Sunday, October 17, 2010

FB Report: Lots of Links on Speculative Fiction -- 10/17/10

How many posts to Facebook can we read in a week?

This is the second in the series of Facebook links of interest from the Reading for the Future page on Facebook.

With over 200 people "liking" the page, Cie is celebrating by posting ever-more web resources of value to the RFF mission. Better yet, the sites are fun reads and great sites to visit. Also, from other Walls come a few more sites of interest. Did you catch the latest?


Note: This is not a verbatim report. Extraneous phrases were cut, some phrases were reworded, and info after the link is dropped. But you get the idea, right?

---

Cie expressed sorrow in sharing that the developer of fractal geometry, Benoit Mandelbot, died.
www.washingtonpost.com
Benoit Mandelbrot, mathematician who developed field of fractal geometry, dies at 85 in Mass.

[10/16/10]

David Brin shared a link on how science fiction clarifies human rights, asking, "How will technology impact personal liberties? The ACLU is analyzing sci-fi plots to plan its future battles over individual freedom. Its report, Technology, Liberties and the Future, draws upon science fiction for worst-case scenarios to study possible civil liberties violations that may result from advances in technology: omni-surveillance, cloning, gene splicing, nanotech, cyborgs...,"
Humanoid Rights | The American Prospect  
www.prospect.org   
A few months ago I watched Moon, a 2009 indie science-fiction film, with a friend who works on public relations for the American Civil Liberties Union. The movie centers on Sam Bell, a solitary laborer who spends his days extracting helium from moon rocks and drawing comfort from correspondence with...
http://www.prospect.org/cs/articles?article=humanoid_rights
[10/16/10]

Angela Lott posted to the RFF, sharing her enthusiasm for the Okel Rel Universe with these words, "If you like Comedy, Drama, Romance, or Action or even if you just like well written character driven fiction, you will like The Okal Rel Universe Saga by Lynda Williams. Vist the site and see for yourself."
Home of the Okal Rel Science Fiction Series
 www.okalrel.org
The ORU is a 10 novel series, published by Edge Science Fiction and Fantasy, set in a very different universe. The character-driven stories tackle themes of culture clash in a context where all-out war is so horrific it is all but obsolete, but passions still run high.
www.okalrel.org
[10/16/10]

 Admittedly, Angela knows Lynda personally, but I have read her wall often enough to know that she actually reads and enjoys these books and read them as a YA.  If a teenager enjoys the series, well, ...

Courtesy of Jan Howard Finder, the Wombat:
Astronomy Day 2010 at George Observatory - Houston astronomy | Examiner.com
www.examiner.com
George Observatory is operated by the Houston Museum of Natural Science (HMNS). The three observatories there (telescopes are 14", 18", and 36") offer the public a view of the diamond studded sky typically lost in the bright lights of the city. This Saturday is Astronomy Day 2010.
http://www.examiner.com/astronomy-in-houston/astronomy-day-2010-at-george-observatory
[10/16/10]

Ya'll be sure to ask her how it went!

From Reading For the Future" "Check out the site and then join the Facebook page so that you can get all the latest details!"
The Utah Humanities Book Festival
www.utahhumanities.org
What Kind of Idea Are You? Find Out at the 13th Annual Utah Humanities Book Festival! All Book Festival activities are free and open to the public...
http://www.utahhumanities.org/BookFestival.htm
[10/15/10]



On the Reading for the Future page, "Remember the classic black and white docudramas from school? I found this site, which is associated with others for each discipline of teaching. It offers older film clips and educational videos that are now in the public domain to teachers. Enjoy the one on this page on Why to Study Science. There is even a mention of sci fi in the video!~Valerie C."
Why Study Science
www.tvschoolhouse.com
Why Study Science? Dramatizations explain why science is important and the benefits of scientifice study.
http://www.tvschoolhouse.com/shows/Science/whyStudyScience.html
[10/15/10]

Yeah, it's a new site with a few typos still in place last time I checked. But the site is well worth the visit.  According to the comments posted with the link, a few homeschoolers think so too.

Reading For the Future:  This link is the Introduction and First Chapter of 'Teaching Fantasy Novels' by Phyllis J. Perry. It is the synopsis and Lesson Plan for teaching Lloyd Alexander's The High King.
www.teacherideaspress.com
http://www.teacherideaspress.com/media/pdfs/sample_chapters/LU9874_1-9_chapter1.pdf
[10/14/10]

Reading For the Future, "Found some interesting sites while doing some research online. This first one lists good Fantasy short stories for use in modeling Fantasy writing. The entire list is available online, either in text or audio."
Teaching Fantasy « Torque Control
vectoreditors.wordpress.com
Since so many smart critics frequent here, I’d like to pitch a question to y’all: I’ve been teaching undergraduate creative writing for years (am an English MA/ poetry MFA) but this semester for the first time I’m teaching a course focused on writing fantasy fiction.
http://vectoreditors.wordpress.com/2010/09/03/teaching-fantasy/
[10/14/10]

This entry brought a few few comments. One from Philippa Ballantine, http://www.pjballantine.com, an author of what she calls "adult high fantasy and steampunk" fiction, which she wrote me were probably a bit too violent and sexually explicit for RFF to recommend for teens, even though she knows of many fans who are teenagers.  She also reads books for pod casts.

Anyway, Philippa did suggest a book for the Reading for the Future book lists. At Cie's request, on 10/14/10, she commented, "For older children I love Garth Nix's books."

Valerie asked, as Reading For the Future, "Has anyone seen the commercial for The Dead Zone that features the nine lives of a cat? I laughed so hard at that one."  I, Valerie, posted the question in response to the Cat Poster from Cie's wall, which I shared with the RFF page.
"Found this on Cie's page, which she titled, 'Wanted Dead and Alive'"
http://photos-d.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs809.snc4/68982_159202910769692_100000399518144_377235 photos-d.ak.fbcdn.net
Unfortunately, I was unable to copy the photo. Try to visit the page. If not there, try the Links. It is a riot!

 On 10/13/10, David Brin put out a call for books on manufacturing in a status comment on his page, "I need references/links for and SCI FI NOVELS about *manufacturing*... especially about its decline in America and /or prospects for better manufacturing in the near future." 

Read the comments for a new book list. How many are suitable for youth? At least a teaching concept is identified.

On the RFF page, "Science in Sci Fi Recommended by member Lynda Williams" 
Orbiting Frog | Astronomy, Space and Science 
 orbitingfrog.com
Andre Geim, an Ig Nobel laureate and physicist working at the University of Manchester has been jointly awarded the 2010 Nobel Prize in physics. He is joined by Konstantin Novoselov, his former PhD student and research partner in ground-breaking work on a substance called Graphene, which forms the b...
http://orbitingfrog.com/blog/2010/10/05/graphene-nobel-for-manchester/
[10/12/10]

I visited orbitingfrog.com and discovered that the blog author is asking readers to suggest a quote that he can use on the blog's home page. Help him out, Somebody.

That's all to report for the time span Oct. 13, 2010 - Oct. 16, 2010 as of my last visit to Facebook. Do you have a few authors or other contributors that you want followed? Not yet a member of RFF? Send suggestions through the comments. RFF members, you may send comments to Valerie C. in a group email.



Did you read the first Facebook Report? Now's your chance. FB Report: Lots of Links on Speculative Fiction -- 10/12/10







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