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24 Vol 4 Num 6 April 2010
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So Long, and Thanks For All the Fish
Wed, Mar 24, 2010
So here we are, in the final issue of Jim Baen’s Universe.
April 2010
Wed, Mar 24, 2010
Frederik Pohl (who turned 90 last November) and Gregory Benford (a mere child of 69) each spent an hour sharing their thoughts of the future, memories of the past, and surprising anecdotes of the humble beginnings of their famous and celebrated friends.
In a Klass By Himself (or, Tops On a Scale of One to Tenn)
Wed, Mar 24, 2010
I never met Phil Klass face-to-face, which (it goes without saying) means I never met his alter ego, William Tenn.
Interregnum
Thu, Feb 25, 2010
By the end of the 1950's, just in time for the Great Fall, genre science fiction had become at the top of its range a beautiful, precise instrument.
Energy Shortage
Thu, Feb 25, 2010
More energy from the Sun hits the Earth in one hour than all of the energy consumed by humans in an entire year.
February 2010
Sun, Jan 24, 2010
Celebrating four years of discussing the future we will all live through with authors, researchers, celebrities, technophiles and futurists; The Future and You still makes its every episode universally available for free download—all the way back to its very first.
Why Science Fiction?
Thu, Jan 21, 2010
You know you’re getting old when you’re tempted to start an article with, “Back in the old days.” But here goes anyway.
Chemo for Algernon
Thu, Jan 21, 2010
Like most people, I grew up in a household where cancer was considered the deadliest killer of all, and where the word itself was uttered only in hushed whispers.
The Prince of Stasis
Tue, Jan 5, 2010
Raymond Carver's complete collected short stories, just published by the Library of America, are an interesting and disturbing concatenation; quality lit at its cusp in the late twentieth century.
An Amazing Amount of Stuff
Mon, Jan 4, 2010
Every October it starts: someone sends me a request to compile some kind of best of the year.
Merrily We Roll Along or, That's Funny, You Don't Look Judith
Sun, Dec 13, 2009
Wonder—informed, thoughtful, purposeful wonder—is loose on the Earth again.
The Critics, Lord Love ’Em
Fri, Nov 20, 2009
The critics are secure in their opinions, and I suppose that’s a good thing.
Interstellar Flight: The Not Impossible
Mon, Nov 16, 2009
In the last column we examined ways of building starships that are almost within our engineering grasp.
December 2009
Mon, Nov 16, 2009
How today you can add telomeres to the ends of your chromosomes which may extend your youth by several decades, how today you can sequence your DNA and keep the data private on a thumbdrive, and how today some are striving to ensure that our future AI will be “friendly.”
The Laxian Key
Sun, Nov 8, 2009
The guy who pumps gas at the local Shell is genuinely contemplative and thoughtful.
Stalled Conversations, Global Visions, and the Future
Mon, Oct 12, 2009
In June, I will complete my 50th year on this Earth.
Interstellar Flight: The Possible
Fri, Sep 25, 2009
Our first starships are already plying their way through the vacuum of interstellar space.
October 2009
Wed, Sep 23, 2009
NASA, NIH, USDA and South Korean insiders each answer questions about the trends they see going on around them and what kind of future this will bring to us all.
Pros and Cons
Sat, Sep 12, 2009
There was a time—and not so long ago, either—when if you were a fan and you wanted to see your favorite author(s), there was only one place to go: Worldcon, the World Science Fiction Convention.
Murray Leinster's a Ten(ster), or Deal out the Lincolns to William F. Jenkins
Thu, Sep 10, 2009
It has long been my belief that science fiction is really the hope of the nation.
The Crumbling Monolith
Tue, Sep 1, 2009
When historians look back at the summer of 2009, they may call it the beginning of the end of monolithic culture.
Delayed
Tue, Jul 21, 2009
Due to health problems and a hard deadline for a novel, Salvos Against Big Brother will not appear in this issue.
August 2009
Tue, Jul 21, 2009
Ben Bova, a South Korean diplomat, the President of the World Future Society, a former director of the world Transhumanist Association, and a mixed bag of authors, scientists and futurists.
Let Me Be Frank (or Welcome to the Allamagoosa Russell-Palooza!)
Fri, Jul 17, 2009
Eric Frank Russell (who heartily dislikes writing about himself) was born on January 6, 1905, at Sandhurst, Surrey, England.
Terminal Error
Thu, Jul 16, 2009
From a recent letter to Todd Haines, Artistic Director of the Roundabout Theater in New York City: “Mark Saltzman's new Tin Pan Alley Rag is very promising, neatly staged, but the play rests upon an historical inaccuracy which undercuts seriously, and I am surprised that neither the playwright nor someone in the Roundabout chain of command failed to spot it.
New Earths
Wed, Jul 15, 2009
Is there another planet like Earth out there among the stars? Very likely.
Acceptable Nerds
Fri, Jun 26, 2009
“Every single story in this newscast would have been science fiction in 1970.”
