Book 42 - Lisa Jardine "Worldly Goods"
Aug. 17th, 2025 11:06 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jazzy_daveLisa Jardine "Worldly Goods: A New History of the Renaissance" (Papermac)
This fascinating book is essentially a look at how important things, and money, were in shaping what we now think of as the world of the Renaissance.
It starts with an analysis of the National Gallery Crivelli annunciation, a "meticulous visual inventory of consumer goods" from across the known world as well as a beautiful work of art - and itself a desirable possession. Renaissance artists were craftsmen for hire, working to order for the rich and powerful - and sitting at table with the tailors, musicians and other salaried members of the household. Others who fell into this category were people who would now perhaps style themselves as lifestyle consultants. You could have a man to advise you on what paintings, antiquities or books to buy to display your wealth and taste. You could even have someone to pre-read the books for you - Sir Philip Sidney had a private reader who annotated a copy of Livy for him with marginal notes referring to modern parallels to the events in the text, and a number of cross-references to modern works on political and military theory.
Conspicuous consumption was an essential aspect of prestige and authority, often backed up by borrowing on a massive scale. Christopher Columbus' proposal to seek a shorter route to the Indies - and therefore bypass the mark-ups which the spice traders put on their goods - was attractive to Ferdinand and Isabella because they were deeply in debt after a series of costly military campaigns. (For the weddings of two of their children in 1495, Isabella had to redeem her crown of gold and diamonds which had been pledged to raise money for the war against Granada.) And fortunes were made for entire families of bankers because they had received trading concessions in return for loans to popes or kings - the Medici wealth was based on monopolistic access to alum, vital for dyeing cloth. You could also make a fortune by having access to the right piece of information - for example, if you knew that two great houses were planning a wedding, you could stock up on fine fabrics while they were relatively cheap.
I think that since this book was published in 1996, its thesis has become much more widely accepted. But even so, Jardine finds some eye-catching links between things - consumption and discovery - and broad historical changes. The rebuilding of St Peter's Church in Rome, involving some of the greatest artists of the day including Michelangelo and Raphael, was so expensive that Pope Leo X issued a particularly grandiose indulgence, granting remission not just from sins already committed, but "purchasers and their relatives were forgiven every conceivable sin they had committed, or might commit, and exempted from all suffering in Purgatory, advancing immediately to Heaven". The indulgences were sold particularly hard in Germany, because the papacy had agreed that half the proceeds would go to paying off the debts of the Archbishop of Mainz. It was after the issue of this particular indulgence that Martin Luther nailed his theses to the church door at Wittenberg.
This is definitely a macro-history, ranging across the European continent from Scotland to the Ottoman Empire and in time across a couple of centuries. I am not sure that there was a coherent argument running all the way through it - it's more of a bag of delights, studded with interesting facts that you feel Jardine couldn't bring herself to leave out. I particularly liked the story of a map which deliberately placed the Molucca islands in the wrong place to back up Spain's territorial claim to them - and the related treaty stated that "during the time of this contract, {the Moluccas} shall be regarded as situated in such place" as shown on the map. Even that was only a bargaining chip - as soon as the claim was established the Spanish relinquished them in exchange for cash - "far more valuable to Charles, beset, in established Hapsburg fashion, by enormous debts to his bankers, than monopoly trading rights on the far side of the world".
Illustrated with monochrome and colour plates, which adds to the appeal of the book, I would heartily recommend this as a good read.
This fascinating book is essentially a look at how important things, and money, were in shaping what we now think of as the world of the Renaissance.
It starts with an analysis of the National Gallery Crivelli annunciation, a "meticulous visual inventory of consumer goods" from across the known world as well as a beautiful work of art - and itself a desirable possession. Renaissance artists were craftsmen for hire, working to order for the rich and powerful - and sitting at table with the tailors, musicians and other salaried members of the household. Others who fell into this category were people who would now perhaps style themselves as lifestyle consultants. You could have a man to advise you on what paintings, antiquities or books to buy to display your wealth and taste. You could even have someone to pre-read the books for you - Sir Philip Sidney had a private reader who annotated a copy of Livy for him with marginal notes referring to modern parallels to the events in the text, and a number of cross-references to modern works on political and military theory.
Conspicuous consumption was an essential aspect of prestige and authority, often backed up by borrowing on a massive scale. Christopher Columbus' proposal to seek a shorter route to the Indies - and therefore bypass the mark-ups which the spice traders put on their goods - was attractive to Ferdinand and Isabella because they were deeply in debt after a series of costly military campaigns. (For the weddings of two of their children in 1495, Isabella had to redeem her crown of gold and diamonds which had been pledged to raise money for the war against Granada.) And fortunes were made for entire families of bankers because they had received trading concessions in return for loans to popes or kings - the Medici wealth was based on monopolistic access to alum, vital for dyeing cloth. You could also make a fortune by having access to the right piece of information - for example, if you knew that two great houses were planning a wedding, you could stock up on fine fabrics while they were relatively cheap.
