Tobias S. Buckell's Blog, page 56

Cosigning John Scalzi’s convention harassment policy

John Scalzi’s policy for being a panelist, participant or Guest of Honor at an SF/F convention:

I am often asked to be a Guest of Honor or a participant at conventions, which is nice. I also have a number of friends and fans who go to conventions, which is nice too. When my friends and fans go to conventions, I would like them not to have to worry, if they are skeeved on by some creep at the convention, that the convention will take the problem seriously. I would also like them to be able to k...

Dustin Hoffman had a realization about women when first made up to play Tootise

Wow. [via Theresa DeLucci]

“Dustin Hoffman on playing a woman in Tootsie (1982)

‘If I was going to be a woman, I would want to be as beautiful as possible. And they said to me, ‘Uh, that’s as beautiful as we can get you.’ And I went home and started crying to my wife, and I said, ‘I have to make this picture.’ And she said, ‘Why?’ And I said, ‘Because I think I’m an interesting woman when I look at myself on screen, and I know that if I met myself at a party, I would never talk to that characte...

Another article about the peak car idea

It could be recession. It could be that the middle class is paring back. It could be a change in attitudes. Either way, it’s happening, and if it continues over the next few years, will be a trend:

“When adjusted for population growth, the number of miles driven in the United States peaked in 2005 and dropped steadily thereafter, according to an analysis by Doug Short of Advisor Perspectives, an investment research company. As of April 2013, the number of miles driven per person was nearly 9 p...

Cord cutters still impatient for *real* media deals

Yeah, but what I want is the ability to buy a channel, or a show, and none of the others. I’m not, ever, going to get cable just to get HBO so I can watch Game of Thrones as it comes out.

But I would consider getting a sub to HBO so I could, and nothing but HBO…

“Apple Inc. (AAPL) is nearing a deal with Time Warner Cable Inc. (TWC) to give subscribers of the cable television service access to channels via Apple TV, people with knowledge of the negotiations said.”

(Via Apple Said to Near Time War...

New Puppy!

Yesterday we acquired a puppy, a 12 week or so old standard poodle. I’m allergic to dogs and cats, and after losing one of our dogs and one of our cats, it’s been easier on me to not have as much fur around. So I decreed that our next dog had to be hypoallergenic. Emily pointed out that meant ‘expensive’ and not rescue.

Since we’ve rescued four animals from the pound, I decided that maybe I’d acquired enough animal karma that it would be nice to try a dog of known breeding (particularly since...

Back home!

The road trip is over. We pulled into our driveway late Saturday, and spent Sunday relaxing around the house. Today has been our first ‘normal’ day home, and we even picked the dog up from the kennel. He seemed to remember who we were.

Though he seems to like the kennel more than us. He’s an odd one, that dog.

Copies of the UK edition of Arctic Rising arrived! (The cover title is embossed and shiny, so I will be carrying this around and petting it a lot).

I finished a draft of Hurricane Fever, t...

Miami set to end up underwater at this rate

Rolling Stones has a very detailed look at why Miami has a lot of challenges ahead due to global warming:

“Of course, South Florida is not the only place that will be devastated by sea-level rise. London, Boston, New York and Shanghai are all vulnerable, as are low-lying underdeveloped nations like Bangladesh. But South Florida is uniquely screwed, in part because about 75 percent of the 5.5 million people in South Florida live along the coast. And unlike many cities, where the wealth congrega...

Road Trip 2013

We left Ohio on the 12th of this month and drove eight or so hours to Mt. Jackson, VA, where my parents have moved to. The kids watched movies on the iPad with their brand new headphones, letting us drive most of the trip in silence!

Saw my parent’s house for the first time: perched on a river at the edge of town, the mountains not far off in the distance. It’s a beautiful part of the country.

After visiting there a night we absconded with my mother and took her another nine hours of travel up...

Seeds of Change… with a few changes

The anthology Seeds of Change, which I have a story in, has gone back on sale as an eBook from John Joseph Adams. It now has more material about the stories in it, and an updated intro by John. Also, brand new cover!

$20 Billion Storm Protection Plan demonstrates there’s no escaping the cost of global warming

A lot of people say we can’t work to prevent climate change or switch to alternative fuels because it’s too expensive.

Well, with the damage in heavy weather starting to come due, and with needed investments like this, we’re going to have to start paying the piper. Either we pay to save ourselves from the effects of change, or we try to mitigate it. There is no free lunch.

“Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg outlined a far-reaching plan on Tuesday to protect New York City from the threat of rising sea...