Due South Geography Questions

Aug. 18th, 2025 09:02 pm
dewline: "Thank you kindly" - text only (Thank you kindly)
[personal profile] dewline
Does anyone in the fandom hereabouts remember the address of Fraser's first apartment building?

I'm thinking this is a thing that must be added to The Atlas of Imagined Cities, and it didn't get included in the Chicago section.
dewline: A fake starmap of the fictional Kitchissippi Sector (Sector)
[personal profile] dewline
I'm wondering about two stars, WT 767 and 768, both in Indus (I believe, after checking Gaia Sky), and it looks to me as if they're barely a light-year from each other. If I'm correct, they might be a candidate as "host" stars for Sullivan's Planet from "The Sehlat Who Ate Its Tail".

In which case, maybe HD 205156 can serve as "Helicon"?

I'm also asking my WT 767+768 question on the Celestia Discord server.

Incremental progress [projects]

Aug. 18th, 2025 01:49 pm
rebeccmeister: (Default)
[personal profile] rebeccmeister
After the Row to Troy, it was a weekend of incremental progress and small projects.

There were more half-peck tote bags of peaches at the grocery co-op on Friday, so these are now ripening towards that 30-second window of perfection.

Peach array

S brought back baked goods from the farmer's market, so we enjoyed those on the catio on Sunday morning, along with our morning coffee.

Catio time

The cats like to lurk along this edge:
Catio time

Some time ago, we found a discounted disco ball at the grocery co-op for $5. S then attempted to hook it up to one of the pull switches on the dining room light, but the glue holding the hanging part failed and the disco ball has been waiting for someone to do something with it ever since. So yesterday I threaded a wire all the way through, added some random charms to the bottom, and hung it up in the catio.

Catio disco

This isn't the greatest picture, but shows you that we can see and enjoy the disco ball from inside the kitchen.

Catio disco

On Sunday S also helped me make progress on the project of dealing with some rust on one of Big Red's panels (Mazda2 - panel at the base of the door). I decided to go ahead and obtain a fancy angle grinder, so we went over to the hardware store to buy one. This is after the corded one for sale at the used tool store proved to be unuseable (mechanism for unthreading used discs is stripped). Unfortunately, by the time we got home I wasn't up for actually starting to take down the finish to sand out the rusted section. But I'll get to that very soon.

After the hardware store, we stopped in at the auto parts store, and learned that particular one doesn't carry touch-up paints, just the store one town over that isn't open on Sundays. So today I instead went ahead and ordered the appropriate paint and finish online.

Before I headed in to work this morning, I tried to work on replacing a broken fender stay on Frodo's rear fender:
Fender in need of repair

Unsurprisingly, the nuts that are holding the fender stay in place are totally seized up. You can tell from the inside of the fender, that this is a region of the bike that experiences all of the winter snow and salt. I didn't feel like trying to tackle the larger project of dealing with seized nuts, so I just gave up and rode in to work.

It always feels a little unsatisfying to only make it partway through various "small" projects. So I am trying to be patient and persistent with these things.

And now I need to buckle down and ramp up my preparations for teaching. Classes start the day after labor day.

More theatre and a tv episode

Aug. 18th, 2025 09:35 am
selenak: (Demerzel and Terminus)
[personal profile] selenak
Theatre

I can spend a few days in London right now, and that already meant two plays.

Harold Pinter Theatre: A Man for All Seasons

By Robert Bolt, who at least in terms of this particular play is to Hilary Mantell what C.S. Lewis is to Philipp Pullmann, i.e. Wolf Hall and sequels are the His Dark Materials to A Man for All Seasons’ Narnia, and as in the Pullmann-Lewis case, Mantell ended up doing exactly the same thing they begrudged in the end, just from the opposite direction.


A Thomas by any other name… )

Foundation 3.06: In which the moon isn’t the only thing eclipsed.

Spoilers have provided data )

WorldCon/Hugo Awards wrap up

Aug. 17th, 2025 05:29 pm
muccamukk: Drawing of 13 floating in space outside the TARDIS. Her speech bubble is a heart. (DW: 13 Hearts Space)
[personal profile] muccamukk
After the 1030 panel on Thursday, all the streams worked fine! There was one room that was cursed, and the volume was often very low, but all of the others were great as long as the panellists used the mic, and some were on Zoom so people from other countries could attend. It looks like many of them will be re-playable, also, so I can check out panels I missed.

