It's been one of those weeks where it goes by really fast but is filled with so much "stuff" that it really wore me down. Of note: I finished the first edit of my current novel (more on that this Monday in my writing progress post).
In the meanwhile, here's this weekend's list of cool and interesting stuff.
Let me say this: of the links below, if you do nothing else this fine Friday afternoon (or whatever time you're reading this), check out The Sun. The pictures are absolutely amazing.
Are You 24 Pages Away From a Multi-Book Contract?
When the struggling writer is pitching a book to an agent, he or she had better have a book, right? Well, Finnish SF author Hannu Rajaniemi sold three of them to classy UK-based Orion imprint Gollacz based on a mere 24 pages.
25 Years of The Best Short Stories in Science Fiction Has Come To This
It's been 25 years of Gardner Dozios' The Year's Best Science Fiction, and the 25th anniversary edition totals 692 pages of testimony to the state of the industry.
7 Reasons Men Should Read Science Fiction Romance
Male fans of science fiction romance are out there, and some are quite vocal about how much they enjoy the sub-genre. But many (read: most) aren’t.
Pain Ray Test Subjects Exposed to 'Unconscionable Risks'
Last fall, Nathan and I agreed to be guinea pigs in a demonstration of the Pentagon's controversial "pain ray," a directed energy weapon that creates an intense burning sensation designed to repel a potential enemy.
The Glowing, Shattered Face of Mercury
NASA's Messenger spacecraft zoomed past Mercury yesterday, sending back a set of luminous images that look like they were taken by celebrated nature photographer Ansel Adams in space.
The Sun
The Sun is now in the quietest phase of its 11-year activity cycle, the solar minimum - in fact, it has been unusually quiet this year - with over 200 days so far with no observed sunspots. The solar wind has also dropped to its lowest levels in 50 years. Scientists are unsure of the significance of this unusual calm, but are continually monitoring our closest star with an array of telescopes and satellites.