Clones and Veterans
The Bad Batch season 2, which I’m almost done with, appears to be as much as anything else about the shitty way we treat veterans when they return to Civvie...
America's Third Coast
The Mackinaw Island ferry approaches Mackinaw, with the bridge in the background. In 1615, a French scout named Étienne Brûlé saw a body of water that was...
On Literary Roller Coasters
I like this book. Oh no, I don’t. The author did what? I…ugh no… Dang, they stuck the landing. Sometimes a book will just do that to you. I’m not talking...
Fall Convention Season
In full swing! Tomorrow and Sunday I will be at the Small Press Expo as an attendee…attending panels and buying comic books. Should be fun. September 27...
A mixed Batch
This alligator at the Lakenenland sculpture park tells you to watch Robocroc. Or…not. Orphan Black: Echoes 1.10 “We Will Come Again” CW: Death of a young...
You Got Gunpowder In My Fantasy
This is Mons Meg, a six-tonne siege gun that was state of the art in…1457. When was gunpowder invented? Is it true that the original invention was by the...
Which Genre Are We In, Again?
Michigan photos will be sorted some time this week! In the mean time, we have cyberpunk disguised as fantasy, “is this fantasy or is it weird SF",” and some...
Clones and Cliffhangers
Still in Michigan. Michigan pics will come. I even had to do a trip to Best Buy (honestly, I could probably have done this trip with one DSLR battery but...
Deadpool and Pansexual Representation
Some time back somebody told me one of my protagonists had “no reason” to be bisexual and shouldn’t be unless I showed him dating both men and women. On...
One Disturbing Book
I don’t have any pictures of southern boardwalks, this one is in PA. It’s every bit as, uh…okay, we both nearly fell in the swamp several times trying to...
Out Of Here
I’m writing this on Tuesday. First, an apology. Yes, some of you got Thursday’s post twice. It was my sticky fingers queueing posts. Second, I have another...
Cloning It
In Michigan right now, so sharing pictures from Minnesota. Close enough, right? Okay, now the Michiganders are hunting me down… Star Wars: The Clone Wars 7.1...
The First Breed of Horse
Not these ladies, but they are quite cute!Horses have been our companions for a long time. We have evidence that horses were domesticated about 6,000 years...
Thoughts on Content Warnings
I haven’t finished anything reviewable. I’ll have something to queue for next week, and likely for the week after…the flights are short, but I should still...
Could a Lightsaber Kill Deadpool?
I finally got through the first six seasons of the Clone Wars. And yes, I got to see Deadpool & Wolverine. My overall verdict: Not as good as 1,...
The Power in the North
The recent discovery that the altar stone at Stonehenge came from northern Scotland, likely Orkney, had me thinking about a few things. Honestly, we’re...
Back in the Swing of Things
The Olympics really cut into my reading time, but here are some offerings from the last week. Review: Necropolis Alpha by Chris M. Arnone This is book two in...
Summer Approaches Its End
As the Hugos returned to their normal schedule, summer’s end also means Hugo results. Here’s my thoughts on each winner: Best Novel - Some Desperate Glory by...
The Fall of Ahsoka Tano
Star Wars: Clone Wars 5.17 “Sabotage” Somebody bombs the Jedi temple. The Jedi get the blame. Anakin and Ahsoka are brought in to investigate – their primary...
Has the Generative AI Bubble Burst?
Anyone who knows me knows I have a low opinion of using “AI” to create art…or even to create marketing materials, emails, etc. It plagiarizes, it doesn’t...
Cyberpunk and Fish Out Of Water
I haven’t been to a trip that’s not a conference all year. And now I have three planned. But there will be new pictures. In the meantime, I reviewed a couple...
Rain, Rain, More Rain
Wish this was the water I was looking at. Instead, it’s on and off rain, some of it hard, from Debby. We’ve had some flooding in the subway and I just saw...
The Republic Falls
Star Wars: Clone Wars 5.3 “Front Runners.” Oops. I heard it as Alderaan. It’s Onderon. That’s not as bad as Dinom and Dinomn in Traveler, but really? Now I...
Parity for Women – How Women Have Fought to Compete
I spent a brief period of time trying modern tournament fencing. I decided it wasn’t for me, but there was another girl there who was completely hooked. I am...
Sorry, No Reviews...
Blame the Olympics for hardcore cutting into my reading time and have a picture of trees?I did manage to catch up on my comics, which had been neglected in...