My sister-in-law came to stay with us so we could watch panels together. It's been really fun, and I'm glad we did it.

Some highlight panels were:
Worldbuilding Through Geography and Environments
with Martha Wells, Marshall Ryan Maresca, Nicola Griffith & Paolo Bacigalupi

Diasporic Caribbean Science Fiction
with E.G. Condé, Alex V Cruz, Fabrice Guerrier, Malka Older, Suzan Palumbo, Tonya Liburd, Tonya R. Moore & Premee Mohamed

Reading by Guest of Honor Martha Wells
with previews of both Queen Demon and the Murderbot coming out next year, plus a great Q&A.

Navigating AI as an Author or Editor
with Jason Sanford, Cassie Alexander, Dr. Corey Frazier, Emily M. Bender & Neil Clarke

Feminist Futurism Versus Project 2025: An Empowering Speculative Salon
with Isis Asare, Ada Palmer, Andrea Hairston, Annalee Newitz & Charlie Jane Anders

SFF's Role in Revolution on the African Continent
with Naomi Eselojor, Gabrielle Emem Harry, Khaya Maseko, Ngozi Anuoluwa, Nkereuwem Albert & Soila Kenya

Making It Gay… or Trans, Neurodivergent, BIPOC, and More
with Atlin Merrick, Clara Ward, Hana Lee, Maeve MacLysaght & Sarah Rees Brennan

Sifting Through History
with Remy Nakamura (M), Leigh Bardugo, Natania Barron, Nisi Shawl & Paul Weimer.

I didn't take notes on anything, but could relay any impressions I have, if people want?

I did at most 1/4 of the Hugo reading/watching, and then July was such a wash that I didn't even vote, but I was pretty happy with the results. The only category I was invested in was best series, and I was delighted that Rebecca Roanhorse won for Between Earth and Sky.

Otherwise: the novella I thought was the best of the bunch won, and the novel I hated lost. I'm still cross Blackheart man wasn't shortlisted, and the nomination stats aren't out yet, so I haven't seen how far down the list it was. I'm going to be even more cross if it was just one off, and Adrian Tchaikovsky getting two slots kept it out. (I always think it's nice when an established author who already has awards declines a spot if they have two titles in the same category, since that gives a new person a chance a lot of the time, but I'm less enamoured of the idea if it turns out that it's only women declining award nominations.)

I'm also very happy for Moniquill Blackgoose, who won the Astounding (not a Hugo), and Darcie Little Badger for her Lodestar (not a Hugo).

Update: 16 August 2025

Aug. 16th, 2025 09:04 pm
dewline: Text - "On the DEWLine" (Default)
[personal profile] dewline
I got the bins from Canadian Tire.

I'm still recovering from the shopping trip. Considering that I walked half of it in the weather I did, I should have gone directly to bed.

Came downstairs to the office, instead.

Thinking about cleaning the iCan-branded computer-mouse, particularly the scroll-wheel. If I knew where on iFixit to look...

Checking In - 16 August 2025

Aug. 16th, 2025 12:58 pm
dewline: Text - "On the DEWLine" (Default)
[personal profile] dewline
Chores.

That's my word for today.

Bedding-laundry, shopping, computer-mouse replacement, new colour-pencils for Mom, and if I can push myself the rest of the way, new storage bins to keep the basement reorg process going. Not sure that last item is going to be doable with today's local weather. Hot and humid.

Talked with the writer of San Francisco 2161 last night about proposed maps for his now-finished Trek-inspired fanfic project about the negotiations to co-found the Federation. What maps should there be attached, what forms they should take, that sort of thing.

I'm also toying with an idea for a prose fanfic project of my own centred on one of the participants in that story and a prequel, In the Raptor's Claws about the Coaltion-Romulan War that preceded the Federation. Specifically Nathan Samuels, whom Enterprise-watchers may remember as portrayed by Harry Groener. Not sure if this is going to go anywhere beyond maybe a couple of paragraphs before getting derailed by a job offer or loss of housing or whatever.

We'll see.

Play-Watching in London I

Aug. 16th, 2025 05:13 pm
selenak: (Camelot Factor by Kathyh)
[personal profile] selenak
I can spend a few days in London right now, and that already meant two plays.

Globe Theatre: The Merry Wives of Windsor

Rarely performed these days, and actually one I never read, which is one of the reasons why I used the chance to watch it in an afternoon performance, that and the way watching plays at the Globe, in a perfectly reconstructed Elizabethan theatre, has yet to cease being special to me.