I think that since this book was published in 1996, its thesis has become much more widely accepted. But even so, Jardine finds some eye-catching links between things - consumption and discovery - and broad historical changes. The rebuilding of St Peter's Church in Rome, involving some of the greatest artists of the day including Michelangelo and Raphael, was so expensive that Pope Leo X issued a particularly grandiose indulgence, granting remission not just from sins already committed, but "purchasers and their relatives were forgiven every conceivable sin they had committed, or might commit, and exempted from all suffering in Purgatory, advancing immediately to Heaven". The indulgences were sold particularly hard in Germany, because the papacy had agreed that half the proceeds would go to paying off the debts of the Archbishop of Mainz. It was after the issue of this particular indulgence that Martin Luther nailed his theses to the church door at Wittenberg.
This is definitely a macro-history, ranging across the European continent from Scotland to the Ottoman Empire and in time across a couple of centuries. I am not sure that there was a coherent argument running all the way through it - it's more of a bag of delights, studded with interesting facts that you feel Jardine couldn't bring herself to leave out. I particularly liked the story of a map which deliberately placed the Molucca islands in the wrong place to back up Spain's territorial claim to them - and the related treaty stated that "during the time of this contract, {the Moluccas} shall be regarded as situated in such place" as shown on the map. Even that was only a bargaining chip - as soon as the claim was established the Spanish relinquished them in exchange for cash - "far more valuable to Charles, beset, in established Hapsburg fashion, by enormous debts to his bankers, than monopoly trading rights on the far side of the world".
Illustrated with monochrome and colour plates, which adds to the appeal of the book, I would heartily recommend this as a good read.
Zod kneels before the Phantom Zone one final time. RIP Terence Stamp, 87.
Aug. 17th, 2025 04:22 pmthewayneTerence Stamp was a notable actor who made his mark in many, many films. The first two Superman movies with Christopher Reeves, Star Wars Episode 1, Priscilla Queen of the Desert, His Dark Materials. Other work included a Federico Fellini film of an Edgar Allen Poe story, various voice work, Modesty Blaise, Young Guns, Bowfinger, Wanted, the Tom Cruise film Valkyrie, The Adjustment Bureau, Miss Peregrin's Home For Peculiar Children, and more. His final film was Last Night In Soho (2021).
THREE volumes of memoirs, a novel, and a cookbook were also amongst his accomplishments. His voiceover work included Elder Scrolls IV, Halo 3, documentary voiceover work, and music video appearances. He shared a house with Michael Caine before they both made it big! His brother, Chris, was a rock music producer and manager and was largely responsible for bring The Who to prominence! That's more of an interesting footnote since Terence probably didn't directly have an effect on that event. OR DID HE?
Among his awards and nominations were a Golden Globe Award, a Cannes Film Festival Award, and a Silver Bear (German) as well as nominations for an Academy Award and two BAFTA Awards.
He was a busy man.
https://gizmodo.com/superman-and-star-wars-actor-terence-stamp-dies-at-age-87-2000644162
THREE volumes of memoirs, a novel, and a cookbook were also amongst his accomplishments. His voiceover work included Elder Scrolls IV, Halo 3, documentary voiceover work, and music video appearances. He shared a house with Michael Caine before they both made it big! His brother, Chris, was a rock music producer and manager and was largely responsible for bring The Who to prominence! That's more of an interesting footnote since Terence probably didn't directly have an effect on that event. OR DID HE?
Among his awards and nominations were a Golden Globe Award, a Cannes Film Festival Award, and a Silver Bear (German) as well as nominations for an Academy Award and two BAFTA Awards.
He was a busy man.
https://gizmodo.com/superman-and-star-wars-actor-terence-stamp-dies-at-age-87-2000644162
Toothpaste made from keratin will help rebuild enamel!
Aug. 17th, 2025 04:01 pmthewayneSome very interesting news from King's College, London. They've developed a new toothpaste based on keratin, rather than fluoride, extracted from sheep's wool, and found that it restores teeth and builds better protection. The restoration process builds a scaffold-like structure on the teeth that attracts calcium and phosphate ions, building a calcium-like compound on the teeth, restoring protection.
Fluoride only slows the wear and tear on the teeth, it doesn't do anything to rebuild it.
The best thing is that this toothpaste could be on the market in 2-3 years!
https://gizmodo.com/toothpaste-made-from-hair-works-better-than-fluoride-scientists-say-2000643763
Fluoride only slows the wear and tear on the teeth, it doesn't do anything to rebuild it.
