Archive for March, 2024
Wishing You a Lovely Easter!
Posted in Holidays, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2024, Thoughts on March 31, 2024| Leave a Comment »
In Pursuit
Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2024, genre fiction, inspiration, Thoughts, writing on March 30, 2024| Leave a Comment »
We’re out and about today, and I’m finding inspiration in both natural and human worlds. I don’t have time to get started right now, but I’ve got two story ideas competing for space in my head. I look forward to chasing them down soon.
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The Most Precious Thing
Posted in Other, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2024, creativity, Thoughts on March 29, 2024| Leave a Comment »
“The more you are focused on time- past and future–the more you miss the Now, the most precious thing there is.” — Eckhart Tolle
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Here On Earth
Posted in Other, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2024, quoteandaprettypicture, Thoughts on March 28, 2024| Leave a Comment »
“Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth.”
— Muhammad Ali
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Eclipse Fever
Posted in Science!, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2024, astronomy, eclipse, eclipse 2024, inspiration, NASA, sciency fun, solar-eclipse, sun on March 27, 2024| Leave a Comment »
By now you have probably heard that there will be a full eclipse of the Sun on April 8th. (If you haven’t, this is your public service announcement. The world is not ending and the Sun will return to its place in the sky. No wolves, dragons or demons are involved. The gods of sun and light just need to slip out for a quick break.) The next time this will happen in the contiguous US won’t be until 2044.
Millions of people will be able to view the eclipse. Here’s a map of the eclipse path:
Keep in mind, of course, that even those outside the path of totality will be able to view a partial eclipse.
When will it happen? Here’s a table, with another map. Because I like maps.
Total Solar Eclipse on April 8, 2024 (Great North American Eclipse )
If you will be able to view this super cool space phenomenon, then you’ll want to get your hands on some eclipse glasses.
Of course, we now know that the Sun isn’t really eaten during an eclipse. Instead, it does what it always does: rain ultraviolet rays on everything in its path. That’s why you should never look at a solar eclipse without protective eyewear.
And if you are in charge of kids on April 8th (or adults, we should have sciencey fun too!) consider the ideas in this article:
How Schools Can Turn the Solar Eclipse Into an Unforgettable Science Lesson
If the weather cooperates, science students of all ages could be in for quite a show on April 8. The first sign will be a sudden temperature drop. The sky will darken, and winds will shift. A dark shadow will appear on the horizon. Faint waves of light may waft across the ground. A ring of bright light will shine from the outer edges of the otherwise darkened sun. Then the moon will cover the sun completely and, for a few seconds, a thin red layer may appear around its outer rim.
And just for fun, here’s a little something for your ears, too:
Listen to the Eclipse Song Made by the Sound of Light of an Eclipse
Ok, that’s a little edgy. But still fascinating!
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A Chewie Check-In
Posted in Science!, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2024, cat herding, cats, health, Thoughts on March 26, 2024| Leave a Comment »
Chewbacca, Prince of Cats, continues to be lovely. He also continues to weigh almost exactly what he did when we got him, despite a year of weight loss efforts. (To be fair, he lost almost a kilo. Then he gained it back.)
Now, his weight would not be a particular issue except that the vet insists on regaling us with a long (long) list of health-related problems that extra weight will bring, so we’re doing our best.
Which brings me to today’s charming bit of ephemera, a handy chart of weights in outer space.
Bad news: the cat weighs over 16 pounds on Earth.
Good news: That’s not nearly as much as he would weigh on Jupiter, where he’d clock in around 42 pounds.
And the Lunar economy must be swimming in Moonzempic because Chewie would weigh a sparse two and a half pounds there. (Kidding! It’s a gravity thing, not a weight-loss tourism thing.)
Sadly, until we pack up and decamp for the Moon, our kitty weight odyssey continues!
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Photo by Lina Angelov on Unsplash
Open de Deur
Posted in Other, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2024, Europe, fish, nature on March 25, 2024| 2 Comments »
Three weeks ago I made a note in my calendar: “fish doorbell.”
