The organization seeks to create transparency around the workshop and all programs. 

Clarion West takes any reports of misconduct among our community members seriously and is dedicated to improving the experience of writers in speculative fiction, especially those historically underrepresented in publishing. We pledge to continuously review and update our policies, investigate accusations thoroughly, and work toward maintaining safe and inclusive spaces.

If you have information to share, concerns or questions about our policies, or wish to report abusive behavior related to the workshop or other Clarion West programs, please contact us at report@clarionwest.org. 

(9) JEFF WARNER OBIT. Veteran conrunner Jeff Warner, who co-founded I-CON, has died. Michael Dauenheimer paid tribute on the convention’s Facebook page.

For those of you who weren’t fortunate enough to know Jeff Warner, he showed a life-long devotion to Science Fiction fandom. As a Stony Brook student, Jeff was one of the founding members of I-CON, helping to plan and run the first one on the SB campus in 1982.

He was also heavily involved with the Science Fiction Forum during his students years and continued to show concern and be involved when he could, attending reunions and staying touch with old friends.

Jeff was one of a kind. One of those unforgettable characters that you thought only existed in movies. He was definitely a people person and showed more “team spirit” than any athlete possibly could. When it came to conventions, Jeff tried to attend as many as he could, more often than not, volunteering to help them run. To him it was his passion to promote and foster Science Fiction fandom….

He will be greatly missed by many. He will not be forgotten.

Warner was briefly onscreen and is named in the credits of The People vs George Lucas (2010), a documentary about Star Wars fans. He was active as a File 770 contributing editor, supplying the titles of three Scrolls: Pixel Scroll 9/4 The Scrolling Stones, Pixel Scroll 12/28/19 Pixel Gadol Hayah Scroll, and Pixel Scroll 2/4/24 Pixel, Pixel, Scroll And Stumble. File Churn And Cauldron Double.

(10) COMICS SECTION.

(11) I GET MY SIDEKICKS FROM. [Item by Daniel Dern.] A CBR.com columnist granted a reader’s wish to give superheroes kid sidekicks: “Line it is Drawn: Superheroes Gain New Kid Sidekicks”. The image of Doctor Manhattan’s new sidekick Kid Manhattan image is obviously (to those of us with long memories etc) an homage to this Superman cover (per “Supergirl’s First Comic Appearance: Everything Fans Need To Know”.

(12) GOOD NEWS FOR FANHISTORIANS. Richard Graeme Cameron was happy to announce today that the audio department of the Special Collections Library at Simon Fraser University of Burnaby B.C. has offered to conserve and digitize the audio tapes of early VCON convention events. The other day Cameron had put out a plea for a collection that would take responsibility for them.

Simon Fraser University Science Fiction Society (SF3) was one of the three organizations sponsoring the first VCON back in April of 1971. The other two sponsors were the B.C. Science Fiction Association (BCSFA) and the University of B.C. Science Fiction Society (UBC SFFEN). Note that SFU fen contributed to ongoing VCONs for many years thereafter.

I am absolutely thrilled, in that at some point in the near future interested fen world-wide will finally be able to hear these treasured recordings from the past.

Precise details have yet to be worked out, but I am confident the tapes will be transferred well before the end of the month and conservation work begun.

(13) I CAN’T BELIEVE MY EARS. “Cate Blanchett says ‘no one got paid anything’ for ‘Lord of the Rings’” according to CNN.

Actress Cate Blanchett may have starred in the box office smash hit “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring,” but, according to her, that money didn’t trickle down to the cast.

During an appearance on “Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen,” Blanchett played “Plead the Fifth” and was asked about the film for which she received the biggest paycheck.

“I think it’s probably ‘Lord of the Rings,’” Cohen suggested

“Are you kidding me,” Blanchett said as Cohen expressed surprised. “No. No one got paid anything to do that movie.”

When Cohen asked whether she “got a piece of the backend,” referring to the practice of big stars getting a percentage of the ticket sales, Blanchett said no.

“That was way before any of that,” she said. “No, nothing.”

Blanchett said she did the 2001 film for the chance to work with Peter Jackson, who directed “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy.

“I wanted to work with the guy who made [1992 horror comedy film] ‘Braindead,’” she said. “I mean, I basically got free sandwiches. And I got to keep my ears.”…

(14) ICONIC ANIMATION. One of the items in Heritage Auction’s “The History of Animation – The Glad Museum Collection Signature® Auction” running from August 16–19 is this cell from “The Jetsons Opening Title Sequence: Judy and George Jetson”.

It’s time to meet ponytailed “Daughter Judy” as daddy George gets her ready to zoom to class, in this iconic image from the classic opening sequence of this beloved animated series. This is an extremely rare original hand-inked, hand-painted 12 field two-level production cel setup with an original Jetsons sky view production background painting, gouache on board. The Jetsons originally ran on ABC-TV for a single 24-episode season in 1962-63…

(15) COLLABORATORS AND QUISLINGS. The UK’s Society of Authors is concerned about publishers licensing their catalogues to AI companies.

(16) SWIPER, DON’T SWIPE. And the Creators’ Rights Alliance has sent a warning to AI technology companies.

The Creators’ Rights Alliance (CRA) has today (7 August 2024) reaffirmed that its member organisations and the creators that they represent do not consent to their works being used to develop generative artificial intelligence (AI) by sending letters to AI technology companies.

The CRA, which represents over 500,000 creators through its member organisations, said that they ‘do not authorise or otherwise grant permission for the use of any of their works protected by copyright and/or related rights (including performers rights) in relation to, without limitation, the training, development, or operation of AI models.’

Download the full letter here

To date, generative AI models have been developed using vast amounts of copyright-protected work without consent, transparency over data sources or remuneration for rightsholders and creators. The copying of rights-protected works without authorisation is against UK law.

[Thanks to Cat Eldridge, SF Concatenation’s Jonathan Cowie, Steven French, Dan’l, Ersatz Culture, Marnee Chua, Kathy Sullivan, Teddy Harvia, Mike Kennedy, Andrew Porter, John King Tarpinian, and Chris Barkley for some of these stories. Title credit belongs to File 770 contributing editor of the day Soon Lee.]

Pixel Scroll 7/27/24 The Roads Must Scroll

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(1) MONTELEONE’S NEW SUBSTACK REPEATS OLD MESSAGE. Author Thomas F. Monteleone, who early in 2023 was ousted from the Horror Writers Association for violating its Code of Conduct, today launched a Substack newsletter with “Allow Me To Introduce Myself”, which rehearses many of the views that he was expressing on Facebook and in video interviews when HWA removed him from membership.

Sheena Forsberg also has screencaps of the newsletter in a thread on X.com: “Oh.. JFC. Tom Monteleone’s back.. I suspect this wasn’t what your friends and colleagues meant when they urged you to go the substack route.”.

(2) CASHING IN ON FANHISTORY. [Item by Chris Barkley.] A copy of the pamphlet that triggered the Exclusion Act at the first Worldcon in 1939, which yesterday’s Scroll reported was up for auction, went for $750 reports Stellar Books & Ephemera.

(3) 1929: THE GENRE GETS A NAME. Jim Emerson’s year-by-year history Futures Past will reach 1929 in the latest volume due in August.

FUTURES PAST is dedicated to all those amazing people who helped to shape our modern world by giving us a sense of wonder, by showing us possible futures and addressing social issues long before they touched the mainstream, and by simply daring to ask, “what if…” Our goal is to keep alive the people, works and memories of a great genre and introduce them to a whole new generation of readers, thinkers and dreamers.

You can download an excerpt: “The Stirrings of a New Genre”

…One of the feature articles for 1929 is an extensive look at the evolution of the term “science fiction” which was not called that until this year.  In fact, the word “science” was not coined until the early 1800s, and that is where this article begins….

(4) STEPHEN GRAHAM JONES Q&A. In the New York Times: “Stephen Graham Jones, Author of ‘I Was a Teenage Slasher’, on His Reading Life”. (Gift link bypasses Times paywall.)

How do you sign books for your fans?

I cross my name out then write it for real. I can’t use markers on grabby paper. That raspy sound makes me crawl out of my skin like Mr. Krabs, molting….

What do your English department colleagues at the University of Colorado Boulder make of your horror writing?

Lot of them read it, and talk to me about it. It’s nice to work with faculty without that inbuilt prejudice against genre. Or, I’m a little bit tall, so it’s tricky to look down your nose at me. Unless you lean just way back….

(5) SHARING EXPERTISE. “Show up, love the process, don’t follow trends: insider tips on how to write a book” – the Guardian publicizes a creative writing podcast.

The novelist and podcaster Elizabeth Day, host of the How to Fail series, has created a “podclass” to answer those questions and more, hosted by three publishing pros: novelist Sara Collins, agent Nelle Andrew and publisher Sharmaine Lovegrove. Here, the four share their key advice for getting a book out into the world.

One of Sara Collins’ tips is:

3. Pay attention

Writing is a way of filtering the world. The best writers are the ones who make an art of paying attention, who find joy in being curious. Curate a notebook (to be honest, in my case it’s mostly in the notes app on my phone). Make a note of anything that strikes you. One of the best feelings about being in the midst of a project is how you can become a tuning fork, alive to the material that wants to find its way in. Everything is copy, as Nora Ephron said.

Episode 1 of How To… Write A Book is available at Apple Podcasts and many other places.

Sara Collins is the bestselling novelist and screenwriter currently serving as a judge for the 2024 Booker Prize. Her debut novel, The Confessions of Frannie Langton, won the Costa book awards in 2019 and she later wrote the TV screenplay. Nelle Andrew is a literary agent and former Agent of the Year at the

British Book Awards, and Sharmaine Lovegrove is the co-founder and managing director of Dialogue Books, an inclusive imprint at a major publishing house. Each of them is an expert in one stage of the publishing journey…. and all are literary nerds (in the best possible way).

(6) SMOKED PENGUIN WILL NOT BE ON THE MENU. “’The Penguin’ Comic-Con Activation Evacuated After Fire Breaks Out” reports Variety.

A fire broke out in the building hosting the San Diego Comic-Con activation for the HBO series ”The Penguin,” causing the venue to be evacuated on Friday evening. The alarm was sounded in the midst of the press preview for the activation. Members of the media, including reporters from Variety, were escorted outside by officials at roughly 7:30 PM. Update: The activation is now back up and running. There were no injuries.

