t's never too early to start thinking about the upcoming convention season. With the Hugo nominations deadline about six weeks away, the World Science Fiction Convention, or Worldcon, is looming large in the minds of SF fans and professionals alike. As a result, those interested in traveling to Philadelphia this fall for the con would be well-advised to have a look at the official site. There they can learn everything that will be awaiting them upon arrival.
The Millennium Philcon is a well-organized guide, replete with information about convention guests, venues, hotels, dates and programming. Simply designed and highly informative, the page provides all of the data that attendees will require to maximize their Worldcon enjoyment. Site visitors can do it all--look at photographs of the convention center, scope out the neighborhood the con is taking place in, read up on previously published progress reports and budget their hotel room costs--quickly, easily and efficiently.
At this stage of planning, the shape of the convention is still open for plenty of fan input. Attendees who want to see a particular panel topic covered are provided with a handy suggestion form. There are many volunteer opportunities available, including a chance to join a "brain trust" mailing list to generate new ideas for events and panels. The Web site does not yet say what kind of online programming will be available to fans unable to travel to Pennsylvania this Aug. 30-Sept. 1. One assumes, however, that this information will be available as soon as possible.
This site is frequently updated as various aspects of programming and planning get firmed up, so it is worthwhile to visit often.
--A.M. Dellamonica
Site of the Week -- January 29, 2001
hat will all the best-dressed SF conventioneers be wearing this year? I'll place my bet on a simple white T-shirt whose front bears the boyishly smiling face of that uniquely gifted SF writer, Cordwainer Smith (along with his name in Chinese characters, translatable to "Forest of Incandescent Bliss"), and the back of which lists his "greatest hits," along with the URL of this extremely useful, sentimental and enlightening site.
Created only in July of 2000 by Smith's oldest daughter, Rosana Hart, this collection of biographical data, fiction samples, nifty products and books for sale, group discussion and anecdotes from those who knew Smith (1913-1966) has already become the watering hole around which all the fans and scholars of Smith's outrageously inventive fictional universe can gather to honor the memory of the man and his works, and to learn more.
Smith--born Paul Myron Anthony Linebarger--led a fascinating life, from his childhood in China (where he began to acquire his lifelong love for all things Oriental, a fascination evident in his writings) through his Cold War work for the CIA. But, of course, his career in science fiction is what he's mainly remembered for today. Smith, the author of scores of unique stories that formed a vast and bizarre future history, remains a touchstone for connoisseurs of the genre.
Hart has created a site that's alluring and easy to navigate, and one which offers enough to satisfy both the first-time visitor and the returning aficionado. You can share her personal reminiscences of her father, flip through the family photo album, get on the subscription list for her bimonthly e-zine, order books (including copies of Smith's rare early novel Ria), the aforementioned T-shirt and a matching coffee mug, or jump into the discussion group to bond with other Smithophiles. The most intriguing item available is a two-CD set of Smith himself reading one of his best short stories, "On the Sand Planet." This rare memento of a genius who died much too young should inspire the same shivery feelings that accompany "the crazy fugues and improper melodies of the Bezirk, closed to men for fifty-seven centuries--opened by accident, found, trespassed in!" --a music that only Smith could conceive, featured here in the excerpt from his Under Old Earth.
--Paul Di Filippo
Site of the Week -- January 29, 2001
escribing itself as "a guide to every Bruce Sterling work on the web,"
this page proudly proclaims itself to be created by fans and for a fan
audience. It delivers on both counts. Gathering up Sterling's non-fiction
for public consumption, the Index is a treasure trove for SF readers,
Internet junkies, environmentalists ... and anyone else who likes to read
thought-provoking material.
This is not a standard SF author's Web page. Though it contains some of
the elements a casual browser might expect--a biography and author photos,
for example--the content on this site is hard-core. The heart of the Index
is Sterling's columns--non-fiction pieces written for magazines including
Wired and The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction. The
columns are offered in their entirety, for free, and their subject matter
and scope are vast and intriguing. Also included in the Index are speeches,
interviews, RealAudio clips of Sterling reading his own work, and
recommended lists of books and periodicals. It even contains the Turkey
City Lexicon, a list of terms used by science fiction writers to assess and
workshop each others' writing.
Does the body of work described on this site sound substantial? It
should. Interested readers and fans can use this archive to literally
follow Sterling's mutating areas of interest over the course of the past
decade. Web surfers intrigued by his take on global warming or artificial
life do not have to settle for summaries and outtakes of his old work. The
columns are accessible through an interface which is simple and elegant,
attractive but not especially showy. The data is well-linked, easy to read,
and on offer to anyone who may be interested.
Naturally, the huge archive does not include Sterling's novels and short
stories. Its contents are primarily non-fiction. That said, the Bruce
Sterling On-Line Index is an absolutely perfect source of browsing
material. With every click, readers can find themselves challenged by
visionary ideas and new aesthetic challenges. This site is the ideal place
for anyone seeking a good and engaging read, whether it is about current
scientific developments, the artistic course of science fiction or the
possible shape of the future.
-- A.M. Dellamonica
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