MetaFilter posts tagged with sf

Bradley Manning and the mainstreaming of gay pride

grobstein — Tue, 07 May 2013 19:37:54 -0800

For about a day, Wikileaks leaker Bradley Manning was going to be one of the Grand Marshals in this year's San Francisco Pride Parade. Since Manning continues to languish in a military brig, his* frequent champion, the Pentagon Papers leaker Daniel Ellsberg, agreed to attend in his stead. Manning was selected by Pride's "electoral college," a jury of former Grand Marshals that elects some of the Grand Marshals for each year's parade. But almost as soon as his selection was announced, it was revoked by the Pride board. Here is the statement from board President Lisa Williams. The SF Pride board is meeting right now, and Manning's advocates will be gathering outside and possibly inside the meeting. @lizatblackrose is livetweeting the meeting. In her statement, Williams characterized Manning's selection as undemocratic, and an accident:

A staff person at SF Pride, acting under his own initiative, prematurely contacted Bradley Manning based on internal conversations within the SF Pride organization. That was an error and that person has been disciplined. He does not now, nor did he at that time, speak for SF Pride.

But according to interviews with one former Grand Marshal, that is not quite accurate:

the Board had been willing to honor him. It was not until LGBT military groups from outside of San Francisco began to bombard San Francisco Pride’s office with phone calls and emails that the Board decided Pride would not honor Manning. “I nominated Bradley Manning to be a Grand Marshal,” Joey Cain told Firedoglake. Three others in addition to Manning were nominated. An email went out to former Grand Marshals and “we voted.”

The board was not just fixing a procedural screwup, then: they were trying to walk back a decision that was bringing them under political fire. The backlash at Manning's election appears to have been driven in part by gay military activist groups, with some arguing that Manning "does not represent the gay military community." Salon hosted an exchange between gay military activists Sean Sala (anti-Manning) and Dan Choi (pro-Manning). In the debate, Sala returns several times to the argument that what Manning did (regardless of its merits) has nothing to do with being gay or gay rights. Now that gay rights orgs are increasingly part of the mainstream, they are subject to the same kinds of pressures and incentives that all mainstream groups face. Do all those big corporate sponsorships mean radicalism is no longer welcome: Stephen W. Thrasher on the military-industrial complex and "the professional homosexuals? Is it ironic for the chair of a group named after Bayard Rustin to shun an activist because he is regarded as a "traitor" (NSFW-ish)? ----- *I have used "he," "his," etc., to refer to Manning in this post. Actually there is some speculation that Manning regards himself as a woman. In the absence of definitive word I stuck with the male conventions for simplicity.

Selections from the BFI's collection of early cinema

The Whelk — Thu, 02 May 2013 07:47:57 -0800

The British Film Institute's YouTube channels offer a staggering amount (previously) of content on historical cinema, shorts, and discussion. Some short selections from the early and silent period of note - The Sick Kitten (1903) - How Percy Won The Beauty Competition (1909) - Tilly The Tomboy Visits The Poor (1910) - Suffragette Riot In Trafalgar Square (1913) - The Fugitive Futurist, in which a man on the run shows a device that can see far into the future (1924) - Vaudevillian legend Billy Merson Singing 'Desdemona'. Widely considered Britain's first sound film - (1927) Charley In New Town - part of an animated series from the Central Office, this one explaining the need for "New Towns." (1948) - Growing Girls, a filmstrip guide to puberty for young women (1951).

The Net Before The Net

the man of twists and turns — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 10:08:34 -0800

John Brunner’s The Shockwave Rider Brunner is perhaps more famous for Stand On Zanzibar

The book, published in 1969, is set in the year 2010, and this allows us to make a point-by-point comparison, and marvel at novelist John Brunner’s uncanny ability to anticipate the shape of the world to come. Indeed, his vision of the year 2010 even includes a popular leader named President Obomi — face it, Nate Silver himself couldn’t have done that back in 1969!