The best thing is that this toothpaste could be on the market in 2-3 years!
https://gizmodo.com/toothpaste-made-from-hair-works-better-than-fluoride-scientists-say-2000643763
Book 41 - Simon Reynolds "Retromania"
Aug. 17th, 2025 10:52 pmjazzy_daveSimon Reynolds "Retromania: Pop Culture's Addiction to Its Own Past" (Faber & Faber)
Fittingly, there's a lot in "Retromania" that will strike many readers as pretty familiar. Reynolds engages in some righteous boomer-hating, asking if we'll ever be free of sixties-era musicians and their needless, endless nostalgia tours. He also goes neo-Luddite for a while, bitching about newer technologies' reduced fidelity and disregard for the album format. Though Reynolds presents his arguments well, you can get this stuff elsewhere. "Retromania" really gets interesting – perhaps even vital – when Reynolds posits that artifacts and music of the past function as a species of cultural capital and examines how rock scenes look to both their own pasts and society's collective future for inspiration. In doing so, he neatly turns some well-worn rock narratives on their heads. He's not afraid of the obscure, either, examining the role that vintage clothing and record shops played in the development of both the punk and hippie subcultures and delving deep into the history of Northern Soul, a scene I'd only heard about in passing. The problem – as Reynolds sees it – is that the technological and stylistic obsolescence that drove this economy is, thanks to YouTube, MP3s and torrents, now itself a thing of the past. Are new things, or even fresh takes on old things, a possibility in a world where the entirety of the past is available to all of us?
Reynolds doesn't really have an answer, of course, and I think he might have done well to include a clearer definition of what constitutes "newness." It doesn't seem that Reynolds is himself a musician, so much of his discussion, like so much rock criticism, seems to be a discussion of musical style rather than content. His arguments seem to chase each other around the text, too, perhaps even contradicting each other, but that is part of the book's appeal: the past, as Reynolds sees it, can either trap musicians in a permanent yesterday or provide inspiration for forward-thinking projects.
In the last chapters of the book, he examines how some retrophiliac acts like Broadcast and Boards of Canada have used the twentieth century's own ideas of the future to create hauntingly personal music that takes advantage of modern technology's ability to preserve large chunks of the recent past more or less indiscriminately. He also seems to argue that pop culture, and perhaps people in general, have lost faith in the future: while we get excited about techno gadgetry, most of us no longer believe that the future will be better, or substantially different, than the present. Still, when he examines the astonishing quantity of bravely experimental electronic music that followed the launching of Sputnik in the late fifties and the nineties' explosively creative, ruthlessly futuristic rave scene, he seems to conclude that a link exists between creativity and the belief that our tomorrows will be better than our yesterdays.
I can't say that I always found the author's case entirely convincing – indeed, I found myself arguing with him throughout the book – but he's provided some genuinely fresh ideas about pop music's relationship to its past and future that people who take their music collections as seriously as their mortgage payments won't want to miss, and from me , an addicted music collector this book is highly recommended
Fittingly, there's a lot in "Retromania" that will strike many readers as pretty familiar. Reynolds engages in some righteous boomer-hating, asking if we'll ever be free of sixties-era musicians and their needless, endless nostalgia tours. He also goes neo-Luddite for a while, bitching about newer technologies' reduced fidelity and disregard for the album format. Though Reynolds presents his arguments well, you can get this stuff elsewhere. "Retromania" really gets interesting – perhaps even vital – when Reynolds posits that artifacts and music of the past function as a species of cultural capital and examines how rock scenes look to both their own pasts and society's collective future for inspiration. In doing so, he neatly turns some well-worn rock narratives on their heads. He's not afraid of the obscure, either, examining the role that vintage clothing and record shops played in the development of both the punk and hippie subcultures and delving deep into the history of Northern Soul, a scene I'd only heard about in passing. The problem – as Reynolds sees it – is that the technological and stylistic obsolescence that drove this economy is, thanks to YouTube, MP3s and torrents, now itself a thing of the past. Are new things, or even fresh takes on old things, a possibility in a world where the entirety of the past is available to all of us?
Reynolds doesn't really have an answer, of course, and I think he might have done well to include a clearer definition of what constitutes "newness." It doesn't seem that Reynolds is himself a musician, so much of his discussion, like so much rock criticism, seems to be a discussion of musical style rather than content. His arguments seem to chase each other around the text, too, perhaps even contradicting each other, but that is part of the book's appeal: the past, as Reynolds sees it, can either trap musicians in a permanent yesterday or provide inspiration for forward-thinking projects.
In the last chapters of the book, he examines how some retrophiliac acts like Broadcast and Boards of Canada have used the twentieth century's own ideas of the future to create hauntingly personal music that takes advantage of modern technology's ability to preserve large chunks of the recent past more or less indiscriminately. He also seems to argue that pop culture, and perhaps people in general, have lost faith in the future: while we get excited about techno gadgetry, most of us no longer believe that the future will be better, or substantially different, than the present. Still, when he examines the astonishing quantity of bravely experimental electronic music that followed the launching of Sputnik in the late fifties and the nineties' explosively creative, ruthlessly futuristic rave scene, he seems to conclude that a link exists between creativity and the belief that our tomorrows will be better than our yesterdays.
I can't say that I always found the author's case entirely convincing – indeed, I found myself arguing with him throughout the book – but he's provided some genuinely fresh ideas about pop music's relationship to its past and future that people who take their music collections as seriously as their mortgage payments won't want to miss, and from me , an addicted music collector this book is highly recommended
Birdfeeding
Aug. 17th, 2025 03:21 pmysabetwordsmithToday is partly sunny and sweltering.
I fed the birds. I've seen a mixed flock of sparrows and house finches.
I put out water for the birds.
.
I fed the birds. I've seen a mixed flock of sparrows and house finches.
I put out water for the birds.
