Tuesday, March 11, 2014
Croc Update (I Am a Camera Edition)
Mail Online: A 50-second video shows five-metre saltwater crocodile attack a camera
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
Wendy Hughes, R. I. P.
NYTimes.com: Wendy Hughes, an Australian actress known internationally for her roles in “My Brilliant Career” and other movies, died on Saturday in Sydney. She was 61.
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
Joe McGinniss, R. I. P.
NYTimes.com: Joe McGinniss, the author who reported on political campaigns and murder cases in the books “The Selling of the President” and “Fatal Vision,” died on Monday. He was 71.
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
Overlooked Movies: Robinson Crusoe on Mars
I've been hearing good things about a new book called The Martian, and I was reminded of this movie, which I saw in the theater long ago. We've learned a lot about Mars since then, and we know that nearly nothing in this movie is possible. That doesn't mean it's not still fun, though.Paul Mantee plays Draper, the survivor of a space accident. Adam West plays the other astronaut, but he's in the movie only briefly. He doesn't survive. A monkey named Mona does, though, and makes the movie more fun.
Draper learns how to survive on Mars and eventually finds himself a man Friday, an alien enslaved by other aliens. There's some cat-and-mousing as the masters try to retrieve their slave, and the canals of Mars come into play.
I can't guarantee you'll like this movie as much as I did when I first saw it, but you might if you can put aside your disbelief for a while. It has a very high rating on Rotten Tomatoes, if that matters to you.
Monday, March 10, 2014
Alan Rodgers, R. I. P.
Alan Rodgers - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: Alan Rodgers (1959 - 8 March 2014) was a science fiction and horror writer, editor, and poet. In the mid-eighties he was the editor for Night Cry. His short stories have been published in a number of venues, including Weird Tales, Twilight Zone and a number of anthologies, such as Darker Masques, Prom Night, and Vengeance Fantastic. His novelette "The Boy Who Came Back From the Dead" won the Bram Stoker Award for Best Long Fiction in 1987 and was nominated for the World Fantasy Award.
Uh-Oh
The Star Wars Trilogy: Then, a couple of weeks ago an OriginalTrilogy.com member calling him (or her) self "Tasjo" picked up an original first generation VHS recording of the Star Wars Holiday Special from WHIO in Dayton Ohio.
Bouchercon Memories
The other day I was trying to clear away some of the clutter in my office, and what to my wondering eyes should appear but the program from the first Bouchercon I ever attended. It was number XI, and it was held in Washington, D. C. I thought some of you might like to have a look at the program, too, especially those of you who've attended a Bouchercon in recent years. There's a difference. If size matters, the current Bouchercons are so much bigger that it's hard to explain. So I'll let the program speak for itself.Look at the guest list first. There are familiar names there, and some of the people represented are no longer among us. I miss them all. The good news is that a lot of them are still around. A little older, perhaps. Okay, a lot older. But still here and still going to Bouchercon.
Then look at the program. Yes, that's all of it, right there on two uncrowded pages. In those days, it was easy to go to everything on the program, and I'm pretty sure I did.
The highlight of the convention for me, however, was meeting the DAPA-Em gang in person for the first time. You know who you are. I didn't have a camera with me on the trip, so I don't have a record of it. A physical record, that is. A lot of it is in memory yet green. Besides the convention, Judy and I toured the White House, the Smithsonian, and the Washington Monument. And then there was that great trip to the bookstore in a station wagon piloted by Art Scott. What was the name of that place? Chaos Unlimited? I remember finding Roughneck by Jim Thompson there, and a second printing of John D. MacDonald's Weep for Me. Probably paid a quarter for them. On the way back to the convention we were treated to a dramatic reading of selected passages from Michael Avallone's The Bouncing Betty by the inimitable John Nimienski. I miss the old days.
New Poem at the 5-2
The 5-2 Crime Poetry Weekly: Catherine Wald: Catherine Wald
TAKE A BITE OUT OF CRIME
Sunday, March 09, 2014
William Clay Ford Sr., R. I. P.
NY Daily News: William Clay Ford, the owner of the Detroit Lions and last surviving grandchild of automotive pioneer Henry Ford, has died. He was 88.
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
First It Was the Thin Mints Melee
Big Gym Fight Has Police Hoping LA Fitness Beefs Up Security : It started all on the basketball court over a call and escalated, moving into the main fitness area.
“People were actually throwing two and a half, five, 10 pound weights within the building,” said Police Lt. Lorne Rosand.
“People were actually throwing two and a half, five, 10 pound weights within the building,” said Police Lt. Lorne Rosand.