Shakespearean Spoilers have mixed feelings )

The Garrick: Mrs Warren’s Profession

One of George Bernard Shaw’s early “problem plays” and scandals. (He wrote it in the early 1890s, and except for a club performance in 1902, it would take two decades to make it to the London stage. By contrast, it was already performed in Germany in the 1890s as well. Legendary producer Max Reinhardt was a big Shaw fan and so were a lot of Wilhelmians.) This production is starring Imelda Staunton as the titular Mrs. Warren, and her real life daughter Bessie Carter (known to the general audience probably best as Prudence Featherington in Bridgerton) as Vivie Warren; the director is Dominic Cooke.

Shavian Spoilers argue about the ways of making money )

Having thus watched Shakespeare and Shaw, I have on my schedule next: Robert Bolt, and then a new play, which from the sound of it is Shakespeare/Marlowe slash, starring Ncuti Gatwa as Kit M. Stay tuned!

Old lady day trip

Aug. 16th, 2025 08:45 am
missdiane: (Domo Happy Bear and Bunny)
[personal profile] missdiane
Getting the knees taped up and slathering on the Korean sunscreen (even though I won't likely be in the sun all that long) to take the train in to NYC to see Veganhothead. Since Emily can't make it this trip, we're going to meet at what looks like a cute walk-in vegan restaurant called LeBotainiste which the location isn't far from Penn Station.

After that I wanted to show her the new Moynihan train hall behind the regular entrances to Penn Station. When I was meeting the sister and bil last time, I wandered that way not knowing about the overhaul and was flabbergasted at it. I was thinking I was entering one of the regular grungy looking train station areas only to be met with light and glass and new things.

So a little walking but not a ton which is probably a good thing since the joints, especially the knees, have been wobbly and sore this week. But so excited to see my friend!

Life goes on and on and on

Aug. 16th, 2025 08:15 am
puppetmaker: (Default)
[personal profile] puppetmaker
 I know I have been rather quiet. There has been a lot going on but my want to write about it has been weak.

There have been some nice memorial services for Peter at various conventions. I was either there, or someone was kind enough to tape it. It is nice hearing all these stories about Peter and how people remember him. At the SDCC George Takei copped to the fact that the Jim Beam line in Oblivion was entirely of his doing. Something Peter has been saying for years only to get a “Yeah, sure Peter” in return.

The will is slowly moving forward. We can’t file it until we get a couple of signatures to complete the paperwork needed for the will. Meanwhile I am twiddling my thumbs waiting for other things to happen before I can pick up the trail and move my piece forward on the board of life.

I am, as I told my parents, two puppets behind. Those may get shelved as I move onto creating stock for our table at Dragon Con in the Pop Art section. A name came up that if I had known they were coming I would have gotten their puppet done. Also, this year I have a costume I must build for myself for my brother’s Addam’s family reunion. I have the pants and the shirt. I need a vest, swallow tailcoat, and boot covers.

I miss Joann’s so much right now. I can’t run out and get some fabric. I have found a quilting store near me that has cotton fabric. I know some Micheals have fabric counters. I hear that Walmart and Target have fabric in some of their stores. Right now, what I need is simple things like black lining and buttons. I do have one set I need but am scratching my head where I am going to get the rest. We are supposed to have buttons at our Michaels location. They haven’t come in yet. Apparently, Micheals bought Joann’s materials, and we are starting to get it into our store.

Today I think it is going to be vest and heads since I finally found my puppet eyeballs, I have been looking for over a month. I need to balance my costume and the stock I need to build for DragonCon.

We have a table in the Pop Art Alley. Caroline and her roommate are selling their art, and I will be selling puppets including just puppet bodies that can be turned into your own personal puppet. Then there are the puppet heads. Just heads. Come on by and say Hi. I’ll post the number when I know it.

I need to clean up from the previous project before starting the next one. That and cat boxes need to be cleaned as does their water bowls.

I am grateful for a peaceful mind.

Endings of Different Importance

Aug. 15th, 2025 07:13 pm
yourlibrarian: Villanelle Pink (OTH-VillanellePink-winterfish)
[personal profile] yourlibrarian
1) I'm in S16 of Silent Witness now but started the month finishing out the Sam Ryan years before jumping back ahead. (I started watching the show in S8 and did about 5 seasons before going back to the start.)

