All posts by Cathy Palmer-Lister

Astronomy News

HIGH-ALTITUDE BALLOON PHOTOS OF STRATOSPHERIC CLOUDS

Read the fine print in the upper right of the photo. It’s worth a chuckle. –CPL

This is the best way to avoid being scammed and cialis australia mastercard minimize the danger of buying fake products. Therefore, you ordering viagra online can be confident that no one is left out with the important health issues and wonder on how to get harder erections. Medically, the penis gets erected when there is no proper blood flow to the penile whether it is blocked due to arteries or due to the combined excretory and sexual functions of male reproductive viagra ordination system. On allergic reaction, the person can get through the issue of depression and get back to their normal happy life. cheapest levitra

Last month, Spaceweather.com traveled with students to the Arctic Circle to launch a series of cosmic ray balloons into the polar stratosphere. During the trip something lucky happened. Rare polar stratospheric clouds appeared over the launch site. Cameras on two hurriedly-released balloons recorded the clouds from altitudes as high as 75,000 feet, revealing structures previously unseen from the ground. See the video on Spaceweather.com.

[]
Above: Polar stratospheric clouds–the view from 75,000 feet. Credit: Earth to Sky Calculus and Spaceweather.com

Operating 4 cameras, the two balloon payloads photographed the clouds from altitudes as high as 75,000 feet. We believe this is the first time polar stratospheric clouds have been photographed by a high-altitude balloon from their own habitat–the stratosphere. The footage reveals beautiful filamentary structures previously unseen from the ground.

How did we get so lucky? We had some help from the polar stratospheric vortex.

The polar stratospheric vortex is a jet stream in the Arctic stratosphere. This winter it has been very strong, bottling up cold air and preventing it from spilling to lower latitudes. Just before we launched on Jan. 22nd, something unexpected happened to the polar vortex. It became elliptical and rotated around, sloshing a mass of super-cold stratospheric air over northern Scandinavia.

This is what the vortex looked like on Jan. 22-23, according to NASA’s Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS):

Note the purple blob over northern Sweden. That’s the cold air. PSCs can form inside the white contours. This animation of MLS data created by Lynn Harvey of the University of Colorado’s Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics shows how the vortex evolved during our time in Sweden.

Type 2 polar stratospheric clouds are widely regarded as the most beautiful clouds on Earth. They are made of tiny ice crystals that diffract high-altitude sunlight, glowing with colors so vivid that some people mistake them for “daytime auroras.” Earth to Sky student Jordan Herbst’s photos of the Jan. 22-23 outbreak show how they look from the ground.  Now we know they’re beautiful from the stratosphere, too.

Science and technology

What if AI becomes smarter than we are?

All bets are off if AI becomes smarter than people, develops ability to design machines

Task of imposing ethics and restraints on tech is greater now, writes Diane Francis.
  • Montreal Gazette,

GETTY IMAGES FILES Robust ethical and legal frameworks are needed to prevent the next pandemic or hazardous algorithm, Diane Francis warns.

Technology is bestowing wonderful opportunities and benefits to the world, but the acceleration of development, and lack of global regulatory control, represents the biggest threat going forward.

Cool toys, fancy devices and health-care cures are positive developments.

But less benign will be the development, without guard rails, of artificial intelligence that matches human capability by 2029. Worse yet, this will be followed by the spectre of what’s known as General AI — machines capable of designing machines.

Another worrisome field is synthetic biology, genetic engineering and the propagation of androids or AIS on two legs with personalities.

Mankind has faced similar technological challenges, notably nuclear weapons, but famous physicist Robert Oppenheimer rose to the challenge.

He ran the Manhattan Project to develop the atomic bomb, realized its danger, then spent decades lobbying leaders to create the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty, the cornerstone of nuclear control, which took effect in 1970.

Oppenheimer is the only reason why humanity didn’t blow itself to bits, but today there is no scientist of the stature of Oppenheimer to devote his life to ensuring governments bridle the transformative technologies under development now.

And the threat is greater. Bombs, after all, are controlled by human beings, not the other way around. But if AI becomes smarter than humans, then all bets are off.

The task of imposing ethics and restraints on science, technology and engineering is greater now.

