The Mistress of Singularities

The Big News

Thu, 03 Jul 2008 18:41:20 GMT

Hadley Rille Books is publishing The Best of Abyss & Apex anthology! The TOC and a proof of the cover art (by Mondolithic Studios) will hopefully be ready in time for Worldcon.

Book launch at World Fantasy!

FWIW

Wed, 02 Jul 2008 17:06:02 GMT

I weigh in at SF Signal on the gender bias issue. Scroll way down to the comments to see it.
http://www.sfsignal.com/archives/006846.html

computerless, temporarily

Wed, 02 Jul 2008 00:44:42 GMT

My PC, she is not happy. Right now the Gateway is in the hands of the Geek Squad, and about to be shipped to whatever re-education camp they have for machines having non-PC thoughts.

It thinks it's a paperweight at the moment. My backups tell me otherwise.

So here I am at my local library. They have an hour limit when it gets busy and no limit otherwise. And I can cage some internet time at work. More important than those PC sources is the fact that I've been lugging my personal laptop to work since October. One hopes my computerless state will cause the long-promised work PC to materialize.

what a shock

Fri, 20 Jun 2008 02:53:25 GMT

Yessir, I may be an arthritic grandmother but I am a hot arthritic grandma!

Your result for The Fashion Style Test...

Fashionista

34% Flamboyance, 59% Originality, 73% Deliberateness, 48% Sexiness

[Tasteful Original Deliberate Prissy]

One is certain: you have great taste and plenty of ideas. You have clearly defined beliefs about what's good and what's bad in fashion but they are far from banal. Stylish and imaginative, you prefer to inspire admiration than to shock and you mostly succeed. Even if sometimes you'd like to have more courage to put on something absolutely outrageous you do great job in creating a unique look that others look up to. There is a possibility that you work in the fashion industry. If you don't, perhaps you should.

The opposite style from yours is Bar Cruiser [Flamboyant Conventional Random Sexy].

All the categories: Librarian Sporty Hottie Office Master Uptown Girl/ Boy Brainy Student Movie Star Fashionista Glamorous Soul Fashion Enemy Bar Cruiser Kid Next Door Sex Bomb Hippie Kid Fashion Rebel Fashion Artist Catwalk God(ess)

Take The Fashion Style Test at HelloQuizzy

tales of the city

Thu, 19 Jun 2008 13:30:24 GMT

The 50+ hour weeks with the lonnng commutes will not stop. I'm doing A&A contracts this weekend and concentrating on flash slush. But that's not why you read this blog. You read it for fascinating stories like this:

A group of Greek Orthodox friars in Brooklyn were behind on their new gymnasium payments, so they opened a small flower shop to raise funds. Since everyone in the neighborhood liked to buy flowers from the men of God, and they were housed in a tax-free building, a rival neighborhood florist thought the competition was unfair. He asked the good fathers to close down, but they would not. The paper says he went back and begged the friars to close. They ignored him. So, the police say the rival florist hired a vicious thug, Hugh MacTaggart, to 'persuade' them to close. Hugh beat up the friars and trashed their store, saying he'd be back if they didn't close up the shop. Terrified, they did so, thereby proving that only Hugh can prevent florist friars.

S/CI Guide

Tue, 17 Jun 2008 13:33:49 GMT

My work can have counter-terrorism elements. In the course of my day job I've had to look at how poisons and infectious agents would spread throughout the subway system (and how to limit access to NYC transit fan plants), tunnel safety (no unauthorized personnel)...and now I was just emailed the S/CI Guide from Los Alamos National Laboratory.

Suspect and/or Counterfeit Items (S/CI) represent a significant threat to life safety systems, and according to Interpol a major funding sorce for terrorism. Is it possible that the rigging shackle that caused that NYC crane to collapse was counterfeit? The bolt connecting the tower crane sections was supposed to be a 100,000 lb high strength alloy - right? Los Alamos published an informational document on the extent of counterfeiting with an emphasis on the items used in construction. It could just be someone trying to squeeze out some extra profit at the expense of safety, but you need to be sure materials are as strong as they say they are.