What is it? A clever way for the people of Utrecht, in the Netherlands, to help migrating fish navigate the city’s Weerdsluis boat lock.
Every spring fish migrate upstream, in search of places to spawn. They swim through the centre of the city of Utrecht. Unfortunatly, the boat lock is closed during spring. You can help the fish.
Do you see a fish? Press the Doorbell!
I planned this post for March 1st but when I checked the feed, no fish were to be seen. I decided to wait a few days until the migration was well and truly underway but then… forgot.
Sorry fishies!
Thankfully, I saw a recent cartoon in The Guardian and remembered. Here’s the cartoon: Constant bad news doing your head in? Why not read about the fish doorbell instead.
Excellent idea. So excellent, in fact, that the livestream is often full. If you can’t press the doorbell, you can still watch the livestream or check out select archives at the Fish Doorbell News Report.
And please, little fishies. Do come in.
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Follow the Yellow Brick Road
Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2024, #wotf39, Arthur H. Manners, Dreamforge, free fiction, genre fiction, Writers, Writers of the Future on March 24, 2024| Leave a Comment »
More excellent free science fiction, this time by my friend Arthur H. Manners in Dreamforge.
I was feeding the cuttlefish when a newsreader announced that the Children had crossed the heliopause. My stomach sank as I turned up the TV and watched the newsreader refer to a grainy image in the corner of the screen. All our best telescopes could see of the Children’s starship was a fuzzy white dot sailing into the abyss beyond the edge of the solar system.
“They were serious. They’re actually leaving,” I said.
The cuttlefish could see me talking. A few of them used their chameleon-like skin to conjure yellow haloes on top of their heads.
:: ? ::
I switched on the translator pad strapped to my chest. “Ah guys, where do I even start?”
Filled with science and humanity, a little heartbreak and a lot of hope, this is a great short story by a terrific writer and all-around good human.
I know I’m a little biased, but seriously, my Writers of the Future cohort is the best.
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On a Bit of a Tear
Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2024, genre fiction, productivity, reading, Thoughts, Writers, writing on March 23, 2024| Leave a Comment »
This isn’t something I would normally say, but I think I’m reading a little too much.
I’ve been on a bit of a tear, rereading some of my favorite stories. I’ve just finished to the tenth book plus spinoffs in one series, and I think I need to slow down after this.
It’s cutting into my writing time.
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The Nebula Award Finalists
Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2024, awards, books, Clarkesworld, genre fiction, inspiration, Nebula Awards, short stories, Uncanny, Writers, writing on March 22, 2024| 1 Comment »
Fun, new reading recommendations! SFWA Announces the Finalists for the 59th Nebula Awards – SFWA
Here are links to the short story and novelette finalists. Most are free to read. For the full list with info links (including those below), see Finalists for the 59th Nebula Awards | MetaFilter.
Nebula Award for Novelette
- “A Short Biography of a Conscious Chair,” Renan Bernardo (Samovar)
- “I Am AI,” Ai Jiang (Shortwave) — Goodreads / StoryGraph
- “The Year Without Sunshine,” Naomi Kritzer (Uncanny)
- “Imagine: Purple-Haired Girl Shooting Down The Moon,” Angela Liu (Clarkesworld)
- “Saturday’s Song,” Wole Talabi (Lightspeed)
- “Six Versions of My Brother Found Under the Bridge,” Eugenia Triantafyllou (Uncanny)
Nebula Award for Short Story
- “Once Upon a Time at The Oakmont,” P.A. Cornell (Fantasy)
- “Tantie Merle and the Farmhand 4200,” R.S.A. Garcia (Uncanny)
- “Window Boy,” Thomas Ha (Clarkesworld)
- “The Sound of Children Screaming,” Rachael K. Jones (Nightmare)
- “Better Living Through Algorithms,” Naomi Kritzer (Clarkesworld)
- “Bad Doors,” John Wiswell (Uncanny)
I read this delightful short by R.S.A. Garcia with lunch: Tantie Merle and the Farmhand 4200 – Uncanny Magazine
You could meet him if you want but take off the recorder first. I tell you my story, but you have to ask him if you want to hear his.
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