All Your TV Are Belong To Us

Mezentian — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 08:35:12 -0800

More than five years after it was first announced, it looks like beloved British 1970s/80s science-fiction show Blake's 7 (previously) is coming back to television. The story about the innocent freedom fighter framed for sex crimes against children and his criminal compatriots fighting the Authoritarian Federation is getting a fresh lick of paint at SyFy. It will be directed by Casino Royale and Green Lantern director Martin Campbell. But should it return? No, Idris Elba is not playing Blake. And, of course, an audio remake of the "original" Blake's 7 exists from Blake's 7 Productions. And Paul Darrow has been pondering the fate of Avon given his idea of Avon as Napoleon in exile has been ditched. But the Americans are remaking The Tomorrow People (previously). It was announced earlier this year that the revival had received a pilot order from the The CW. Australian actor Luke Mitchell was cast for the pilot as John Young.

The moment has been prepared for.

Mezentian — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 04:11:45 -0800

Something is coming. Not Winter (well, yes, that), but the new half-series of Doctor Who. Here's the prequel to this weekend's episode: The Bells of St Johns. And here's what you really want: Madame Vastra, Jenny 'n' Strax The Sontaran in: A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To London, Boy. And here's Blastr's theories: 5 things The Doctor's soon-to-be-revealed biggest secret could be. And here's io9's the 12 Most Mortifying Moments in the History of Doctor Who. (Also, Charlie-Jane Anders thinks Doctor Who needs more women script-writers). See also The Guardian. And if you are interested in the details of how Doctor Who came to be born 50 years ago, aside from picking up Peter Hannings' The Key To Time, you could take a gander at this series of articles.. Also, if you like stamps and you like Doctor Who, have I got hot news for you? Yes. Also, spoilers (or random conjecture) about a long-awaited return or two. Here's the BFI: The Second Doctor Panel with cast and crew after a showing of the 1960s classic story: Tomb of the Cybermen. And here's the first ever regeneration, in cartoon form. And a Random Peter Jackson moment.

We're Going To Have To Find Out How To Deal With Lots Of Idle Hands

The Whelk — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 11:53:03 -0800

The Forces Of The Next 30 Years - SF author and Mefi's Own Charles Stross talks to students at Olin College about sci-fi, fiction, speculation, the limits of computation, thermodynamics, Moore's Law, the history of travel, employment, automation, free trade, demographics, the developing world, privacy, and climate change in trying to answer the question What Does The World Of 2043 Look Like? (Youtube 56:43)

Our last, best hope for peace

never used baby shoes — Tue, 05 Mar 2013 09:04:48 -0800

The strange, secret evolution of Babylon 5 documents the development of the television show Babylon 5, which premiered just over 20 years ago on February 22, 1993 with "The Gathering." The show made extensive use of the Internet during its development and its run, and a searchable archive of all postings made by the show's creator, J. Michael Straczyinsky is available at JMSNews (search on Babylon 5 or B5). The Lurker's Guide to Babylon 5 is a treasure trove of information about the universe, and the episodes. Each episode summary contains a "JMS speaks" section with his notes and thoughts about each episode. In Memoriam: Andreas Katsulas, G'Kar Michael O'Hare, Commander Sinclair Jeff Conaway, Zack Allan (he shows up about 40 seconds in) Richard Biggs, Dr. Stephen Franklin Tim Choate, Zathras

Best Science Fiction Related Metafilter Post

Artw — Wed, 27 Feb 2013 21:47:36 -0800

The finalists for the 2012 Nebula Awards have been announced (list with free fiction links here), but there's still another two weeks to get in nominations for the 2013 Hugo Awards. However, for those works not fiting the regular award categories Tim Pratt and other science fiction writers, fans and interested parties on Twitter have been suggesting #FakeHugoAwardCategories . io9 collects some of the best.

European SF classic films

Mezentian — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 21:38:13 -0800

Classic European science-fiction movies (1916-1961) you probably haven’t seen – but you should according to io9.

We, The Aliens.