It was a very different show and felt more like a star vehicle, as she was not only the main character but the early seasons also spent a lot of time on her personal life and family. I was glad when Leo and Harry came along to make it seem more like a team show.

I thought the way her character exited the show was a really well done job even though I had some issues with it. Read more... ) In short, I think many characters would like to have had this kind of ending.

2) Speaking of Silent Witness, I was amused that in the episode with Jodie Comer claiming to be possessed by demons, Tom Ellis turns out to be her priest. Well yeah, you're possessed with Lucifer himself guiding your religious life!

3) Google is quickly taking us to a zero click environment. "In this system, the platform harvests and delivers information without sending the reader to those who actually created it, often at significant cost and always with the intention of serving their own audiences. For premium publishers, it means fewer readers, ad impressions, and subscription conversions. For the open web, it means less discovery, diversity, and accountability in the information ecosystem." Read more... )

4) I was curious about this How Americans Do Laundry survey. I'm sharing it here because I know a lot of people like to know stuff like this for their writing. Read more... )

5) Posted some more trip photos of the Devil's Punchbowl and lake views at [community profile] common_nature.

Poll #33493 Kudos Footer-534
This poll is anonymous.
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 8

Want to leave a Kudos?

View Answers

Kudos!
8 (100.0%)



rebeccmeister: (Default)
[personal profile] rebeccmeister
Once again I find myself organizing the rowing club's annual Row to Troy. I didn't exactly ask to be the organizer, nor was I asked, but here I am, so I'll do my darndest to make it a good experience for as many people as I can.

The thing about that is that it's helpful to have specific experienced people drive the safety launches. I worked with one of our coaches last week on reviewing our safety launch logistics, and will have her accompany the faster crews while I accompany the ones that intend to travel at a more scenic pace.

Since I won't get to do the Row to Troy tomorrow, I had my own personal Row to Troy this morning, which brought back so many memories of preparing to do the Marathon Row back in 2020. Of course, I haven't really had any chance to do any preparation for longer distance rows this year, so it wasn't going to be a pretty expedition. But I adjusted my expectations and pace accordingly, and the weather cooperated by being just splendid, so it was a solid row and I only acquired a small handful (ha!) of new blisters on my hands.

-

In the meantime, now that the catio is complete, I am finding myself dreaming about various different lighting ideas. I might also be dreaming about lighting because the days are starting to get noticeably shorter, and while living in the northeastern US I have found that my reaction is to want to put bright shiny lights in as many places as possible.

It seems like there might be some awesome solar-powered possibilities for the catio. *steeples fingers together*

Superman (2025)

Aug. 15th, 2025 08:03 am
selenak: (Hyperion by son_of)
[personal profile] selenak
Very enjoyable indeed, and it seems we’re finally free from the Snyder influence as well as the colour-drained imagery. This is Superman not just in primary colours but as an unabashed boy scout, a good person who often lets a nice, calming remark go with the rescue of an understandably frightened person. I was often reminded of JMS’ memoirs in which he wrote what Clark Kent meant to him as a child - someone who is above all other things kind, who combines his strength with decency, who was a friend. (Given JMS had the abusive childhood from hell, fictional Superman was literally the only person who was.) Also, director James Gunn doesn’t go for the relentless slapstick/gag machinery which had put me off the first Guardians of the Galaxy movie for a while (and off Thor: Ragnarök), which isn’t so say the movie is without humour, absolutely not, but it’s used in a way that leaves the more serious scenes room to breathe. Perhaps the fact helps that we have here in the year 2025 a movie with a hero who is an illegal alien (and gets explicitly attacked for that reason), whose enemy is a demagogic techbro billionaire who uses literal evil monkeys on social media to campaign against him (and that’s the most restrained thing he does, his other plots going all the way to the usual world endangerment as par the supervillain course), and a US government who thinks nothing of teaming up both with the billionaire and with villainous foreign dictators, outsourcing the imprisonment of our immigrant hero to them to get rid of the pesky human rights he’d nominally have on US shore…. Yeah.

(Subtle, this movie is not.)