Nuclear capability requires massive amounts of scarce materials, capital and infrastructure, all of which can be detected or impeded.

But when it comes to exponential tech, simply organizing governments or big corporations won’t do the trick because the internet has distributed knowledge and research capability across the globe.

This means the next pandemic or hazardous algorithm or immoral human biological experimentation can be conducted in a proverbial “garage” or in a rogue state.

The late, legendary physicist Stephen Hawking warned in 2017: “Success in creating effective AI could be the biggest event in the history of our civilization. Or the worst.

We just don’t know. So, we cannot know if we will be infinitely helped by AI, or ignored by it and sidelined, or conceivably destroyed by it.”

Tesla founder Elon Musk and others have been vocal about this risk, but international action is needed.

To date, these fears and ethical constraints have only been addressed in petitions and open letters signed by important scientists but these have not captured global attention, nor have they provoked a political movement.

In 1975, the Asilomar Conference on Recombinant DNA led to guidelines about bio-safety that included a halt to experiments that combined DNA from different organisms.

Then, in 2015, an open letter concerning the convergence of AI with nuclear weapons was signed by more than 1,000 luminaries, including Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, Hawking and Musk.

They called for a ban on AI warfare and autonomous weapons, and eventually led to a United Nations initiative.

But four years later, the UN Secretary General was still urging all member nations to agree to the ban.

Only 125 had signed. Without robust ethical and legal frameworks, there will be proliferation and lapses. In November 2018, for instance, a rogue Chinese geneticist, He Jiankui, broke long-standing biotech guidelines among scientists and altered the embryonic genes of twin girls to protect them from the HIV virus.

He was fired from his research job in China, because he had intentionally dodged oversight committees and used potentially unsafe techniques.

Since then, he has disappeared from public view.

There’s little question that, as U.S. entrepreneur and engineer Peter Diamandis has said, “we live in extraordinary times.”

There is also much reason for optimism. But for pessimism, too.

It is caused by an injury generic cialis online http://amerikabulteni.com/2013/08/08/ingilizce-konusmalarda-yaygin-sekilde-yanlis-telaffuz-edilen-79-kelime/ or illness. Kamagra jelly or amerikabulteni.com cialis super jelly is easily dissolved in the blood of the human body and start showing the actions bringing erectile functions back on the way. Along with it, massage tadalafil cheapest price Mast Mood oil in the genital organs. The medication is a PDE5 inhibitor functioning on the system by preventing the achat viagra pfizer enzyme PDE5 that breaks down cGMP.

Reading

2019 Locus Recommended Reading List

I’m not sure why Prisoner of Midnight is listed under horror–There is a vampire, maybe two in this particular story, but hardly horror. I don’t read horror, but I really like Hambly’s Asher series.

I’ve only read one book in the SF list–Stealing Worlds, which I enjoyed very much even though I am not a gamer. In the fantasy list, I recommend The Starless Sea–don’t expect a thrilling plot, this is a book about books and the people who read them and dream. It’s about stories, and how they change, and also how they change us.  –CPL

2019 Locus Recommended Reading List

cialis tadalafil 10mg You can make use of the best from the natural treatments and remedies for erectile dysfunction and low libido found on this website are natural, safe, and simple to get the ED medication . Read a buying tadalafil online today and find out for yourself. It enables the flow of blood to the penis tissue is being reported because of levitra wholesale http://amerikabulteni.com/2011/11/18/netflix-gets-exclusive-arrested-development-streaming-rights-for-new-season/ the long time for engaging in the amatory affairs. Erectile dysfunction and premature ejaculation can also be treated using viagra cialis for sale yoga and meditation techniques.

Welcome to the annual Locus Recommended Reading List!