Ken Bruen -- Purgatory
I've read all Ken Bruen's Jack Taylor novels, and if there's one thing I've learned, it's that being Jack's friend is possibly more dangerous than being Travis McGee's girlfriend. This book really doubles down on that. While Jack is personally doing pretty well, especially financially, you can't say the same for anyone he knows. Jack's clean and sober (some of the time), and a serial killer known as C33 wants him to play. Jack's not interested, so C33 has fun without him. And with him, too. There's a slight attempt at misdirection, but I don't think anybody's going to be surprised at C33's identity.
Galway is depicted vividly and sadly here, as it often is, with priests and coppers figuring in. There are references to past novels that long-time readers of the series (like me) will appreciate. And there's one passage that's so meta that I have to quote it here. Mr. Westbury, a lawyer, says to Jack, "'What a turn of phrase you have. Have you ever considered writing? They tell me mystery is the money spinner these days and Lord knows, you talk in a disjointed fashion that might even pass for style." Any fan of Bruen's work will get a laugh out of that. Check it out.
Martin Gottfried, Theater Critic and Author, Dies at 80 - NYTimes.com
NYTimes.com: Martin Gottfried, a drama critic and the author of several biographies of entertainers and playwrights as well as two influential studies of the Broadway musical, died on Thursday in Manhattan. He was 80.
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
Saturday, March 08, 2014
I Miss the Old Days
Retrospace: Album Covers #42: Vinyl Vixens
In these more enlightened times, some album covers might not be SFW.
In these more enlightened times, some album covers might not be SFW.
Sheila MacRae, R. I. P.
Fox News: Sheila MacRae , a veteran stage, film and TV performer best known for playing Alice Kramden in the 1960s re-creation of "The Honeymooners", has died. She was 92.
The actress died Thursday at the Lillian Booth Actors Home in Englewood, N.J., MacRae's granddaughter, Allison Mullavey, told The Associated Press on Friday.
A singer, dancer and actress, she was married to "Oklahoma" star Gordon MacRae for 26 years and they appeared together in 1964 on "The Ed Sullivan Show" when the Beatles were featured.
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
The actress died Thursday at the Lillian Booth Actors Home in Englewood, N.J., MacRae's granddaughter, Allison Mullavey, told The Associated Press on Friday.
A singer, dancer and actress, she was married to "Oklahoma" star Gordon MacRae for 26 years and they appeared together in 1964 on "The Ed Sullivan Show" when the Beatles were featured.
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
Friday, March 07, 2014
AbeBooks: Most Expensive Sales in February 2014
AbeBooks: Most Expensive Sales in February 2014: Last month’s most expensive sales on AbeBooks span five centuries of natural history, physics and philosophy, and fiction. There are also two significant contributions from 20th century artists and the ultimate book for North American tree-spotters.
FFB: Omnibus of Science Fiction -- Groff Conklin, Editor
Here's a bit of nostalgia for you. Imagine that you're a kid in the mid-1950s and that you've fallen in love with SF. And that you see the ad to the left on the back cover of a magazine you've just bought. That's what happened to me, and the ad is why I joined the Science Fiction Book Club. I bought the three books at the top of the circle, and I still have them.My favorite of the three was Groff Conklin's Omnibus of Science Fiction. A look at the table of contents below should give you a clue as to why. First of all, it was a huge book, over 550 pages. And secondly, the stories are all great. Okay, maybe not now, maybe not to you, but they were to me way back then. And the price was right, a mere 33-1/3 cents per book. Plus postage, of course, but postage back in those days wasn't like postage is now. It was cheap. You could mail a letter for 3 cents of a postcard for a penny.
I've never forgotten some of the stories. "Spectator Sport" was my first encounter (and certainly not my last) with John D. MacDonald. I still think this is one of the best VR stories ever written. Maybe the first one, too. A definite classic in my book. I thought then and think now that Arthur C. Clarke's "History Lesson" was a great commentary on our society. Ray Bradbury's "Kaliedoscope" really touched me then, and still does. (I'm a sentimental guy.) Fredric Brown's "The Weapon" is also a great commentary. I'm sure it had a lot to do with some of my current thinking on similar topics, and I know it did back then. "The Rag Thing" by David Grinnell (Donald A. Wollheim) I found creepy and scary, and H. P. Lovecraft's "The Colour Out of Space" was even creepier. Richard Matheson's "Shipshape Home," too, even with the punny title.
Inexpensive copies of this book abound on the Internet. If you like the good old stuff, here it is, in plenty. A wonderful book, at least to me, and one that almost certainly contributed a lot to whatever my reading tastes are even now.