A representative for the San Diego Police Department confirms that a three-alarm fire was reported at the venue on 5th Avenue and E Street in the city’s downtown area. The fire began in a Brazilian steakhouse that was also in the building….

… The multi-level installation for “The Penguin” involved an elaborate, immersive experience that put attendees inside the seedy and cavernous criminal hang-out dive known as the Iceberg Lounge, first seen in the 2022 film “The Batman.” The HBO crime series is a spin-off of the Matt Reeves-directed blockbuster, with Colin Farrell reprising his role as the villainous gangster Oswald Cobblepot. The Comic-Con activation represents the most lavish promotional push yet for the DC Comics series….

(7) STAR WARS AUCTION ITEMS GO FOR UP TO SEVEN FIGURES. Variety listens to the cash register chime as “’Star Wars’ Y-Wing Miniature, Princess Leia Bikini Sold at Auction”.

A filming miniature of a Y-Wing Starfighter helmed by Gold Leader, who aided Luke Skywalker in destroying the Death Star in 1977’s “Star Wars: A New Hope,” sold for a whopping $1.55 million Friday at Heritage’s July Entertainment Auction.

Another highlight of the collection was a Princess Leia gold bikini costume from Jabba the Hutt’s scenes in 1983’s “Return of the Jedi,” which sold for $175,000. The ensemble includes seven pieces from Industrial Light & Magic chief sculptor Richard Miller’s collection–a bikini brassiere, bikini plates, hip rings, an armlet and bracelet….

… Other items featured at the Heritage auction included final movie poster artwork for “Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home” by Bob Peak, which sold for $106,250. Paramount’s 1986 sci-fi film was directed by Leonard Nimoy, who also played Spock. Additionally, a piece of John Alvin’s concept art for his 1982 “Blade Runner” movie poster fetched $100,000….

(8) TODAY’S BIRTHDAY.

[Written by Paul Weimer.]

July 27, 1968 — Farah Mendlesohn, 56.

By Paul Weimer: I would not say that Farah Mendlesohn is twice the science fiction reviewer and critic that I am. I would say that she is perhaps three or four times the science fiction reviewer and critic that I am. Mendlesohn has a strength and depth to her analysis and writing that I can’t even approach even on the best of days. She remains and will probably always remain the lightspeed barrier of criticism that I will never ever reach, but I will still try.

Farah Mendelsohn. Photo by Scott Edelman

Her best work, her deepest and perhaps her most essential work is her book on the work of Robert Heinlein, The Pleasant Profession of Robert A. Heinlein. Although many on the far right hate it for not being hagiographic enough about Heinlein and his work, I have found her views instructive, interesting, and more than one occasion has caused me to reassess what I had just read myself. I got into a pattern over on the SFF Audio podcast where we were doing Heinleins regularly. Each time, I dipped into the Pleasant Profession to see what Farah had to say, and each time, I came away with a new perspective and new point of view, even with books such as Farnham’s Freehold. The Pleasant Profession is a mandatory read if you want to dig deeper into any Heinlein title that you are thinking of reading or re-reading. It amazes me that it had to be crowdfunded to come into existence, Mendlesohn has done plenty of other publications, of course, including the Cambridge Guide to Science Fiction, works on Diana Wynne Jones, A short history of fantasy and plenty more. I think of her work as my gateway (and perhaps yours, reader) into the academic side of science fiction, a country I will never enter, but perhaps can wave at from not far from the border.

(9) COMICS SECTION.

(10) BRINGING UP BABY. A snippet of fascinating comics history in “The Strafford – 777 West End Avenue” at Daytonian in Manhattan.

…Iancu Urn Liber was born in Eastern Romania where he suffered intense antisemitism.  Upon immigrating to America, he changed his name to Jack Lieber.  In the spring of 1920, Jack married Celia Solomon and they moved into The Strafford.  Two years later, on December 28, 1922, they welcomed their first son, Stanley Martin Lieber.  Like his father had done, Stanley would change his name, becoming Stan Lee–the creative leader of Marvel comic books….

The same article includes an unrelated bit of interesting Titanic history.

(11) STAR TREK NEWS. Variety was at Comic-Con when they unveiled “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, Section 31, Lower Decks First Looks”.

The “Star Trek” Universe uncloaked a litany of first looks during its epic panel at San Diego Comic-Con on Friday, including panels for the third season of “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds,” the fifth and final season of “Star Trek: Lower Decks” and the first television feature film in the franchise, “Star Trek: Section 31.”

(12) CREATURE COMMANDOS. “Creature Commandos Teaser Unveiled, New DC Studios Logo” – Deadline sets the frame.

James Gunn beamed in from the Superman set Friday at Comic-Con to show off the new teaser for Max’s animated series Creature Commandos, which he wrote all seven episodes on. Premiere date is December.

In the footage… Viola Davis reprises her role as Amanda Waller. She walks Captain Flag down to inner prison areas where we’re introduced to a bunch that’s crazier than the Suicide Squad: Weasel, The Bride, G.I. Robot, Dr. Phosphorus, Frankenstein and Nina Mazursky.

“These assholes aren’t human,” Waller tells Rick Flag. G.I. Robot later pops up, “It’s been oh., so long since G.I. Robot sent Nazis back to hell!”…

(13) SDCC’S SIMPSONS PANEL FEATURES VIDEO OF KAMALA HARRIS QUOTING LINE FROM SHOW.  It’s not a new video, as you can learn from reading beyond the clickbait headline. “Kamala Harris Surprises ‘Simpsons’ Fans With Message at Comic-Con” in The Hollywood Reporter.

The Simpsons panel at San Diego Comic-Con saved a final surprise for last, as the event ended with a resurfaced video message from Vice President Kamala Harris.

After introducing the final clip as coming from a “super fan,” Matt Groening — who created the animated Fox series that is soon to launch its 36th season — set up footage of a laughing Harris delivering a well-known line from a previous “Treehouse of Horror” episode. The clip was recorded years ago by a group of University of Chicago students who were tasked with getting an elected official to recite the Simpsons quote.

“We must move forward, not backward; upward, not forward; and always twirling, twirling, twirling towards freedom,” Harris said in the clip. It led to big cheers from the crowd, who appeared to assume that the moment was filmed for the panel, given that no context was given about the clip.

The quote is from season eight’s “Treehouse of Horror VII” that aired Oct. 27, 1996, just ahead of that year’s presidential election between then-President Bill Clinton and Bob Dole. The episode’s segment features aliens Kang and Kodos impersonating the two candidates, with the Clinton imposter delivering the muddled message during a public event….

(14) KEPLER’S LEGACY. Phys.org explains how “Kepler’s 1607 pioneering sunspot sketches solve solar mysteries 400 years later”.

“Kepler’s legacy extends beyond his observational prowess; it informs ongoing debates about the transition from regular solar cycles to the Maunder Minimum, a period of extremely reduced solar activity and anomalous hemispheric asymmetry between 1645 and 1715,” Hayakawa explained.

“By situating Kepler’s findings within broader solar activity reconstructions, scientists gain crucial context for interpreting changes in solar behavior in this pivotal period marking a transition from regular solar cycles to the grand solar minimum.”

“Kepler contributed many historical benchmarks in astronomy and physics in the 17th century, leaving his legacy even in the space age,” said Hayakawa.

“Here, we add to that by showing that Kepler’s sunspot records predate the existing telescopic sunspot records from 1610 by several years. His sunspot sketches serve as a testament to his scientific acumen and perseverance in the face of technological constraints.”

Sabrina Bechet, a researcher at the Royal Observatory of Belgium, added, “As one of my colleagues told me, it is fascinating to see historical figures’ legacy records convey crucial scientific implications to modern scientists even centuries later.

“I doubt if they could have imagined their records would benefit the scientific community much later, well after their deaths. We still have a lot to learn from these historical figures, apart from the history of science itself. In the case of Kepler, we are standing on the shoulders of a scientific giant.”

(15) THAT EYE GUY. “’Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power’ Season 2 Trailer: More Sauron” is Deadline’s simple verdict.

Amazon Prime, once again, spared no expense in banging the drums –literally– for its hit series, Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power at Comic-Con. Today’s Hall H panel fired up with composer Bear McCreary leading a big drum percussion and choir with themes from Season 2 of the hit series.

That’s not all — an orc stormed on stage screaming his support of Adar. Also, you know it’s a special moment in Hall H when they open up the massive wrap-around 180-degree-plus screens.

Last night, Amazon celebrated the Aug. 29 launch of Season 2 with a cast and showrunner reception decked out ala Lord of the Rings with a golden flowers and dark forests theme at Venue 808 last night before stirring up a 6,500-strong filled Hall H with the new trailer….

As for the trailer – the YouTube blurb says:

About The Rings of Power Season 2: Sauron has returned. Cast out by Galadriel, without army or ally, the rising Dark Lord must now rely on his own cunning to rebuild his strength and oversee the creation of the Rings of Power, which will allow him to bind all the peoples of Middle-earth to his sinister will. Building on Season 1’s epic scope and ambition, Season 2 of Amazon’s The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power plunges even its most beloved and vulnerable characters into a rising tide of darkness, challenging each to find their place in a world that is increasingly on the brink of calamity. Elves and dwarves, orcs and men, wizards and Harfoots… as friendships are strained and kingdoms begin to fracture, the forces of good will struggle ever more valiantly to hold on to what matters to them most of all… each other.

[Thanks to Andrew Porter, John King Tarpinian, Paul Weimer, Chris Barkley, Cat Eldridge, SF Concatenation’s Jonathan Cowie, Steven French, Kathy Sullivan, Teddy Harvia, and Mike Kennedy for some of these stories. Title credit belongs to File 770 contributing editor of the day Daniel Dern.]

Pixel Scroll 7/5/24 Shhhh, The Pixels Are Resting Right Now, Let’s Not Disturb Them

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(1) SHERYL BIRKHEAD’S FANZINE COLLECTION. [Item by Rich Lynch.] I’m sad to report that my friend Sheryl Birkhead unfortunately is now in the midst of severe vascular dementia.  This is resulting in her being relocated from her house into an assisted living situation.  As a result, her house (in Montgomery County, MD) will be put up for sale soon, and in the near future there will need to be a disposition of her extensive collection of fanzines, many of which are historically valuable.

So, on her behalf, I am looking for indications of interest from university libraries which have existing collections of fanzines.  Sheryl’s collection will be a significant and valuable addition to one of these library collections.