The Whelk — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 13:15:11 -0800

In Defense Of Spielberg's War Of The Worlds

In the future, all Space Marines will be Games Workshop

Pirate-Bartender-Zombie-Monkey — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 23:13:31 -0800

Last December Amazon blocked sales of the Ebook Spots the Space Marine by author M.C.A. Hogarth after a notice from gaming industry powerhouse Games Workshop that they had trademarked the phrase "Space Marine" and that Hogarth, and anyone else who uses it, is infringing. GW brought this complaint based on "Class 16" of their European tradmark. In GW's tabletop far-future wargame Warhammer 40,000 (a.k.a. 40K), the Adeptes Astartes (a.k.a. the "Space Marines") are genetically-enhanced 8-foot-tall transhuman warrior monks in power-armor. Painting the figures for one's tabletop army is an integral part of the hobby, as GW figures come unpainted. 40K has a huge following worldwide, with tournament play going on at gaming conventions. The Space Marines are the flagship army of GW's 40K game, and also of its corporate identity. Games Workshop HQ features a statue of a Space Marine out front and an Imperial Aquila over the entrance. GW publishes novels set in the 40K universe under the Black Library imprint. According to Hogarth:

In their last email to me, Games Workshop stated that they believe that their recent entrée into the e-book market gives them the common law trademark for the term “space marine” in all formats.

The larger science fiction community, after hearing about the takedown notice, has rallied to Hogarth's cause, pointing out that the idea of "Space Marines" is a rather generic term that has been around in SF literature since the early 20th century, including authors like EE "Doc" Smith and Robert Heinlein's 1939 short story Misfit. According to TV Tropes entry on Space Marines:

Space Marines first turn up in the short story "Captain Brink of the Space Marines" by Bob Olsen in Amazing Stories Volume 7, Number 8, of November 1932, and a later followup, 1936's "The Space Marines and the Slavers." The trope, however, fully rose to prominence with the use of the term on the wildly popular Lensman Series beginning in 1934. In 1959, Starship Troopers codified the trope, popularizing the emblematic Power Armor and the array of exotic weaponry they wield. Warhammer 40000 is notable for taking these aspects to a peak, and also for owning a registered trademark on the name "Space Marine." This is because large-scale game Adeptus Titanicus had an expansion called Space Marine which was later taken as the title for the re-release of the entire game.

Author Cory Doctorow pointed out that Amazon legally didn't have to comply with GW's takedown request. As of Wednesday Hogarth reports that The Electronic Frontier Foundation have been in contact, and many hope somebody will take up her cause pro bono as she has made it clear GW has much deeper pockets to pay lawyers than she does. GW also in recent years filed a lawsuit against Chapterhouse Studios, makers of resin models and conversion bits that GW says look a whole lot like their trademarked products. While Amazon has blocked sales of the Ebook, it can still be purchased here. Amazon still carries the paperback edition for sale.

Like Lazarus with a triple bypass

Mezentian — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 17:08:49 -0800

Amazing Stories, "the World's First Science Fiction Magazine", founded by Hugo Gernsback in 1926 and cancelled in 1995, and resurrected in 1998 and again in 2004 before being cancelled again by Paizo Publishing in 2006, is back -- again. Amazing is now a website, claiming to have "more than 50 bloggers covering the field from more than 50 different perspectives". The idea is to develop an online following and release a print version. Bonus cover galleries from the Golden Age

The computer /is/ your friend

DataPacRat — Wed, 28 Nov 2012 08:01:26 -0800

Friendship is Optimal is not a "My Little Pony" fanfic, but a SF story that starts with a procedurally-generated MLP MMO, and crescendos to what could very well be the Best Possible Outcome if self-optimizing algorithms are given /almost/ the right goals. Some readers are horrified by the implications; some want to move into "Equestria Online" anyway. Whichever camp you fall in, you'll never forget the phrase "satisfy human values through friendship and ponies".

Just in time for Lazarus Long's birthday

Mezentian — Mon, 26 Nov 2012 21:54:08 -0800

People tend to divide noted libertarian Robert A. Heinlein's career into three different eras, with the "juveniles," the "slick" science fiction stories, and the bigger, more opinionated novels, but over in Locus Magazine, Gary Westfahl has a theory that's sure to be controversial: Heinlein's career actually divides into a slew of serious novels, followed by a swerve into satire. {Via I09} The Heinlein Society is yet to respond. Here is a quote page if you want a refresher of his work, and here are the thoughts of Tor's bloggers two years ago on a variety of issues (previously).