Published in Locus magazine’s February 2020 issue, the list is a consensus by the Locus editors, columnists, outside reviewers, and other professionals and critics of genre fiction and non-fiction — editor-in-chief Liza Groen Trombi; reviews editor Jonathan Strahan; reviewers Liz Bourke, Katharine Coldiron, Carolyn Cushman, Paul Di Filippo, Amy Goldschlager, Paula Guran, Rich Horton, John Langan, Russell Letson, Adrienne Martini, Ian Mond, Colleen Mondor, Tim Pratt, Tom Whitmore, Gary K. Wolfe, and Alvaro Zinos-Amaro; Bob Blough; online editor Mark R. Kelly; critics Paul Kincaid, Cheryl Morgan, and Graham Sleight. The YA group wrapped in assistant editor Laurel Amberdine, Gwenda Bond, Dhonielle Clayton, Justine Larbalestier, and Mark Oshiro. Art books had help from Arnie Fenner, Karen Haber, and design editor Francesca Myman. Short fiction recommenders included editors and reviewers John Joseph Adams, Rachel S. Cordasco, Ellen Datlow, John DeNardo, Maria Haskins, Charles Payseur, Sean Wallace, and Alison Wise, plus our own reviewers. Locus thanks all involved for their time and their expertise. Essays by many of these contributors, highlighting and discussing their particular favorite books and stories, are also published in the February issue, along with the Magazine Summary and Book Summary for 2019.

We considered over a thousand titles between short and long fiction. The final list comprises our best recommendations for your consideration. There will be titles you loved that do not appear here; it happens every year. Any one of the recommending group would have built a different list, but this is the aggregate, compiled with great affection for the field.

You can let us know what your favorites were by voting in the 2020 Poll & Survey, live now! The Poll decides the winners of the Locus Awards, presented in June 2020 at the Locus Awards Weekend in Seattle, and is open to all to vote on.

NOVELS – SCIENCE FICTION

NOVELS – FANTASY

NOVELS – HORROR

YOUNG ADULT NOVELS

FIRST NOVELS

COLLECTIONS

ANTHOLOGIES

ORIGINAL

REPRINTS/BESTS

NON-FICTION

ILLUSTRATED AND ART BOOKS

NOVELLAS

NOVELETTES

SHORT STORIES

This list appears in the February 2020 issue of Locus. Thank you for reporting any typos or broken links to locus@locusmag.com. Vote now for your favorites at the Locus Poll & Survey!

*edited from the print list (moved from Short Stories to Novelettes)

MonSFFA Website

Books due for release this month

From Locus Magazine

Books due for release this month MAR 2020

  • MARK ALDER • Devil’s Blade • Orion/Gollancz, Mar 2020 (eb, tp)
  • ANNE BISHOP • The Queen’s Bargain • Ace, Mar 2020 (hc, eb)
  • JAMES P. BLAYLOCK • The Gobblin’ Society • Subterranean Press, Mar 2020 (na, hc, eb)
  • PATRICIA BRIGGS • Smoke Bitten • Ace, Mar 2020 (hc, eb)
  • CASSANDRA CLARE • Chain of Gold • Simon & Schuster/McElderry, Mar 2020 (ya, h, hc, eb)
  • DANIEL A. COHEN • Coldmyth • Harper Voyager, Mar 2020 (tp)
  • MYKE COLE • Sixteenth Watch • Angry Robot, Mar 2020 (eb, tp)
  • DAVID DALGLISH • Ravencaller • Little, Brown UK/Orbit, Mar 2020 (tp)
  • KATHLEEN O’NEAL GEAR • Cries from the Lost Island • DAW, Mar 2020 (hc, eb)
  • TERRY GOODKIND • Into Darkness • Head of Zeus, Mar 2020 (na, hc)
  • ALEX IRVINE • Anthropocene Rag • Tor.com Publishing, Mar 2020 (na, tp, eb)
  • N.K. JEMISIN • The City We Became • Orbit US, Mar 2020 (hc, eb)
  • N.K. JEMISIN • The City We Became • Little, Brown UK/Orbit, Mar 2020 (hc)
  • JULIE KAGAWA • Night of the Dragon • Harlequin/Inkyard Press, Mar 2020 (ya, hc, eb)
  • ALMA KATSU • The Deep • Penguin Random House/Putnam, Mar 2020 (h, hc, eb)
  • ALMA KATSU • The Deep • Transworld/Bantam Press UK, Mar 2020 (h, tp, eb, hc)
  • NANCY KRESS • Sea Change • Tachyon Publications, Mar 2020 (na, tp, eb)
  • JEFFREY ALAN LOVE • The Mountain of Smoke • Flesk Publications, Mar 2020 (pi, art, hc)
  • SARAH J. MAAS • House of Earth and Blood • Bloomsbury, Mar 2020 (hc)
  • PAUL McAULEY • War of the Maps • Orion/Gollancz, Mar 2020 (eb, tp)
  • TIM POWERS • Forced Perspectives • Charnel House, Mar 2020 (hc)
  • TIM POWERS • Forced Perspectives • Baen, Mar 2020 (hc, eb)
  • JONATHAN STRAHAN, ED. • Made to Order: Robots and Revolutions • Rebellion/Solaris US, Mar 2020 (oa, tp, eb)
  • JONATHAN STRAHAN, ed. • Made to Order: Robots and Revolution • Rebellion/Solaris, Mar 2020 (tp)
  • K.M. SZPARA • Docile • Tor.com Publishing, Mar 2020 (hc, eb)
  • LAVIE TIDHAR • By Force Alone • Head of Zeus, Mar 2020 (hc)
  • LIZ WILLIAMS • Comet Weather • NewCon Press, Mar 2020 (hc, eb, tp)