If you have a contact with a university library fanzine collection curator, please pass this information on to him/her. I am the point of contact and I can be reached at rw_lynch@yahoo.com

Your assistance is appreciated in helping to preserve this valuable collection.

(2) FRANKENSTEIN AND BILBO COMMAND BIG BUCKS. A first edition of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein sold for $843,000, and a first edition presentation copy of The Hobbit went for $300,000 in Heritage Auctions’ The William A. Strutz Library, Part I, Rare Books Signature® Auction yesterday. “One For the Books: Inaugural Auction Featuring Selections from William Strutz’s Celebrated Library”.

Frankenstein was published in three volumes on January 1, 1818, by a small London publishing house, Lackington, Hughes, Harding, Mavor & Jones, with a small print run of 500 copies. The first edition appeared anonymously, and featured an unsigned preface by Percy Shelley, and a dedication to Mary’s father, philosopher William Godwin. Mary Shelley didn’t publicly claim her novel until four years later, when her novel was adapted into a popular play.

Also:

…what is now the most valuable Hobbit in the world, a presentation copy of J. R. R. Tolkien’s novel that realized $300,000.

Bidders also fought over a first edition presentation copy of Tolkien’s 1937 The Hobbit, featuring a dust jacket — likewise the creation of Tolkien — so brilliant-bright its snow-capped mountains seem to burst out of its famously verdant landscape. Tolkien gifted this copy to dear friends, writing inside, “Charles & Dorothy Moore / from. / J.R.R.T / with love / September 1937.”

(3) THE SOUNDEST BITES. The Big Think excerpts Guy P. Harrison’s Damn You, Entropy! 1,001 of the Greatest Science Fiction Quotes: “31 genius sci-fi quotes that offer real-world wisdom”.

…Science is our most effective tool or process for discovering and understanding reality. It also enables us to create technologies with godlike powers. Unfortunately, this comes with the risk of placing too much trust in scientists and too much reliance on technology. The question of who gets to control and benefit most from deadly, invasive, or dehumanizing technology is a common science-fiction theme. 

“When a population is dependent on a machine, they are hostages of the men who tend the machines.” — Robert A. Heinlein, “The Roads Must Roll,” 1940 short story

“Aren’t these the people who taught us how to annihilate ourselves? I tell you, my friends, science is too important to be left to the scientists.” — Carl Sagan, Contact, 1985 novel

“It has undoubtedly occurred to you, as to all thinking people of your day, that the scientists have done a particularly abominable job of dispensing the tools they have devised. Like careless and indifferent workmen they have tossed the products of their craft to gibbering apes and baboons.”  — Raymond F. Jones, This Island Earth, 1952 novel

On the other hand, prominent astronomer Fred Hoyle wrote a science-fiction novel in the 1950s that contained the suggestion that scientists don’t have enough power. 

“Has it ever occurred to you, Geoff, that in spite of all the changes wrought by science—by our control over inanimate energy, that is to say—we still preserve the same old social order of precedence? Politicians at the top, then the military, and the real brains at the bottom.” — Fred Hoyle, The Black Cloud, 1957 novel…

(4) SCAM I AM. Victoria Strauss investigates “The Curious Case of Fullers Library and Its Deceptive Link Requests” at Writer Beware.

…All of the websites targeted for Fullers’ link suggestions include resource pages or otherwise offer lists of outbound links, and each suggested link is seeded across multiple recipient sites: for example, a websearch on the rain garden article yields six pages of results, with many different “student” names supposedly responsible for recommending it. The articles are, for the most part, like Nora’s: superficial but not overtly bogus, just the kind of thing that you could believe an enthusiastic young student might find helpful.

As for the sites to which the suggested links direct, in some cases they are a semi-plausible match for the articles they host (for example, an article on paper bag crafts hosted at a printing company, and an article on pickleball hosted at a playground equipment vendor), but more often it’s like the examples above: the article has zero relevance to its host, and isn’t accessible from the host menu. Many of these hosts–some of which are pretty shady-seeming–are home to multiple Fullers-recommended articles.

In other words, Fullers is running a link building scam….

(5) SFF AUDIO DRAMA. [Item by SF Concatenation’s Jonathan Cowie.] The BBC’s Radio 4 (formerly the Home Service) airs some excellent audio dramas with some solid SF in the mix.  The latest such offering is The Skies Are Watching.

Heather Haskins went missing two years ago. Discovered aboard a flight without a ticket or identification, she now believes she’s a woman named Coral Goran, it’s 1938, and that she was abducted on the night of Orson Welles’ infamous</I> War of the Worlds <I>broadcast. Her family struggles to come to terms with this turn of events while searching for answers…

Episode 1 airs Friday, July 5 and can for a month be accessed here.

(6) TEDDY HARVIA CARTOON.

(7) TODAY’S BIRTHDAY.

[Written by Paul Weimer.]

July 5, 1957 — Jody Lynn Nye, 67. 

By Paul Weimer. I mainly know the work of Nye as a collaborator and facilitator, working with other people’s work.  Sure, she has written a slew of short stories, and several novels of her own. But when I think of her work, I don’t think of those as much as I should.  Instead, I think of her work with Robert Asprin, and Anne McCaffrey. 

Neither is a surprise. One of the strong arrows in Nye’s quiver is humor, and collaboration with Asprin on some of the later works in the MYTH series must have seemed natural to both of them when they decided to do it. Both engage in both broad humor and subtle wordplay, laugh out loud at the moment, and later poleaxing bits of humor as profound as they are funny. And coming in as she did late in the series, it provided a fresh infusion of ideas for the MYTH series at the time and helped extend the series into the 2000s. 

Jody Lynn Nye

And then there is Anne McCaffrey. The first thing I read by Nye is not her standalone novels, or MYTH, but rather her guide to Pern. Even then, intensely interested in worldbuilding, of COURSE I had to pick this one up (it would be one of several I picked up, including one on Julian May’s Pliocene exile, the Visual Guide to Castle Amber, et cetera).  I only in retrospect realized that the Nye who wrote this would be the one who collaborated with McCaffrey in the other arena McCaffrey is known more: The Ship Who Sang. That original novella, way back in the 1960’s led to Nye and McCaffrey collaborating on more stories and novels about a sentient spaceship. Nye also continued the series on her own, as did other authors like S M Stirling.  (In point of fact, Nye seems to like to do that, to continue on series. She did it with MYTH and with some other series as well, extending and building them outward. 

And then there is the odd collaborative/shared world Exiled Claw, which is an alternate earth where intelligent bipedal cats (think Kzinti but not as stupidly aggressive ) take on intelligent dinosaurs in a bronze age/early iron age technology verse.  Nye shows off yet another arrow in her quiver in those two volumes. Pity they stopped after two volumes and not even Nye has had the opportunity to write any more. Alas!

It would be a Mythstake, indeed, to discount Nye’s work in the SFF field as “merely” being collaborative. (She also teaches at DragonCon every year, too).  Collaborations and working in other people’s sandboxes is hard, not easier, than original ideas, and Nye has a talent (and clearly, a proclivity) for it.

(8) COMICS SECTION.

(9) SCIENCE EXHIBITION IN LONDON. [Item by Steven French.] If anyone happens to be in London over the weekend, there’s some neat stuff going on at the Royal Society: “Summer Science Exhibition 2024”.

Discover cutting-edge research and innovation at the Royal Society’s unmissable Summer Science Exhibition, taking place from 2 – 7 July 2024, an interactive experience open to everyone with a curious mind. This is a free event and no ticket is required. 

This year, visitors can get hands-on with personal brain scanners, hear real ice core samples from Antarctica, marvel at a chandelier made from a waste product, or learn how stem cells are revealing secrets of the embryo. Find out more about the 14 main exhibits and plan your visit.

One of the exhibits is about “DUNE: The Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment”.

DUNE, the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment, is a cutting-edge experiment developed by the international neutrino physics community to study a broad range of science, including neutrino oscillations, neutrinos from nearby supernovae, and proton decays.

The Near Detector of the experiment will be hosted by Fermilab, IL, USA, with its Far Detector 1300 km away in South Dakota at the Sanford Underground Research Facility (SURF). Surprisingly, no tunnel is needed for the neutrinos to travel through because these ghostly particles pass easily through soil and rock as they rarely interact with matter. The Long-Baseline Neutrino Facility (LNBF) at Fermilab will deliver a neutrino beam of unprecedented power, which is needed for the detailed measurements DUNE is due to take of such elusive particles.

Probably the most well-known goal of the experiment is to study neutrino oscillations. This has driven the large-scale design of the experiment as neutrinos need to travel a large distance for oscillation to take place. This will help solve some fundamental questions, such as why the Universe is made of matter and not antimatter, and provide more information about the masses and nature of neutrinos….

(10) CHINA SMASH! [Item by Mike Kennedy.] Not satisfied, one supposes, with the NASA effort to redirect asteroids in the DART mission, China claims they will one up that by “smashing“ a 30-meter asteroid by 2030. (It might be noted that the smaller asteroid, (Dimorphos) of the double asteroid NASA targeted—the one actually impacted—was ~170-meters and thus much more massive than China’s target.)

All that said, having two nations working on planetary defense is much better than having only a single nation doing so. “China Planning to Smash Asteroid in Planetary Defense Test” at Futurism.

China is planning to launch a spacecraft with the aim of smashing a nearby asteroid, in an impact designed to test the feasibility of protecting against any Earth-threatening asteroids like the one that killed off the dinosaurs about 66 million years ago.

Researchers outlined their plans in a recent paper published in the Journal of Deep Space Exploration and spotted by The Planetary Society, saying that a test mission should happen before 2030 and that an asteroid with a diameter of about 30 meters will be the target….

(11) A BOON FROM ARES. The LAist gets a scientist to explain to us “Why a new method of growing food on Mars matters more on Earth”.

That led to a career in space agriculture, figuring out how to grow food on other planets. She credits time later spent living among the Kambeba, an Indigenous tribe in the Amazon rainforest she is descended from, for her conviction that it is essential that she do more than explore distant worlds. She wants to preserve this one, too.

“It’s a very conscientious topic within the world of space agriculture science,” said Gonçalves, noting that “every single piece of research that we produce must have direct benefits to Earth.”

That ideal makes her latest research particularly timely. She and a team at the Wageningen University & Research Centre for Crop System Analysis found that an ancient Maya farming technique called intercropping works surprisingly well in the dry, rocky terrain of Mars.