This is not a victimless crime. Counterfeit and substandard bolts have been implicated in a number of vehicle accidents and two recalls by heavy truck manufacturers Petterbilt and Freightliner of Canada. Substandard "KS" Grade 8.2 bolts caused Peterbilt's 1988 recall of 556 tractors for steering assembly failures while Freightliner of Canada recalled 364 tractors. KS bolts have been blamed for the death of at least one truck driver.

We were told "Fides tamen quin." Trust, but verify.

exciting news from A&A coming soon

Sat, 14 Jun 2008 15:18:38 GMT

I cannot say what the news is just yet, but watch this space.

I mean, wow.

2008 Campbell Award Finalists announced

Wed, 11 Jun 2008 11:10:07 GMT

Brain Aldiss, HARM, Del Rey
Michael Chabon, The Yiddish Policeman's Union, HarperCollins
Kathleen Ann Goonan, In War Times, Tor
Nalo Hopkinson, The New Moon's Arms, Grand Central Publishing
Jay Lake, Mainspring, Tor
Ken MacLeod, The Execution Channel, Tor
Ian McDonald, Brasyl, Pyr
Rebecca Ore, Time's Child, Eos
Matt Ruff, Bad Monkeys, HarperCollins
Robert J. Sawyer, Rollback, Tor
Jose Carlos Somoza, Zig Zag, Rayo
Sheri S. Tepper, The Margarets, Eos
Jeffrey Thomas, Deadstock, Solaris
Robert Charles Wilson, Axis, Tor

2008 Sturgeon Award Finalists announced

Wed, 11 Jun 2008 10:34:14 GMT

Barron, Laird "The Forest" Inferno, Dec, Tor

Bear, Elizabeth "Tideline" Asimov's, March

Chiang, Ted "The Merchant and the Alchemist’s Gate" F&SF, Sept

Ford, Jeffrey "The Dreaming Wind" Coyote Road, Viking Juvenile, July

Fowler, Karen Joy "Always" Asimov's, Apr/May

Johnson, Kij "The Evolution of Trickster Stories Among the Dogs Of North Park After the Change" (NOTE: Johnson, a juror, removed story from consideration.) Coyote Road, Viking Juvenile, July

Jones, Gwynneth "The Tomb Wife" F&SF, August

Kessel, John "The Last American" Foundation 100, August

McLeod, Ian R. "The Master Miller's Wife" F&SF, May

Moles, David "Finistera" F&SF, Dec

Sinisalo, Johanna "Baby Doll" SFWA European Hall of Fame, Tor, June

Wolfe, Gene "Memorare" F&SF, April

food prices, hunger and GM foods

Tue, 10 Jun 2008 21:43:48 GMT

I'd be remiss if I did not mention one other factor in the 3rd world's hunger crisis.

Europe's resistance to genetically modified (GM) foods has contributed to the global food problem, too. Their (I think) irrational resistance to GM crops is responsible for much of the hunger in Africa and the rest of the developing world. Let me explain.

GM crops are normal in the U.S. These plants don't need expensive pesticides and many are drought resistant, so they increase yields and decrease the need for pesticides and fertilizers. Some of them were even designed to help African nations deal with harsh growing conditions by caring scientists. They did not require expensive bug sprays or costly nitrogen-rich fertilizers: poor farmers were supposed to benefit. (Never mind that we all know pesticides are scary. I'm not going to go into the reasons that modern fertilizers are bad for the soil, either: that's a subject for another post.) Despite amazing increases in the amount of food you can grow with GM crops, they are banned in Europe. And European fears about the health and safety of these foods has led most African nations to ban them too for fear of being shut out of lucrative European export markets.

South Africa is the only African nation that grows GM crops. And while food production in the rest of Africa is 20 percent per capita less than it was in 1970, South Africa is producing surplus amounts of crops through biotechnology.

I have no idea what can be done about this; I'm just venting here.

