Weathering news about the weather

The perfect storm ... in space?

As part of the preparation, maybe I should read this during the next few days?

Say "hi" to MileHiCon

This Denver SF convention is being held this weekend. Hmm, some intriguing-sounding panels/events:

Speed Meet An Author

Klingon Tribble Hockey

Near Denver? Check out the full program.

Playing around with sight and sound

Can you guess the city in these two pictures?

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Click here for the answer.

Can you guess the book in these three manipulated versions of its beginning?

Version 1: No words shorter than four letters, and names removed
Pausing beside hanging needle rock tapped with lance Precise staccato-like tones filled passageway Hear coaxed right ahead don’t hear thing edged forward stumbled fell lightly against back Nothing hanging stones pits None hear There’s twenty paces Better stick close tapped rock again inclining would miss none subtle echoes right massive evil clung nearby ledge listening advance Ahead more needles rock could conveniently last echoes told much produced pair clickstones pouch brought them together sharply hollow hand concentrating returning tones right ears traced great formations rocks folded over other reflecting confusing pattern sound clutched shoulder pressed forward smart We’ll never catch with

Version 2: Adding a little alliteration to the above
advance again against ahead Ahead back beside Better brought catch clickstones close clung clutched coaxed concentrating confusing conveniently could don’t ears echoes echoes edged evil fell filled folded formations forward forward great hand hanging hanging Hear hear hear hollow inclining lance last ledge lightly listening massive miss more much nearby needle needles never None none Nothing other over paces pair passageway pattern Pausing pits pouch Precise pressed produced reflecting returning right right right rock rock rock rocks sharply shoulder smart sound staccato-like stick stones stumbled subtle tapped tapped them There’s thing together told tones tones traced twenty We’ll with with would

Version 3: Words going backward paragraph by paragraph
.yawegassap eht dellif senot ekil-otaccats ,esicerP .ecnal sih htiw ti deppat deraJ ,kcor fo eldeen gnignah eht ediseb gnisuaP
".daeha pu thgir s'tI" .dexaoc eh "?ti raeH"
".senots gnignah dna dum tub gnihtoN" .kcab s'deraJ tsniaga ylthgil llef dna delbmuts ,drawrof degde newO ".gniht a raeh t'nod I"
"?stip oN"
".raeh nac I taht enoN"
".em ot esolc kcits retteB .ffo secap ytnewt ton eno s'erehT"
.ecnavda rieht ot gninetsil egdel ybraen a ot gnulc ti sa live dna evissam—thgir lla ,saw ti erehT .seohce eltbus eht fo enon ssim dluow eh os rae na gninilcni ,niaga kcor eht deppat deraJ
.dnuos fo nrettap gnisufnoc a gnitcelfer dna rehto eht revo eno dedlof ,sckor fo snoitamrof taerg tuo decart srae sih ,thgir sih oT .senot gninruter eht no gnitartnecnoc ,dnah sih fo wolloh eht ni ylprahs rehtegot meht thguorb dna hcuop sih morf senotskcilc fo riap a decudorp eh oS .hcum taht mih dlot dah seohce tsal ehT .pat yltneinevnoc dluoc eh kcor fo seldeen erom on erew haehA
".ti htiw pu hctac reven ll'eW .trams oot s'tI" .drawrof desserp yeht sa redluohs sih dehctulc newO


Had enough of the weirdness? Here's how the original actually reads:
Pausing beside the hanging needle of rock, Jared tapped it with his lance. Precise, staccato-like tones filled the passageway.
“Hear it?” he coaxed. “It’s right up ahead.”
“I don’t hear a thing.” Owen edged forward, stumbled and fell lightly against Jared’s back. “Nothing but mud and hanging stones.”
“No pits?”
“None that I can hear.”
“There’s one not twenty paces off. Better stick close to me.”
Jared tapped the rock again, inclining an ear so he would miss none of the subtle echoes. There it was, all right—massive and evil as it clung to a nearby ledge listening to their advance.
Ahead were no more needles of rock he could conveniently tap. The last echoes had told him that much. So he produced a pair of clickstones from his pouch and brought them together sharply in the hollow of his hand, concentrating on the returning tones. To his right, his ears traced out great formations of rocks, folded one over the other and reflecting a confusing pattern of sound.
Owen clutched his shoulder as they pressed forward. “It’s too smart. We’ll never catch up with it.”

This first novel by Daniel F. Galouye was nominated for a Hugo. It's a tale of a post-apocalytic world where humans have built a society in the dark underground. The descendants of the survivors only remember the pre-apocalyptic world in old stories, legends and myths. To preview more of the book, click here.

Capclave past

Capclave 2012 -- certainly not as large as the most recent Chicon, but interesting panels and workshops, and an enjoyable time overall. A good chance to show people our variety of Phoenix Pick books and generally catch up with the local SF scene. John Scalzi, author guest of honor, blogged about his experience, as did various other people.

The members of the Washington Science Fiction Association (WSFA) are the organizers of Capclave, held annually at about this time of the year. One of the highlights of the convention is the announcement of the winner of the WSFA Small Press Award ... this year it was "The Patrician" by Tansy Rayner Roberts.

In the area convention's initial run as Disclave, guests of honor included such notables as Robert Silverberg (1968), Michael Swanwick (1996), and Joe Haldeman (1977).  John Scalzi is probably one of the more well-known guests at a Capclave, but there's been no lack of other famous names, such as Harry Turtledove (2009), Stanley Schmidt (2002), and Gardner Dozois (2001). And next year:

George R. R. Martin

Follow progress on next year's convention on the Capclave blog.

Dr. Robert Hutchings Goddard

... was born on this day in 1882.

Of Georgia and George

Have you checked out the Phoenix Pick free e-book for October?

You can find the download instructions on our catalogue page. Scroll down to the book's listing and click on the "Free E-Book of the Month" link. The coupon code is 9991264 and it's good through October 31.


And here's a tidbit about George R. R. Martin courtesy of Aidan Moher at A Dribble of Ink.

Heinlein helps

Help for people trying to organize politically and find an effective voice.

Help for a fellow author trying to find his temporarily lost voice.