Write-up about a history museum in Bonn about various science fiction highlights from the 20th century. Who knew that East Germany frowned upon the term “science fiction”?
Author: Anders Monsen (Page 31 of 82)
The debate ranges, long before robots achieve their rumored takeover.
In this collection of brief science fiction reviews at Toronto’s The Star, reviewer Alex Good takes a swipe at Cory Doctorow’s latest novel, Pirate Cinema, for it’s underlying messages. According to Good, the novel “has to be judged a very irresponsible book.” Rather than focus on any literary merit, Good attacks the content of the book:
[Doctorow] peddles a dangerous fantasy, especially for a YA title: Trent is a kid who runs away from home to the big city, where he is immediately adopted by a lovable street-wise buddy and gets to enjoy a comfortable life of petty crime, playing around on the Internet, casual drug use, and sex with a cute anarchist girl, before becoming an overnight hero and global celebrity by splicing together a bunch of video popcorn (apparently this is the only thing artists are capable of in our age of cannibal culture, where all human life is dependent on the Internet). The fact that Doctorow is a good writer with a large following only makes it more essential that he take a big step back and think a bit more about what kind of message he’s sending.
Perhaps we instead should devote efforts to sending in police to raid the computers of nine-year-old girls? I don’t care much for glamorizing piracy, but IP laws need to examined and gain a measure of sanity. And, oh yes, this is a work of fiction, meant to entertain.
Recently on the Mew website the band hinted this tune, currently called “Klassen” (The Class), might be on their forthcoming album.
I’ll admit my bias up front: I’m a Mac user and I find any Windows OS baffling and user-unfriendly. Apparently Microsoft has ratcheted up their level of un-usability with Windows 8, at least on the desktop.
Read the original article for some fantastic quotes, like “having two environments on a single device is a prescription for usability problems.”
In Texas, I have seen the destruction of feral hogs up close, and actively tried to stop them. In Berlin, Germany feral hogs (as wild boars) apparently also is a major issue, with over 3,000 boars in that city. Although a few hunters stalk the parks and streets to cull the pigs, they face an uphill battle, just like many farmers in Texas and elsewhere in the US.
Iranian rapper Shahin Najafi keeps rapping, despite a fatwa issued seeking his death. He plays his music in exile, yet still fears for his life.
Tor.com has a write-up of a rediscovered Ray Bradbury story recently published in The Strand Magazine.
Great story about the 2012 movie Argo and a planned theme park called Science Fiction Land.
Review of three Scottish crime novels.