Planning for the Fall
So, I have a busy fall (and could use more subscriptions ;). I am going to Michigan to road trip with some friends at the end of August. We’re mostly going...
Warp Beasts and Sith
Because we’re talking a bit about monsters. The Ark 2.2 “Kill Or Be Killed” With so few humans left, they really need to stop threatening to airlock...
It's The Little Things
I was watching the Olympics Opening Ceremony. My favorite part was the animatronic horse. My second favorite was the balloon cauldron. My least favorite part...
Gardens and Countries
Review: Young Woman in a Garden Stories by Delia Sherman I haven’t actually encountered Sherman before, although she’s been around for a while and been quite...
Awards Season Isn't Over Yet
There are a lot of SFF awards. And I’m honored to have been nominated for one! It’s the Washington Science Fiction Society Small Press Award for Short...
Copies, Copies, and More Copies
The Ark 2.1 “Failed Experiment” You know, the thing between this show and being good is a lack of understanding of the Problem Story. They simply don’t get...
Originals and Replicas – Why Museums Should Display Both
Stephenson’s Rocket moves around a lot, but in 2019 the precious locomotive was moved to the National Railway Museum in York, supposedly long term, although...
Finishing Off the Hugo Packet
It’s done! All voted! Reviews of the last two here. Right now I’m reading some comics, but then I have two 2024 books I got in the Nebulas book bag to go...
All the Conventions
So, first off, please join me at the Ivy City Atlas Brewing Company (not Navy Yard) on Sunday from 2 to 6. Yes, two in two weeks…for reasons. We’ll have...
Printout Shenanigans
Orphan Black: Echoes 1.2 “Jules” So, Lucy has abducted Jules and taken her to the AA safe house (because there’s an AA safe house, because of course there...
Forecasting the Weather
Blame the fact that it’s been too hot all week for this post. When I was a kid, the U.K. had a special kids’ meteorologist. His forecasts weren’t any more...
The Power of Music and Art
Review: Abeni’s Song by P. Djèli Clark Not many authors can do adult and middle grade with the same deft touch. Clark is one of them. Abeni’s Song is a...
See You Sunday
All local folks, please join me on Sunday afternoon at Settle Down Easy Brewing Company, 2822 Fallfax Drive, Falls Church, VA, 2pm to 6pm (although we may be...
Why Are Pilots Titled Pilot? Be More Creative...
Review: Orphan Black: Echoes 1.1 “Pilot” I wasn’t sure what to expect from the sequel to Orphan Black. I wasn’t quite expecting this. Set in the 2050s, it at...
One, Two, Three Kinky Ladies - Sex Worker Positivity in Midsomer Murders
Sometimes, I watch detective shows. I don’t typically review them here because it’s not the focus, but I do watch them.Lately, I’ve been poking around...
Buried In Non Fiction
I’m still plowing through the non-fiction parts of the Hugo packet, but am about to move on to the Lodestar. Which means there will be reviews again. I have...
What a Week
Happy Independence Day, U.S. of A. Happy Yeet the Tories Day, U.K. Look, I don’t often talk about politics here, but that was quite an election. The Tory...
So...Uh...
Guess who hasn’t watched any spec fic TV this week. Yeah, that will be me.What have I been watching?Recorded science panels from Balticon. Midsomer Murders,...
But AI Is Great For The Environment - According to that One Study in Nature
This paper has started to circulate. It’s in Nature and appears to have been peer reviewed. So, is it true? Should I give up writing or use AI to write...
Ready for Summer Reading?
It is that time of year. I have two reviews this week, of very different books.Review: Camp Damascus by Chuck Tingle Chuck Tingle is a satirical smut writer,...
Last Girls and Beer!
So, first off, we postponed the June Books & Brews to July because nobody could make it. This means we have two events in July. The first is at Settle Down...
Who is Mrs Frost?
The caption on this, delivered in perfect Hermione voice by a small child: He must have crashed it. Again. Doctor Who 1.9 “Empire of Death” So, Sutekh has...
Computers in Space!
I had the great privilege to spend a bit of time with Vandi Varma in Pasadena. She’s a leading NASA roboticist and is one of the two people who wrote the...
Nebula Winners Analysis Part Two
And now for part two. Nebula Award for Short Story Winner: “Tantie Merle and the Farmhand 4200” by R.S.A. Garcia Apparently everyone wanted cute robots...
Off in Ohio
Once again, I’m not actually here. I’ll most likely be in the Columbus convention center doing…well, I don’t know yet! After that I’ll be at home for a while...