Tobias S. Buckell's Blog, page 30
June 16, 2014
I’m over at the Tor-Forge blog, talking about the Caribbean’s forgotten space program
“I’m in Barbados doing research, and I’m standing under a 100 caliber barrel. The thing looks big enough to crawl into, but not quite. And the barrel just keeps going and going. Big enough that I have to trudge through the wet grass a ways to get some perspective on the whole thing. This cannon is so damn big it has a structure around the barrel to keep it rigid. It’s mounted on a concrete pad the size of an office building’s foundation. And there’s this huge space for recoil: a dark pit that...
June 14, 2014
Bulletproof blankets points the saddest picture about America
This is the saddest news story about America:
The alarming rate of school shootings across the country appears to have added an unsettling new item to parents’ list of “back to school” items: bulletproof armor for their children. Among such items, the Bodyguard Blanket, a portable, bulletproof covering for children, has seen its sales exceed its manufacturer’s expectations in less than two weeks on the market.
This is surrender.
It puts the onus of survival on kids.
Kids, man.
Not adults fixing th...
June 12, 2014
Tesla Motors open sources their technology
“Tesla will not initiate patent lawsuits against anyone who, in good faith, wants to use our technology.
Wow.
At Tesla, however, we felt compelled to create patents out of concern that the big car companies would copy our technology and then use their massive manufacturing, sales and marketing power to overwhelm Tesla. We couldn’t have been more wrong. The unfortunate reality is the opposite: electric car programs (or programs for any vehicle that doesn’t burn hydrocarbons) at the major manufac...
A look at the future of NASA & humans in space
“‘Assuming the ISS [International Space Station] is extended to 2028 and the HSF [human spaceflight] budget is increased up to 5 percent per year (two times the rate of inflation), the earliest a crewed surface mission to Mars is likely to occur will be approximately 2040 to 2050.”
(Via Ariel Waldman » The future of humans in space.)
This, along with many other interesting highlights about the recent and thorough look at the future of NASA manned spaceflight by one of the report’s authors are a...
June 10, 2014
National Geographic Atlas is struggling to keep up with redrawing Arctic Ice on map
The world of Arctic Rising is breathing down our necks:
“The shrinking of the Arctic ice sheet in the upcoming 10th edition of theNational Geographic Atlas of the World is one of the most striking changes in the publication’s history, geographers say.
The reduction in multiyear ice—commonly defined as ice that has survived for two summers—is so noticeable compared with previous editions that National Geographic Geographer Juan José Valdés calls it ‘the biggest visible change other than the brea...
June 9, 2014
Tesla will open up its Supercharger patents
Wow, that’s fascinating. Reminds me of when Mercedes allowed the patent for the seat built to be used by anyone because it was of benefit to all people. Getting more superchargers built helps Tesla, if other people do it so Tesla cars can use theirs, obviously. But since Tesla is getting the supercharger network rolled out faster than some others, it’s a big deal.
Also a big deal because I imagine Tesla will be giving away info on how the supercharger works, which might give competitors detail...
The Texas bullet train
One reason I’m actually quite interested by this project:
“Were the nation’s first bullet train to come about thanks to Texas business travelers—shuttling, ironically, between two capitals of the oil and chemical industries—it could be the best advertisement imaginable. If high-speed rail is good enough for the good ol’ boys and gals of Texas, maybe the rest of America will realize that it’s good enough for them too.”
June 5, 2014
Cover reveal for OLD VENUS, which includes a short story of mine
George R.R. Martin has this to say on his livejournal:
The Venus of Leigh Brackett, Edgar Rice Burroughs, Roger Zelazny, C.L. Moore, and Isaac Asimov.
Those who miss the place (like me) will be able to return there next spring. OLD VENUS, an original anthology of retro-SF stories set upon the lost Venus of old, will be released by Bantam Spectra in hardcover on March 3, 2015. We just got our first look at the cover:
My story PALE BLUE MEMORIES will be in this. Very excited.
Clarion West Write-a-thon starts soon, can you help them get to 360?
The Clarion West Write-a-thon is looking for your help!
“Every year, hundreds of people commit to a summer tradition: to spend six weeks working on their writing goals while supporting Clarion West. Looking for a challenge to keep yourself writing during the long days of summer? You’ve found one!
Be a part of the workshop, wherever you are
Our goal is to sign up 360 people for this year’s Write-a-thon, which runs from June 22 to August 1. All sorts of people can be part of Clarion West this summ...
A voice from the Islands: R.S.A Garcia talks about how she came to write her science fiction novel Lex Talionis
I recently asked R.S.A Garcia if she wanted to take over my blog for a day to talk about her latest novel, LEX TALIONIS. I did it because I was getting ready to give it a shout out, then thought ‘why not let her tell you all about the book?’ Publishers Weekly recently called it a ‘stunning debut’ and gave the book a star. She’s gotten props from Tor.com and SF Crowsnest, and hopefully those are the first of many reviews.
Now, this is something I don’t do too often, but I thought that if you re...
