For those who don’t know, a “filk” song is a science fiction/fantasy folk genre, generally adding new lyrics to an existing tune. Though many filk writers also write original tunes, as I pay tribute to in this post. The rest of this post is written by my husband, Rick Moen. People who’ve been on SMOFS […]
The Puppy-Free Hugo Award Voter’s Guide
Update: Includes changes announced after initial nominations were announced. The only puppy-free slate changes are in the Best Novel and Best Novelette category. Ineligibility changes at File 770. Withdrawal changes at File 770. Update 2: I’ve added those who withdrew after the final ballot into their respective categories below (because some people will be ranking […]
Reading Audiobooks
For years, I never really thought about what verb to use when reading audiobooks. I discuss my shift in verb usage from “listen” to “read.” Mary Robinette notes some good things for the future of audio-first books: Woot! The motion to make audio books officially part of the Hugo fiction categories passed. Still needs to […]
Hachette. Amazon. Hugo Nominations.
I’ve been meaning to post this for a while. In light of my changing feelings over the Hachette/Amazon battle and reminders of same like this Salon piece, I’m changing the reading order for this year’s Best Novel Hugo nominees, putting the Hachette authors first. Because I support Hachette in their game of chicken against Amazon. […]
It’s Hugo Nomination Reaction Day
The Hugo Awards site has the full nomination list. Look, I don’t vote in every category every time. I will be voting in a category I haven’t voted in before, though. Natalie has some commentary (and quite a few comments) over on her site. Me? I vote for the work, not the person, but there […]
Four Hugo Awards Recommendations
Best related work: Fic by Anne Jamison, a history of fanfiction. Best fan artist: Randall Munroe. Last cartoon of the year is 1311 and first of 2013 was 1155 (thank you @xkcdfeed). Three of note: 1158 (it’s all about physics), 1167 (Star Trek Into Darkness), 1177 (Time Robot). For those who feel he isn’t eligible, […]
Hugo Short Story Recommendation: The Slow Winter by James Mickens
Yes, I’m recommending a technical paper written by a Microsoft researcher for a Hugo Award for Best Short Story. Wait. Come back. There is a narrative in there….about the 2nd person narrator, son John, and the generational differences in chip design between the two of them. As a child in 1977, John had met Gordon […]
Finland and Spokane: More Commentary
First, Lisa Hertel corrected me on my previous calculations: Finland’s hotel price was €80 ($106), not $80, but it also included breakfast and taxes. Thanks for the catch. Rick Kovalcik additionally pointed out that Finland’s hotel rate also included wifi and taxes. Thanks! I’m not going to do the re-calculations, but you get the point: […]
Semi-prozine Hugo Awards Category
Those of you who haven’t been paying attention may not have known about the recent uproar about the the semi-prozine Hugo category. Essentially, for many years, the nominee list had become so stagnant that the sentiment among many SMOFs was to do away with the category entirely. In 2009, Weird Tales won the Hugo in […]
Best Fan Artist: Randall Munroe
It’s clear to me that Randall Munroe is a fan even though his fan art is outside fanzines. I offer these three examples from 2010 as proof. Link to original post on LiveJournal.