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January 14th, 2012
09:39 am - Alpha fundraiser underway
http://alphafundraiser.wordpress.com/
Check it out. Bid. Watch the cool video.
All donations will be rewarded with an anthology created by former students for those angels who help out the workshop scholarship fund.
The Alpha Workshop 2012 is taking shape--Kij Johnson will be an author guest and Tamora Pierce has been moved into the "Writer-in-Residence" category--she's staying the whole time this year!
Happy happy.
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July 8th, 2011
05:08 am - 5 days until Alpha
Countdown continues.
Every day is so full, I find I can't sleep through the night anymore. I keep popping up with a million things to do running through my mind. Anthony's off in Kansas for three weeks. The first thing I did was turn the thermostat in the house up to 78. Then I signed the mortgage paperwork (4.75%). Alpha plans have kept me way too busy--getting Harry Potter tickets, trying to fix the screw-up at the hotel for our guest authors (they booked the first one for July 13, then the next three for June. June! Then canceled them. And now the best hotel is solidly booked and we have to go farther afield and pay more. Grrr. The book signing at B&N is being organized with a new employee--and not advertised on the store flyers--I miss Marty. She was so easy to work with and knew just what to order. We'll make do, but everything just is a tad harder to pull together this year. For example, I wanted to do free critiques for the wait-listed Alpha people, but I never could arrange it. Perhaps I still can, after Alpha.
My astronomy class is awesome. 13 people, at the final tally. MWF nights until almost 10 pm. Half the students are high schoolers. So far, we took the telescopes out twice for the moon and Saturn. My TA is capable and friendly (yeh!) and will be taking over for me one night during Alpha, so I can be at the first book signing on the 15th. But I do have to miss going to Allegheny Observatory for Joe's talk that night. And now I have to find a replacement for Hy's August 19 AO talk -- should I do it myself? What would I talk about?
I sent off the Neptune's Moons article to Stephen Silver for the special issue of Argentus and podcasted about mentoring in astronomy on 365 Days of Astronomy. Neither of those would make good AO talk topics. Maybe I could talk about citizen science? I'm putting together a new CMU class for the spring semester centered on astronomy citizen science projects.
Matt's working at the Pitt Supercomputing Center for the summer and reading the Song of Ice and Fire saga. Kimmy got a job at an Ethiopian restaurant in town. Alex is deep into his summer school Biology class at CCAC. Steven moved into a new house with his friends--love the place and it's just around the block from our new place in Squirrel Hill (but James and Kim will be even closer). We'll move in sometime in August. 1/2 move in anyway, I'll still teach at St. Vincent in the fall, so I'll be splitting time between the house in Irwin and the apartment in Squirrel Hill. Fall will be hard, since I'll be teaching MTWTh nights and working full time days. It works, as long as I don't get sick.
I haven't taken the pictures off my camera or computer for six months (to post online). I have the last residency at Seton Hill and the one before that even! The book signing for Many Genres, One Craft was great--I've only once signed more copies of something in an hour. I'm reading through the book now (my contributor's copy) and it's amazingly good. Not sure what I expected, but it is highly recommended for genre writers. I keep telling myself someday I'll have time to write again. Someday, but not today . . . or in the foreseeable future.
I'm judging the short story contest for PARSEC. Almost done. The winning story gets $200 and publication in the Confluence program book. Second and third places win money, too. I'm enjoying them. "Last Contact" is the theme for this year. Creative interpretations win in my books.
Still doing the paleo diet, since the beginning of the year. Lost a little weight, but mainly, I feel a whole lot healthier. My body aches have diminished considerably. Don't know if it's the diet, but don't care. Happy Happy. I can move freely again. Perhaps I should move myself back to bed now . . .