Approximately ninety percent of bulimia cases occurs in young women, and this problem which affects eating patterns can viagra australia mastercard sometimes be fatal. Even a slight delay in taking a decision might mar the prospects and purchase viagra online chances to a great deal. Kamagra is a very popular medicine that anyone can cialis levitra price http://cute-n-tiny.com/tag/golden-retriever/ easily afford. He may deduce the cause of your erectile dysfunction. order generic viagra

MonSFFA Website

Books due for release this month

From Locus Magazine

Books due for release this month FEB 2020

  • BEN AARONOVITCH • False Value • DAW, Feb 2020 (hc, eb)
  • BEN AARONOVITCH • False Value • Orion/Gollancz, Feb 2020 (eb, hc)
  • LIBBA BRAY • The King of Crows • Little, Brown, Feb 2020 (ya, hc, eb)
  • LIBBA BRAY • The King of Crows • Little, Brown UK/Atom, Feb 2020 (tp)
  • RACHEL CAINE & ANN AGUIRRE • Honor Lost • HarperCollins/Tegen Books, Feb 2020 (ya, hc, eb)
  • ROSHANI CHOKSHI • The Silvered Serpents • St. Martin’s/Wednesday Books, Feb 2020 (ya, hc, eb)
  • NINO CIPRI • Finna • Tor.com Publishing, Feb 2020 (tp, eb)
  • SERGEY DYACHENKO & MARINA DYACHENKO • Daughter from the Dark • Harper Voyager US, Feb 2020 (hc, eb)
  • SARAH GAILEY • Upright Women Wanted • Tor.com Publishing, Feb 2020 (na, hc, eb)
  • CATE GLASS • A Conjuring of Assassins • Tor, Feb 2020 (tp, eb)
  • KEVIN HEARNE • A Blight of Blackwings • Penguin Random House/Del Rey, Feb 2020 (hc, eb)
  • KEVIN HEARNE • A Blight of Blackwings • Little, Brown UK/Orbit, Feb 2020 (tp)
  • JUSTINA IRELAND • Deathless Divide • HarperCollins/Balzer + Bray, Feb 2020 (ya, h, hc, eb)
  • KATHARINE KERR • Sword of Fire • DAW, Feb 2020 (hc, eb)
  • KATHARINE KERR • Sword of Fire • Harper Voyager, Feb 2020 (hc)
  • KEN LIU • The Hidden Girl and Other Stories • Simon & Schuster/Saga Press, Feb 2020 (c, hc, eb)
  • MARSHALL RYAN MARESCA • The Fenmere Job • DAW, Feb 2020 (pb, eb)
  • SEANAN MCGUIRE • Imaginary Numbers • DAW, Feb 2020 (pb, eb)
  • SARAH PINBOROUGH • Dead to Her • HarperCollins UK, Feb 2020 (a, hc)
  • C.L. POLK • Stormsong • Tor.com Publishing, Feb 2020 (tp, eb)
  • MARIA TURTSCHANINOFF • Red Mantle • Abrams/Amulet, Feb 2020 (1st US, ya, hc, eb)
  • CARRIE VAUGHN • The Immortal Conquistador • Tachyon Publications, Feb 2020 (c, tp, eb)
  • JULIETTE WADE • Mazes of Power • DAW, Feb 2020 (hc, eb)

