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Ten Things for the Nebulas Weekend
I thought I'd better get another blog post up for a start. That 'general election' one makes the blog look like it's from a past age. I remain stunned. I'm also stunned that Lib Dems, and the general public, seem content with the result. When David Cameron goes on holiday for the first time, it could well be that Nick Clegg, the first Liberal to sit on the government benches in decades, will stand up defend the policy to keep a nuclear deterrent, or to keep tuition fees, or... the list goes on. My Lib Dem friends (and wife) have already found themselves defending a dodgy constitutional amendment that they'd have howled about in opposition. That's the thin end of the wedge. This is how parties become the opposite of what their name means, as has happened so many times in other countries. And I don't know what I fear most: watching in horror as fan friends, following the flag rather than the detail, defend the indefensible as being all right really; or watching them mentally return to being eternally in opposition, never in charge, because that's a more comfortable place to be. Where I am now, frankly.
From the days when you could pay your lead in hay. I knew all the lyrics to that when I was six. Until next time, Cheerio!
But onto happier matters. It's been a while since we've had Ten Things. So let's have one!
1: Most important of all, the Hugo Voter Packet is out now. This is the remarkable scheme whereby the purchase of a supporting membership (£25) to Worldcon gets you ebook copies of: six novels; six novellas; six novelettes; five short stories; six non-fiction books... all the nominated works in each of those Hugo categories, and I could go on, with vast swathes of material from all the other categories. It's a huge bargain, and beside that, you get to vote in the Hugo Awards! Go on, take part in our SF democracy and get the most talked-about books of the year at a knockdown price!
2: On Saturday evening, May 15th, at 8.15pm (EDT in the US), this year's Nebula Awards ceremony begins. In an exciting development, the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America will be broadcasting the event live. You can see it here. The SFWA have, in recent years, been doing much to restore the pomp to their awards system, and a proper show, seen all over the world, is the cherry on the cake. Good luck, everyone! (Ooh, I wonder what Mary Robinette Kowal will be wearing?)
3: The Starship Sofa podcast is up for a Hugo this year in the Best Fanzine category (the first podcast to be so honoured) and has an excellent Hugo Runners and Riders edition out now, featuring Cheryl Morgan and Jonathan Strahan.
4: Closer to home, my own beloved Faringdon Arts Festival has a much enhanced online presence this year. Running from 4-11 July, with the big concert weekend at the end of that (which I'll be MCing as usual), this year's Festival boasts authors Sarah Pinborough, Ian Whates and Juliet E. McKenna, and actor Jeremy Bulloch. I'm also looking forward to introducing my favourite young band, Quadrophobe.
5: I'm going to be going along to the Comic Village at the London MCM Expo just on the Sunday, 30th May. I'm told I'm going to be involved in a gameshow showdown, writers vs. artists, on a writers team that also contains Richard Starkings, Tony Lee, Robin Furth and Andy Diggle, against the artistic might of Jock, Svetlana Chmakova, Sarah McIntyre, Marc Ellerby and Paul Duffield. Also, and I'll be making more of a fuss about this nearer the time, I hear there'll be a Pulse event of some kind.
4: Closer to home, my own beloved Faringdon Arts Festival has a much enhanced online presence this year. Running from 4-11 July, with the big concert weekend at the end of that (which I'll be MCing as usual), this year's Festival boasts authors Sarah Pinborough, Ian Whates and Juliet E. McKenna, and actor Jeremy Bulloch. I'm also looking forward to introducing my favourite young band, Quadrophobe.
5: I'm going to be going along to the Comic Village at the London MCM Expo just on the Sunday, 30th May. I'm told I'm going to be involved in a gameshow showdown, writers vs. artists, on a writers team that also contains Richard Starkings, Tony Lee, Robin Furth and Andy Diggle, against the artistic might of Jock, Svetlana Chmakova, Sarah McIntyre, Marc Ellerby and Paul Duffield. Also, and I'll be making more of a fuss about this nearer the time, I hear there'll be a Pulse event of some kind.
6: My friends at the wonderful BBC Archive have just put up online every episode of physics genius and science populariser Richard Feynman's Fun To Imagine series. Feynman's enthusiasm is always an inspiration, and if this gets a lot of hits there's a lot more science goodness waiting in the Beeb's basement.
7: Rob Williams' Captain Britain issue of Deadpool Team-Up (#893) is in British comic shops today.
I know Rob's always wanted to write Cap, so do grab a copy. Pete Wisdom's in it too.
