Well, this was unexpected

From the Dragon's Tales:

We explore the minimum distance from a host star where an exoplanet could potentially be habitable in order not to discard close-in rocky exoplanets for follow-up observations. We find that the inner edge of the Habitable Zone for hot desert worlds can be as close as 0.38 AU around a solar-like star, if the greenhouse effect is reduced (~1% relative humidity) and the surface albedo is increased. We consider a wide range of atmospheric and planetary parameters such as the mixing ratios of greenhouse gases (water vapor and CO2), surface albedo, pressure, and gravity. Intermediate surface pressure (~1-10 bars) is necessary to limit water loss and to simultaneously sustain an active water cycle. We additionally find that the water loss timescale is influenced by the atmospheric CO2 level, because it indirectly influences the stratospheric water mixing ratio. If the CO2 mixing ratio of dry planets at the inner edge is smaller than 10–4, the water loss timescale is ~1 billion years, which is considered here too short for life to evolve. We also show that the expected transmission spectra of hot desert worlds are similar to an Earth-like planet. Therefore, an instrument designed to identify biosignature gases in an Earth-like atmosphere can also identify similarly abundant gases in the atmospheres of dry planets. Our inner edge limit is closer to the host star than previous estimates. As a consequence, the occurrence rate of potentially habitable planets is larger than previously thought.

.38 AU is roughly how far Mercury is from the Sun.

The Science Fiction Book Club Reviews Revisited: 1996 (first quarter)

Lists courtesy of Andrew Wheeler.

Contents for anthologies and omnibuses from the Locus Index
to Science Fiction www.locusmag.com/index/
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Interesting Pamela Sargent News

QWP:

Some good news: Gollancz has bought the UK rights to seven more of my books, including The Shore of Women, The Golden Space, and Climb the Wind. One task for the near future: proofreading the text of Shore for its upcoming e-edition.

Gollancz has in the past done a good job of appearing to be shy of publishing SF by women.

So, reporting on developing nation space programs

Nicked from Jay Lake

This week's launch of India's spacecraft to Mars should not come as a surprise. Five years ago, the country sent a mission to the Moon. And going ahead, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has bolder aims. In 2015, it plans to send a probe to Venus and then another to the Sun. A reusable launch vehicle is already in the works, something that NASA is letting SpaceX develop. These achievements, however, haven't stopped detractors from asking why India is doing this when a third of its people live below the international poverty line.

India in particular comes in for this 'please justify everything the state does in light of the number of poor people you have' in articles like this; the CBC comments on their Mars probe provided numerous examples that reminded me a lot of the Beat author who was affronted by what he took to be an inappropriate level of education and articulateness in what he saw as an oppressed people when he visited India.

The article falls apart into the usual space exploitation bingo, alas.

"Rob Ford accused of behaving in 'a threatening way'"

Don't we have shiny new prisons specifically for scofflaws like Ford?

Minnan-Wong asked Ford: "Do you have zero tolerance of guns, drugs and gangs?"

The mayor replied: "Yes."

Minnan-Wong then asked Ford: "Have you purchased illegal drugs in the past two years?"

After a long pause, Ford replied: "Yes I have."

"I'm humiliated by it, but I can't change the past," said Ford. "All I can do is move on and that's what I'm doing."

Was there ever an NFB piece on this?

This sort of thing is reserved for corrupt senators now but there was a time when experiments like this were politically acceptable (footnotes stripped):

Mincome was an experimental Canadian Basic income project that was held in Dauphin, Manitoba during the 1970s. The project, funded jointly by the Manitoba provincial government and the Canadian federal government, began with a news release on February 22, 1974, and was closed down in 1979. The purpose of this experiment was to determine whether a guaranteed, unconditional annual income caused disincentive to work for the recipients, and how great such a disincentive would be.

It allowed every family unit to receive a minimum cash benefit. The results showed a modest impact on labor markets, with working hours dropping one percent for men, three percent for wives, and five percent for unmarried women. However, some have argued these drops may be artificially low because participants knew the guaranteed income was temporary. These decreases in hours worked may be seen as offset by the opportunity cost of more time for family and education. Mothers spent more time rearing newborns, and the educational impacts are regarded as a success. Students in these families showed higher test scores and lower dropout rates. There was also an increase in adults continuing education.

So, when people on tv break their nose

This is signalled by a white strip of tape on the bridge of their nose. What's the tape do?

"They should all pull off their poppies and stab themselves in the head."

"RMR: Rick's Rant - Veterans' Pensions" (Watch on YouTube)

I could have played Icons but I decided to work instead

So have some of the non-reject ICONS characters I rolled up:

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Standard Orwell Quotation Here

The Conservative Party has deleted speeches and press releases published on its website between 2000 and the 2010 general election.