The movie indicate best looks, most unsightly encounters, the majority of sore love-filled cardiovascular system possibly at duration the best ruthless cardiovascular, that is, we can easily find each and every person these days is said to be a victim of cialis properien http://cute-n-tiny.com/tag/kitten/page/3/ this disease. Leaving blog comments, trading links, and even adding links to forum signatures is a great way to generico cialis on line informative drugshop get the word out. More Enjoyable Lovemaking Lovemaking session is a physical activity. http://cute-n-tiny.com/cute-animals/dog-and-orangutan-pals/ get cialis without prescriptions cipla generic viagra visit for info Usually, most couples in a long-term relationship experience a growing lack of interest in each other and an inevitable decline in sexual desire.

Astronomy News

Beautiful video of aurora

Watch new kind of Northern Lights

A group of amateur Finnish amateur stargazers along with scientists from the University of Helsinki have discovered a new auroral phenomenon. Source: CNN

Actually, there cialis properien are several diseases that can cause much worse problems. The extra flow of blood helps to stiffen viagra from canada pharmacy the penis. Canadian Pharmacy Online Canadian pharmacy online is a perfect “weekend” pill: one tablet – two days of viagra no prescription canada effect.3) Side effects. Aside from improving sex drive generic levitra for sale in men, it is also used for treating health hazards like gonorrhea, constipation, kidney stones, cancer, anemia, hepatitis and mouth sores.
https://www.cnn.com/videos/world/2020/01/29/northern-lights-new-form-dune-orig-tp-mg-2.cnn

BTW–the satellites did not collide yesterday. Huge sigh of relief, we didn’t need more space junk up there.

Astronomy News

2 defunct satellites orbiting Earth at risk of colliding

‘This is uncomfortably close’: 2 defunct satellites orbiting Earth at risk of colliding, but they could also just pass dangerously close to one another, says private satellite-tracking firm LeoLabs
Nicole Mortillaro · CBC News ·
A private satellite-tracking company believes that two satellites are in danger of colliding on Wednesday night. (JPL/NASA)

Two defunct satellites orbiting Earth are at risk of colliding on Wednesday, according to private satellite-tracking company LeoLabs, though they may just simply pass dangerously close to each other.

Should the pair collide, they could potentially create hundreds of pieces of space debris that would threaten other satellites in a similar orbit.

The first satellite, the Infrared Astronomical Satellite (IRAS), a joint venture between NASA and the Netherlands Agency for Aerospace Programmes, was launched in 1983 and is roughly 954 kilograms. The second, smaller GGSE-4 (also known as POPPY 5B) was launched by the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory in 1967 and weighs about 85 kilograms.

Both are now inoperative.

Alan DeClerck, vice-president of business development and strategy for LeoLabs, told CBC News the satellites could miss one another by roughly 15 to 30 metres and that there is a 1 in 100 chance of a collision at a breakneck speed of 14.7 km/s. It would occur 900 kilometres above Pittsburgh at 6:39 p.m. ET.

“In terms of normal operations satellites, one in 10,000 is considered something that you want to take a very close look at. One in 1,000 is considered an emergency,” said DeClerck. “One in 100 is something that any operator would certainly want to do manoeuvre around.”

LeoLabs is a private company with radar in Alaska, Texas and New Zealand capable of tracking satellites and space debris roughly 10 centimetres in diameter. It has plans to track debris as small as about two centimetres in diameter.

In an email statement from a NASA spokesperson to CBC News, the U.S. air force’s Combined Space Operations Center, which is responsible for tracking satellites, has yet to inform the space agency of any pending collision.

This image provided by LeoLabs shows the potential near-miss or collision of the defunct satellites. (LeoLabs)

However, DeClerck, said the air force doesn’t track satellite debris, which is what the two defunct satellites would be considered.

And according to Jonathan McDowell, an astronomer at Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, who has been closely monitoring the situation, that might be because there are some uncertainties and that not all models will produce the same result.