.
Robotics
Aug. 17th, 2025 01:38 pmysabetwordsmithChina firm plans world’s first pregnancy humanoid robot using artificial womb
The innovation uses artificial amniotic fluid and nutrient delivery via hose, replicating natural gestation, now to be integrated into humanoid robots.
( Read more... )
The innovation uses artificial amniotic fluid and nutrient delivery via hose, replicating natural gestation, now to be integrated into humanoid robots.
( Read more... )
Another Two Weeks of Stuff Happening - Early August 02025
Aug. 17th, 2025 12:05 pmsilveradeptA quick update to start: One of the banks backing PayPal purchases in several currencies has decided to stop processing or accepting Steam transactions, making PayPal unavailable in regions that use those currencies. The slug says that PayPal doesn't support the transactions, but the article is quick to point out that it's actually one of the banks that has withdrawn their support for Steam transactions using PayPal. So we continue to get reminded that if the system of money decides that you're not allowed on their platform, it doesn't matter what the jurisdiction or the law says is allowed or not, you're banned from being able to do anything that involves the banking systems. People in places where cannabis is currently legal have already figured this out, because they continue to be denied access to financial transaction systems, and sex workers and their clients have figured this out, because they're regularly targeted for these kinds of purges and exclusions, but gamers are starting to understand how much their freedom to purchase and play works depends not on the laws or the interpretations of the laws, but on the control exerted by payment processors over the platforms they want to buy and play on.
Valve Corporation said that MasterCard was definitely pressuring them to delist and deplatform adult content, through the intermediaries of the banks and processors, after Mastercard claimed it made no such demands of the platforms. And I'm sure they also didn't say they'd been looking for the excuse once the group that was trying to get their attention did it.And they'd probably deny that they've been at this sex-negative prudery and denying access to their networks for legal, non-obscene content for at least two decades at this point.
A neat thing: a complete run of Computer Entertainer, one of the first video game magazines in the U.S., has been digitized and made available in Creative Commons, by the Video Game History Foundation. Hooray for accessible history!
Also because if you don't have history available to you, you start thinking that the methods of the past are superior to the methods of the present, when what you want is to draw forth the good things of the past into the present. The "90s parenting" being described here is entirely possible in the current decade, without any need for retro objects or such to bring back nostalgia along with what you want to actually do. Such nostalgia often makes people blame things improperly for creating the current world, or to start thinking that simply removing those objects will be enough to bring back the perfect world.
The only way not to build the Torment Nexus is not to build the Torment Nexus, and we have many reasons why we need to stay in the job that's going to build the Torment Nexus. Take care of your souls, and perhaps consider that if you're building the Torment Nexus, you don't have to do it at high speed or efficiency while you look for something that isn't on Team Torment Nexus. (What's also well-noted there is that there are a lot of people on Team Torment Nexus who have rationalized their participation, or who think this really is the way to go,.)
As we move into yet another year of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, what's been learned and what best practices are good to continue. Including vaccination, even though, as we'll see in the later parts of the post, the anti-vaccination squad are currently running the health house.
A primer on the history of what the phrase "land grant university" means. More often than not, it's "land seized from Native nations, then sold, and the proceeds used to fund the construction and operation of the university" instead of something like "the state legislature granted land for the university from their own stores and funds."
The civility of the women's game (of football) has some fans of the men's game feeling like they're being fed their vegetables with no chance of dessert. We hear that kind of thing in the States as well, even with a top-ranked women's team. Am reminded of statistics I was quoted that suggest most men believe a crowd of about 17% women is 50% women, and a 33% woman crowd feels more like 90% to them. Because they're focused far too much on the thing they don't believe belongs there that they over-represent it in their heads.
( And the rest inside )
Last out, something good in the technology: the engineers behind the Jupiter camera called Juno have been heating and then cooling the components to fix various radiation-related damage that has been seen on images, and the fixes bring the camera back to within specifications, albeit temporarily each time.
And the increasingly misnamed Sacramento Music Archive, and the progress being made on digitization, archiving, and sharing of concert recordings made by one person and/or the collections that have been given to them, many of which are for groups that never made it big, and some of which are previously-unknown performances, demos, or material for very big entities indeed.
A supposedly easy method for folding fitted sheets that they do fold appropriately and aesthetically pleasing-ly.
(Materials viaadrian_turtle, azurelunatic, boxofdelights, cmcmck, conuly, cosmolinguist, elf, finch, firecat, jadelennox, jenett, jjhunter, kaberett, lilysea, oursin, rydra_wong, snowynight, sonia, the_future_modernes, thewayne, umadoshi, vass, the ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
meta_warehouse community, little_details, and anyone else I've neglected to mention or who I suspect would rather not be on the list. If you want to know where I get the neat stuff, my reading list has most of it.)
Valve Corporation said that MasterCard was definitely pressuring them to delist and deplatform adult content, through the intermediaries of the banks and processors, after Mastercard claimed it made no such demands of the platforms. And I'm sure they also didn't say they'd been looking for the excuse once the group that was trying to get their attention did it.And they'd probably deny that they've been at this sex-negative prudery and denying access to their networks for legal, non-obscene content for at least two decades at this point.