Locus luv (again)

Mon, 09 Jun 2008 22:50:03 GMT

You probably already saw this, but just in case, Rich Horton mentioned the First Quarter issue of Abyss and Apex in *Locus* a couple of issues ago. Unfortunately I don't have the magazine, but a friend forwarded me this blurb:

Horton says, "The first 2008 issue of Abyss and Apex is a good one. Two particularly sharp-edged pieces work best: Mercurio D. Rivera's "Snatch Me Another" deals with the implications of a technology that can "snatch" conjugate items from parallel universes, and the effect on one couple, as we slowly realize that they have "snatched" a replacement for their dead child.

The second story he liked was "Quartet, with Mermaids."

it's 100 degrees outside this greenhouse

Mon, 09 Jun 2008 16:37:28 GMT

The windows are all installed for this new building, but the windows do not open. The air conditioning is not ready yet - it is going through a process called "testing and balancing" and is three weeks late.

I worry about the men getting heat exhaustion and heat stroke. I've reassured them the temporary water is drinkable, and urged the air conditioning techs to get the air moving first on the worst of the floors. I spent my lunch in my office that I share with four superintendents, enjoying barely-cooled air from a small, overworked A/C. When I got up to go back to work I was a little woozy. But I need to get back out there, if only to give moral support. That's where my job is. Trust me, I will take things very slow.

Julia update

Sat, 07 Jun 2008 18:10:32 GMT

Nine year old Julia's cancer is retreating under the onslaught of chemotherapy and she has been home from the hospital a month. After two weeks home she was well enough to be the flower girl at a wedding. That's her in the headscarf, and her sister Rachel holding the other half of the bride's train. Yes, sisters: the girls were both adopted by the keyboard player my church band--a lawyer-- Rachel from China and Julia from Russia. In the photo dad is hovering protectively behind the girls.

As her father told me last week, this cancer is a demon who stole part of his daughter's childhood. He thanks all of you for your well-wishes and prayers. Keep it up. Julia's slowly decreasing chemo is slated to last about a year.

public service annoucement

Sat, 07 Jun 2008 17:45:52 GMT

A friend of mine just informed me that she had both her primary computer and her back-ups crash or get damaged. She had secondary backups and is deep in the laborious process of putting a working machine back together but she had her data - the manuscripts and photography she earns a living from.

Think of this as a PSA - when was the last time you backed up your data? Me, I keep my critical files on a thumb drive on my key ring, so that even if my place burns down I have the next edition of A&A (and any stories slotted for later editions) on that key ring, as well as my MS and important files. I also make a CD each of documents and photos. Those came in handy in March when my PC needed a new hard drive.

Dear writerly friends: consider making a backup schedule. Whether it is daily, weekly, monthly, automatic upload or on some sort of media, backups should be a habit.

Thank you.

Editors have lives, and so forth

Sat, 07 Jun 2008 17:36:02 GMT

This morning I yet again tackled my usual chagrin that I cannot just get going any more on Saturday mornings. I had to verbally remind myself (for reinforcement) that I am FIFTY-THREE and working a schedule that would burn out a 35-40 year old. Of Course I Need To Sleep In. And it's not a mortal sin (no, I'm not Catholic - I just like the way that sounds) to take most of a day off to take a bubble bath, shave my legs, do my nails, and catch up on my periodicals (PREVENTION, WIRED, ANALOG, ASIMOV's) and maybe watch an hour of TV. I even fit a little bit of gourmet cooking in there. Then I straighted out the apartment - it is not all that messy but there are things I only do on the weekend, like scrub the floors and vacuum.

Now I am off to do some errands and I will drag the laptop with me. My associate editor and I will be at east and west coast Starbucks doing slush and having a staff meeting via a chat program. If I try to do that at home I invariably get sidetracked into something fun or creative. Must parent myself and all that.

Review of the most recent A&A at SFrevu

Fri, 06 Jun 2008 02:50:07 GMT

You can see it here:

http://www.sfrevu.com/php/Review-id.php?id=7470

Frankly, all it is is a spoiler-free look at what the stories are about, but they liked the edition.