"HAPPINESS FOR EVERYBODY, FREE, AND NO ONE WILL GO AWAY UNSATISFIED!"

wobh — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 19:04:01 -0800

Boris Strugatsky passed away Monday, 19 Nov 2012. This obituary at The Guardian discusses his recent conflicts with Vladimir Putin and involvement with the band Pussy Riot. At Pravda they discuss his illness and passing. Review of recent translation of Roadside Picnic ISFdb. Previously. Via.

...and then you strangle a giant slug with a chain.

Artw — Sat, 10 Nov 2012 12:01:50 -0800

Searching for Slave Leia fiction by Sandra McDonald. Slave Leia PSA starring Kaley Cuoco (yt), Leia's Metal Bikini, Meet the Slave Leia's of Star Wars Celebration V (yt), Slave Leia Appreciation Society, In Defense of Slave Leia , In Response to In Defense of Slave Leia.

Paper Menagerie

Errant — Fri, 09 Nov 2012 04:06:21 -0800

Ken Liu's "Paper Menagerie", the first work of fiction to win the Hugo, Nebula, and World Fantasy awards, is now available to read in full at io9.

There is Nothing New Under the Sun

Rhaomi — Sat, 27 Oct 2012 17:14:58 -0800

She sat zazen, concentrating on not concentrating, until it was time to prepare for the appointment. Sitting seemed to produce the usual serenity, put everything in perspective. Her hand did not tremble as she applied her make-up; tranquil features looked back at her from the mirror. She was mildly surprised, in fact, at just how calm she was, until she got out of the hotel elevator at the garage level and the mugger made his play. She killed him instead of disabling him. Which was obviously not a measured, balanced action--the official fuss and paperwork could make her late. Annoyed at herself, she stuffed the corpse under a shiny new Westinghouse roadable whose owner she knew to be in Luna, and continued on to her own car. This would have to be squared later, and it would cost. No help for it--she fought to regain at least the semblance of tranquillity as her car emerged from the garage and turned north. Nothing must interfere with this meeting, or with her role in it. "Melancholy Elephants," an enthralling, Hugo Award-winning short story by Spider Robinson about a disciplined operative, a powerful senator, and a crucial mission to preserve humanity's most precious resource. (some spoilers inside) Appropriately, Robinson's is not the only story on this theme -- as witness David Brin's 1997 tale "Reality Check." Some argue the limits of the possible are cosmic. But with the increasing proliferation of sequels and remakes, perhaps it's closer to 1,462. Or thirty-six. Or seven. Or four.

Neutral to the Slibs!

Rhaomi — Fri, 26 Oct 2012 17:11:51 -0800

Initiate salutation cascade, star-citizens! Seven years ago tonight, Stephen Colbert introduced Tek Jansen to the world. Originally a one-off parody of vanity fiction by media blowhards, the "super-awesome spectacular ultraspy" became the center of a small universe of comics, cartoons, and books, his exploits satirizing awful pulp sci-fi, rampant ~~Mary Sue~~ "Marty Sue" syndrome, and the cheesy melodrama of 1970s Hanna-Barbera. Look inside for US/Canadian links to both animated seasons along with other content available on the web. Full Theme Song (Most episodes are available in Canada via The Comedy Network) Season 1 by J.J. Sedelmaier

Operation: Heart of the Phoenix - Dead or Alive
Tek confronts the evil Abraxxia (Amy Sedaris)
Operation: Destiny's Underbelly: Entrapped! (might be broken atm)
Sidekicks Kevin and Jenny save Tek from certain doom, but at a terrible price
Operation: Aurora Strikes Midnight: Courage's Arrival
Guest George Lucas is teased with a dull, painstakingly detailed short about docking at Space Station Theta-Zeus-Aquarius
Operation: Homecoming's Doorstep: Cat On A Luniharp
This hospital ship is no match for a Bizlarmian Battlewedge... or is it?
Hounds of Hell: Ragtime Billy Peaches
Teleported to the Combatosphere, Tek must grapple with armed guards, angry bees, open-heart surgery, and a very pregnant woman from the future
Operation: Dragontongue: Chocolate Blades Of Thunder
A series of Teks from further and further in the future interfere with each other's attempts to save a lost prince

