Wednesday, December 15, 2010

FB Report: Lots of Links on Speculative Fiction -- 12/15/10

Traffic Report


This is the traffic report for the page during the first week of December for Reading For the Future page on Facebook:
213 monthly active users; 20 since last week
286 people like this; 3 since last week
22 wall posts and comments this week; 10 since last week
58 visits this week 13; since last week

From the Wall


Reading For the Future I just found this site. I believe they are still working on it and are continually looking for updates. An excellent resource, even before it's finished.
href="http://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/index.cgi
The Internet Speculative Fiction Database
www.isfdb.org
The ISFDB is a community effort to catalog works of science fiction, fantasy, and horror. It links together various types of bibliographic data: author bibliographies, publication bibliographies, award listings, magazine content listings, anthology and collection content listings, and forthcoming bo...
[12/14/10]

Reading For the Future I like both - separately or together.
http://io9.com/5711775/theres-not-that-much-difference-between-mysteries-and-science-fiction-really
There's not that much difference between mysteries and science fiction, really.
io9.com
What's the difference between mysteries and science fiction? Not as much as you'd imagine, says Michael Marshall Smith who's written both.
[12/14/10]

Reading For the Future I personally doubt any son of Kurt Vonnegut could be 'average'.
http://www.timesunion.com/local/article/Life-with-a-dad-called-Kurt-875899.php
Life with a dad called Kurt - Times Union
www.timesunion.com
A shy and socially awkward boy, Mark Vonnegut lived in fear of being the target of the most withering question possible that could be lobbed by his father, the famous author Kurt Vonnegut: "Do you want to be average?"
[12/13/10]

Reading For the Future Give the gift of SF! I am. My son is getting Mike Resnick's "New Dreams for Old", a series of short stories. If there is a young person on your list, give a book. If not, find a young person to add to your list :D
[12/13/10]

Reading For the Future Here is the reference to an author post mentioned below. Robert J. Sawyer writes books suitable for teens.
http://rff-reflections.blogspot.com/2010/12/wake-far-seer-and-their-author-robert-j.html
Reading for the Future Reflections: Wake, Far-Seer and their author Robert J. Sawyer
rff-reflections.blogspot.com
[12/9/10]

Reading For the Future There are two new RFF Reflections articles this week. One is a book review; the other is a reference to an author and his books. Here is the latest post.
http://rff-reflections.blogspot.com/2010/12/book-review-krysia-andersons-misfit.html
Reading for the Future Reflections: Book Review: Krysia Anderson's Misfit Leaves Home
rff-reflections.blogspot.com
[12/9/10]



Reading For the Future I came across a review of RFF member Lynda Williams' book Avim's Oath today. Turns out that it is considered a teen or YA book.
Visit this link to read the review.
http://www.umanitoba.ca/outreach/cm/vol17/no8/avimsoath.html
In the review, Ronald Hore recommends Avim's Oath (The Okal Rel Saga, Part Six ) by Lynda William...s for ages 13 and up; grades 8 and up. ~Valerie C.
See More
http://www.umanitoba.ca/outreach/cm/vol17/no8/avimsoath.html
CM Magazine: Avim's Oath. (The Okal Rel Saga, Part Six).
www.umanitoba.ca
Lynda Williams. Calgary, AB: EDGE Science Fiction and Fantasy Publishing, 2010. 266 pp., pbk., $16.95. ISBN 978-1-894063-35-7.
[12/9/10]


Reading For the Future [in comment: posted by David-Glenn Anderson via the RFF Yahoo group]
http://www.facebook.com/notes/reading-for-the-future/have-you-given-away-a-book-today-by-kristen-lillvis/177651835595488
Have you given away a book today? by Kristen Lillvis
AboutSF Saving the world through Science Fiction   Have you given away a book today?...
[12/8/10]

Recent Activity:

Reading For the Future discussed Books Suitable for Youth on the Reading For the Future discussion board.
Reading For the Future discussed Books for Middle school on the Reading For the Future discussion board.
3 more similar stories
[12/8/10]

Reading For the Future A page of reviews of graphic novels.~Valerie C.
http://blog.patrickrothfuss.com/2010/12/delicious-webcomics-and-guest-appearances/
Delicious Webcomics and Guest Appearances
blog.patrickrothfuss.com
Before I talk about today’s donation, I need to mention that some of the auctions we’re running will be over soon. Most specifically, the signed ARC from Neil Gaiman and the signed collection of Girl Genius trades.
[12/8/10]

Reading For the Future A graphic novel give-away in support of Heifer International, a worthwhile charity.~Valerie C.
http://blog.patrickrothfuss.com/2010/11/worldbuilders-2010/
Worldbuilders 2010
blog.patrickrothfuss.com
Heifer International is my favorite charity. It helps people raise themselves up out of poverty and starvation. All over the world Heifer promotes education, sustainable agriculture, and local industry.
[12/8/10]

Reading For the Future [in comment: I have posted the entirety of my GeekMom article in the notes section, so there is a copy on hand for anyone who wishes to reproduce it.
~Cie]
Reading For the Future
http://www.facebook.com/notes/reading-for-the-future/reading-for-the-future-uses-scifi-to-spark-kids-sense-of-wonder/177002672327071
Reading for the Future Uses SciFi to Spark Kids’ Sense of Wonder
I love reading Science Fiction. Well, I love reading almost any type of Speculative Fiction, whether it be Science, Fantasy, Alternate History, Supernatural, maybe even a bit of Horror around Halloween...
[12/6/10]