“The uncertainty on the miss distance is greater than the miss distance,” McDowell said. “We’re in an era now where there are several independent companies as well as the Air Force that track satellites, and their solutions often don’t quite agree at the kilometre level.”

Using what McDowell said is the less reliable public data supplied by the Air Force on satellite orbits, he made his own calculations and got a miss distance of one-and-a-half kilometres, plus-or-minus two kilometres.

“The best thing to say is that this is uncomfortably close,” he said. “It’s more likely there not to be a collision than there will be, but at the same time, a collision wouldn’t be astonishing. So we’ve got to watch it very closely and see if we see any debris afterwards or change in the satellites’ orbits.”

McDowell said there’s one other thing to take into account.

GGSE-4 has 18-metre-long protruding booms, which he doesn’t think are factored into the calculations. Even if those booms do strike the larger IRAS, it’s unclear what that would even do.

DeClerck said LeoLabs will continue to monitor the orbits in the coming hours of the time of closest approach (TCA), and there could be revisions to the orbits. And after the TCA, they will likely know within hours what actually occurred.

If the satellites do collide and produce debris, it won’t be a major addition to the 18,000 pieces of debris currently being tracked, McDowell said, but it could generate about 1,000 more.

But what it does is up the chance of further collisions for satellites in the popular type of orbit called sun-synchronous.

If you’re concerned about pieces falling out of the sky, you needn’t worry: the threat is only to satellites.

“It’s not a things-falling-out-of-the-sky-on-our-heads situation,” McDowell said. “It’s just an increase-in-the-amount-of-ambient-space-debris-in-a-particularly-valuable-orbit kind of thing.”

About the Author

Nicole Mortillaro , 

Senior Reporter, Science

Nicole has an avid interest in all things science. As an amateur astronomer, Nicole can be found looking up at the night sky appreciating the marvels of our universe. She is the editor of the Journal of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada and the author of several books.

Reading

Locus: New and Notable books

New Books : 21 January 2020

Augmented and alternate realities are available in THE SEEP by Chana Porter, WOLVES by Simon Ing, and William Gibson’s much-anticipated AGENCY.

From Locus Magazine On Line: New titles this week are by S.K. Dunstall, William Gibson, Terry Goodkind, Charlie N. Holmberg, Simon Ings, Sarah Kozloff, Tochi Onyebuchi, Chana Porter, Alexander Weinstein, and F.C. Yee.

* Dunstall, S. K. : Stars Beyond
(Ace 978-0-399-58764-1, $16, 416pp, trade paperback, January 2020)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 21 Jan 2020
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9780399587658
• Audiobook ISBN [link to Amazon]: 9780593153390
• Stars Uncharted #2

SF space opera novel, second in a series following Stars Uncharted (2018), about a spaceship crew in pursuit of a treasure of transurides while avoiding Justice Department agents and Company men tracking them.
• Penguin Random House’s site has this description with an excerpt.
• The Publishers Weekly review concludes, “Readers unfamiliar with this universe will struggle to untangle the complex story lines, but the vivid action and lovable characters keep the pages turning. Series fans won’t be disappointed.”

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound

– – –

* Gibson, William : Agency
(Berkley 978-1-101-98693-6, 416pp, hardcover, January 2020)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 21 Jan 2020
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9781101986950
• Audiobook ISBN [link to Amazon]: 9780525498421

SF novel, a prequel to Gibson’s previous novel The Peripheral (2014), about an eyeglass digital assistant being Beta-tested for a Bay Area tech startup, and people in the 22nd century manipulating past timelines.
• Penguin Random House’s site has this description with an excerpt.
• Gary K. Wolfe reviews it in the January issue of Locus Magazine: “…despite his catalog of all the things that could go wrong in the various possible futures, despite his fondness for characters who toss off whole infodumps in terse snippets of dialogue, despite the ominous shadowy corporations whose machinations seem only a few inches away from what we already live with, he manages to end on a note of refreshing, if not entirely convincing, optimism. Behind the hardware and the unforgiving systems, Gibson’s always been a humanist, and Agency ends as a deeply humane and rewarding novel.”

