Links for 14-12-2006
Publishing predictions, Sterling’s Wired swansong, Iranian typography, solid gas as fuel, top 51 SF/F blogs…
-
“Google will buy a publisher before the end of 2007. And given certain Bertelsmann grumblings about profit, I have a feeling it may be Random House.” Hmmm. My instinct says ‘no’, for what it’s worth – I don’t think Google want the hassle.
-
“The [UK] Army is testing technology developed by an Edinburgh scientist which allows soldiers to distinguish the world’s best camouflage from real foliage and spot buried landmines.”
-
“One of the qualities that makes current Iranian graphic design unique is its typography. The country has a rich history of visual arts and moreover the better part of this heritage consists of calligraphy.”
-
“The discovery of a mysterious solid form of natural gas off the east coast of Canada could bring one of Earth’s biggest untapped sources of energy a step closer to commercial use, according to scientists.”
-
“Inspired by the sleek and efficient propulsion of squid, jellyfish and other cephalopods, a … researcher has designed a new generation of compact vortex generators that could make it easier … to manoeuvre and dock underwater vehicles…”
-
“The system is claimed to break the laws of physics by producing more power than it consumes, and could potentially lead to the development of everlasting batteries.” They’re not letting this one go, are they?
-
“It’s been a fascinating exercise to think really broadly about what a media company today should be. We don’t know (and neither does anyone else) but what’s clear is that the landscape and reader expectations have changed dramatically since the mid-90s..
-
“Although I’m not promising we’ll do all or even most of these things, here are some first thoughts on what a truly transparent media organization would do.”
-
“The list is limited to personal (not corporate-sponsored or news-oriented), single-author blogs, with an emphasis on science fiction and fantasy writers, editors, agents, publishers, artists and fans.” Passed over again … *sigh*.
-
“Another prediction of mine has come true: I’ve always known that one day I’d write my last column for Wired. You’re reading it now.” We salute you, Captain Bruce. Carry on blogging – and a few new books wouldn’t go amiss either!
-
“Here we propose that the radioresistance (tolerance to ionizing radiation) observed in several terrestrial bacteria has a martian origin.” This is in a *peer-reviewed* journal, folks.
Tags: links
