This I believe

Joules are not the same thing as Watts.

You don't have to be a weatherman to know which way the wind blows

First, the table of contents for Solaris Rising: The New Solaris Book of Science Fiction Edited by Ian Whates.

Some statistical details were noted:

The Solaris Book of New Science Fiction by Boys volume one has Mary A Turzillo as token feminine contributor. One woman from eighteen listed authors. Volume Two is obviously the feminist volume with a remarkable three women out of fourteen involved. Neal Asher gets two stories though, to restore the balance. It’s back to normal for Volume Three as fifteen stories allow room for just one woman.

And finally (?) Ian Whates weighs in with anecdata!

The relevent Adam Smith quotation did not fit

"People of the same trade seldom meet together, even for merriment and diversion, but the conversation ends in a conspiracy against the public, or in some contrivance to raise prices."

Government data obtained by CBC News shows that six per cent of all gas pumps tested over the past 2½ years failed to dispense the right amount of fuel. In about two-thirds of the faulty tests, customers bore the brunt of the error.

(no subject)

Haikasoru Reviews 15: Slum Online by Hiroshi Sakurazaka

What is Haikasoru?
Space Opera. Dark Fantasy. Hard Science.

With a small, elite list of award-winners, classics, and new work by the hottest young writers, Haikasoru is the first imprint dedicated to bringing Japanese science fiction to America and beyond. Featuring the action of anime and the thoughtfulness of the best speculative fiction, Haikasoru aims to truly be the “high castle” of science fiction and fantasy.

Added note: these are not manga but novels.

Slum Online
Hiroshi Sakurazaka (trans. Joseph Reeder)
Haikasoru/VIZ Media LLC
210 pages
$13.99/$18.99/8.99 UK
ISBN 9781421534398




This is a repost of a review I did last year. I did reread it and still like it; Sakurazaka is on my buy on sight list.

( Read more... )

Nicked from my flist

Borderline NSFW

( Read more... )

My stupid mind works stupidly

Recently every time I see Carrie Vaughn's name, I start humming Polly Von.

Unfortunately I went looking for a youtube clip. Could not find one of Peter, Paul and Mary singing it but I did find one for Chris de Burgh; the person who created it made a creative decision I myself would not have made:

Forgotten classics of yesteryear

Found via rasff:




I don't see later printings but reviewers on Amazon liked it.

The reason Martha Stewart is not on the list

Is because Martha Stewart would not have to use nuclear weapons to single-handedly defeat the Soviet Union.

[Poll #1757261]

The reason Martha Stewart is not on the list

Is because Martha Stewart would not have to use nuclear weapons to single-handedly defeat the Soviet Union.

[Poll #1757261]

Where one is not very and 10 is as bad as it gets

Longish polls

( Read more... )

Where one is not very and 10 is as bad as it gets

Longish polls

( Read more... )

When the author says

the somewhat contentious use of sun-mirrors to cause fusion in The Line of Polity

he means a detail that led to the discussion that follows

But I'm not following the problem here even were that not the case.
Are you thinking there's some limit on the amount of solar energy that
could be concentrated on the sphere?