Their findings, published last month in the journal PLOS One, have obvious implications for the possibility of exploring or even settling that distant planet. But understanding how to grow crops in the extraordinarily harsh conditions on other planets does more than ensure those colonizing them can feed themselves. It helps those here at home continue to do the same as the world warms.

“People don’t really realize [this], because it seems far away, but actually our priority is to develop this for the benefit of Earth,” said Gonçalves. “Earth is beautiful, and it’s unique, and it’s rare, and it’s fragile. And it needs our help.”…

Intercropping, or growing different crops in close proximity to one another to increase the size and nutritional value of yields, requires less land and water than monocropping, or the practice of continuously planting just one thing. Although common among small farmers, particularly across Latin America, Africa, and China, intercropping remains a novelty in much of the world. This is partly because of the complexity of managing such systems and largely unfounded concerns about yield loss and pest susceptibility. Modern plant breeding programs also tend to focus on individual species and a general trend toward less diversity in the field….

(12) VIDEO OF THE DAY. Host David Agranoff is joined by Alec Nevala-Lee and Seth Heasley on Postcards From A Dying World #148 to discuss “SF Hall of Fame #6 Nightfall by Isaac Asimov”.

[Thanks to Steven French, Teddy Harvia, Kathy Sullivan, Rich Lynch, Mike Kennedy, Andrew Porter, John King Tarpinian, Chris Barkley, Cat Eldridge, and SF Concatenation’s Jonathan Cowie for some of these stories. Title credit belongs to File 770 contributing editor of the day Cat Eldridge.]

Pixel Scroll 7/2/24 We, In Some Scroll Credential’s Employ, Also Walk Dogs, On A Rigorous Leash

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(1) WANTED: A NEBULA FOR POETRY. Science Fiction Poetry Association President Colleen Anderson says she recently talked to an incoming Vice-President of SFWA about creating a Nebula award in the poetry category.

She points out that the Horror Writers Association already presents a Stoker Award for superior achievement in a poetry collection.

(2) WHERE TO ROAM IN BUFFALO. The preliminary schedule for Buffalo NASFiC 2024 is now online: Buffalo NASFiC Program Guide.

Buffalo NASFiC will have an extensive program consisting of multiple tracks, with a wide variety of events, panels, workshops, and happenings. We expect to have over a hundred hours of things to do and see, including items on fantasy & science fiction literature, film & TV, gaming, science, art, filk, new media, fandom, and much more…

(3) FOURTH OF JULY TWILIGHT ZONE MARATHON. [Item by John King Tarpinian.] I have this on CD, and Blu-ray, and limited edition, but I will still have the marathon on in the background on the fourth. SYFY Wire has the latest: “SYFY The Twilight Zone Fourth of July Marathon 2024: How to Watch”.

…The marathon kicks off first thing Thursday, July 4 at 6:00 a.m. ET with “And When the Sky Was Opened.” Written by series creator Serling and directed by Douglas Heyes, the classic Season 1 episode follows three test pilots (Rod Taylor, Charles Aidman, and Jim Hutton), who begin to mysteriously vanish from the very fabric of reality after their experimental ship crashes in the desert.

The script was adapted from the short story “Disappearing Act” from prolific sci-fi scribe Richard Matheson and plays on the universal human phobia of the unexplainable. “The worst fear of all is the fear of the unknown working on you, which you cannot share with others,” Serling once said (via Marc Scott Zicree’s Twilight Zone Companion). “To me, that’s the most nightmarish of the stimuli.”…

(4) CUBOLOGY. The New York Times celebrates as “The Rubik Cube Turns 50” (Unlocked article.)

… Mr. Rubik, a Hungarian architect, designer, sculptor and retired professor, took part in a question-and-answer session with Dr. Rokicki and his co-organizers, Erik Demaine, a computer scientist at M.I.T., and Robert Hearn, a retired computer scientist, of Portola Valley, Calif.

Dr. Rokicki asked Mr. Rubik about the first time he solved the Cube: “Did you solve corners-first?”

These days, new cubers learn on YouTube, watching tutorials at 1.5x speed. Dr. Rokicki instead recommends the old-fashioned strategy: Set out on a lone path and discover a solving method, even if it takes weeks or months. (It took the computer scientist Donald Knuth less than 12 hours, starting at his dining table in the evening and working straight through to the morning.) Corners-first is a common route, since once the corners are solved, the edges can be slotted in with relative ease. Mr. Rubik said that, yes, he indeed did corners-first. Mr. Rubik, who is known to take a philosophical approach to cubology and to life in general, added: “My method was understanding.”…

(5) MONSTER ART. Coming on July 31 to the Society of Illustrators in New York: “Beautiful Monsters: The Art of Emil Ferris”.

In the highly anticipated My Favorite Thing is Monsters Book Two, the densely layered artwork of Emil Ferris transports us to Chicago in 1968, a year of violence and protest. Against this backdrop, 10-year-old Karen Reyes continues her private investigation into the murder of her beautiful neighbor, Anka Silverberg, a Holocaust survivor. In a story where everyone in this complex cast of characters has a secret, no one is as they seem.

Ferris draws in a unique style, using ball-point pen on notebook paper, with a dynamic sense of timing and rhythm. Educated at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Ferris finds inspiration in both classic paintings and horror comics. Beautiful Monsters will include original character portraits, variations on classic paintings, saints, wolves, architecture, scary clowns, and a whole gallery of monster posters.

Curated by Kim Munson, editor of the Eisner nominated anthology Comic Art in Museums, curator of Women in Comics and Collen Doran Illustrates Neil Gaiman.

(6) BAYCON BIDS FOR 2026 WESTERCON. [Item by Kevin Standlee.] From the Westercon website: “BayCon Files Bid to Host Westercon 78”.

The parent non-profit organization of BayCon, The Society for the Promotion of Speculative Fiction, has filed a bid with Westercon 76 Utah to host the 2026 West Coast Science Fantasy Conference (Westercon 78) over the weekend of July 3-6, 2026 at the Marriott Hotel, Santa Clara, California, in conjunction with BayCon 2026.

No bids filed to be on the ballot for the 2026 Westercon by the April 15, 2024 deadline. As of July 1, 2024, no other write-in bids have filed bids. Groups interested in bidding to host the 2026 Westercon must file the information specified in Section 3.5 of the Westercon Bylaws with the 2026 Westercon Site Selection Administrator, Linda Deneroff, by the end of site selection voting at Westercon 76 at 6 PM MDT on July 5, 2024. Bids may be filed in person at Westercon 76 or by email. If no qualified bid wins the election at Westercon 76, the Westercon 76 Business Meeting on July 6, 2024 shall be responsible for selecting a site for Westercon 78 as provided for in the Westercon Bylaws.

BayCon 2025 was awarded the right to host Westercon 77 (2025) in a separate decision announced on June 14, 2024. Should they win the election at Westercon 76, they would host both Westercons 77 and 78.

Westercon 76 will be at the Doubletree Hotel Salt Lake City Airport July 4-7, 2024.

(7) TARTAN TIME. “Going to Scotland! But first, making things!” – Lisa Clarke tells what she’s making to take to the convention, including some items she’ll offer for sale.

Neil and I have been married for 29 years, and we’ve had kids for 24 of those years….

…So, we have never gone with Neil to cons that involved flying, with one notable exception: We went to Ireland five years ago. That was an epic trip. A first flight for one of our kids, a first time out of the country for both of our kids, and my first time on an airplane in 20 years.

This year, we’re doing it again: we’re headed to Scotland!

Neil is going to the World Science Fiction Convention, and we are tagging along with him to wander around Glasgow, see the sights, buy some yarn…

I’ve been preparing for this trip in the most Lisa Clarke of ways: making jewelry and a shawl to coordinate with the convention colors. Oh, I’m such a nerd really, but I can’t stop myself!

I’m not attending the con itself, but will be going to the Hugo Awards with Neil (he’s nominated again), and I’ll be wearing my usual black dress (aka my trusty blank canvas) along with a shawl that I have yet to finish. There will be a shawl pin, and some combination of earrings, bracelets, rings and a barrette, all made to coordinate with the con colors….

…Naturally I cannot wear all of these things that I’ve created, but I’m hoping that if you are attending the convention, too – or you are just a fan of these colors – that you would like some pieces to wear with your own Glasgow 2024 ensemble. I see these things going equally as well with a t-shirt as they do with a blank canvas black dress….

(8) CLARKESWORLD REBUILDS SUBSCRIBER BASE. Meanwhile, back at the office…

(9) UK CHILDREN’S LAUREATE Q&A. [Item by Steven French.] The new Children’s Laureate in the UK is Frank Cottrell-Boyce who wrote the sequel to Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and the Doctor Who episodes “In the Forest of the Night” and “Smile”, among other things: “’Reading’s in danger’: Frank Cottrell-Boyce on books, kids – and the explosive power of Heidi” in the Guardian.

… He believes that the language of “catching up” post-pandemic is a code for forgetting that it happened, and that children are not being given the space, time or resources to process their experiences. And it’s not just lockdown that they have to deal with: “Kids are being told that they’re a pre-war generation, they’re growing up aware that their entire biosphere is in danger. They’ve got all these anxieties, and we have something that can alleviate those anxieties. It’s not a magic bullet. It’s not going to cure them. But it is a really simple coping mechanism that plugs you right into the entire history of our culture. This is a chain that goes back to the first fire in the first cave. We know it works. It’s what got us here, and we are in danger of losing it.”…

(10) KGB. Fantastic Fiction at KGB reading series hosts Ellen Datlow and Matthew Kressel present Nat Cassidy and A.T. Sayre on Wednesday, July 10, 2024, at 7:00 p.m. Eastern at the KGB Bar, 85 East 4th Street, New York, NY 10003 (Just off 2nd Ave, upstairs).

Nat Cassidy

Nat Cassidy’s horror novels Mary and Nestlings were featured on best-of lists from Esquire, Harper’s Bazaar, NPR, the NY Public Library, and more, and he was named one of the “writers shaping horror’s next golden age” by Esquire. His award-winning horror plays have been produced across NYC and the country, including at the Kennedy Center. You’ve also maybe seen Nat guest-starring on shows such as Law & Order: SVU, Blue Bloods, Bull, Quantico, FBI, and others … but that’s a topic for a different bio. His next novel with Tor Nightfire, When the Wolf Comes Home, hits shelves in April 2025. His website is: www.natcassidy.com.