A neat thing: a complete run of Computer Entertainer, one of the first video game magazines in the U.S., has been digitized and made available in Creative Commons, by the Video Game History Foundation. Hooray for accessible history!
Also because if you don't have history available to you, you start thinking that the methods of the past are superior to the methods of the present, when what you want is to draw forth the good things of the past into the present. The "90s parenting" being described here is entirely possible in the current decade, without any need for retro objects or such to bring back nostalgia along with what you want to actually do. Such nostalgia often makes people blame things improperly for creating the current world, or to start thinking that simply removing those objects will be enough to bring back the perfect world.
The only way not to build the Torment Nexus is not to build the Torment Nexus, and we have many reasons why we need to stay in the job that's going to build the Torment Nexus. Take care of your souls, and perhaps consider that if you're building the Torment Nexus, you don't have to do it at high speed or efficiency while you look for something that isn't on Team Torment Nexus. (What's also well-noted there is that there are a lot of people on Team Torment Nexus who have rationalized their participation, or who think this really is the way to go,.)
As we move into yet another year of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, what's been learned and what best practices are good to continue. Including vaccination, even though, as we'll see in the later parts of the post, the anti-vaccination squad are currently running the health house.
A primer on the history of what the phrase "land grant university" means. More often than not, it's "land seized from Native nations, then sold, and the proceeds used to fund the construction and operation of the university" instead of something like "the state legislature granted land for the university from their own stores and funds."
The civility of the women's game (of football) has some fans of the men's game feeling like they're being fed their vegetables with no chance of dessert. We hear that kind of thing in the States as well, even with a top-ranked women's team. Am reminded of statistics I was quoted that suggest most men believe a crowd of about 17% women is 50% women, and a 33% woman crowd feels more like 90% to them. Because they're focused far too much on the thing they don't believe belongs there that they over-represent it in their heads.
( And the rest inside )
Last out, something good in the technology: the engineers behind the Jupiter camera called Juno have been heating and then cooling the components to fix various radiation-related damage that has been seen on images, and the fixes bring the camera back to within specifications, albeit temporarily each time.
And the increasingly misnamed Sacramento Music Archive, and the progress being made on digitization, archiving, and sharing of concert recordings made by one person and/or the collections that have been given to them, many of which are for groups that never made it big, and some of which are previously-unknown performances, demos, or material for very big entities indeed.
A supposedly easy method for folding fitted sheets that they do fold appropriately and aesthetically pleasing-ly.
(Materials via
adrian_turtle, azurelunatic, boxofdelights, cmcmck, conuly, cosmolinguist, elf, finch, firecat, jadelennox, jenett, jjhunter, kaberett, lilysea, oursin, rydra_wong, snowynight, sonia, the_future_modernes, thewayne, umadoshi, vass, the meta_warehouse community, little_details, and anyone else I've neglected to mention or who I suspect would rather not be on the list. If you want to know where I get the neat stuff, my reading list has most of it.)2025 Hugo, Lodestar, and Astounding Awards Winners
Aug. 17th, 2025 12:26 pmjames_davis_nicollThe 2025 Hugo, Lodestar, and Astounding Awards Winners are as follows
Best Novel: The Tainted Cup, Robert Jackson Bennett
Best Novella: The Tusks of Extinction, Ray Nayler
Best Novelette:"The Four Sisters Overlooking the Sea”, Naomi Kritzer
Best Short Story: “Stitched to Skin Like Family Is”, Nghi Vo
Best Series: Between Earth and Sky, Rebecca Roanhorse
Best Graphic Story or Comic: Star Trek: Lower Decks: Warp Your Own Way, written by Ryan North, art by Chris Fenoglio
Best Related Work: Speculative Whiteness: Science Fiction and the Alt-Right, Jordan S. Carroll
Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form: Dune: Part Two, screenplay by Denis Villeneuve & Jon Spaihts, directed by Denis Villeneuve
Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form: Star Trek: Lower Decks: “The New Next Generation”, created and written by Mike McMahan, based on Star Trek created by Gene Roddenberry, directed by Megan Lloyd
Best Game or Interactive Work: Caves of Qud, co-creators Brian Bucklew & Jason Grinblat; contributors Nick DeCapua, Corey Frang, Craig Hamilton, Autumn McDonell, Bastia Rosen, Caelyn Sandel, Samuel Wilson (Freehold Games); sound design A Shell in the Pit
Best Editor, Short Form:Neil Clarke
Best Editor, Long Form: Diana M. Pho
Best Professional Artist: Alyssa Winans
Best Semiprozine: Uncanny, publishers and editors-in-chief Lynne M. Thomas & Michael Damian Thomas; managing editor Monte Lin; poetry editor Betsy Aoki, podcast producers Erika Ensign & Steven Schapansky
