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![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) mabfan | |
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One of the panels I did at Readercon was on the Fermi Paradox. Roughly speaking, the Fermi Paradox is the question of where are the aliens? Enrico Fermi postulated that the age and size of the universe implied that extraterrestrial life ought to be common, which led him to wonder why there was no credible evidence of their having visited Earth. (Wikipedia has a fairly good write-up at Wikipedia: The Fermi Paradox. One could argue that the paradox isn't really a paradox, of course, and there are a variety of solutions to the paradox. But the panel was about why there isn't more science fiction written about the paradox. It turns out that a reporter for io9, Nivair H. Gabriel, was in the audience, and Gabriel reported on the panel today at IO9: Fermi Paradox: Why Aren't Aliens Talking to Us?. Had I known someone was taking notes and planning to list our recommendations for Fermi Paradox fiction, I would have made a point of mentioning my own Fermi Paradox story, "Decisions" (Analog, January/February 2004, Hugo Nominee 2005), which will soon be reprinted in I Remember the Future. As it is, though, if you go to the io9 report, you'll find a list of worthwhile fiction to read, including one on the Internet for free – Terry Bisson's "hilarious and chilling" short-short, "They're Made Out of Meat." And I'm amused to see that io9 gave me the last word:
I'm sure you have even more recommendations for Fermi paradox stories, and I urge you to share them with io9 in the comments — but do it quickly. As panelist Michael A. Burstein pointed out, "Wouldn't it be funny if we got a signal from aliens tomorrow and this whole conversation was moot?"
Tags: books, conventions, i remember the future, science, science-fiction
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jimhines | |
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First off, a quick announcement. will_couvillier is working on recruiting a few writers for James Gunn's online short story workshop. Information is here, and the class syllabus is here. The class runs about eight weeks, and the cost is $200. # So anyway, a few weeks back an editor e-mailed me asking if I would submit a story to a project she was working on. Invitations like this are always flattering, and I did have a story I thought would work, a reprint of a fun zombie tale I wrote a while back. So I sent the story off. She liked it, and things were good. I patted myself on the back, and went about my business. Today, for some reason, I found myself thinking about that story ... and I realized it was one of the stories I had posted at Fictionwise. And Fictionwise asks for exclusive electronic rights. And the project I had sent the story to was an electronic publication. Son of a crap!Part of the reason I messed this up is because I had already reviewed the Fictionwise contracts a while back, since I was also including this story in my German collection. There was no problem there (with a print, foreign language publication), so obviously I could reprint it here as well (in an English language electronic publication). Um ... no, that's not how it works. Bad brain! I could probably blame it on deadline stress too, but in the end, it doesn't matter. I screwed up, and that's that. I e-mailed the editor as soon as I realized what I had done, and explained that I was a shmuck. No contracts have been signed or anything like that, so technically I hadn't yet broken my Fictionwise contract. No, the only thing I had done was to make an editor's job harder, and to make myself look like an idiot. I apologized, and asked if she would be interested in an alternate story, or if there was anything else I could do. Fortunately, the editor was very understanding. I've got another reprint in mind to send her, which I'll do later tonight -- once I've double- and triple-checked the contracts on that one. Why am I sharing this? I'm not sure, exactly. Maybe as a reminder to read your contracts. Maybe to show that we all screw up occasionally, and it's not the end of the world. Or maybe just to demonstrate that most editors are decent, understanding people. # Nine days until mermaid deadline! Tags: writing
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rhienelleth | |
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Wow, haven't had one of these in awhile! I tried an experiment last night, and as I often do when experimenting with wire and jewelry these days, I used copper. (It's much less painful to scrap, if necessary, than the astronomically expensive silver, or even worse, gold fill.) I like copper. I love the rosy-gold color of it, the warmth, the way it turns colors under a torch, and how it "ages" to an antique look. I'm highly allergic, though, so I can't actually wear it once I've made something from it. But I LOVED how these earrings turned out. I will be making more along these lines: ( Copper & Labradorite )This is some of that brilliantly flashy lab I picked up a few months ago. That gorgeous, peacock blue against the rosy gold swirls of the copper is absolutely stunning, and makes me very sad I can't wear them. But of all the jewelry affected by my allergies, earrings are the worst, because they get worn in the ears. I will be making a pair in silver tonight, you can be sure. I'll be listing these in my Etsy shop this morning sometime, with more pics and info, as per usual. Tags: beading, jewelry
Current Mood:  artistic
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