Perfect circle

First day of my new life. After 10 years I`m here again.

Interiors

(Photo: Pia Ulin; Dwell)

3-2-1 Lift Off

Space shuttle Discovery's engines ignited at 6:21 a.m. EDT Monday, April 5, for liftoff of the STS-131 mission from Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. The seven-member crew will deliver the multi-purpose logistics module Leonardo, filled with supplies, a new crew sleeping quarters and science racks that will be transferred to the International Space Station's laboratories. The crew also will switch out a gyroscope on the station’s truss, install a spare ammonia storage tank and retrieve a Japanese experiment from the station’s exterior. STS-131 is the 33rd shuttle mission to the station and the 131st shuttle mission.

Image Credit: NASA/Troy Cryder

Sadness

found at http://www.mymodernmet.com/

Susan Seddon Boulet (1941-1997)

http://www.turningpointgallery.com/bio.htm
http://www.tendreams.org/boulet.htm
http://www.turningpointgallery.com/index.htm

Grant Searl

© De Montfort Fine Art/Searl, Grant - 01/02/2005


© De Montfort Fine Art/Searl, Grant - 01/02/2005







http://www.grantsearlart.co.uk/
http://www.ukfinearts.com/grantsearl.html

Hugo awards 2010: the shortlist

Hugo awards 2010: the shortlist: "

China Miéville excepted, the finalists for this year's best SF novel have one thing in common: mainstream invisibility

In case you haven't spotted it so far, here's the shortlist for this year's Hugo Award for best novel: Boneshaker by Cherie Priest; The City & The City by China Miéville; Julian Comstock: A Story of 22nd-Century America by Robert Charles Wilson; Palimpsest by Catherynne M Valente; Wake by Robert J Sawyer; and The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi.

Last year's shortlist saw a dust-up led by SF writer Adam Roberts, who didn't think the books were good enough. It remains to be seen how this one goes down, but from the viewpoint of the more casual SF reader like me, the list has done its job. It has brought some otherwise hidden books into the limelight.

A quick Google search shows that only The City & The City has received plentiful mainstream review coverage, along with a few mentions of Canadian Robert J Sawyer's book in Canada. (Significantly, none have been mentioned in the New York Times.) As usual, this lack of coverage says more about the mainstream press than the books in question. Why Jonathan Safran Foer's decision to eat no meat or Ian McEwan's discovery that global warming may not be to the universal benefit of mankind should merit so many more column inches than these intriguing books is a question I can't answer …

What I can say is that – at first glance, at least – all the books seem interesting enough to merit more attention.

Boneshaker by Cherie Priest

Boneshaker is not the only steampunk book on the list. Although I can't help wondering how long before the boiler blows on the overheated sub-genre, there's no denying it provides some fine conceits. How's the following for a publisher's description? 'At the start of the Civil War, a Russian mining company commissions a great machine to pave the way from Seattle to Alaska and speed up the gold rush that is beating a path to the frozen north. Inventor Leviticus Blue creates the machine, but on its first test run it malfunctions, decimating Seattle's banking district and uncovering a vein of Blight Gas that turns everyone who breathes it into the living dead.' Yes! It's 'pure mad adventure' according to boing boing and that sounds good to me.

The City & The City by China Miéville

If the quality of the one book that I've read from the shortlist is anything to go by, this should be a vintage year. China Miéville has set a hard-boiled detective thriller in a city called Beszel that has the strange distinction of being in the same place as another city called Ul Qoma. If that sounds confusing, that's because it is, but wrapping your brain around the strangeness is all part of the pleasure and challenge of the book. Imagine The Wire with added weirdness and less over-acting. It pushes up against the boundaries of possibility to provoke reassessment of our own reality. It has a few rough edges – but only as a result of flinging itself so hard at the doors of perception.

Julian Comstock: A Story of 22nd-Century America by Robert Charles Wilson

Previous Hugo winner Robert Charles Wilson's 13th novel has the steampunk-inspired setting of a world after peak oil, where technology has retreated to pre-20th century levels and the United States is dominated by the Dominion Of Jesus Christ on Earth (think the Catholic church, only even worse). It features the deliberately florid narration of the titular hero's adventures in a war against the Dutch (of all people). It's a 22nd-century novel, written in 19th-century style that has direct bearing on the present day, and Cory Doctorow says it's: 'politically astute, romantic, philosophical, compassionate and often uproariously funny.'