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July 4th, 2011
09:20 pm - Alpha countdown . . . 9 days to go!
http://alpha.spellcaster.org
Alpha, the SF/F/H Workshop for Young Writers
The first day of the workshop is is Wednesday, July 13th. 20 teens (16 female, 4 male) and a bunch of new staffers (for this year only) will greet our guests David L. Levine, Scott Johnson, Ellen Kushner and Tamora Pierce. I'm really looking forward to it. It's been a difficult year for the organizational aspects--I ended up having to quit one of my jobs to take up the roles that other couldn't do. I've been honored that so many people have helped, though, and in ways I hadn't foreseen. We have a lovely new webpage (with timely updates), a fundraiser that covered all the scholarship requests, a new workshop schedule that takes into account the wishes of former students, and a staff that pulls together, even with all the changes this year. I'm pleased. When I started Alpha a decade ago, I really didn't think I'd still be running it. I have a habit of starting things and leaving them for others to run after I've got them steadily going along. It is probably time for me to be passing this one on, too. But I'm going to enjoy every minute of this year's workshop.
Next year, we're working to get Kij Johnson out. I'm hoping to have the 2012 workshop line-up done soon.
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June 16th, 2011
06:48 am - June 16 from 2 to 5 Cory will be here!
Cory Doctorow will be in town today--very last minute. He's at a book signing from 2 to 5 pm at the CMU bookstore. One of the smartest men in the world and a joy to talk with.
Can you come?
https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=221001297918212
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March 6th, 2011
03:18 pm - 50 stories
50 Alpha submission stories have made their way to the judges. Good luck all. 7 guys, several from Canada and the UK, a few other interesting-looking applications (have to hold those interesting cases close for now). This is our tenth year. http://alpha.spellcaster.org
John is awake today for the first time in a month. He's still in the ICU, but vitals are much stronger, fever is down to 99, kidney function is coming back. He won't make it to Alpha this summer, but it's looking like he will make it to life. Cards and notes would now be appropriate, but he's not allowed visitors (that's strict--just his parents and wife). No flowers.
So we are looking for an Alpha staffer for this summer (just this one year). No pay. you get cafeteria food, a dorm room and transportation once you get to Pittsburgh. A Confluence invitation. A book store reading. Mainly, we're looking for a guy to take John's place (but we'll consider anyone). What else would be nice? Pro genre publications. Teaching experience. Must be laid back enough to take teenage voices 24/7 for 10 days at Alpha, and then the con. Suggestions?
Our fundraiser has begun. Please consider helping out this year.
http://alpha.spellcaster.org/donate/2011-fundraiser/
Peace.
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January 4th, 2011
08:47 pm - Seriously?
It's been since July? I mean, I knew I was busy, but really? I couldn't post one little thing?
I have a new job since then and a sweet hot tub. :)
Pretty much everything else is the same. Life is good.
Darren and David asked me back to do a Stargate Science show again on Gateworld--we're taping in mid-January.
We just got back from Lawrence, KS where we had megafun.
Reading Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality. How did I not hear about this before now? It has me completely captivated.
Seton Hill Residency this weekend. ~100 grad students getting into town on Friday.
Happy New Year to all!
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July 26th, 2010
12:29 pm
Cool old bookplates
Alpha and Confluence are over. Success! I feel sorry for the people who had to go back to work today. It's all I can do to type a few sentences. Who took pictures?
My "Science of Stargate" podcast went up on Wednesday last week.
I'm so happy Darren and David asked me. Thanks to Diana Botsford for setting that up. Her Stargate SG-1 Book Four Dragons is coming out soon.
Paper on the Fermi Paradox. If other civilizations exist in the galaxy, where is everybody? The authors postulate that finding other civilizations in the galaxy changes the lifetime that a civilization lasts.
Still no hot tub. Working on it . . .
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June 20th, 2010
06:07 pm - Have you ever heard of this?
A fantastic student of mine is under consideration for a copywriter position at Syfy. She was asked to send a "reel" for them to review. What does this mean? The job description specifically says it's a writing editing not film editing position.