A.T. Sayre

A.T. Sayre has been writing in some form or other ever since he was ten years old. His work has appeared in The Cosmic Background, Aurealis, Haven Speculative, and most notably in Analog Magazine, where his debut novel The Last Days of Good People, appears in the current issue. His first short story collection, Signals in The Static, was published this spring by Lethe Press. More info on these and his other works can be found at www.atsayre.com/fiction. Born in Kansas City, raised in New Hampshire, he lives in Brooklyn and likes to read in coffeehouses.

(11) MEMORY LANE.

[Written by Cat Eldridge.]

July 2, 1948 — Saul Rubinek, 76. So tonight we have Saul Rubinek.  My brain when I started stitching this together kept tugging at a thread that wasn’t quite there of a production that I’d seen him where he was quite good in a role so I had to look up his credits on IMDB where it turned out it was first in a nearly fifteen-year-old airing of The Golden Spiders: A Nero Wolfe Mystery where he was cast as Saul Panzer, freelance detective working for Nero Wolfe. 

This was the first of two hour-long movies that originally were all that was planned to be but ratings were excellent and critics loved it, so two seasons followed with stars Maury Chaykin as Nero Wolfe, and Timothy Hutton as Wolfe’s assistant, Archie Goodwin. 

Saul Rubinek

He was on the series not as this character, but as Lon Cohen, a reporter at the New York Gazette. He’s Archie’s source of crime news, and Archie often asks Lon for background information on current or prospective clients.

Before you ask, yes, I loved the series. Unfortunately it is not streaming anywhere right now and the DVDs are ridiculously expensive as a fellow member of Susan’s Salon noted earlier this week and I found them for sale at $150 for the complete series on Amazon.

Now onto his genre work.

His longest role was as Special Agent in Charge of Warehouse 13 Artie Nielsen, in charge of the often troublesome Pete Lattimer, Myka Bering and Claudia Donovan, not to mention several others that had very interesting stories here. Now Artie prefers old fashioned items and ways of doing things because they are familiar and comfortable. He likes tinkering with what is in Charge of Warehouse, something which can be hazardous to him, other and Warehouse 13 itself. 

Obviously I’m not going to say anything about what happens to him here as if you haven’t seen the series, it’d spoil for you. Suffice it to say that the writers use the character well.

Spoilers now as they can’t be avoided. On the “The Most Toys” episode of The Next Generation, he plays a nearly obsessed collector who adds Data to his collection. 

(Tom Toles in a Washington Post article noted what the title meant, “Maybe you remember and maybe you don’t the phrase “He who dies with the most toys wins.” It has been attributed to Malcolm Forbes, but whoever said it deserves to be noted for being able to get it out while throwing up a little in the back of his mouth.”) 

Data has been deactivated somehow and reactivated and met by Fajo, his character, who explains he collects rare and valuable objects — like Data himself. Ok let me note that is nothing to like in my opinion about Fajo. Which of course was the lint of the story here. 

The homage to Asimov’s Three Laws of Robotics is rather obvious. Perhaps a little too obvious. 

Saul wasn’t the first choice for this character. It’s very important to note the last-minute nature of his casting went well for three reasons:  he was available as he wasn’t engaged in anything, he was a Star Trek fan keen to appear in the series, and he was a personal friend of the episode’s director Timothy Bond.

They had created an elaborate prosthetic outfit for the first choice but there wasn’t time to design even facial  prosthetics for him given when they needed to get the episode done, well, now, when he stepped into the role. 

Memory Alpha has a listing of what Kivas Fajo has collected and which is shown here or used here to create a feeling of his alienness. Not surprisingly, nothing in his collection or that he uses here was created for this episode but had already been designed and constructed for another episode such as the communication device used by Sarjenka for “Pen Pals”, a  Next Generation episode that aired the previous season. 

Ok, there’s lots of one-offs he did I could mention but those are the three roles that I want to note. 

(12) COMICS SECTION.

(13) SCHRÖDINGER’S TRADING CARD BOXES. Heritage Auctions recently sent subscribers the short article: “Sealed Trading Card Game Booster Boxes: To Open or Not to Open?”

Sealed trading card game (TCG) booster boxes have become highly collectible due to nostalgia, potential value, and rarity. A common question about these boxes is whether to keep them sealed or open them. Here’s a brief look at why you might open or keep them sealed:

Why You Should Open Them

  1. Chance of Rare Cards: You might pull valuable, rare, and desirable cards.
  2. Enjoyment and Nostalgia: The experience of opening packs can be nostalgic and fun.
  3. Content Creation: Unboxings attract views and engagement for content creators.

Why You Should Keep Them Sealed

  1. Rarity and Scarcity: Fewer sealed boxes mean higher value.
  2. Preservation and Collectibility: Sealed boxes are being opened, increasing collectability.
  3. Future Demand: Nostalgia and new collectors can drive future demand.

The decision to open or keep a booster box sealed ultimately comes down to the individual. Truthfully, there’s no wrong answer to the question as long as you have fun keeping them sealed or opening them and seeing what lies inside them.

(14) THE POSTMAN ALWAYS CLICKS TWICE. Movieweb contends “The Books That Inspired Fallout Are Essential Reading Before the Show”.

The developers of the Fallout series have been very public about their influences, with the post-apocalyptic landscape drawing obvious parallels to the aforementioned Mad Max, along with lesser-known movies like A Boy and His Dog and Radioactive Dreams. The franchise’s creators have also been just as forthcoming about the series’ literary influences, and three of those books are essential reading before Prime Video’s series adaptation releases in April 2024….

David Brin was excited to find his story first on the list.

…It’s hard to imagine a video game, film, or any visual medium taking visual cues from a novel, considering the obvious lack of pictorial elements, but The Postman by David Brin is cited as a huge influence on the design process of Fallout‘s iconically unique landscape and the settlements found within.

Set in a decimated landscape, Brin’s The Postman follows a man who stumbles upon a crashed mail truck that has been untouched since the old world fell. Having lost everything after falling victim to a group of raiders, the man decides to wear the uniform, acting as the federal inspector for the “Restored United States of America” to gain entry to the local settlements across the Wasteland…

(15) BAD DAY IN SPACE TECH. A test of the Tianlong-3 rocket went wrong – video on this Weibo post. And for those of you reading along in English, Gizmodo brings us: “Chinese Rocket Accidentally Launches During Test, Crashes Dramatically”.

…Chinese company Space Pioneer accidentally launched the first stage of its Tianlong-3 rocket during a Sunday test of the vehicle that went terribly wrong. The rocket crashed and exploded near a city in Central China, but no injuries have been reported so far…

…The accidental launch occurred during a hot firing test of the rocket on Sunday at a facility in Gongyi City, Henan Province. During the test, the rocket’s nine engines are ignited, while the vehicle is supposed to be secured to the ground, preventing it from heading toward orbit.

Space Pioneer blamed a “structural failure” of the test bench for the rocket’s separation from the launch pad, the company wrote in a statement. The rocket’s onboard computer, however, automatically shut down the engines upon detecting unusual activity. That’s when Tianlong-3 plummeted towards a hilly area near the city….

(16) JUSTWATCH QUARTERLIES. This month JustWatch, the largest streaming guide in the world, released updates on the market share of all major streaming platforms across 60 different countries. The results below reflect data we collected over the last 3 months.

SVOD market shares in Q2 2024

At the forefront of the market, a fierce rivalry is unfolding between Prime Video and Netflix as their figures remain closely matched. Meanwhile, Apple TV+ and Paramount+ face a similar battle with Apple TV+ coming out on top.

Market share development in 2024

Global streaming giant: Apple TV+ grabs the attention of the US market with a +1% increase in shares. Meanwhile, Amazon Prime Video struggled throughout the second quarter to keep their share above Netflix.

In other news, Disney+ has now made Hulu content available on their app within the country, bringing the two platforms closer to integration.

Methodology: JustWatch‘s Market Shares are calculated based on user interest in their website and mobile apps. User interest in the United States is measured by adding movies or TV shows to their watchlist, clicking out to a streaming service or filtering multiple streaming services, and selecting the relevant streaming service.

(17) PRESENT AT THE CREATION. “In Ukraine War, A.I. Begins Ushering In an Age of Killer Robots” — in the New York Times (behind a paywall).

…What the companies are creating is technology that makes human judgment about targeting and firing increasingly tangential. The widespread availability of off-the-shelf devices, easy-to-design software, powerful automation algorithms and specialized artificial intelligence microchips has pushed a deadly innovation race into uncharted territory, fueling a potential new era of killer robots.

In 2017, Mr. Russell, the Berkeley A.I. researcher, released an online film, “Slaughterbots,” warning of the dangers of autonomous weapons. In the movie, roving packs of low-cost armed A.I. drones use facial recognition technology to hunt down and kill targets.

What’s happening in Ukraine moves us toward that dystopian future, Mr. Russell said. …

….  a panel of U.N. experts also said they worried about the ramifications of the new techniques being developed in Ukraine.

Officials have spent more than a decade debating rules about the use of autonomous weapons, but few expect any international deal to set new regulations, especially as the United States, China, Israel, Russia and others race to develop even more advanced weapons. 

“The geopolitics makes it impossible,” said Alexander Kmentt, Austria’s top negotiator on autonomous weapons at the U.N. “These weapons will be used, and they’ll be used in the military arsenal of pretty much everybody.”…

(18) VIDEO OF THE DAY. “Trailer: ‘Kite Man: Hell Yeah!’ Makes Soaring Max Premiere July 18” – Animation Magazine sets the frame.

The DC animated universe keeps expanding, as the Max Original adult animated series Kite Man: Hell Yeah! is set to debut with two episodes Thursday, July 18, followed by one new episode weekly through September 12, on Max.

The new show features characters from the Critics Choice Award-winning Max Original Harley Quinn, which has been renewed for a fifth season and is currently available to stream on Max.

Synopsis: Kite Man and Golden Glider take their relationship to the next level by opening a bar in the shadow of Lex Luthor’s Legion of Doom. Nobody said serving cold ones to the most dangerous rogues outside of Arkham Asylum would be easy, but sometimes you want to go where everybody knows your name, and how to hide a body….

[Thanks to Chris Barkley, Cat Eldridge, SF Concatenation’s Jonathan Cowie, Kevin Standlee, Steven French, Teddy Harvia, Kathy Sullivan, Mike Kennedy, Andrew Porter, and John King Tarpinian for some of these stories. Title credit belongs to File 770 contributing editor of the day Daniel Dern.]