Palimpsest by Catherynne M Valente

Palimpsest is 'a sexually transmitted city'. Bits of its map are transferred from lover to lover in the form of tattoos – and people are only able to enter those parts that appear on their body. Those that want to get around Palimpsest properly have to find 'sequential lovers' who link up to their map. It's a setting that might out-weird even China Miéville and it's undeniably ingenious – although first glimpses suggest an over-use of adjectives: 'They wear extraordinary uniforms: white and green scales laid one over the other, clinging obscenely to the skin, glittering in the spirelight.' Yet, the online reviews I've read suggest that this clotted-cream approach just adds to the richness in the long run.

Wake by Robert J Sawyer

A blind teenage maths genius undergoes an operation to recover her sight – and when she wakes up discovers that she can also see the electronic signals of the World Wide Web. She does so just in time to help her perceive a new consciousness, the world's first digital intelligence – as it comes to life on the internet. This is supposedly a return to the hard science fiction of the old school, blending theories from pure science with imaginative speculation. The Canadian National Post says that Sawyer has put together: 'a daunting quantity of fact and theory from across scientific disciplines and applied them to a contemporary landscape... He paints a complete portrait of a blind teenage girl, and imagines in detail – from scratch – the inside of a new being.' You can read a big chunk of it here.

The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi

The Windup Girl is a 'New Person' – a being engineered to service the pleasures of sex tourists in a future version of Bangkok where bio-terrorism has become a tool for corporate profit – and wealth is measured in calories. The extracts here suggest that Bacigalupi doesn't flinch from the brutal implications of either side of this premise. It sounds disturbing and profound.

Details about voting can be found here along with information on nominations in all the other award categories. Voting ends midnight on 31 July. I'm all agog.

• Hugo award
• Science fiction, fantasy and horror
• Awards and prizes

Sam Jordison

guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

"

Kirsty Maccoll Mother's Ruin

Lyrics | Maccoll Kirsty lyrics - Mother's Ruin lyrics

Maccoll Kirsty - Mother's Ruin lyrics | LyricsMode.com

Velniava naminė

My last hours at home. There are no words to describe how bad I feel right now. All those moments will be lost in time... like tears in rain.

An Aside | 2010 Hugo Award Nominees

An Aside | 2010 Hugo Award Nominees: "

It’s that time of year again. Take a look at the 2010 Hugo Award nominees. Much love to Joe Sherry for providing links to a bunch of the material.

Best Novel
Boneshaker, by Cherie Priest (Tor)
The City & The City, by China Miéville (Del Rey; Macmillan UK)
Julian Comstock: A Story of 22nd-Century America, by Robert Charles Wilson (Tor)
Palimpsest, by Catherynne M. Valente (Bantam Spectra)
Wake, by Robert J. Sawyer (Ace; Penguin; Gollancz; Analog)
The Windup Girl, by Paolo Bacigalupi (Night Shade)

Best Novella
“Act One”, by Nancy Kress (Asimov’s 3/09)
The God Engines, by John Scalzi (Subterranean)
“Palimpsest”, by Charles Stross (Wireless)
Shambling Towards Hiroshima, by James Morrow (Tachyon)
“Vishnu at the Cat Circus”, by Ian McDonald (Cyberabad Days)
The Women of Nell Gwynne’s, by Kage Baker (Subterranean)

Best Novelette
“Eros, Philia, Agape”, by Rachel Swirsky (Tor.com 3/09)
“The Island”, by Peter Watts (The New Space Opera 2)
“It Takes Two”, by Nicola Griffith (Eclipse Three)
“One of Our Bastards is Missing”, by Paul Cornell (The Solaris Book of New Science Fiction: Volume Three)
“Overtime”, by Charles Stross (Tor.com 12/09)
“Sinner, Baker, Fabulist, Priest; Red Mask, Black Mask, Gentleman, Beast”, by Eugie Foster (Interzone 2/09)

Best Short Story
“The Bride of Frankenstein”, by Mike Resnick (Asimov’s 12/09)
“Bridesicle”, by Will McIntosh (Asimov’s 1/09)
“The Moment”, by Lawrence M. Schoen (Footprints)
“Non-Zero Probabilities”, by N.K. Jemisin (Clarkesworld 9/09)
“Spar”, by Kij Johnson (Clarkesworld 10/09)

Best Related Book
Canary Fever: Reviews, by John Clute (Beccon)
Hope-In-The-Mist: The Extraordinary Career and Mysterious Life of Hope Mirrlees, by Michael Swanwick (Temporary Culture)
The Inter-Galactic Playground: A Critical Study of Children’s and Teens’ Science Fiction, by Farah Mendlesohn (McFarland)
On Joanna Russ, by Farah Mendlesohn (ed.) (Wesleyan)
The Secret Feminist Cabal: A Cultural History of SF Feminisms, by Helen Merrick (Aqueduct)
This is Me, Jack Vance! (Or, More Properly, This is “I”), by Jack Vance (Subterranean)