I know Rob's always wanted to write Cap, so do grab a copy. Pete Wisdom's in it too.
8: I've been for some time now to post about Maura McHugh's Roisin Dubh an Irish steampunk high romantic horror comic (someone from it will be along to clarify my genre reaching and add accents shortly I suspect) with, I think, a bright future ahead of it. The Pre-Raphaelite cover scarce indicates the bloodthirstiness within.
9: If you're going to the Bristol International Comic and Small Press Expo this year, as I am, you may find this Geek Syndicate Guide to what you can expect to see there useful. I think I'm on a DC panel, and will be signing Cap to publicise Bristolcon in November. More details later.
10: And for our horse-related TV title sequence this week, I thought I'd get to a show from my childhood that's already been mentioned in the comments...
From the days when you could pay your lead in hay. I knew all the lyrics to that when I was six. Until next time, Cheerio!
Labels:
Bristol Comics Expo,
Bristolcon,
Captain Britain,
Faringdon Arts Festival,
Feynman,
Geek Syndicate,
Hugos,
Nebulas,
Roisin Dubh,
Starship Sofa
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I can understand your worries about the new coalition - I'm worried too, but given a choice between a Tory-Lib Dem coalition that raises taxes for the rich & cuts them on the poor, creates the greenest economy we've ever had, concentrates school money on poor kids and gets rid of all Labour's appalling attacks on civil liberties, vs a Tory minority govt propped up by the Paisleyites and doubtless only tempering to become more illiberal, I know which is better. Despite it putting my party (I'm a Lib Dem) in the biggest danger of destruction it's had since the Liberals in the 1950s.
And I think you're confused about the "constitutional amendment they'd have howled about". I'm assuming you mean 55% vote of the Commons to dissolve itself? I fear you've listened to what I can only call lying Labour spin. It's still 50%+1 to dismiss the govt, but this gives the Commons the power to dissolve itself for the first time in UK history. With that and fixed-term Parlts, that takes the power away from one person, the Prime Minister. Isn't that a good thing? My only reservation is that it may be too low: 55% might still allow a govt to override their fixed term and cut and run. The Scottish Parlt, in legislation written by Labour, has fixed terms, can dismiss the govt by 50%+1, but needs a 67% majority to dissolve itself early.
Or were you agreeing with the Parliament Labour set up when it had absolute power, and suggesting 55% is too low, or just saying that a high bar is good when Labour sets it, but if someone else sets one not quite as high, it's an outrage?
Oh, and thanks for Champion. I remember singing that, too!
I find myself in a pretty tough place this week. I have been, since 2001, a Liberal Democrat voter. But through the whole of my life pretty much, I have definitely always opposed Conservatism. The idea of the Lib Dems propping up a Tory administration, on face value, seems pretty much the most distasteful idea I could have imagined.
But is it?
I can't help but feel that it's more the Tories who have had to cave here than the Liberals. 5 Lib Dems in the cabinet is far more than many would have expected. And much as though I was worried as hell before the election at the possibility that George Osborn would be in charge of Britain's finances. But I can't help but think that both Vince Cable and David Laws peering over his shoulder some of the Tories more foolhardy financial plans might just be steered clear by a couple of words into Osbourne's ear.
At least I bloody hope so.
I'll make it plain, I never wanted a Liberal/Conservative coalition. All through Election night (And yes, the Election Nerd in my kept me up ALL night) I spent my time trying to do the maths of how a Labour/Liberal coalition might happen, just as soon as it became clear that the Tories were ahead, but not looking like getting a majority. I absolutely would have preferred a coalition with a bit ideologically in common, led by David Miliband and deputised by Nick Clegg. I was sad that this did not come to pass. But I very much hope that the this will now give Labour a proper fresh start, unite the party under a common goal, and be the beginnings of something good. I have high hopes of this. And I personally feel that Gordon Brown left office in a very dignified manner. I never found him to be the terrible leader the press try to paint him as.
What I genuinely hope we are left with, though, is the best option the country could get in a pretty crappy situation. I still believe a Conservative majority government would have been a bad thing for Britain. But so far in this new coalition it certainly seems like it's the Conservatives who are doing the most compromising. In fact Cameron isn't pleasing certain parts of his own party by doing so.
My hope is that Liberal intervention can kind of work like Damage Control. :) You know? Yes I'm disappointed that certain Liberal policies I very much agreed with on the lead up to the election are being dropped. But the Liberals do still hold a lot of the cards. They can still walk at any time if the Tories do something that the party just cannot back. And in that respect, with that threat always an option, I think they can still do this country some good.