Season 2 by FlickerLab, which recounts the show's origin story

Beginning's First Dawn: Episode One Beginning's First Dawn: Episode Two Beginning's First Dawn: Episode Three

The series is also elaborated in a graphic novel line by Oni Press, and the original pulp novel serialized on the official site, which includes a wiki glossary of the increasingly outlandish terminology.

I HAVE TO TELL YOU ABOUT THE FUTURE

The Whelk — Mon, 08 Oct 2012 21:23:23 -0800

The mash-up clip music group Electic Method re-mix and paste together sounds from Sci-Fi movies to create THE FUTURE

Songs in the key of H

Artw — Sun, 07 Oct 2012 20:43:16 -0800

Iain M. Banks, Alastair Reynolds, and Peter F. Hamilton discuss their books with fans (video). The Hydrogen Sonata, the 10th of Bank's Culture books, will be released October 12th, read the first chapter here. Meanwhile it's 20 years since Reynolds first started work on Revelation Space.

Behold, the Orc!

the man of twists and turns — Sat, 06 Oct 2012 02:58:48 -0800

Ecce Orcus! An Argument for Humanizing the Orc A followup to A Modest Proposal for Increased Diversity in Dungeons and Dragons, and an emphasis on why Our Orcs Are Different. (TVTROPES!) Let Us Now Praise Famous Orcs, by Robert T. Tally, Jr.

More to the point, Sam shows no sympathy at all for slain Orcs. Even humans in the service of evil may not be "evil at heart," but the unquestioned assumption of the "free peoples" of Middle-earth is that Orcs must be evil by nature.

Always Chaotic Evil: Confronting My Anti-Orc Bias

And may the ghost of Edward Said forgive me, but I like em’! I want a “teeming horde” of baddies that make readers shiver, that can’t be reasoned or bargained with, that don’t want anything but your utter destruction. I want stand-ins for our fears of what lurk in the dark unexplored places, whose possible victory won’t just be a change of who’s in charge, but the end of mankind’s tenuous reign. I want a slew of bad guys who I don’t morally mind getting cleaved in two or run through by a spear. I don’t want to have to think about whether Orcs have families, or worse yet, if Orcs have feeeeeelllinnnnngs. Blech! I just want them to represent an impending malevolent threat to civilization, while my heroes and heroines hack, slash and butcher them in righteous mayhem. It’s fun. It’s guilt-free. And best of all, it’s easy.

ZINN:In the end, we shouldn’t be talking about humanizing Orcs. Perhaps we should be talking about Orcanizing humans. CHOMSKY: There’s a movement I could get behind. (McSweeny's: Unused Audio Commentary by Howard Zinn and Noam Chomsky, Recorded for the Return of the King (Platinum Series Extended Edition) DVD, Part Four - Previously on MetaFilter

Take Those Damned Goggles Off

The Whelk — Tue, 02 Oct 2012 09:37:39 -0800

Television Without Pity re-capper Jacob Clifton has written a short steampunk story for Tor.com. “There’s a level on which the story is an indictment of using steampunk as a fashion or trend. It came about because I wanted to see what would happen if you substituted Jane Austen for Jules Verne in the steampunk equation...” The Commonplace Book

Puppet Guitar Rock

Chinese Jet Pilot — Mon, 01 Oct 2012 11:32:52 -0800

It's 1983. Put Eddie Van Halen and Brian May in a room together. The result? Of course, Star Fleet, a cover of the theme from the children's marionette tokusatsu series broadcast Saturday mornings in the U.K.

Atomic Rockets

Egg Shen — Sat, 29 Sep 2012 16:49:18 -0800

Atomic Rockets is chock full of stuff to tickle the imagination of anyone who has enjoyed science fiction accounts of space travel. You can move your cursor over the "Show topic list" button in the top right corner of the page and start exploring.