The 2003 Nebula Awards ballot is up. There's links to online short stories, excerpts from novels, and to the Amazon listing for the novels. I'm surprised, and sad, to say that I've read very few of the works that are listed. However, "The Empire of Ice Cream" by Jeffrey Ford is nominated under novelettes and that was a fantastic story. So that's where I'll be rooting.
(Link found at Return of the Reluctant.)

Following some blog rolls around, I found Ptarmigan, written by Alan Deniro. I immediately fell in love with it for this entry:

"National Dungeons and Dragons Meetup Day falls on the 14th of every month. Valentine's Day. Never has there been a more succinct, yet apt, description of myself at 17."

I wish I had written that line.

Lucius Shepard, a great writer and reviewer, will apparently have a Web site at that link soon. In the meantime, there's an odd picture there. Bookmark it now!

Here's a new Web site for the 2004 remake of Dark Shadows. Why are they making this again? They tried it in the early '90s and it didn't fly. (although I thought the show was pretty good at the time. Haven't seen it since.) While I'm at it, "Battlestar Galactica" was picked up by the SciFi Channel. Production is about to start on 13 one-hour episodes.

Shark attack! But, you know, a rather silly one: "Luke Tresoglavic swam 1,000 feet to shore, walked to his car and drove to the local surf club with the 23-inch shark biting his leg and refusing to let go."

Technology in revolt!

Ninja granny.

World's oldest insect found, in a drawer. Here's the first couple paragraphs of the New York Times story: "Scientists say they have discovered the world's oldest known insect fossil a 400 million-year-old set of minuscule jaws that lay unrecognized for nearly a century in a lonely drawer at the Natural History Museum in London.
The findings, being published on Thursday in the journal Nature, pushes the date for the appearance of insects, one of the most successful life forms on earth, some 10 million to 20 million years back in the fossil record. And they suggest that insects were among the first animals to live on land."

The Chesapeake Bay monster, called Chessie, has been identified as a manatee during the '90s. However, some of the earlier sitings have yet to be dismissed.

Now here is a fine, fine gift for your loved one at Valentine's Day.

Three Wise Men were neither wise, nor men. Discuss.

Space Station crew see unidentified "20-centimetre long strip of soft material." They say they may never know what it is. (Although people suspect insulation or something similar.)

Woman marries her dead husband. Isn't that a sweet story for Valentine's Day?

Update on that sea lion from yesterday. Apparently, it was suffering from a bullet in head. Enough to screw up anyone's sense of direction, I'm sure. (This link has pictures and video too.)

Richard Linklater is going to be filming a version of Philip K. Dick's "A Scanner Darkly." Dick's work has been filmed again and again lately and few people have done anything worthwhile with it. (The one's who did either ignored the source material ("Blade Runner") or created a movie that was Dick-like ("The Matrix") but not a direct adaptation.) The good thing about this news, Linklater has expressed an interest in Dick before. He has a small part in his movie "Waking Life" where he talks about Dick and his understanding of reality. The only problem I see is that Linklater has a tendency to be wordy. His characters like to go off on long speeches at the drop of a hat.
(Link found at Website @ the End of the Universe.)

Julius Schwartz has died. Anybody who has been into comic books or science fiction has been touched by this guy's work, whether you know it or not. Here's an appreciation of him by Mark Evanier. Here's what Neil Gaiman, Nick Mamatas, DC Comics, and Marv Wolfman have to say about him. Harlan Ellison is writing an obituary for the New York Times. When I see that, I'll update this entry with a link.

Return of the Reluctant has an excellent post on what's wrong with a proposed remake of "Assault on Precinct 13." (I didn't even know someone was remaking it, and it sounds like it shouldn't be.) I haven't seen that movie in years, but I loved the trapped feeling you have in that film. There's no way out, what can you do? I have to see it again.
I seem to be on something of a John Carpenter kick lately. I just bought the Collector's Edition DVD of "The Thing" the other day. That movie holds up extremely well (despite a few holes I can now see in the plot.) Next I want to buy the "Escape from New York" special edition. Between 1975 and 1985, Carpenter was at the top of his game.

Here's news my friend Charles probably knew months ago. The original Star Wars trilogy is coming out on DVD on Sept. 21. Huzzah!

Pop star has to make a tough decision between his baboon and his wife.

Well, I seem to have failed at the 50 Books Project. I couldn't think to say anything about Nova by Samuel Delany. It's a great book, filled with some good characters and a detailed space opera setting. But what can I add to it that other people haven't already said. Here is a review by someone who wasn't bowled over by it. (I feel differently. I've read it three times and could read it hundreds more.)
I just finished Jack Faust by Michael Swanwick. It was excellent. It retold the Faust tragedy with Mephistopheles played by an alien intelligence who wants nothing more than to wipe out humanity. To do that, they give Faust all the knowledge he seeks and he changes his world.
I've always been fascinated by the Faust tale. I read Christopher Marlowe's version when I was in college. It was shortly followed by a translation of Goethe's version. I've also enjoyed Randy Newman's Faust. (I disagree with that review by the way. I think the humor, especially in the conversations between God and the Devil, is great.)
Swanwick really takes on modern technology and its effect on society and what unlimited knowledge could really mean. It's good stuff. I'm surprised the book hasn't gotten more attention. I'm so glad I picked the book up for $2 from a "Buck a Book" store a couple of years ago. Best $2 ever spent.
So, while I may have more to say about the books I read, consider me a failure at the 50 Books Project.