So, Worldcon 2025 is making headlines, but not the kind you’d put on the back of a Hugo-winning novel. The organizing committee decided to use ChatGPT to help vet over 1,300 panelist submissions. They intended to streamline the flood of applications, maybe catch a few red flags, keep things moving.
Except it’s not going well.
AI at Worldcon: Friend or Foe? Read More »
The line between dystopian and post-apocalyptic fiction has always felt a little blurry, hasn’t it? As someone who loves speculative fiction in all its forms, I often find myself asking: Is this book really dystopian, or is it post-apocalyptic wearing a shiny, Capitol-colored coat?
Dystopia vs. Post-Apocalyptic: What Exactly Is The Hunger Games? Read More »
Under one of my other pen names, I’ve written an entire series set aboard a generation ship on a thousand-year voyage to the Coalsack area of space. So I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about what it would take to actually pull something like that off. Short answer? It’s not looking good. Not yet.
The Science of Generation Ships: Could We Actually Do It? Read More »
There’s nothing like staring up at a clear night sky to remind you just how tiny—and totally amazing—our little blue marble really is. It’s one thing to read about the vastness of space in a sci-fi novel, but it’s another thing entirely to step outside, look up, and actually see it for yourself. The planets,
Why Every Sci-Fi Fan Should Try Stargazing (and the Apps That Make It Easy) Read More »
The Doomsday Clock just moved forward again. We’re now at 89 seconds to midnight—the closest humanity has ever been to self-inflicted oblivion.
89 Seconds to Midnight: How Close Are We to the End? Read More »
As I’ve mentioned before, Amazing Stories is in the middle of an effort to revive the iconic science fiction magazine. After sharing the news about their commitment-based pre-order model, the team has made progress—but they’re asking for a little extra push to reach their next milestone. Currently, 50 fans have signed on to the program—an
Amazing Stories: Join the Mission to Bring It Back—One Fan at a Time Read More »
“The Galileon Moons” makes me think of swashbuckling science fiction or the old Victorian fantasy fiction, the sort of stories that HG Wells wrote, or the pulp fiction of the 1920s.
The Galilean Moons Read More »
I know I’m really behind on this! I saw Dune: Part Two a while ago and even wrote a post about how excited I was to see it here. But hey, at least I’ve had time to mull it all over. First off, let me start by saying that Dune is one of my all-time
My Take on Dune: Part One & Two Read More »
In the last few days The Economist ran a story reporting that wind turbines keep getting bigger, which causes all sorts of interesting transport issues. Even if you’re not subscribed to The Economist, you should click through to the story using the link above, just to check out the image of the huge turbine blade
Giving Worldbuilding a Human Touch Read More »
My post earlier this month, “A Step Closer to Unlimited Power“, got a strong reaction from you. Lots of comments that pointed out that solar power beamed from space was a stupid idea, that it was essentially a weapon and no one would put a weapon like that in space, where it could attack any
Solar Power from Space Isn’t Going Away Read More »