It'll hopefully put pay to some of those 'Well, they've never been in office. They can say what they want, but they've never been there...' arguments which a number of Conservative voters I know always lambasted the Lib Dems with, when it comes to election time.
On a less political tract... :)
I read the preview to the Deadpool Team-Up issue. Looks promising. I think Rob Williams is doing MI13 justice.
But, unfortunately, they'd sold out of copies in FP Coventry, by the time I went for my copy. I've been on eBay to rectify this, and quite look forward to it. :)
I hope the important info about Brizzol is there: which bit of the bar is best for getting served, which lift is most likely to break down, and where the nearest cool restaurants are. ;)
I doubt I'll be knocking back the gin on the smoking patio and rambling about manga to the same extent I usually am. I vaguely recall someone sitting in a hedge two years back...
Thanks for Champion The Wonder Horse. Not heard that theme since I was six lol.
As to the Coalition. Am concerned. I'd rather have had a Lib Dem/Labour mix.
This said I think Labour screwed the pooch on their offer to coalition with Lib Dems deliberately in order to force the tories into making the Lib Dems a better offer. So that Labour could spend time in the Shadow Cabinet finding a new stronger leader and coming back at next election with a stronger and more cohesive party.
Just a theory.
I suppose in away I got what I asked for. I voted Lib Dem not only as a tactical vote. It was also a vote of none confidence on my part in Gordon Brown, due to the fact that I don't think he had the people skills required of a strong leader. Which isn't to say I dislike Brown. In a way I felt bad for him. And have felt bad for him for quite some time.
It all academic at end of day.
It's so interesting to hear you talk about the elections...because it seems like, since the 1960s here in the States, it's kind of par for the course to always be at least a bit suspicious of the government, even at a high point, like now with Obama, when things are "looking up." I don't know any other way to be. But I don't think that's a sad thing. Maybe because that's all I know.
Don't know what I'm trying to say, or what it really has to do with what you've said, but there you have it. :)
Paul, thanks for the shout-out! :)
Thanks Paul, I hadn't previously twigged re the Hugo Voter Packet - that's very good. Slight WTF about the difference in costs - how does £25 translate to NZ$90?! That's half as much again as the exchange rate says it ought to cost! And Australia's nearer to NZ, so it can't be a question of postage (for the con materials, obviously, given there's no postage involved in the Voter Packet). But on the other hand, it's all that wonderful stuff for the price of about three paperbacks. It's still the bargain of the year.
Maybe that's how Aussiecon have determined the price of supporting membership - by using the cost of paperbacks as an exchange rate. Not favourable for us lot down here.
Re the UK election, I was happy to see a hung parliament leading to some grown-up negotiating and a coalition, as I'd hoped would happen. Looking back on the UK press panic of "What are they *doing* in there?!", I'm actually concerned they may not have taken long enough over it. Five whole days!! Five days including the Friday they should all have spent in bed, and a weekend. I hope they did manage to thrash everything out in detail. Keenly looking forward to the next year in UK politics.
I'm hoping to get to both the Faringdon Arts Festival and the Bristol Con - but since I now work Saturdays, I cannot guarantee my attendence since it depends on sweet talking my boss!
My Lib Dem friends (and wife) have already found themselves defending a dodgy constitutional amendment that they'd have howled about in opposition.
If you're referring to the dissolution super-majority, this Lib Dem supporter didn't howl about it when the Labour government put just such a provision in the devolution legislation. I don't recall anyone did. Funny that.
Alex: from what I've read, it's a matter of Lib Dem splitting hairs, rather than Labour 'lies'. This is what it's going to be like from now on: you explaining how the silly opposition have misunderstood your entirely sensible Conservative policies. Mags: it's going to be an interesting experiment for you, what the Bristol Expo is like without alchohol. John: that's extraordinary. It must be about postal rates for the paper bits. But you can get those electronically now too. You should have a word.
I think the most interesting analysis of the Lib-Con pact I've read is Charlie Stross's. It's post #346 in this thread:
http://nielsenhayden.com/makinglight/archives/012381.html#425796
Time will tell whether or not he's right, but it certainly makes sense.
- Rob Hansen
Off topic I know - Paul, solicits are up for Spitfire in August.
Good to see that Mi:13 mightn't be a title anymore, but nor is it forgotten.
I'll blog about that when the complete solicits appear later today. Thanks!