Pixel Scroll 6/21/24 Asleep At The Wheel Of Time

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(1) WOOKIEEPEDIA IS TARGET OF HARASSMENT. ScreenRant tells why “Wookieepedia Under Fire For Changing Ki-Adi-Mundi’s Birth Date After The Acolyte”.

Wookipedia, the official Star Wars wiki, has come under fire after making an edit to Ki-Adi-Mundi’s canon page based on The Acolyte. Jedi Master Ki-Adi-Mundi is hardly the most famous character in the Star Wars franchise; the Cerean Jedi has only a handful of lines, and his most notable moment in canon was ordering a flavorless slushie in John Jackson Miller’s tremendous book The Living Force. But Ki-Adi-Mundi’s cameo in The Acolyte has turned into a source of controversy based on his date of birth.

Wookipedia, the official Star Wars wiki, updated its page on Ki-Adi-Mundi to reflect the fact he’s canonically alive during The Acolyte, 100 years before Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace. The editors on the site were shocked at the strength of the backlash, with some even receiving death threats….

… Ki-Adi-Mundi‘s age was previously established in only two sources: a 1999 CD-ROM released after Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace and a 2013 trading card. George Lucas himself contradicted some of the contents of the CD-ROM when he changed Ki-Adi-Mundi’s lightsaber color in later movies, and both were rendered non-canon by Disney in 2014. In canon, Ki-Adi-Mundi’s age has never been specified.

The problem is less with the change of canon than the current backlash against The Acolyte, which has even seen a review-bombing campaign on Rotten Tomatoes. Wookipedia is simply the latest target; all the site’s editors have actually done is update the information on the canon character page, but that simple act has unfortunately received a backlash. Some trolls have taken to sharing images of Ki-Adi-Mundi’s Legends page, carefully edited to remove the “Legends” banner – which certainly illustrates that this whole debate isn’t in good faith.

(2) EXPENSIVE RELIC OF FIRST WORLDCON. Frank R. Paul’s artwork for the first Worldcon program book (1939) was sold for $10,200 today by Heritage Auctions.

Frank R. Paul World Science Fiction Convention – Nycon Program Book Illustration Original Art (Nycon, 1939). From the first ever World Science Fiction Convention (aka Worldcon) in 1939! And the art is by noted sci-fi artist Frank R. Paul, which makes this doubly desirable! The original art for this program banner was created in ink and signed in the lower right of the 20.5″ x 3.25″ image area. UV Glass-front framed to 29″ x 12.75″. Lightly toned, with some minor whiteout art clean-ups. In Very Good condition. From the Roger Hill Collection.

(3) PUBLISHING PENDULUM SWINGING? Book Riot’s Jeff O’Neal asks the question “Has the DEI Backlash Come for Publishing?” and looks for the answer in The Atlantic:

Dan Sinykin and Richard Jean So have some fascinating data in The Atlantic. In looking at the racial breakdown of more than 1700 novels published by major publishers in the last five years (2019 – 2023), Sinykin and So found that the percentage by nonwhite writers doubled, from a meager 8% in 2019 to a better, though still well short of U.S. demographics, 16% in 2023. This is tremendous progress and, anecdotally, feels about right. The framing of the piece is in the context of Lisa Lucas’ firing from Pantheon, which is both relevant as the sharp rise roughly corresponds with the environment Lucas was hired in. And they are right, as is anyone, to mention that there is still work to be done. However, the scale of the increase makes me wonder if we are over-indexing on one or two notable, public names rather than the hundreds and hundreds of books by writers of color that just weren’t being published in the last five years. Do the firing of these editors portend a stagnation, or worse a regression, in these numbers? It’s possible. It is also possible that things really are different now, even as they should be more different still. I look forward to seeing these numbers again in five years…and that the pie is even more equitably sliced then.

(4) EATING THE FANTASTIC. Scott Edelman invites listeners to bite into a burrito with writer Elwin Cotman in Episode 228 of the Eating the Fantastic podcast.

Elwin Cotman

This time around my guest is Elwin Cotman, with whom I slipped away for dinner at the nearby R&R Taqueria.

Cotman’s short story collection Dance on Saturday, published by Small Beer Press, was one of the finalists for the 2021 Philip K. Dick Award. His latest short story collection, Weird Black Girls, was released two months ago as this episode goes live.

He’s also the author of three other books: the poetry collection The Wizard’s Homecoming, plus the short story collections The Jack Daniels Sessions EP and Hard Times Blues. His writing has appeared in Grist, Electric Lit, Buzzfeed, The Southwestern Review, and The Offing, plus many others venues. He’s worked as a video game consultant and writer for Square Enix. His debut novel The Age of Ignorance will be published by Scribner in 2025.

We discussed why forcing science fictional elements into non-science fictional stories can weaken them, the interdimensional cross-genre story cycle he hopes to write someday about a wrestling family, the way the novella is his natural length, why he loves Robert E. Howard’s Hyborian Age stories, how to create compelling metaphors and similes, the way rereading Tama Janowitz’s Slaves of New York helped him with the connective tissue of his own sentences, the reason Mary Gaitskill is the world’s greatest living writer, and much more.

(5) STOKER’S FAN LETTER. “’Dracula’ Author Bram Stoker’s Extraordinary Love Letter to Walt Whitman” in The Marginalian. Here is the introduction; the text of both letters is at the link.

A quarter century before his now-classic epistolary novel Dracula catapulted Abraham “Bram” Stoker (November 8, 1847–April 20, 1912) into literary celebrity, the twenty-four-year-old aspiring author used the epistolary form for a masterpiece of a different order. Still months away from his first published short story, he composed a stunning letter of admiration and adoration to his great literary idol: Walt Whitman (May 31, 1819–March 26, 1892).

Long before William James coined the notion of stream of consciousness, Stoker poured forth a long stream of sentiment cascading through various emotions — surging confidence bordering on hubris, delicate self-doubt, absolute artist-to-artist adoration — channeled with the breathless intensity of a love letter, without interruption. He had fallen under Whitman’s spell when Leaves of Grass made its belated debut in England in 1868, with Whitman’s stunning preface to the 1855 edition. Stoker would later recount that ever since that initial enchantment, he had been wishing to pour out his heart in such a way “but was, somehow, ashamed or diffident — the qualities are much alike.” In February of 1872, the time for this effusion of enchantment seemed to have come.

But it was a fleeting moment of courage — Stoker couldn’t bring himself to mail his extraordinary letter. For four years, it haunted his desk, part muse and part goblin….

(6) RUSS AND HACKER CORRESPONDENCE. “Intelligent, Attractive, Powerful Lesbians Conquering the World” quotes The Paris Review.

The following correspondence between Joanna Russ and Marilyn Hacker is drawn from a new edition of Russ’s On Strike Against God (1980), edited by Alec Pollak, to be published by Feminist Press in July. You can read Pollak’s introduction to the work of Joanna Russ on the Daily here.

Here’s an excerpt from the Russ letter:

…Suppose, for example, in The Left Hand of Darkness, Estraven hadn’t died? What a bloody moral mess Le Guin would have on her (I almost wrote “his”) hands! Here we have an alien hermaphrodite and a male human (who’s not quite real) in bed together. Worse still, living together. Could they live happily ever after? What would the real quality of their feeling for each other be? Could they get along? (Probably not.) Would they end up quarreling? (Their heat periods don’t match, let alone culture shock.) So the great old Western Tragic Love Story is called in to wipe out all the very human, very real questions, and we can luxuriate in passion without having to really explore the relationship. You see what I mean….

And The Paris Review has an additional, separate article “On Joanna Russ”.

Bury Your Gays: the latest tongue-in-cheek name for authors’ tendency to end queer relationships by killing somebody off, or having someone revert to heterosexuality, or introducing something that abruptly ends a queer storyline. The message: queer love is doomed, fated for tragedy. The trope has existed for decades, and although there are plenty of books and movies and television shows now that aren’t guilty of it, Bury Your Gays is by no means a thing of the past. In 2016, the death of The 100 character Lexa reintroduced Bury Your Gays to a whole new generation and reminded seasoned viewers—who could recall the infamous death of the character Tara Maclay on Buffy the Vampire Slayer—that the trope was alive and well. More recently, Killing Eve’s series finale reminded viewers yet again.  

Joanna Russ (1937–2011), who wrote genre-bending feminist fiction throughout the seventies and whose The Female Man (1975) catapulted her to fame at the height of the women’s movement, agonized over Bury Your Gays. In 1973, Russ was writing On Strike Against God (1980), an explicitly lesbian campus novel about feminist self-discovery and coming out. But her head was, in her words, “full of heterosexual channeling.” She felt constrained—enraged, often—by the limited possibilities for how to write queer life, but she struggled to imagine otherwise. “How can you write about what really hasn’t happened?” Russ appealed to her friend, the poet Marilyn Hacker, as she pondered the relationship between life and literature for people whose identities, desires, and ambitions were erased and denounced by mainstream culture….

(7) MEMORY LANE.

[Compiled by Cat Eldridge.]

June 21, 1991 — The Rocketeer. There are some films that I just like without reservation. One of these is The Rocketeer, released internationally as The Adventures of the Rocketeer, that premiered on this date in the States thirty-three years ago. I’ve seen this one at least three or four times. It’s proof that the Disney can actually be creative unlike the Marvel films which have all the weakness of a franchise undertaking. (End of rant. I promise.)

It was directed by Joe Johnston whose only previous genre film was Honey, I Shrunk the Kids and produced by the trio of Charles Gordon, Lawrence Gordon and Lloyd Levin. None had done anything that suggested they’d be up to this level of excellence. (Yes, my bias is showing.) The script was by Danny Bilson and Paul De Meo who did the most excellent Trancers. Bilson wrote the story along with Paul De Meo and William Dear.

Now the source material was the stellar Rocketeer graphic novel series that the late Dave Steven was responsible for. If you’ve not read it, why not?

The cast of Bill Campbell, Alan Arkin, Jennifer Connelly, Paul Sorvino and Timothy Dalton was just damn perfect. And there wasn’t anything in the film from the design of the Rocketeer outfit itself to the creation of the Nazi Zeppelin which was a thirty-two-foot-long model that isn’t spot on. Cool, very cool. The visual effects were designed and done by George Lucas’ ILM. 