Best Graphic Story
Batman: Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader? Written by Neil Gaiman; Pencilled by Andy Kubert; Inked by Scott Williams (DC Comics)
Captain Britain And MI13. Volume 3: Vampire State Written by Paul Cornell; Pencilled by Leonard Kirk with Mike Collins, Adrian Alphona and Ardian Syaf (Marvel Comics)
Fables Vol 12: The Dark Ages Written by Bill Willingham; Pencilled by Mark Buckingham; Art by Peter Gross & Andrew Pepoy, Michael Allred, David Hahn; Colour by Lee Loughridge & Laura Allred; Letters by Todd Klein (Vertigo Comics)
Girl Genius, Volume 9: Agatha Heterodyne and the Heirs of the Storm Written by Kaja and Phil Foglio; Art by Phil Foglio; Colours by Cheyenne Wright (Airship Entertainment)
Schlock Mercenary: The Longshoreman of the Apocalypse Written and Illustrated by Howard Tayler

Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form
Avatar Screenplay and Directed by James Cameron (Twentieth Century Fox)
District 9 Screenplay by Neill Blomkamp & Terri Tatchell; Directed by Neill Blomkamp (TriStar Pictures)
Moon Screenplay by Nathan Parker; Story by Duncan Jones; Directed by Duncan Jones (Liberty Films)
Star Trek Screenplay by Robert Orci & Alex Kurtzman; Directed by J.J. Abrams (Paramount)
Up Screenplay by Bob Peterson & Pete Docter; Story by Bob Peterson, Pete Docter, & Thomas McCarthy; Directed by Bob Peterson & Pete Docter (Disney/Pixar)

Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form
Doctor Who: “The Next Doctor” Written by Russell T Davies; Directed by Andy Goddard (BBC Wales)
Doctor Who: “Planet of the Dead” Written by Russell T Davies & Gareth Roberts; Directed by James Strong (BBC Wales)
Doctor Who: “The Waters of Mars” Written by Russell T Davies & Phil Ford; Directed by Graeme Harper (BBC Wales)
Dollhouse: “Epitaph 1″ Story by Joss Whedon; Written by Maurissa Tancharoen & Jed Whedon; Directed by David Solomon (Mutant Enemy)
FlashForward: “No More Good Days” Written by Brannon Braga & David S. Goyer; Directed by David S. Goyer; based on the novel by Robert J. Sawyer (ABC)

Best Editor, Long Form
Lou Anders
Ginjer Buchanan
Liz Gorinsky
Patrick Nielsen Hayden
Juliet Ulman

Best Editor, Short Form
Ellen Datlow
Stanley Schmidt
Jonathan Strahan
Gordon Van Gelder
Sheila Williams

Best Professional Artist
Bob Eggleton
Stephan Martiniere
John Picacio
Daniel Dos Santos
Shaun Tan

Best Semiprozine
Ansible edited by David Langford
Clarkesworld edited by Neil Clarke, Sean Wallace, & Cheryl Morgan
Interzone edited by Andy Cox
Locus edited by Charles N. Brown, Kirsten Gong-Wong, & Liza Groen Trombi
Weird Tales edited by Ann VanderMeer & Stephen H. Segal

Best Fan Writer
Claire Brialey
Christopher J Garcia
James Nicoll
Lloyd Penney
Frederik Pohl

Best Fanzine
Argentus edited by Steven H Silver
Banana Wings edited by Claire Brialey and Mark Plummer
CHALLENGER edited by Guy H. Lillian III
Drink Tank edited by Christopher J Garcia, with guest editor James Bacon
File 770 edited by Mike Glyer
StarShipSofa edited by Tony C. Smith

Best Fan Artist
Brad W. Foster
Dave Howell
Sue Mason
Steve Stiles
Taral Wayne

The John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer
Saladin Ahmed
Gail Carriger
Felix Gilman
Seanan McGuire
Lezli Robyn

Congrats to everyone nominated! I’m more interested in the ‘Best Novel‘ category than I have been for years. I read, and loved, The City & The City, I’ve been sitting on Julian Comstock and The Windup Girl for a few months. Boneshaker is near the top of my ‘To Buy’ list. Certainly a good list to turn to as I choose my reading material over the next couple of months.

After reading Blake Charlton’s interview with Saladin Ahmed, I was curious to check out his work. Seeing his name on the ballot for the Campbell Award makes it a priority.

One caveat, though. Am I the only one who doesn’t really understand why Ansible gets so much love? Is it based on legacy at this point? Or is there something I’m missing?