Fri, 06 Jun 2008 02:42:54 GMT

The Fix weighs in on the most recent Abyss & Apex, here.
http://thefix-online.com/reviews/abyss-apex-26/

They especially like "Disarm."

on mature women trying on a swimsuit

Mon, 02 Jun 2008 08:10:08 GMT

"...I gasped in horror - my boobs had disappeared! Eventually, I found one boob cowering under my left armpit. It took awhile to find the other.

another crane collapse

Fri, 30 May 2008 15:40:05 GMT

I'm fine, and it was not at my site. Thanks to all of you who asked if I was okay.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=4963225&page=1

Preliminary analysis: this looks like a case of the gear collar that holds the cab to the mast coming loose. What fell was the cab of the crane, perched up on its mast, and the "jib" - the portion that sticks out horizontally and picks up the loads. All the inspections since the last disaster have been focusing on the collars that hold the upright mast section of a tower crane to the building.

Guess what inspections are going to focus on next?

Epiphany

Tue, 27 May 2008 19:35:56 GMT

This morning I drove to work too tired to be believed. Slept right through the alarm, darn it. And that was on top of waking at 1 AM and not being able to get back to sleep until 2 AM. This schedule is killing me. Getting up in the middle of the night is insane.

When I should have gotten up at 3:30 AM I think I hit the snooze alarm a dozen times. Eventually I must have turned it off in my sleep.

I awoke at 4:30. I rightly decided that there was not enough time to get to the 4:47 train and remain sane, so I decided to shoot for the 5:24 train. Because I was dragging I missed that one, too. So I drove in. It was raining. The traffic was miserable. I was a half an hour late.

And believe it or not I was not stressed at all. My client loves me. They understood and insisted on paying me as if I showed up on time. The main reason I am not stressed about this is that I made a decision. I am taking the car for the rest of this project. The money I will spend on parking and gas is going to be less than what I am paying for cabs and extra meals in Mahattan. There will be wear and tear on my car but avoiding wear and tear on ME is more important. Getting up at 3:30 AM to be to work by seven is just wrong.

I promised to spam the list with Baby pictures..

Mon, 26 May 2008 14:20:19 GMT

So here they are. My grandson smiled at me, repeatedly, but not (alas) for the camera. Click on the photo - it links to a gallery.

I'm a sucker for that toothless grin.

I can has Passport!

Sun, 25 May 2008 11:40:34 GMT

I'm mildly jealous of all the con-goers this weekend, but it's for a great cause. Most (not all) of my con money this year is going toward a trip to Sweden to visit my sister and her family. I'm headed for Gothenburg--I mean Göteborg--this summer! I just got the passport and am booking my flight now.

Passport! Of course you all know this means that you folks that live outside the US may now live in fear that I might actually visit you.

Wikihistory in New Scientist

Sat, 24 May 2008 12:47:38 GMT

I'm looking at the write-up "Wikihistory" got in the May 10, 2008 New Scientist. The illustration is hilarious. Hitler as a DJ? They explain why...

sporks eyeballs

Wed, 21 May 2008 17:10:07 GMT

My heart goes out to anyone who has not read slush and then clicks on this link.

Yes, we get things like this too. *pats Ellen*

Jump the shark

Thu, 15 May 2008 13:36:30 GMT

I had a phrase I heard yesterday running through my head. It needed explanation: what, exactly, did this guy mean when he said something "jumped the shark?" I Googled on the phrase and found out it means "the point at which a television show runs out of ideas...Jumping the shark applies not only to TV, but also music, film, even everyday life. As in, 'Did you see her boyfriend? She definitely jumped the shark.'" In other words, the phrase means "anything that has reached its peak and has turned mediocre" or is past its prime.

Nice phase, that. And it can be traced to an episode of "Happy Days" where The Fonz, in a bid to inject some Evel Knievel and Jaws excitement into the show, did exactly that. (I do not seem to be up to embedding any goodness today, but click to watch.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MpraJYnbVtE

Sadly, I have now been earwormed by the song "Rock the Boat" - but with the words "Jump the Shark" inserted instead.