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Saturday, March 27th, 2010
Interesting new study from the Pew Research Center. It confirms that while people (in the US) with a chronic health condition are less likely to get online than people not suffering a chronic illness, once online they become a mighty social networking force.
And yet, those who are online have a trump card. They have each other. This survey finds that having a chronic disease increases the probability that an internet user will share what they know and learn from their peers. They unearth nuggets of information. They blog. They participate in online discussions.
I suspect it’s similar for people with a disability.
Indeed I’d be keen to see a survey similatr in size to this one that went further and looked at whether people with a disability or a major chronic illness not only used social media to engage more about their affliction but about anything. The internet lowers the barrier for disabled people to find their tribe (whether it’s an online writing group, manga chat room or a MUD) as well as making it easier to find information about their health. It certainly has for me.
Research grant anyone?
Thursday, March 18th, 2010
A quick preview of some of Penguin’s plans for books on the iPad. Shiny!
It’s followed by a less shiny but more interesting talk from Penguin CEO John Makinson about how publishers will become more relevant, not less, and how they’ll be taking a giant leap into a distribution model that lets them play around with pricing and access a lot more consumer data. You can see that video over at PaidContent.org.
Wednesday, March 17th, 2010
The winners of the James Tiptree, Jr. Award – a literary prize for science fiction or fantasy that expands or explores our understanding of gender – have been announced.
Cloud & Ashes: Three Winter’s Tales, by Greer Gilman won the Tiptree this year, along with Ooku: The Inner Chambers by Fumi Yoshinaga.
Cloud & Ashes is published by Small Beer Press run by Gavin Grant and Kelly Link. Great to see such a wonderful press getting a well-deserved gong. Ooku is the first time manga has been chosen for the award.
On top of that Wives by Paul Haines got a mention in the honors list too! Hopefully nod for Wives and the recognition of two stories from Eclipse 3 - edited by Jonathan Strahan – augur well for the Hugo nominations.
Thursday, March 11th, 2010
My Hugo nominations are done and the Homegrown Hugo Nomination Campaign is winding down. Thought it would be a good opportunity to post my nominations. Here’s who and what got the nod from me:
Best Novel
Mirror Space, Marianne de Pierres, Orbit
Best Novella
Horn, Peter M. Ball, Twelfth Planet Press
Wives, Paul Haines, Cour de Lion
Best Novelette
Sister, Sister, Strange Tales III, Angela Slatter, Tartarus Press
Inevitable, The New Space Opera 2, Sean Williams, Harper Collins
Best Graphic Story
Scarygirl, Nathan Jurevicius, Allen and Unwin
Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form
District 9
Moon
Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form
Caprica Pilot, SyFy
Best Editor, Short Form
Jonathan Strahan
Ellen Datlow
Keith Stevenson
Best Editor, Long Form
Stephanie Smith
Zoe Walton
Bernadette Foley
David G Hartwell
Best Semiprozine
Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine
Best Fan Writer
Bill Wright, Interstellar Ramjet Scoop
Best Fanzine
A Writer Goes on a Journey
Best Fan Artist
Andrew McKiernan
John W. Campbell Award
Angela Slatter
Peter M Ball
Lezli Robyn
I know there are some international nominations in there but I won’t tell anyone if you don’t.
If you haven’t already, get out there and nominate!
Thursday, March 4th, 2010
The March 13 deadline for Hugo ballot nominations isn’t far away, so it’s time to ramp the campaign back up.
The story so far, for those who’ve missed it: The Hugo Awards are coming to Australia courtesy of Aussiecon 4. Here’s our chance to help some of our best authors get their best work recognised by getting them nominated for an award.
It’s a pretty simple idea – get out there and nominate your favourite Aussie, writers, works, editors and fans.
But the numbers remain stacked against us.
As of January 1, there were 352 Australians registered and eligible to nominate for the Hugos. A healthy number, yes. But a very small one when compared to the 856 Americans eligible to nominate. And breaking those numbers down further says a bit more about why it’s important we get out there and nominate. Of those 856 Americans, 388 are “supporting” members – ie people who are unlikely to attend the convention but have paid a fee to get regular updates and to be eligible to vote in the Hugos. On top of that, add all the members of last year’s Worldcon, held in Montreal, who are also eligible to nominate and vote in the awards this year.
It’s perfectly understandable that US readers have less exposure than locals to great Australian speculative fiction. But if you think local works and authors deserve recognition; if you think it’s possible to make a difference and if you think it’s important to try then check out the Aussiecon 4 website for nomination details. And if you’re Facebook inclined, log in and join the conversation here.
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