Looking Close to Home
Wed, May 27, 2009
Science fiction tends to take place a long distance away from here, both in time and in space.
June 2009
Sun, May 24, 2009
John Ringo's memories of grade school in Iran; how David Drake and Jim Baen helped Newt Gingrich write the WWII thriller 1945; smart missiles smaller than insects; military tanks becoming robots; and the collapse of the Borders book store chain just before the current economic down turn. It’s been another fascinating round of interviews.
Anti-DRM Column Delayed
Thu, May 14, 2009
Due to Eric Flint's recent surgery, this column will not appear in this issue. He'll be back next issue.
Past Masters—A Kuttner Above the Rest (But Wait, There's Moore!)
Thu, May 14, 2009
I set out this time around to complain about how doing this was both a pleasure and a pain for me; the former because I enjoy doing it and the latter because I shouldn't have to.
Fragments of Sussex
Tue, May 12, 2009
He, Suspension, Darkness Ballard's "condensed novels," brief snapshots of the century in turmoil, began in New Worlds in the early 1960's, were aggregated into The Atrocity Exhibition, a collection at the end of that decade and probably had more effect upon science fiction than any other work from that period.
The New Golden Age
Sat, May 2, 2009
I was born in 1960, seven months before John F. Kennedy said in his inaugural address that “a torch has been passed to a new generation.”
April 2009
Thu, Mar 19, 2009
Asking Jerry Pournelle to be Guest of Honor for DeepSouthCon in 2010; interviewing Peter S. Beagle for Space and Time Magazine; being granted press credentials for WorldFuture 2009 in Chicago (a convention for professional futurists), writing articles for H+ Magazine; and being recruited to write a column for Grim Couture—a new publication inside Second Life. I’ve been a busy little bee.
The Internet is Not a Magic Wand
Sun, Mar 15, 2009
I want to start this essay, which continues my discussion of electronic publishing and online promotion, by debunking some myths.
Across the Gates
Thu, Mar 5, 2009
Another of my abandoned projects: a series of alternate histories in which science fiction writers have their careers instead in the mainstream or mainstream writers become science fiction writers instead.
Foam and Froth and Mighty (Upside-down) Pyramids
Thu, Jan 29, 2009
Beginning with this essay, I want to start looking at the question of DRM and modern copyright laws from a different standpoint than I’ve taken so far.
January 2009
Mon, Jan 26, 2009
Alan Dean Foster, Jerry Pournelle and the Italian transhumanist, Stefano Vaj: interviewing brilliant and fascinating people is a good way to return to normalcy after shoulder surgery put my right arm (my computer-mouse arm) out of commission for the entire month of November 2008.
Galactic Geobiology
Thu, Jan 15, 2009
Last time we asked “Where is everybody?” and found that it’s not enough to seek extraterrestrial intelligence per se: we ought to be looking for ETs who are more or less at the same level of technology that we are.
Cyril With an M (or, I'm As Kornbluth as Kansas in August)
Thu, Jan 8, 2009
With this, my first installment of Past Masters for Baen's Universe (the eleventh overall, with the previous ten residing in the Helix SF archives if you're interested), I've reached something of a milestone.
Master of the Abyss
Tue, Jan 6, 2009
"This man" Jonathan Lethem said, pointing to me at the rear of the room in which his Readercon Guest of Honor interview was taking place, "had a direct hookup thirty-five years ago to the outcome of the space agency. Astronauts driving cross-country in diapers to speed along a murder plot. The crazy collapse of it all."
Short Story Collections
Sun, Dec 21, 2008
Recently, a former student of mine and I exchanged e-mails about short story collections.
Salvo Delayed
Sun, Nov 30, 2008
Salvos Against Big Brother is delayed due to illness. It will resume in the February issue.
Letting The Guns Bury Them
Fri, Nov 7, 2008
John F. Carr's new biography of H.Beam Piper (McFarland 2008) is pretty good, and has some fascinating leads as they like to say (and too much on Piper's pre-publishing life; the book has reached page 71 before reaching in chronology his first sale) but ultimately it is more of science fiction publishing's decades in Piper's working lifetime than of the author himself.
The Sun Will Come Up Tomorrow
Wed, Sep 10, 2008
There was a (brief) time when they closed the Patent Office because there was nothing left to invent.
Scattershot Again
Wed, Sep 10, 2008
Harold Ross's major selling point for The New Yorker whose first issue he published in February of 1925 was that his magazine was definitely "Not for the little old lady in Dubuque."
The Problem is Legal Scarcity, not Illegal Greed
Tue, Aug 26, 2008
I devoted most of my last essay to demonstrating, using myself as the example, that finding a pirated copy of an author’s work is not as easy as it seems, at least if you try to do so by using a search engine.
Introductions and Hints of the Future
Sun, Aug 24, 2008
At the World Science Fiction Convention in Denver this past August, I had a realization.
Meteoroids, Meteors and Meteorites
Sun, Aug 24, 2008
The headline screamed: “OMG! We Come From Space!”