Disney being Disney never did actually release an actual production budget but Variety figured that it cost at least forty million, if not much more. It certainly didn’t make much as it only grossed forty seven million at the very best. 

So what did critics at the time think of this stellar film? 

Well, Ebert of Chicago Sun-Times liked it: “The movie lacks the wit and self-mocking irony of the Indiana Jones movies, and instead seems like a throwback to the simple-minded, clean-cut sensibility of a less complicated time.” 

Pete Travers  of the Rolling Stone was equally upbeat: “But then the film is awash in all kinds of surprises that are too juicy to reveal. The Rocketeer is more than one of the best films of the summer; it’s the kind of movie magic that we don’t see much anymore — the kind that charms us, rather than bullying us, into suspending disbelief.” 

Audience reviewers at Rotten Tomatoes give it an excellent sixty-seven percent rating.  It is of course streaming on Disney +. 

It was nominated for a Hugo at MagicCon, the year Terminator 2: Judgment Day got the Hugo. 

(8) COMICS SECTION.

  • Bliss requires knowledge of furniture and mushrooms with changed spelling.
  • Close to Home appeals to an unusual customer.
  • Non Sequitur adds other travelers to a familiar story.
  • Reality Check verbs a superhero’s name.

(9) MALCOLM REYNOLDS IN THE BEGINNING. “Firefly Prequel Series Announced” reports Comicbook.com.

Firefly‘s Captain Malcolm Reynolds is finally getting an origin story. Boom! Studios has announced Firefly: Malcolm Reynolds Year One, a new Firefly prequel series telling of Mal’s earliest adventures. Sam Humphries, writer of the Firefly: The Fall Guys miniseries, is writing the new prequel. Artist Giovanni Fabiano is making their comics debut on the series, colored by Gloria Martinelli, who also worked on Firefly: The Fall Guys. Here’s the series description provided by Boom via a press release: “Despite starting from an unlikely place, Malcolm Reynolds has always been a troublemaker. Becoming a Browncoat was always meant to be. But what unexpected obstacles lie on that path to him becoming the Captain that fans know and love? To him assembling and leading the crew of the spaceship Serenity?”

Those questions will seemingly be answered as Firefly: Malcolm Reynolds Year One progresses. The series is set in the early days of the Unification War, the conflict in which the Browncoats fought a losing battle against consolidated rule by the Alliance, previously touched upon by Boom’s first Firefly series….

(10) GOING, GOING… TVLine’s “Best TV Series Finales of All Time, Ranked” includes many genre shows. Spoilers, I guess. One iteration of Star Trek finished well, at least.

12. Star Trek: The Next Generation

What better way to wrap the sci-fi franchise’s first offshoot than with a throwback to TNG‘s premiere? Captain Picard time-jumped among three distinct eras of his life, only to realize that humanity’s trial — which Q kicked off in the series’ premiere, “Encounter at Farpoint” — was still underway. Of course, Jean-Luc came out on top, avoiding the Enterprise’s eventual destruction and even fitting in a poker game with his crew before the credits rolled.

(11) AGE SPOTS. Mashable checks in as “Scientists discover how old Jupiter’s Great Red Spot really is”.

…Centuries ago, a huge red spot on Jupiter vanished. But years later, a new one was born.

Today we know this conspicuous feature as the “Great Red Spot,” a swirling storm wider than Earth. Curiously, earlier astronomers, like Giovanni Domenico Cassini in 1665, also observed a colossal red storm at the same latitude on Jupiter — raising the possibility that they’re actually the same storm.

In newly published research, however, astronomers sleuthed through historical drawings and early telescope observations of Jupiter to conclude that today’s spot is indeed a separate storm from its predecessor, unfittingly known as the “Permanent Spot.” It likely disappeared between the mid-18th and 19th centuries.

“What is certain is that no astronomer of the time reported any spot at that latitude for 118 years,” Agustín Sánchez-Lavega, a planetary scientist at the University of the Basque Country in Spain, told Mashable.

Then, in 1831, astronomers started seeing a conspicuous red spot again. The new research, published in Geophysical Research Letters, concludes this latest spot is at least 190 years old….

 [Thanks to Andrew Porter, John King Tarpinian, Chris Barkley, Cat Eldridge, SF Concatenation’s Jonathan Cowie, Steven French, Teddy Harvia, Kathy Sullivan, and Mike Kennedy for some of these stories. Title credit belongs to File 770 contributing editor of the day Daniel Dern, who took his inspiration from the great, Grammy-winning Western Swing band Asleep At The Wheel.]

Pixel Scroll 6/19/24 No Scroll Comes Between Me And My Pixel

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(1) RELIC OF FIRST WORLDCON. You have one day left to bid on Frank R. Paul’s artwork for the first Worldcon program book (1939) at Heritage Auctions. It was going for $925 when I looked earlier.

Frank R. Paul World Science Fiction Convention – Nycon Program Book Illustration Original Art (Nycon, 1939). From the first ever World Science Fiction Convention (aka Worldcon) in 1939! And the art is by noted sci-fi artist Frank R. Paul, which makes this doubly desirable! The original art for this program banner was created in ink and signed in the lower right of the 20.5″ x 3.25″ image area. UV Glass-front framed to 29″ x 12.75″. Lightly toned, with some minor whiteout art clean-ups. In Very Good condition.
From the Roger Hill Collection.

(2) WATERSTONES DEBUT FICTION PRIZE. The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley is the only genre work among six novels that have been shortlisted for Waterstones Debut Fiction Prize. The complete list of finalists is at the link. The marketing copy for Bradley’s book says:

A boy meets a girl. The past meets the future. A finger meets a trigger. The beginning meets the end. England is forever. England must fall.

In the near future, a disaffected civil servant is offered a lucrative job in a mysterious new government ministry gathering ‘expats’ from across history to test the limits of time-travel.

Her role is to work as a ‘bridge’: living with, assisting and monitoring the expat known as ‘1847’ – Commander Graham Gore. As far as history is concerned, Commander Gore died on Sir John Franklin’s doomed expedition to the Arctic, so he’s a little disoriented to find himself alive and surrounded by outlandish concepts such as ‘washing machine’, ‘Spotify’ and ‘the collapse of the British Empire’…. 

(3) HOLD ‘EM BY THE NOSE AND KICK ‘EM IN THE ASS. At Fantasy Author’s Handbook, Philip Athans has an idea: “Let’s Reject Rejections”.

Your query to an agent has been rejected. Your short story was rejected by a magazine. You are a potato and are starting to show roots so the chef rejected you.

Aside from the potato thing, this happens so often to literally every writer, how does this not make us all feel like rejects?

And no one should feel like a reject.

But then, no agent can represent all the authors. No publisher can publish all the books. That means we have to figure out how to deal with rejection. The good news is that’s super easy. All you have to do is develop a thick skin. I heard skin thickening is offered by a sanitarium in the Swiss Alps for as little as €400,000 per treatment. It requires only one treatment per rejection letter, so most trillionaire authors should be able to soak that up. The rest of us will have to remain entirely human.

And no human wants to be, likes to be, feels they should be or deserve to be, rejected.

But then there’s that reality again: No agent can represent all the authors. No publisher can publish all the books.

We have to figure out not how to render ourselves immune to normal, healthy human emotional responses, but to, for lack of a better term, roll with it….

(4) THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE HOME. “The stolen ruby slippers will be up for auction. Minnesota wants them back” reports NPR.

This weekend, Grand Rapids, Minnesota will honor its best-known former resident — Judy Garland.

And at its annual Judy Garland Festival, the city will fundraise to bring back a prized prop that the actress made famous. But, it won’t be an easy stroll down the Yellow Brick Road.

Minnesota lawmakers set aside $100,000 this year to help the Judy Garland Museum purchase the coveted ruby slippers of “The Wizard of Oz” fame. Experts expect the shoes could sell for a much higher price.

“They could sell for $1 million, they could sell for $10 million. They’re priceless,” says Joe Maddalena, Heritage Auctions executive vice president.

The ruby slippers are one of four sets remaining.

This pair’s unique story

The shoes were on display at Garland’s namesake museum in Grand Rapids in the summer of 2005 when a burglar struck. John Kelsch, the museum director at the time, says a man broke in through the back door and snatched the slippers….

(5) BICYCLE THIEF. [Item by Eric Hildeman.] Carl Klinger of the Milwaukee Steampunk Society had his penny farthing stolen and smashed. Fortunately, a fundraiser to get him a new one was successful. “Starship Fonzie #40 – Transcript”.

…What’s a penny farthing? It’s that old-timey sort of bicycle with the enormously huge wheel in front and a much smaller wheel in back. You know, the sort that Passpartout rode in the opening scenes of the 1956 film “Around the World in 80 Days,” starring David Niven. There’s also one on display in the Streets of Old Milwaukee exhibit in the Milwaukee Public Museum.

Well, who knows why it was stolen, but it was, and police were notified. Usually when a bike is stolen it’s never recovered, but this is a very unusual bicycle. Very tricky to ride, very obvious to spot. So the guy who’d stolen it noticed the news story regarding the theft, saw his own image caught on security camera, and apparently panicked. I guess he had a rap sheet as long as his arm regarding other charges the law wanted to nab him on. So he was living in hiding, the thief I mean. Why someone like that would steal an item so obvious to spot is beyond me. But when he saw the news story regarding the theft, he got afraid that his cover might be blown and, not wanting the law to come after him, he smashed the bicycle, dumped it somewhere where it would be found, and then fled out of state….

So Carl was out a very unique, very expensive steampunk-themed bicycle. And we were all bummed about this. Well, Carl put out a fundraiser to get him a new penny farthing, and the fundraiser, I’m pleased to say, was successful. He needed about $2000 for a new one, his fundraiser garnered $3,000. Karl will have a new bike, and he’ll likely ride it around at the Steampunk Picnic this year.

So, a happy ending to that particular thievery story. We love our friends at the Milwaukee Steampunk Society.

Fox6Now interviewed victim Carl Klinger about the crime: “West Allis high-wheel bike found damaged; Oklahoma man arrested”.

A unique bike stolen from outside a West Allis bar was recently found – badly damaged.

Video captures a guy nabbing it, crashing it and running away with it.

“It’s absolutely not rideable,” said Carl Klinger, the bike theft victim. “It’s not even fixable.”

Those words were not what Klinger expected to hear when West Allis police found his treasured bike.

“When I got there, it was just laying on the ground and it was just completely demolished,” he said.