I loved how absolutely committed to its comics origin the film is, most obviously with Krypto. If you’ve seen the trailer: Krypto’s appearances in the movie are all like this in tone during the movie, and it’s adorable even for a cat person like me. Most of all, I loved that Lois Lane, played by Rachel “Mrs. Maisel” Brosnahan, really gets to be a reporter in every fibre of her being, in a show, not tell manner. The scene in which after Clark made the mistake of saying he’d let her interview him as Superman she relentlessly grills him (not in an unfair way, I hasten to add, but asking exactly all the questions which a good reporter WOULD ask in this particular situation) is as good as advertised, and it’s Lois’ reporter instincts that hugely lead to saving the day. (Along with various other factors and people, making this in addition to everything else a good ensemble movie. Also, since the movie starts with her and Clark already in a relationship and with her knowing he’s Superman, we skip the Lois-Clark-Superman-secret identity trope. (Look, I loved Lois & Clark in the 1990s, but it really would not work anymore today if we’re to believe in Lois the excellent reporter. )

Somewhat more spoilery from here )

In conclusion, I really liked this one, and look forward to Gunn’s further contributions to the DC movieverse.

Add me??

Aug. 14th, 2025 03:30 pm
[personal profile] samijoe_13 posting in [community profile] addme
Name:Sami

Age:30's

I mostly post about:A little of everything I guess.

My hobbies are:Writing, Reading

My posting schedule tends to be: Pretty sporadic.

When I add people, my deal breaker is:If you're only reaching out when you need something, and never reciprocating support or interest in what's going on with me.

Before adding me, you should know: Nothing really. I like to think I'm a pretty laid back person. I'm a good listener and I'd be happy to meet some new people here.

The Friday Five for 15 August 2025

Aug. 14th, 2025 02:53 pm
anais_pf: (Default)
[personal profile] anais_pf posting in [community profile] thefridayfive
This week's questions were suggested by [livejournal.com profile] aforkintheroad

1. What is your favorite experience in your life so far?

2. What motivates you to keep going every day?

3. Where do you want to go in life? What do you want to accomplish?

4. Is there anything that you regret? Do you try to change it?

5. What is your most cherished gift you have received? Why do you cherish it so much?

Copy and paste to your own journal, then reply to this post with a link to your answers. If your journal is private or friends-only, you can post your full answers in the comments below.

If you'd like to suggest questions for a future Friday Five, then do so on DreamWidth or LiveJournal. Old sets that were used have been deleted, so we encourage you to suggest some more!

WorldCon has Loaded (ISH)

Aug. 14th, 2025 10:11 am
muccamukk: Natasha lowering her sunglasses to see over the top. She looks alarmed. (Marvel: Shades)
[personal profile] muccamukk
They seem to have fixed the technical issues (*knocks on wood, scratches a stay, turns around three times*) and I have gone to several panels! Both a virtual one of Nigerian authors and a filmed one of an in-person panel.

ETA: Both 10:30 panels I want to see either not streaming or not with sound.

ETA2: Caught the back half of one 10:30 panel (idk if the other one ever worked), and the sound was back for most of the noon panel, though it dropped out completely ten minutes from the end. Folks attending have been amazing with posting running notes to the discord, linking to works mentioned by the panellists.

DC highlights [travel, food, art]

Aug. 14th, 2025 12:19 pm
rebeccmeister: (Default)
[personal profile] rebeccmeister
We've reached the middle of August, so it's basically Panic Time for fall teaching prep. That means, less time blogging, more time doing other stuff. Therefore, abbreviated DC adventure post!

Themes of the trip: food, sights, Scrabble.

photos and details behind the cut... )

WorldCon 404 Not Found

Aug. 13th, 2025 01:34 pm
muccamukk: Lt Bush looking incredibly sceptical. Text: "Oh, you have to be kidding me." (HH: You Have to Be Kidding me)
[personal profile] muccamukk
So technical issues have taken out the Seattle WorldCon streaming platform, all recorded panels didn't get recorded, and no streaming panels are currently being broadcast. (Apparently some of the earlier streams happened? I missed them.)

The first half a day just got wiped out.

So glad they committed to expanding the virtual experience due to people not being able to attend for Politics reasons. It's off to a flying start.

ETA: It did start working about half way through the fourth panel slot.

ETA2: Panel slot five has video but not sound.

ETA3: No audible sound on the Martha Wells q&a. Giving up for the day.

Profile

wookiemonster: (Default)
wookiemonster

January 2015

S M T W T F S
    123
45678910
11121314151617
18192021222324
25262728293031

Style Credit

Expand Cut Tags

No cut tags

Most Popular Tags

Page generated Aug. 19th, 2025 01:47 am
Powered by Dreamwidth Studios