Reading For the Future This is the first image ever taken of Earth from the surface of a planet beyond the Moon. It was taken by the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit one hour before sunrise on the 63rd Martian day, or sol, of its mission. (March 8, 2004)
From the website www.lightsinthedark.com/
The image is a mosaic of images taken by the rover's navigation camera showing a broad view of the sky, and an image taken by the rover's panoramic camera of Earth. The contrast in the panoramic camera image was increased two times to make Earth easier to see.The inset shows a combination of four panoramic camera images zoomed in on Earth. The arrow points to Earth. Earth was too faint to be detected in images taken with the panoramic camera's color filters.
Image Credit: NASA/JPL/Cornell/Texas A&M
Image: http://photos-e.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs611.ash2/156321_159513910759937_128034957241166_326773_1945219_s.jpg
[12/6/10]

Reading For the Future Now open for business. Large selection of -free- ebooks too :)
http://books.google.com/ebooks?uid=2278874564547928826&as_coll=1220&source=gbs_ws2_subj&as_brr=5
Science Fiction - Google eBookstore
books.google.com
* General * Adventure * High Tech * Military * Short Stories * Space Opera
[12/6/10]

Reading For the Future Many of the works of H. Beam Piper are available free as ebooks. His works are suitable for YA and can be used to support science concept lessons. For instance Fuzzy Sapiens is perfect for teaching response to environmental stress, carrying capacity, nutrients/nutrition, endangered species, and ecology for grades 6-10.
http://www.gutenberg.org/browse/authors/p
Browse By Author: P - Project Gutenberg
www.gutenberg.org
33000+ free ebooks online
[12/6/10]

Reading For the Future Baen Books has listed its books for young adults. It is primarily a list of adult sci fi that most consider suitable for youth. Maybe a couple of the books are actually YA. It is incomplete, as stated by the editor of the list and as I know because I have read several Baen books not yet listed. Check it out and maybe help Toni complete the list. ~ Valerie C.
http://www.baen.com/ya_list.asp
www.baen.com
[12/5/10]

Reading For the Future VOYA reports on a Scholastic report on what motivates children to read.
http://www.voya.com/2010/09/29/new-study/
New Study on Reading in the Digital Age
www.voya.com
Scholastic surveyed 1,045 children age 6-17 and their parents (for a total of 2,090 respondents) in an online survey in the spring of 2010.
[12/5/10]

From other Walls


David Brin A one-word interview: Science fiction authors respond in 50 or fewer words to the word SPARK. Here is my response, along with those of Orson Scott Card, Nancy Kress, Jay Lake, Larry Niven and others.
http://emunderwood.com/2010/12/13/one-word-interview-spark/
One Word Interview: SPARK
emunderwood.com
Spark is the seed of a story, a flash of an idea...
[12/14/10]

Valerie Coskrey Just finished reading Lynda Williams' The Courtesan Prince. Enjoyed it immensely. Will be writing a review in my blog soon.
http://www.edgewebsite.com/books/courtesanprince/cp-catalog.html
www.edgewebsite.com
[12/14/10]
In comment:
Valerie Coskrey: To RFF group: Unfortunately I would not, as a teacher, recommend this to YA due to adult sexual situations and abuse referenced, although not explicitly depicted.
As a parent, Yeah, read it and learn about human nature--but my kids read and watched whatever interested them. It is a rousing beginning to a space opera.
[12/14/10]

Julie Czerneda I had to share. Wow!
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-11988466
Voyager near Solar System's edge
www.bbc.co.uk
The most distant spacecraft from Earth, Voyager 1, returns new data suggesting it is very close to leaving the Solar System.
[12/14/10]

Bobbie DuFault RustyCon is getting closer. Have you checked out the Web page? RustyCon doesn't run all on it's own. We need... http://fb.me/xvtLdMju

1 comment:

  1. Heifer International (HI) is an organization that claims to work against world hunger by donating animals to families in developing countries. Its catalog deceptively portrays beautiful children holding cute animals in seemingly humane circumstances. The marketing brochure for HI does not show the animals being transported, their living and slaughter conditions, or the erosion, pollution and water use caused by the introduction of these animals and their offspring.

    By definition, animals raised for food are exploited in a variety of ways. The animals shipped to developing countries are often subject to; water and food shortages, cruel procedures without painkillers, lack of veterinary care resulting in extended suffering as a result of illness or injury.

    A large percentage of the families receiving animals from HI are struggling to provide for themselves and cannot ensure adequate living conditions, nutrition, and medical care for animals they have been given. HI provides some initial veterinary training to individuals and the initial vaccines. But, long term care for these animals and their offspring is up to the individuals.

    To make matters worse, animal agriculture causes much more harm to the environment than plant-based agriculture. The fragile land in many of the regions HI is sending the animals cannot support animal agriculture. Although they say they encourage cut and carry feeding of the animals to avoid erosion, the reality is often quite different.

    The consumption of animal products has been shown in reputable studies to contribute significantly to life-threatening diseases such as heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and a variety of cancers. Regions that have adopted a diet with more animal products see an increase in these diseases. The remote communities supposedly served by HI have no way of dealing with the health consequences of joining the high-cholesterol world.

    While it may seem humane and sustainable to provide just one or two dairy cows here or there, the long term consequences are an increased desire for animal products in local cultures leading to an increase in production. These communities may be able to absorb the additional water use of one or two cows, what happens when there are hundreds or thousands of dairy cows, each consuming 27 to 50 gallons of fresh water and producing tons of excrement? The heavy cost to animals, the environment and local economies is not figured into HI's business practices.

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