The unique, old-time high-wheel bike was stolen more than two weeks ago as it was parked outside of a bar. Police knew who they were looking for after seeing surveillance video.

Wesley Yoakum was found more than 600 miles away, in Newton County, Missouri.

…Nearly every part of the bike was damaged. The seat was torn off, the tire bent, even the stitches were torn out of the tool case.

His friends have started a GoFundMe to help him buy a new bike so he can get back to riding again…

(6) ORYCON 44. [Item by Michael Pinnick.] Orycon 44 is being held October 18-20 this year at the DoubleTree Hotel Portland. Orycon is Oregon’s oldest literary and creative science fiction convention. Our Writer GoH is David D. Levine, our Artist GoH is Jennie Breeden, and our Media GoH is Victoria Price. Website: https://orycontemp.tezhme.net/

Writer GoH David D. Levine; Artist GoH Jennie Breeden; Media GoH Victoria Price.

(7) ELIZABETH BEAR Q&A. Long Lost Friends has a two-part interview with author Elizabeth Bear.

(8) …THE MORE THINGS STAY THE SAME. The Guardian’s Keza MacDonald notes “The disturbing online misogyny of Gamergate has returned – if it ever went away”.

…This reactionary under layer of gaming’s enthusiast media, which makes its home mostly on X and YouTube, does not actually have the slightest impact on how games are made, or indeed which games are made. Look at Gamergate: what did it actually achieve? Games are more diverse than they were 10 years ago, not less; I saw more non-white male faces and characters in this year’s spate of Summer Game Fest trailers and demos than at any previous time in the almost 20 years I’ve been covering games. But they can still make people’s online lives hell for a while. I know this because I’ve been through it, several times.

I was running the UK branch of Kotaku when Gamergate kicked off, and so I had a front-row seat for their harassment tactics, which included sending the most disgusting threats imaginable through all the online channels available to them, trying to get me fired by emailing game publishers and my bosses with dossiers of my professional misdeeds and journalistic failings (read: writing about video games from a feminist perspective), searching for my and my colleagues’ real addresses and phone numbers and family members (and posting those details to their subreddits if they found them), and putting together unhinged Google Docs with links drawn between “SJW” journalists and developers. One of these mad documents appeared briefly in a recent Netflix documentary about 4chan, prompting several of my friends to text me a screenshot asking me if I knew that I was a figure in old “alt-right” conspiracy theories. Unfortunately, yes, I did.

It’s happened again a few times since, for various reasons. Unfortunately, dealing with online mobs is a part of the job for many journalists and indeed game developers these days, and despite all the shit I’ve dealt with over the years as a woman covering video games, I’m still rather glad I don’t write about politics. But I know exactly how awful it can feel when they mobilise against you, especially if it’s the first time. They’ll search for whatever they think is the least flattering image of you on Google Images, use it as a cutout for a YouTube thumbnail image, and then rant for 10 minutes over screenshots of your articles. They’ll tweet prominent people in games, trying to get them to publicly discredit you. They’ll set their followers on you. It’s hard not to meet their manufactured rage with a lot of genuine rage of your own.

It’s tempting to dunk on these people endlessly, but outrage fuels outrage – especially now, when there is literal money to be made posting inflammatory nonsense on X or YouTube. If Gamergate proved anything, it’s that nobody has to pander to rage-baiting toxic gamers, or even listen to them. That said, I still don’t think there’s been enough public pushback against this flavour of online abuse from the biggest publishers in games over the past few months, when the consultancies they work with, the journalists and critics who cover them, and even some of their own developers have been caught in an online shitstorm. Take it from me: vocal support means a lot….

(9) MEMORY LANE.

[Compiled by Paul Weimer.]

June 19, 1946 — Salman Rushdie, 78.

By Paul Weimer: It was senior year in high school that I first heard of Salman Rushdie, and yes, it was the fatwa issued against him for The Satanic Verses.  As a result, he first came onto my radar, but I didn’t pick up a copy at that point.  Coming from a conservative family, even with all the SF I had read to that point, a book named “The Satanic Verses” would be a bridge too far.  I already had had to deal with my mother coming to terms with Dungeons and Dragons.  But one day, after Chemistry class, I noticed my teacher was in fact, reading the book.  I asked him about it, asked him what it was like, and if it was any good.  (This was also the conversation where I learned that ennui was not pronounced en-you-eye, although my teacher thought I was just messing with him). In any event, I waited for the book to hit paperback, by which time I was commuting to Brooklyn College, and so I could read it on the subway in surety and safety.  

Salman Rushdie in 2023.

The Satanic Verses, brilliant, strong and vibrant, was probably my first real contact with magic realism and was perhaps the most “literary” novel I attempted reading that wasn’t assigned in school. I am pretty sure that 19-year-old me didn’t grok the half of the book. Or maybe even that much. But it stunned me all the same. 

In the meantime, I’ve enjoyed a number of other works of his, particularly in audio (a couple of them read by Rushdie himself), like Midnight’s Children, The Enchantress of Florence, The Ground Beneath her Feet, and Haroun and the Sea of Stories. In all of this and throughout all of these books, including The Satanic Verses, there is a strong and abiding interest in the nature and the use of stories. I know there is plenty to untangle in terms of immigration, East-West Relations, history, mythology, and faith. Salman Rushdie’s work is a seemingly bottomless well for exploring and investigating these themes. 

Does he consider himself a SFF writer? I’m not sure, but if he isn’t, he has a house on the borderlands, ready to provoke and evoke thought in readers.

(10) COMICS SECTION.

(11) DC’S UNEXPECTED TEAM-UP. “Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman Unite with Bugs Bunny in MultiVersus” at CBR.com.

Covers for DC’s MultiVersus: Collision Detected were revealed in DC’s Sept. 2024 solicitations, ahead of the story’s release and show DC’s holy trinity paired up with a variety of MultiVersus characters from franchises that include Adventure Time, Steven Universe, Scooby-Doo and more….

…DC’s full description of MultiVersus: Collision Detected reads: “Bruce Wayne, Diana Prince, and Clark Kent each wake in a cold sweat, troubled by strange dreams they’ve had about ‘the rabbit,’ ‘the star child,’ and ‘the witch.’ Their investigation into these enigmatic visions brings them to unexpected locales and unusual characters, but none more unusual than the mysterious “rabbit” from their dreams as they find themselves face-to-face with the one and only Bugs Bunny. What the heck is going on here? And who in the name of the Multiverse are ‘the star child’ and ‘the witch’? The hit video game spills from your screen and into the DCU, and it’s bringing a whole lot of friends from some of your favorite universes with it!”

(12) NOT IN OUR FUTURE AFTER ALL. The New Yorker is proud to share “Six Eerie Predictions That Early Sci-Fi Authors Got Completely Wrong”.

Since the genre’s inception, science-fiction writers have imagined what the future might hold for Earth and beyond. While their stories are often fantastical, many of them anticipated technologies that actually exist today, such as television and artificial intelligence. However, countless more made predictions that were absolute whiffs.

Here’s the first of their half-dozen duds.

1. Nuclear-Powered Soap Dispenser

While many sci-fi authors envisioned the possibilities of nuclear power, Philip K. Dick’s “The Land That Time Remembered” got specifically stuck on the idea of a society where humans washed their hands with “soap dispensers powered by the almighty atom,” and where “torrents of soap spurted forth by means of the forces that birthed the universe.”

(13) DISCWORLD JIGSAW PUZZLE COMING. Paul Kidby’s character art in the form of a puzzle is available for preorder. “The World of Terry Pratchett: A 1000-Piece Discworld Jigsaw Puzzle by Paul Kidby”.

This stunning jigsaw puzzle features glorious artwork from Paul Kidby, Sir Terry Pratchett’s artist of choice, depicting all the favourite Discworld characters. Paul Kidby provided the illustrations for The Last Hero, designed the covers for the Discworld novels since 2002, and is the author of the bestselling The Art of Discworld. This expanded artwork is available for the first time in jigsaw puzzle format in a deluxe gift box with an accompanying booklet identifying each of the characters along with quotes, trivia and more.

(14) MCDONALD’S KILLING AI DRIVE-THROUGH. [Item by Mike Kennedy.] Let’s just hope that the AI doesn’t try to kill McDonald’s back. Or worse, take it out on us.

Anyway, you’re not free and clear yet. McDonald’s makes it clear they’re going to try again later, apparently hoping the technology will improve enough to not dish out ice cream cones with bacon on top. (Wait! Where’s the problem there?)  “McDonald’s kills AI drive-thru ordering after mistakes” at Axios.

Friction point: Customers had reported a slew of AI ordering blunders.

One posted video of the system incorrectly believing she’d ordered hundreds of dollars of chicken McNuggets, the Today Show reported.

In another case, a customer was given an ice cream cone topped with bacon, the New York Post reported….

(15) IRRESISTIBLE: YES, NO? “Doctor Who ‘Pyramids of Mars’ 5″ Action Figure Box Set” from Oriental Trading.

Recreate the classic Doctor Who adventure “Pyramids of Mars” from 1975 featuring the Fourth Doctor! This Doctor Who Pyramids of Mars Priory Collector’s Playset features an opening and closing pyramid along with detailed set pieces like a Sarcophagus and Egyptian urns. Complete with 5-inch scale action figures of Sutekh and Marcus Scarman, you’ll be able to make your very own adventure with the Pyramids of Mars!

(16) RED PLANET, GREEN AURORAS. From Smithsonian Magazine we learn, “Mars Was Hit With a Solar Storm Days After Earth’s Aurora Light Show, NASA Says”.

Days after solar storms spurred widespread sightings of auroras across Earth in early May, a new bout of eruptions on the sun brought glowing skies to another planet: Mars.

From pole to pole, Mars was hit by a barrage of gamma rays and X-rays, followed by charged particles from a coronal mass ejection. These led to auroras that would have appeared, if any viewers were on its surface, as a deep green color, reports the New York Times’ Robin George Andrews.

(17) VIDEO OF THE DAY. The latest Pitch Meeting is Superman (1978), for some reason.

[Thanks to Kathy Sullivan, Mike Kennedy, Andrew Porter, Paul Weimer, Scott Edelman, Daniel Dern, Michael Pinnick, John King Tarpinian, Chris Barkley, Cat Eldridge, SF Concatenation’s Jonathan Cowie, Steven French, and Teddy Harvia for some of these stories. Title credit belongs to File 770 contributing editor of the day Mark and Ellen.]