#363 - Extremely Unbalanced

[Veronica, Supreme Sword]

The Hugos have come and gone, and they were awesome. Audible's in trouble for speech-to-text. But they're right, it's an accessibility issue. Also, the publishers are right, it's a copyright issue! Tell it to the judge, both of you! Plus, we kick off our September pick, Trail of Lightning by Rebecca Roanhorse.

http://swordandlaser.com/home/2019/8/...
https://www.patreon.com/posts/29541329
https://soundcloud.com/swordandlaser/...

[Trike]

WHY YOU NO SING MY SONG?

[Mark]

Trike wrote: "WHY YOU NO SING MY SONG?"

Because we all want to hear you sing it!

[Joanna]

About Retro Hugos:
they can be awarded for a year when Hugos (regular or Retro) had not been already awarded, and it can happen 25, 50, 75 or 100 years later.

[Trike]

Mark wrote: "Trike wrote: "WHY YOU NO SING MY SONG?"

Because we all want to hear you sing it!"

Oh, you really don’t.

[Iain]

Trike wrote: "Mark wrote: "Trike wrote: "WHY YOU NO SING MY SONG?"

Because we all want to hear you sing it!"

Oh, you really don’t."

We should get Shatner to sing it

[Tassie Dave, S&L Historian]

Do I really sound like that?

I thought I sounded like a slightly older, sexier Hugh Jackman ;-)

Hugo Award winners we read before they won:
The Windup Girl. We read it starting May 2010. It won in September 2010
Redshirts. We read as an alternate pick in July 2013. It won in September 2013
Ancillary Justice. We read in November 2013. It won in August 2014.
The Fifth Season. We read as an alternate in April 2016 (It tied to win March Madness) It won in August 2016.
The Calculating Stars. We read in February this year. It won in August.

[Joseph]

Where that whole Amazon speech-to-text thing gets interesting (and by "interesting" I mean "legally problematic") is that there are a number of books I can think of that are currently available as audiobooks but which do not have an eBook edition listed; and if it worked, I would be very happy to buy the audiobook solely so that I could get access to an ersatz Kindle version.

[Mark]

Trike, we're here to help. Here are links to several versions of Bohemian Rhapsody that will be help you record your song...

Bohemian Rhapsody instrumental version (no lyrics, no vocals)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kLz7v...

Bohemian Rhapsody karaoke version (lyrics, no vocals)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=muuq5...

Bohemian Rhapsody (Official Video, vocals, no lyrics)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJ9rU...

Trike's lyrics

Mama, just went to space
Put a helmet on my head
Looked around, the crew is dead
Mama, trip had just begun
But now they’ve gone and floated all away

...

I see a little silhouette-o of a Lem
Stanislaw, Stanislaw, will you do the Fandango?
Waterworld and fighting, very very frightening me!
Oh, Solaris! Oh, Solaris!
Oh Solar -ar -ar -ar -aris!
Stanislaw has a planet put aside
For me!
(For me!)
For meeeee!

(Guitar solo)

Or maybe Tanya will see this and save you ;-)

[Trike]

Tanyaaaaa!

[Trike]

Tassie Dave wrote: "Do I really sound like that?

I thought I sounded like a slightly older, sexier Hugh Jackman ;-)"

Pictured: Tassie Dave consulting the S&L histories: https://images.app.goo.gl/9H2NWcfzmzJ...

[Tassie Dave, S&L Historian]

Trike wrote: "Pictured: Tassie Dave consulting the S&L histories: https://images.app.goo.gl/...."

I might think I sound like Hugh, but I'm often told i look like George Costanza ;-)

[Trike]

So even more of a thirst trap than previously imagined!

[Tassie Dave, S&L Historian]

Trike wrote: "So even more of a thirst trap than previously imagined!"

Pure hotness ;-)

This was my Facebook profile pic for a while. No-one guessed it was a pic of George. They thought I'd had someone draw me :-)

The background is my hometown. (Queenstown)

[Keith]

Once long ago, under circumstances I'll not describe, I wrote bits and pieces of a SOLARIS song to the tune of "Volare."

So-laris
Whoa oh oh oh
Antares
Whoa oh oh oh

We fly, high up in the sky
To Jupiter where everyone dies
It's a film of confusion, A world of illusion
You might comprehend if you try
Cosmonaut nightmare, how's my dead loved one up there
It leaves all the logic behind

and that's as far as I ever got.

[Ruth (tilltab) Ashworth]

What I'm gathering from the chatter above is that Tassie Dave should be labled S&L SEXY Historian!

I giggled when the no fun Rob bit was brought up without context. Fun episode.

[Dara]

Ruth (tilltab) Ashworth wrote: "I giggled when the no fun Rob bit was brought up without context. Fun episode."

I did too and then I felt like such a bully so I'm glad they provide the context. Good natured jesting, that's all!

[Ruth (tilltab) Ashworth]

Dara wrote: "I did too and then I felt like such a bully so I'm glad they provide the context. Good natured jesting, that's all!"

Of course! (and you can have your points back ;) )

[Trike]

No givebacks.

Besides, I already spent them on candy.

[John (Taloni)]

The Hugo Weaving thing made me flash to a mock interview where the lead singer and lead guitar of Spinal Tap, David St. Hubbins and Nigel Tufnel are talking about then-current music figures. They bring up Yngwie J. Malmstein, a big shot guitarist of the day. Hubbins says it's good that he put the "J" in to distinguish himself from all the other Yngwie Malmsteins out there.

[Silvana]

Keith wrote: "Once long ago, under circumstances I'll not describe, I wrote bits and pieces of a SOLARIS song to the tune of "Volare."

So-laris
Whoa oh oh oh
Antares
Whoa oh oh oh

We fly, high up in the sky
To..."

Nice!

[Jenny (Reading Envy)]

I meant to say I always swoon when you mention my podcast. Aww!

It's fitting since my last episode mentioned the latest pick (at the time, The Poppy War) AND Reading Glasses.

[Seth]

It's been a couple weeks since we posted here, but we were talking about the audible case mostly in this thread. Publisher's Weekly has a report on the current state of the dispute after they've the two sides had a chance to present arguments in court.

https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/b...

Looks like the judge seemed inclined to agree with the publishers, but there's no specific rulings so far (and the service isn't even available yet either).