Best Fanzine: Black Nerd Problems, editors William Evans & Omar Holmon
Best Fancast: Eight Days of Diana Wynne Jones, presented by Emily Tesh & Rebecca Fraimow
Best Fan Writer: Abigail Nussbaum
Best Fan Artist: Sara Felix
Best Poem: “A War of Words”, Marie Brennan
Lodestar Award for Best Young Adult Book: Sheine Lende, Darcie Little Badger
Astounding Award for Best New Writer: Moniquill Blackgoose
Best Novel: The Tainted Cup, Robert Jackson Bennett
Best Novella: The Tusks of Extinction, Ray Nayler
Best Novelette:"The Four Sisters Overlooking the Sea”, Naomi Kritzer
Best Short Story: “Stitched to Skin Like Family Is”, Nghi Vo
Best Series: Between Earth and Sky, Rebecca Roanhorse
Best Graphic Story or Comic: Star Trek: Lower Decks: Warp Your Own Way, written by Ryan North, art by Chris Fenoglio
Best Related Work: Speculative Whiteness: Science Fiction and the Alt-Right, Jordan S. Carroll
Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form: Dune: Part Two, screenplay by Denis Villeneuve & Jon Spaihts, directed by Denis Villeneuve
Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form: Star Trek: Lower Decks: “The New Next Generation”, created and written by Mike McMahan, based on Star Trek created by Gene Roddenberry, directed by Megan Lloyd
Best Game or Interactive Work: Caves of Qud, co-creators Brian Bucklew & Jason Grinblat; contributors Nick DeCapua, Corey Frang, Craig Hamilton, Autumn McDonell, Bastia Rosen, Caelyn Sandel, Samuel Wilson (Freehold Games); sound design A Shell in the Pit
Best Editor, Short Form:Neil Clarke
Best Editor, Long Form: Diana M. Pho
Best Professional Artist: Alyssa Winans
Best Semiprozine: Uncanny, publishers and editors-in-chief Lynne M. Thomas & Michael Damian Thomas; managing editor Monte Lin; poetry editor Betsy Aoki, podcast producers Erika Ensign & Steven Schapansky
Best Fanzine: Black Nerd Problems, editors William Evans & Omar Holmon
Best Fancast: Eight Days of Diana Wynne Jones, presented by Emily Tesh & Rebecca Fraimow
Best Fan Writer: Abigail Nussbaum
Best Fan Artist: Sara Felix
Best Poem: “A War of Words”, Marie Brennan
Lodestar Award for Best Young Adult Book: Sheine Lende, Darcie Little Badger
Astounding Award for Best New Writer: Moniquill Blackgoose
A decent, pleasant anime movie
Aug. 17th, 2025 03:46 pmmtbcI finally got around to watching the Japanese anime The Colors Within (2024). It's a gentle, sweet drama about teenagers finding each other.
I watch various rubbish so this is a low bar, and it's not the first movie I've liked that scores unremarkably on IMDb, but I'd say it's actually the best movie that I've seen for a while. It's not puzzling or challenging or anything, it's just nicely done and it made me happy.
I watch various rubbish so this is a low bar, and it's not the first movie I've liked that scores unremarkably on IMDb, but I'd say it's actually the best movie that I've seen for a while. It's not puzzling or challenging or anything, it's just nicely done and it made me happy.
Battling with messaging apps
Aug. 17th, 2025 03:28 pmmtbcHaving accidentally started group chats a few times, I've discovered WhatsApp's awful
Previously, working in cryptocurrency I had to have a Telegram account. It's mostly good for scammers and spammers. Recently, I kept finding myself being added to people's groups for random dodgy work tasks. I've now found some
It would be nice if I could find such fixes for Gmail's web interface, which I use at work. Among other things, it's too easy to accidentally do things then too hard to undo them, and it's one of these interfaces that pops some control up right under your mouse pointer after you've moved it so you end up clicking on something that wasn't there a moment before.
swipe up to talk. It's really annoying, given that one also swipes up simply to get to the latest in the conversation. I don't yet know if this worked but I've tried removing general microphone permission for the app, in case that restrains this feature.
Previously, working in cryptocurrency I had to have a Telegram account. It's mostly good for scammers and spammers. Recently, I kept finding myself being added to people's groups for random dodgy work tasks. I've now found some
invitessetting under privacy and security, which I have tried adjusting in the hope of ending this particular annoyance.
It would be nice if I could find such fixes for Gmail's web interface, which I use at work. Among other things, it's too easy to accidentally do things then too hard to undo them, and it's one of these interfaces that pops some control up right under your mouse pointer after you've moved it so you end up clicking on something that wasn't there a moment before.
Galaxy: The Best of My Years by Jim Baen
Aug. 17th, 2025 09:16 amjames_davis_nicoll
Jim Baen's version of a single perfect issue of Baen-era Galaxy.
Galaxy: The Best of My Years by Jim Baen
Update.....
Aug. 17th, 2025 01:31 amdisneydream06I think the Car Saga deserves an update...
On Tuesday I was told that the repairs would take a couple of more days.
Okay...
My rental was due back Wednesday morning, so I booked another one through Friday late afternoon.
That should cover things.
Yeah, don't hold your breath...
I took the rental back to the airport Friday afternoon, and then I called the repair place to see if my car was done and book their shuttle to go get it.