Table of Contents
vii · Introduction · Groff Conklin · in
· Part I: Wonders of Earth and of Man
3 · John Thomas’s Cube · John Leimert · ss Atlantic Monthly Aug ’45
10 · Hyperpilosity · L. Sprague de Camp · ss Astounding Apr ’38
18 · The Thing in the Woods · Fletcher Pratt & B. F. Ruby · ss Amazing Feb ’35
29 · And Be Merry... · Katherine MacLean · ss Astounding Feb ’50
45 · The Bees from Borneo · Will H. Gray · ss Amazing Feb ’31
55 · The Rag Thing · David Grinnell · ss F&SF Oct ’51
58 · The Conqueror · Mark Clifton · ss Astounding Aug ’52
· Part II: Inventions, Dangerous and Otherwise
65 · Never Underestimate... · Theodore Sturgeon · ss If Mar ’52
78 · The Doorbell · David H. Keller · ss Wonder Stories Jun ’34
88 · A Subway Named Mobius · A. J. Deutsch · ss Astounding Dec ’50
100 · Backfire · Ross Rocklynne · nv Astounding Jan ’43
117 · The Box · James Blish · ss Thrilling Wonder Stories Apr ’49
132 · Zeritsky’s Law · Ann Griffith · ss Galaxy Nov ’51
137 · The Fourth Dynasty · R. R. Winterbotham · ss Astounding Dec ’36
· Part III: From Outer Space
146 · The Colour Out of Space · H. P. Lovecraft · nv Amazing Sep ’27
167 · The Head Hunters · Ralph Williams · ss Astounding Oct ’51
178 · The Star Dummy · Anthony Boucher · ss Fantastic Fll ’52
189 · Catch That Martian · Damon Knight · ss Galaxy Mar ’52
199 · Shipshape Home · Richard Matheson · ss Galaxy Jul ’52
214 · Homo Sol [Tan Porus] · Isaac Asimov · ss Astounding Sep ’40
· Part IV: Far Traveling
230 · Alexander the Bait · William Tenn · ss Astounding May ’46
241 · Kaleidoscope · Ray Bradbury · ss Thrilling Wonder Stories Oct ’49
249 · “Nothing Happens on the Moon” · Paul Ernst · ss Astounding Feb ’39
263 · Trigger Tide · Wyman Guin · ss Astounding Oct ’50
273 · Plague · Murray Leinster · nv Astounding Feb ’44
302 · Winner Lose All · Jack Vance · ss Galaxy Dec ’51
313 · Test Piece · Eric Frank Russell · ss Other Worlds Mar ’51
327 · Environment · Chester S. Geier · ss Astounding May ’44
· Part V: Adventures in Dimension
341 · High Threshold [Dr. McEvoy] · Alan E. Nourse · ss Astounding Mar ’51
350 · Spectator Sport · John D. MacDonald · ss Thrilling Wonder Stories Feb ’50
355 · Recruiting Station · A. E. van Vogt · na Astounding Mar ’42
420 · A Stone and a Spear · Raymond F. Jones · nv Galaxy Dec ’50
436 · What You Need · Lewis Padgett · ss Astounding Oct ’45
449 · The Choice · W. Hilton-Young · vi Punch Mar 19 ’52
· Part VI: Worlds of Tomorrow
450 · The War Against the Moon · André Maurois · ss The Forum Jul ’27; F&SF Sum ’50
464 · Pleasant Dreams · Ralph Robin · ss Galaxy Oct ’51
472 · Manners of the Age · H. B. Fyfe · ss Galaxy Mar ’52
484 · The Weapon · Fredric Brown · ss Astounding Apr ’51
486 · The Scarlet Plague · Jack London · nv The London Magazine Jun ’12
524 · Heritage · Robert Abernathy · nv Astounding Jun ’42
545 · History Lesson · Arthur C. Clarke · ss Startling Stories May ’49
551 · Instinct · Lester del Rey · ss Astounding Jan ’52
562 · Counter Charm · Peter Phillips · vi Slant Spr ’51
Toc Source: Index to Science Fiction Anthologies and Collections, Combined Edition
Thursday, March 06, 2014
PimPage: An Occasional Feature in Which I Call Attention to Books of Possible Interest
Amazon.com: Starless Midnight eBook: Wayne D. Dundee: Kindle Store: Chance Smith was an ex cop who had traded the world of crime and other people's trouble for a quiet life of semi-retirement in a remote corner of Nebraska's panhandle … or so he thought.
Then came the stormy night when he was driving home on a lonely stretch of narrow highway and the nearly-naked, startlingly beautiful woman he would come to know as Esmerelda Barkley sprang from out of the ditch to flag him down. She told a tale of domestic strife that sounded more embarrassing than threatening. Smith gave her a lift to shelter and thought that was the end of it, once again shedding himself of other people's trouble. The tragic and sensational double murder that took place later that night, however, made it impossible for him to stay out of it. But the good news about the bad news—maybe—was that part of staying involved also meant additional time spent with the mesmerizing widow, Esmerelda …
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