Death of a Titan?

It could be the final chapter for the World’s Biggest Bookstore.

The Toronto landmark — 64,000 square feet worth of the written word on everything from Tao to travel — is expected to close in 18 months after dominating the same downtown block for almost 25 years.

Question for booksellers

What practices by authors dropping by your store do you most wish they would stop doing?

Science Report Alternative 3

Nicked from Wis(s)e Words:

The appropriate Wikipedia entry

There's a passing mention on Youtube of

Georgia Guidestones.

Wednesday Night 13th Age

Cut for length

( Read more... )

So, last night

The house I've been baby-sitting got a phone from some automated poll service, wanting the owners opinions on something (what, I don't know, because I hung up) in this tumultuous political cycle. By this, they meant "the American".

Any guess why a Canadian household got that call?

X Minus One: Double Dare

X Minus One: Double Dare

You know, I'd have been willing to put money on this being from Astounding. It's just such an Astounding idea to have ( Read more... )

An interesting OSC-related tid-bit

Some authors' attitudes toward fan fiction are evolving. After spending years fending off fan fiction, and occasionally sending out "cease and desist" letters through his lawyer to block potential copyright violations, science-fiction novelist Orson Scott Card has started courting fan writers. Mr. Card, author of the best-selling "Ender's Game" series, is planning to host a contest for "Ender's Game" fan fiction this fall. Fans will be able to submit their work to his Web site. The winning stories will be published as an anthology that will become part of the official "canon" of the "Ender's Game" series.

"Every piece of fan fiction is an ad for my book," Mr. Card says. "What kind of idiot would I be to want that to disappear?"

There's a discussion of this on the Hatrack River Forum.

Like authors' opinions, discussions can evolve so just in case I am putting an MPR on this.

X Minus One: Target One

X Minus One: Target One

This is related to the "just shoot Hitler, already" sort of time travel story. ( Read more... )

X Minus One: Prime Difference

X Minus One: Prime Difference

What struck me about this one are the parallels with a story I listened to earlier, Ray Bradbury's Marionettes, Inc. The Bradbury is from 1951, while Prime Difference is from 1957; did Nourse read the Bradbury or was it just steam engine time for stories about unhappy men addressing deficiencies in their marriages through the use of android replicas?

Four things that occurred in short order

1: I walked under the ceiling entry to the attic.

2: I heard a metallic sound as a water dish bounced off the retracting stairs to the attic.

2a: I was soaked in the water that had been in the dish up in the attic.

3: I wiped my glasses and looked up to see Nameless peering down at me in an inquisitive manner.

Next up: Exploring Tomorrow

Exploring Tomorrow
This 1957-58 Science Fiction Anthology show was broadcast over the Mutual Broadcasting network and Narrated by John Campbell, Jr. Included here are 26 of the 29 episodes that were made.

Because I went home earlier than normal

I got to see a double rainbow so spectacular the staff at the Stanley Park Mall were taking turns heading to look at it.

Exploring Tomorrow

Well, I knew going in these weren't likely to be up to X Minus One, the 1950s being well past John W. Campbell, Jr.'s golden age. These are the three I got through this evening: spoilers ( Read more... )