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Related posts:

• An Aside | 2009 Hugo Award Nominees


• An Aside | 2009 Hugo Award Winners


• An Aside | Hugo Winners ‘08

"

Ceiling Cat. Saving the World. Again.

see more Lolcats and funny pictures

Poem of the week

The Windhover by Gerard Manley Hopkins
To Christ Our Lord

I caught this morning morning's minion, king-
dom of daylight's dauphin, dapple-dawn-drawn Falcon, in his riding
Of the rolling level underneath him steady air, and striding
High there, how he rung upon the rein of a wimpling wing
In his ecstasy! then off, off forth on swing,
As a skate's heel sweeps smooth on a bow-bend: the hurl and gliding
Rebuffed the big wind. My heart in hiding
Stirred for a bird, – the achieve of, the mastery of the thing.

Brute beauty and valour and act, oh, air, pride, plume, here
Buckle! AND the fire that breaks from thee then, a billion
Times told lovelier, more dangerous, O my chevalier!

No wonder of it: shéer plód makes plough down sillion
Shine, and blue-bleak embers, ah my dear,
Fall, gall themselves, and gash gold-vermilion.

Nothing unexpected here

Happy Easter!

Captain Obvious

The end of the innocence

Remember when the days were long
And rolled beneath a deep blue sky
Didn't have a care in the world
With mommy and daddy standin' by
But "happily ever after" fails
And we've been poisoned by these fairy tales
The lawyers dwell on small details
Since daddy had to fly

But I know a place where we can go
That's still untouched by men
We'll sit and watch the clouds roll by
And the tall grass wave in the wind
You can lay your head back on the ground
And let your hair fall all around me
Offer up your best defence
But this is the end
This is the end of the innocence

O' beautiful, for spacious skies
But now those skies are threatening
They're beating plowshares into swords
For this tired old man that we elected king
Armchair warriors often fail
And we've been poisoned by these fairy tales
The lawyers clean up all details
Since daddy had to lie

But I know a place where we can go
And wash away this sin
We'll sit and watch the clouds toll by
And the tall grass wave in the wind
Just lay your head back on the ground
And let your hair spill all around me
Offer up your best defense
But this is the end
This is the end of the innocence

Who knows how long this will last
Now we've come so far, so fast
But, somewhere back there in the dust
That same small town in each of us
I need to remember this
So baby give me just one kiss
And let me take a long last look
Before we say goodbye

Just lay your head back on the ground
And let your hair fall all around me
Offer up your best defence
But this is the end
This is the end of the innocence

Interiors

(Photo: Hertha Hernaus; Dwell, July/August 2008)

Llullaillaco Volcano

The summit of South America’s Llullaillaco Volcano has an elevation of 22,110 feet above sea level, making it the highest historically active volcano in the world. The current stratovolcano--a cone-shaped volcano built from successive layers of thick lava flows and eruption products like ash and rock fragments--is built on top of an older stratovolcano. The last explosive eruption of the volcano, based on historical records, occurred in 1877.

This photograph of Llullaillaco, taken from aboard the International Space Station, illustrates an interesting volcanic feature known as a coulée. Coulées are formed from highly viscous, thick lavas that flow onto a steep surface. As they flow slowly downwards, the top of the flow cools and forms a series of parallel ridges oriented at 90 degrees to the direction of flow (somewhat similar in appearance to the pleats of an accordion). The sides of the flow can also cool faster than the center, leading to the formation of wall-like structures known as flow levees. Llullaillaco is also a well-known archaeological site; the mummified remains of three Inca children, ritually sacrificed 500 years ago, were discovered on the summit in 1999.

Image Credit: NASA

Interiors

(Photo: Gaston Bergeret, ArchDaily)

Washington Post Peeps Diorama Contest

Washington Post Peeps Diorama Contest: "

In good Easter spirit, I bring you...Peeps! Because, really, what better way to put Easter weekend into gear than with candy? Delicious marshmallow chicks and bunnies, at that!

For those of you outside the US and Canada, these are Peeps:

The Washington Post holds an annual Peeps diorama contest every Easter. This year is their 4th consecutive year of Easter Peeps fun and the entries are way beyond incredible! I was really impressed with the crazy amount of creativity that went into some of these. People even went so far as to take popular news, like the ridiculous balloon boy hoax of last October for instance, and reenact the story with Peeps!

Hopefully this post will inspire you to make something cute with candy this weekend. I'm making Peeps cupcakes :) Granted not as creative as these dioramas but still equally as tasty! I'll share my Easter baking inventions on twitter. Share yours with me too! Happy Easter folks!

About the author

I am Amanda Macedo - a student, photography enthusiast, and lover of life. I eat, sleep and breathe art, and I hope to share with you some of my thoughts and findings here at Abduzeedo as I further my discovery of graphic design. You can also find me on Twitter: @amlight

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