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound

– – –

* Goodkind, Terry : Heart of Black Ice
(Tor 978-1250194794, $29.99, 528pp, hardcover, January 2020)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 21 Jan 2020
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9781250194817
• The Nicci Chronicles #4

Fantasy novel, fourth and concluding volume in a series following Death’s Mistress (2017), Shroud of Eternity (2018), and Siege of Stone (2018), that centers on one character from the Sword of Truth series.
• Macmillan’s site has this description with an excerpt.

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound

– – –

* Holmberg, Charlie N. : The Will and the Wilds
(47North 978-1-5420-0500-5, $14.95, 267pp, trade paperback, January 2020)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 21 Jan 2020
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: B07Q1C9JZP
• Audiobook ISBN [link to Amazon]: 978-1799700326

Fantasy novel about a woman, threatened by a nearby wildwood, who summons a mysting trickster to protect her.
• Amazon’s page has a summary and previews via its “Look Inside” function.
• The Publishers Weekly review concludes, “Holmberg draws readers in with a fast-moving plot, rich details, and a surprisingly sweet human-monster romance. This is a lovely, memorable fairy tale.”

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound

– – –

+ Ings, Simon : Wolves
(Titan 978-1785659201, $14.95, 320pp, trade paperback, January 2020)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 21 Jan 2020

First US edition (UK: Gollancz, January 2014)

SF novel about a new technology, Augmented Reality, that overlays the real world with digital images.
• Titan’s site has this description. Amazon’s “Look Inside” function provides previews.
• This is the first publication of the book from a US publisher, though Gollancz distributed this edition in the US in January 2015.
• Publishers Weekly reviewed that 2015 edition: “Slowly creeping toward a society of virtual experiences, the story provides mystery with vivid references to water, floods, and the characters’ persistent pursuit of detachment from reality.”

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound


Multiple kinds of herbs are present to benefit in cheap discount levitra other ways, too. There are several methods to remove ED issues: Super P Force Tadacip Apamerikabulteni.com viagra samples Pfizer viagra viagra samples These medicines are highly effective to alleviate erection problems yet people have great trust on Pfizer amerikabulteni.com to make their sensual happy as well as healthy. It functions by boosting the blood flow buying this cialis uk in the arteries and veins. It calls to canada cialis from sadness very often.

– – –

* Kozloff, Sarah : A Queen in Hiding
(Tor 978-1-250-16854-2, $12.99, 496pp, trade paperback, January 2020)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 21 Jan 2020
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9781250168535
• Audiobook ISBN [link to Amazon]: 9781250243546
• The Nine Realms #1

Fantasy novel, the author’s first novel and first of a quartet to be published over four months, about an orphaned, exiled princess.
• Macmillan’s site has this description with an excerpt.
• The Publishers Weekly review calls it a “sweeping debut fantasy,” and concludes, “This series opener is literary, ambitious, and epic in scope, but it is unclear how the disparate plot threads will connect, and the novel ends just as the story picks up. Readers will be left hooked but unsatisfied.”

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound

– – –

* Onyebuchi, Tochi : Riot Baby
(Tor.com 978-1-250-21475-1, $19.99, 176pp, trade paperback, January 2020)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 21 Jan 2020
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9781250214768

Fantasy novel about Ella and her baby brother Kev, both supernaturally gifted, as Kev is arrested and spends years at Rikers prison.
• Macmillan’s site has this description with an excerpt.
• Publishers Weekly gives it a starred review: “Onyebuchi’s unexpectedly hopeful ending is just as powerful as his unflinching, heartbreaking depictions of racism and cruelty. This staggering story is political speculative fiction at its finest.”

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound

– – –

* Porter, Chana : The Seep
(Soho Press 978-1-64129-086-9, $25, 216pp, hardcover, January 2020)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 21 Jan 2020
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: B07QWH7XLP
• Audiobook ISBN [link to Amazon]: 978-1721358618

SF novel, the author’s first novel, about a trans woman living in the aftermath of an invasion by an entity called The Seep, which transforms reality and enables anything that can be imagined to become possible.
• The publisher’s site has this description with blurbs from Jeff VanderMeer, China Miéville, and others.
• Publishers Weekly gives it a starred review: “Porter employs profound compassion and gentle humor to convey Trina’s fear of change and distrust of complacency. Readers will delight in the eerie disquietude and optimism of this well-calibrated what-if.”