The lady in charge of the repair area didn't answer her phone, so I called the dealership's main line and was transfered back the the repair area. No one answered as the machine said all their people were busy wtih other customers. So I left a meassage, starting to show some annoyance.
Then I waited to see if somebody would call me back. I waited 40 minutes and called again. I couldn't even get a human that time at either number. I left another message with even more annoyance at the situation.
The repair shop is supposedly open until 5:30 and the main dealership is supposedly open until 6 pm.
I gave up and called to get a taxi back home. According to the prices I could find online it should cost about $16 for the five mile trip. The lady told me it would be about 45 minutes before she could get one out to me. I sarcastically said, no problem I've been sitting here for an hour already.
About 40 minutes later a cab showed up and somebody else got in it, so I called the cab company back to say I hope that wasn't my cab. Oh no, that was another booked cab. That one would deliver those people, another one could be picking up somebody else and then I was would be next. I asked, You only have two cabs? Yes, I only have two cabs on the road. You only have two cabs, seriously? Yes, I only have two cabs. Yeah, okay thanks.
A total of 1 1/2 hours after booking the cab one shows up for me. He tells me he just got back to Rochester from the Twin Cities and the dispatcher told he should go out to the airport because somebody might still be out there. DAMN STRAIGHT I WAS STILL OUT THERE.
I could have walked the 5 miles home faster and for free. Of course I would have gotten soaked when the cloud burst came through, but at least I would have been home.
And the $16 I thought it was going to cost? OH NO... It was more like $27. For 5 frickin' miles and no traffic. :o :o :o
And I still had to work Friday night. :o
Thank heavens a coworker Thursday night had taken pity on me and said should could give me a ride to work and home if my car wasn't ready. :o
And of course when she came to get my Friday night, it was in the middle of Thunderstorm down pour. :o
Then when I got to work I was floated off my station to my old station because they claimed they had to have a male aide to sit with/watch over one of their patients that had been threatening to leave the hospital. That excuse was made stupid when they told me that if he decided he was going to leave, they weren't going to stop him. Then what in the hell do you need me for?
Thankfully the patient behaved himself and was cooperative with his care.
Needless to say Monday morning at 7 am I will be on the phone demanding answers about my car.
At this point in time, even if they do an exceptional job on the repairs of my car, I would never recommend them to anybody.
It would be slightly less painful if they had made any attempt to keep me updated, but whenever I would call she had to check with the technician and then wouldn't call me back until the middle of the afternoon while I was in bed sleeping. If he started at 8 am, all you had to do was walk back to the shop ask him how things were going and then come back and call me right back. Hell, she could have put me on hold and checked and come back and told me. ARGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
So now I sit here with not transportation.
At the very last point I need my car back by mid afternoon on Wednesday, as the state fair starts Thursday morning, but I would prefer it by mid Tuesday afternoon and then I could make a Zoo trip Wednesday morning with my friend,seekerval, Wednesday morning. :o
On Tuesday I was told that the repairs would take a couple of more days.
Okay...
My rental was due back Wednesday morning, so I booked another one through Friday late afternoon.
That should cover things.
Yeah, don't hold your breath...
I took the rental back to the airport Friday afternoon, and then I called the repair place to see if my car was done and book their shuttle to go get it.
The lady in charge of the repair area didn't answer her phone, so I called the dealership's main line and was transfered back the the repair area. No one answered as the machine said all their people were busy wtih other customers. So I left a meassage, starting to show some annoyance.
Then I waited to see if somebody would call me back. I waited 40 minutes and called again. I couldn't even get a human that time at either number. I left another message with even more annoyance at the situation.
The repair shop is supposedly open until 5:30 and the main dealership is supposedly open until 6 pm.
I gave up and called to get a taxi back home. According to the prices I could find online it should cost about $16 for the five mile trip. The lady told me it would be about 45 minutes before she could get one out to me. I sarcastically said, no problem I've been sitting here for an hour already.
About 40 minutes later a cab showed up and somebody else got in it, so I called the cab company back to say I hope that wasn't my cab. Oh no, that was another booked cab. That one would deliver those people, another one could be picking up somebody else and then I was would be next. I asked, You only have two cabs? Yes, I only have two cabs on the road. You only have two cabs, seriously? Yes, I only have two cabs. Yeah, okay thanks.
A total of 1 1/2 hours after booking the cab one shows up for me. He tells me he just got back to Rochester from the Twin Cities and the dispatcher told he should go out to the airport because somebody might still be out there. DAMN STRAIGHT I WAS STILL OUT THERE.
I could have walked the 5 miles home faster and for free. Of course I would have gotten soaked when the cloud burst came through, but at least I would have been home.
And the $16 I thought it was going to cost? OH NO... It was more like $27. For 5 frickin' miles and no traffic. :o :o :o
And I still had to work Friday night. :o
Thank heavens a coworker Thursday night had taken pity on me and said should could give me a ride to work and home if my car wasn't ready. :o
And of course when she came to get my Friday night, it was in the middle of Thunderstorm down pour. :o
Then when I got to work I was floated off my station to my old station because they claimed they had to have a male aide to sit with/watch over one of their patients that had been threatening to leave the hospital. That excuse was made stupid when they told me that if he decided he was going to leave, they weren't going to stop him. Then what in the hell do you need me for?