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June 13th, 2010
12:15 pm - Sun
I get asked all the time to explain how the variations of the yearly total solar irradiance (TSI) could affect temperatures on the Earth. Finally, a paper that details how we don't know the answer to that question yet and what future studies are needed. Quoting from Joanna D. Haigh, Imperial College London
(http://solarphysics.livingreviews.org/Articles/lrsp-2007-2/)
Radiation from the Sun ultimately provides the only energy source for the Earth's atmosphere and changes in solar activity clearly have the potential to affect climate. There is statistical evidence for solar influence on various meteorological parameters on all timescales, although extracting the signal from the noise in a naturally highly variable system remains a key problem. Changes in total solar irradiance undoubtedly impact the Earth's energy balance but uncertainties in the historical record of TSI mean that the magnitude of even this direct influence is not well known. Variations in solar UV radiation impact the thermal structure and composition of the middle atmosphere but details of the responses in both temperature and ozone concentrations are not well established. Various theories are now being developed for coupling mechanisms whereby direct solar impacts on the middle atmosphere might influence the troposphere but the influences are complex and non-linear and many questions remain concerning the detailed mechanisms which determine to what extent, where and when the solar influence is felt. Variations in cosmic radiation, modulated by solar activity, are manifest in changes in atmospheric ionisation but it is not yet clear whether these have the potential to significantly affect the atmosphere in a way that will impact climate.
Further advances in this field require work on a number of fronts. One important issue is to establish the magnitude of any secular trends in total solar irradiance (TSI). This may be achieved by careful analysis and understanding of the satellite instruments involved in collecting data over the past two-and-a-half solar cycles, and must be continued through analysis of data from current and new satellites. For longer periods it requires a more fundamental understanding of how solar magnetic activity relates to TSI. This would not only facilitate more reliable centennial-scale reconstructions of TSI, from e.g. sunspot records, but also advance understanding of how cosmogenic isotope records may be interpreted as historical TSI.
With regard to the climate, further data-mining and analysis are required to firmly establish the magnitude, geographical distribution and seasonality of its response to various forms of solar activity. Understanding the mechanisms involved in the response then becomes the overriding objective. Current ideas suggest three main avenues where further research is needed. Firstly, the means whereby solar radiative heating of the upper and middle atmosphere may influence the lower atmosphere through dynamical coupling needs to be better understood. Secondly, it needs to be established whether or not variations in direct solar heating of the tropical oceans can be of sufficient magnitude to produce apparently observed effects. Thirdly, more work is needed on the microphysical processes involved in ion-induced nucleation, and, probably more importantly, the growth rates of the condensation nuclei produced.
Perhaps when these questions are answered we will be confident that we really understand how changes in the Sun affect the climate on Earth.
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June 12th, 2010
04:16 pm - Looking for a used hot tub
Our house doesn't have a tub, just two showers. Our pool can get up to hot tub temperatures, but that gets expensive (a 60-person hot tub?). So now I'm on a quest for an inexpensive hot tub. I have found so many scammy web sites offering hot tubs "direct from manufacturer" for $2500.00 and up. I'm aware enough now to check out the complaint boards for the various companies. craigslist seems to be the way to go, but I have so much to learn about hot tubs before I buy a used one.
My OSHER class is done, my first Pitt class is done next week, my St. Vincent class the week after, but then there's the Seton Hill Residency, then Alpha, then Confluence. My second Pitt class ends Aug 2 and on the 4th I head to FL until the 11th. School starts up again on the 23rd of August. So I get a little break in there . . .
I have a new grad student at Seton Hill (writing SF), plus one from before who is doing horror.
I wish I could watch the new TV shows about astronomy.
Stephen Hawking's Universe (PBS)
Morgan Freeman's Through the Wormhole (NPR)
I did buy the fourth season of The History Channel's "The Universe."
Buying Paolo's _The Wind-up Girl_ and Allen Steele's Coyote series to read on my break.
Alpha book signings at the B&N in Greensburg on Route 30 just past Westmoreland Mall:
David Barr Kirtley and Timothy Zahn at 2 PM on Sunday July 18
Holly Black, Mike Arnzen and Tamora Pierce at 7:30 on Tuesday, July 20
Going to a party (Bar-B-Que) at Amy's with Sarah G. tonight and a storm is on the way.
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