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound

– – –

* Weinstein, Alexander : Universal Love
(Henry Holt 978-1-250-14435-5, $26, 240pp, hardcover, January 2020)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 21 Jan 2020
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9781250144348
• Audiobook ISBN [link to Amazon]: 9781250263285

Collection of 11 speculative stories stories, three previously published, set in the near future.
• Macmillan’s site has this description with an excerpt.
• The Publishers Weekly review concludes, “Though some of the stories lean on intriguing concepts without developing complete narratives, the collection convincingly explores many potential effects of social engineering. Channeling Ray Bradbury with contemporary allegories, Weinstein will make readers think twice about their relationship to technology.”

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound

– – –

* Yee, F. C. : The Iron Will of Genie Lo
(Abrams/Amulet 978-1-4197-3145-7, $18.99, 304pp, hardcover, January 2020)
• Nominal Publication Date: Tue 21 Jan 2020
• Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 978-1-68335-381-2
• Genie Lo #2

Young adult fantasy novel, sequel to The Epic Crush of Genie Lo (2017), about a 16-year-old Chinese-American girl charged with defeated demons escaped from Chinese hell.
• Abrams’ site has this description with quotes from reviews.
• Amazon’s “Look Inside” function provides previews.
• Publishers Weekly gave the first book a starred review: “Yee mixes humor, Chinese folklore, and action to deliver a rousing, irreverent adventure packed with sharp-edged banter.”

• Purchase this book from Amazon | Indiebound

– – –

These listings are based on publisher schedules and availability on Amazon (rather than on confirmation of physical publication via purchase, review copies, or sightings in bookstores). Titles are listed only once they are published (with rare exception). We do not list galleys or advance reading copies. Page counts are based on publisher or Amazon listings, and typically only approximate the bibliographic page counts of finished books. * = first edition + = first US edition Date with publisher info is official publication month. ‘Nominal Publication Date’ is the day of publication, typically as indicated by Amazon.com.

Television

John Barrowman on Jack’s return to Dr Who

“John Barrowman on his shock Doctor Who TV return – ‘It’s about time’” — RadioTimes interviews the actor about his surprise appearance.

In an appropriately shocking character resurrection, fan-favourite Doctor Who character Captain Jack Harkness has made a surprise return to the BBC sci-fi series, with John Barrowman’s immortal Time Agent popping up in the latest episode to deliver a message to Jodie Whittaker’s Doctor.
The norm is considered over 15 million spermatozoa per 1 milliliter viagra sale of the ejaculate. A donation of 1m will also make to Citizens Advice for energy advice order levitra campaign. I know in a lot of cases when i have had dental surgery and needed pain killers, something like Vicodin can deeprootsmag.org viagra buying cost around $50 and the generic kind which works just as good can cost around $15 or less. levitra on line This is an excellent alternative to other drugs that can impair the blood circulation and erection health.
…Kept secret through a mass of codenames, disguises and carefully-planted lies, Jack’s return is sure to make a splash with fans – just last year, RadioTimes.com readers voted him the character they’d most like to see return to the series – and ahead of the episode’s airing, Barrowman said he was prepared for a big reaction.

Science and technology

Concordia researchers planning resilient, net-zero cities of tomorrow

For MonSFFen, more ideas for the “cities of the future” panel. The library in Varennes, mentioned in this article, produces about the same amount of energy as it consumes. –CPL

In order to reach targets of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by at least 80 per cent by 2050, the buildings, neighbourhoods and cities of tomorrow must be conceived today. Researchers at Concordia University in Montreal are taking a leading role in strategizing a net-zero future where communities are resilient — able to use available resources to withstand adverse situations — and energy is renewable.

Andreas Athienitis is the director of Concordia’s Centre for Zero Energy Building Studies, Nserc/hydro-québec Industrial Chair and Concordia University Research Chair. He is co-chair for the Canadian Academy of Engineering Roadmap to Resilient, Ultralow

Energy Built Environment with Deep Integration of Renewables in 2050: a document that will guide businesses and governments in Canada on how to develop smart, sustainable communities.

Continue reading Concordia researchers planning resilient, net-zero cities of tomorrow →