Thankfully the patient behaved himself and was cooperative with his care.
Needless to say Monday morning at 7 am I will be on the phone demanding answers about my car.
At this point in time, even if they do an exceptional job on the repairs of my car, I would never recommend them to anybody.
It would be slightly less painful if they had made any attempt to keep me updated, but whenever I would call she had to check with the technician and then wouldn't call me back until the middle of the afternoon while I was in bed sleeping. If he started at 8 am, all you had to do was walk back to the shop ask him how things were going and then come back and call me right back. Hell, she could have put me on hold and checked and come back and told me. ARGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
So now I sit here with not transportation.
At the very last point I need my car back by mid afternoon on Wednesday, as the state fair starts Thursday morning, but I would prefer it by mid Tuesday afternoon and then I could make a Zoo trip Wednesday morning with my friend,
seekerval, Wednesday morning. :oUpdate: 16 August 2025
Aug. 16th, 2025 09:04 pmdewlineI got the bins from Canadian Tire.
I'm still recovering from the shopping trip. Considering that I walked half of it in the weather I did, I should have gone directly to bed.
Came downstairs to the office, instead.
Thinking about cleaning the iCan-branded computer-mouse, particularly the scroll-wheel. If I knew where on iFixit to look...
I'm still recovering from the shopping trip. Considering that I walked half of it in the weather I did, I should have gone directly to bed.
Came downstairs to the office, instead.
Thinking about cleaning the iCan-branded computer-mouse, particularly the scroll-wheel. If I knew where on iFixit to look...
The Red Queen’s Race
Aug. 16th, 2025 05:53 pmndrosenI still have two applications on my Amended docket. I have updated my searches for one of them, and spoken with the patent attorney; he said that he would speak with his client, so let’s hope that agreement will be reached on an amendment to make the case allowable.
I have also been working on my oldest Regular New application, and have written major parts of an Office Action, but am not finished.
I have also been working on my oldest Regular New application, and have written major parts of an Office Action, but am not finished.
Genetics
Aug. 16th, 2025 02:56 pmysabetwordsmithGreat white sharks have a DNA mystery science still can’t explain
Once on the brink during the last ice age, great white sharks made a remarkable recovery globally, but their DNA reveals a baffling story. Classic migration explanations fail, leaving scientists with a mystery that defies reproductive and evolutionary logic.
The most important part of science is being willing and able to say, "I don't know."
Once on the brink during the last ice age, great white sharks made a remarkable recovery globally, but their DNA reveals a baffling story. Classic migration explanations fail, leaving scientists with a mystery that defies reproductive and evolutionary logic.
The most important part of science is being willing and able to say, "I don't know."
Voles
Aug. 16th, 2025 12:45 pmranunculusI've had voles in the garden for a while now. Mostly they haven't done much damage, but recently they got into the tanks in front of the house and killed several plants including a butternut squash that I am quite unhappy about. Voles are pretty easy to trap so last night traps went out. I put four mouse traps around each hole in the tanks. This morning there was a really big, fat vole in a trap. Since voles often come in pairs the trap got reset. This afternoon there is another big, fat vole in the same trap. Next up will be a hole in the garden. I don't like trapping and killing animals, but like rattlesnakes, there are some things that aren't ok. Eating my food crops is one of them. Of course the voles are there exactly because I removed the resident rattlesnake....
Birdfeeding
Aug. 16th, 2025 02:47 pmysabetwordsmithToday is partly sunny and sweltering.
I fed the birds. I've seen a mixed flock of sparrows and house finches, a male cardinal, and a mourning dove.
I put out water for the birds.
EDIT 8/16/25 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.
EDIT 8/16/25 -- I did a more work around the patio.
EDIT 8/16/25 -- I watered the patio plants and old picnic table garden.
EDIT 8/16/25 -- I watered the new picnic table garden.
I picked 5 ground cherries and a red cherry tomato. The ground cherries are related to tomatillos, with a sweet fruit inside a husk. They are about the size of a chickpea with a faint pineapple flavor. :D
EDIT 8/16/25 -- I watered the telephone pole garden and a few of the savanna seedlngs.
Cicacas and crickets are singing. Fireflies are out. I saw a bat.
As it is now dark, I am done for the night.
I fed the birds. I've seen a mixed flock of sparrows and house finches, a male cardinal, and a mourning dove.
I put out water for the birds.
EDIT 8/16/25 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.
EDIT 8/16/25 -- I did a more work around the patio.
EDIT 8/16/25 -- I watered the patio plants and old picnic table garden.
EDIT 8/16/25 -- I watered the new picnic table garden.
I picked 5 ground cherries and a red cherry tomato. The ground cherries are related to tomatillos, with a sweet fruit inside a husk. They are about the size of a chickpea with a faint pineapple flavor. :D
EDIT 8/16/25 -- I watered the telephone pole garden and a few of the savanna seedlngs.
Cicacas and crickets are singing. Fireflies are out. I saw a bat.
As it is now dark, I am done for the night.