August 2008
Thu, Jul 24, 2008
Being master of ceremonies at LibertyCon, helping to found a new international organization, awarding trophies at a tournament, dancing at a rezday party, and becoming addicted to World of Warcraft.
Adventures with a Search Engine
Mon, Jul 21, 2008
Even if it’s only a mental experiment at the moment, what would happen if electronic publishing did become the dominant form of publication—or even the almost exclusive form? What if any changes would be needed in the various policies that I’ve advocated so far?
At the O. K. Corral
Tue, Jul 8, 2008
Early on in what I then thought of as my "career" I had Big Plans.
June 2008
Sun, May 18, 2008
If you’ve been listening to the show, you know the last two months have been filled with many wonderful surprises.
Remembering Giants
Thu, May 15, 2008
There is a great Secret History of Science Fiction to be written, one that exposes all the scams, lies, dirty-dealings, illicit affairs, and the like—but while I know more than my share of it, someone else will have to write it.
The Nature of Transitions
Sat, May 3, 2008
I left off at the end of my column in the last issue of the magazine by posing the following question: Even if it’s only a mental experiment at the moment, what would happen if electronic publishing did become the dominant form of publication—or even the almost exclusive form? What if any changes would be needed in the various policies that I’ve advocated so far?
A Matter of Symbiosis
Thu, Mar 20, 2008
In my last essay, I examined the question of whether e-books will be replacing paper books any time soon as the dominant format for publishing.
The Toy Shop
Sun, Feb 17, 2008
That's what Jimmy Cannon of the New York Post called the newspaper Sports Department.
Paper books are not going to be joining the dodo any time soon. If ever.
Mon, Jan 28, 2008
Beginning with this essay, I’m going to devote several essays in this column to analyzing the impact on publishing as electronic reading continues to expand.
Substantial Fire, or Why This Column Almost Didn't Appear
Sat, Dec 22, 2007
Three passes at an opening, one reaching a quarter-length of a full column, and I abandoned each in disgust.
Television Has a Lot to Answer For
Sat, Dec 22, 2007
It was close to seven decades ago that Isaac Asimov looked around at the current state of the art, realized that except for Eando Binder’s crude, pulpish hero Adam Link, almost every robot in science fiction was a malicious monstrosity, applied a little rationality, and came up with the Three Laws of Robotics.
Breeding Like Rabbits—Or Hugos
Mon, Oct 15, 2007
Walk up to any serious science fiction reader and name the last hundred Hugo winners.
The Pig-in-a-Poke Factor
Sat, Oct 13, 2007
In this essay, I want to take up the second of the arguments that is often advanced against the policy of taking a relaxed attitude toward fair use when it comes to online publishing.
October 2007
Sat, Sep 15, 2007
The Future And You is an award-winning audio podcast about the future which may be downloaded and enjoyed, or even copied and shared, for free. Every episode contains numerous interviews which reveal a wide variety of ideas and opinion about the future from a wide variety of people.
Revealed Falsehoods
Thu, Sep 6, 2007
Over the past century, the giants of science fiction have occasionally written a line or two that somehow survives them and their work, and is eventually viewed by most members of the field as a Revealed Truth.
The Economics of Writing
Wed, Aug 29, 2007
I ended my last essay by posing the two major objections to the policy of using free or cheap online distribution of an author’s works as a promotional method, which I both advocate and practice personally.
Scattershot
Sun, Aug 26, 2007
Harold Bloom coined the term "Anxiety of Influence" in the 1970's, describing the situation facing the contemporary poet, but it transports effortlessly to science fiction.
The Literature of Fandom
Wed, Aug 8, 2007
There has always been a close tie between fandom and the world of professional science fiction.
August 2007
Wed, Jul 18, 2007
The Future And You is an award-winning audio podcast about the future which may be downloaded and enjoyed, or even copied and shared, for free.
The Conventional Wisdom
Thu, Jun 28, 2007
Kurt Vonnegut called the phenomenon "Foma" . . . myths whose falsity was well understood but which we had quietly agreed to treat as if they were true.
Slush
Thu, Jun 14, 2007
Everyone talks about slush, but no one does anything about it. Except read it. Very reluctantly.
Banana Slug and Stoney April 2007
Mon, Jun 4, 2007
Walt and Stoney discuss the latest news about JBU in April of 2007
The Matrix and the Star Maker
Mon, May 21, 2007
So here's humanity, downtrodden, unhappy, fed false images of the real world, and stacked up against us are dozens, perhaps thousands, possibly even millions of computer programs that have taken shape and form and voice.
Straitjackets
Thu, May 17, 2007
I’ve received some interesting comments over on Escape Pod, an audio site where they read one of my stories every now and then.
The Future And You, April 2007
Mon, Mar 19, 2007
Listen as David Drake, Alan Dean Foster, Dave Freer, Ginjer Buchanan, Paul Levinson and Lucienne Diver describe many of the technological and social changes which will alter your life during the next few years.
Spillage: or, The Way Fair Use Works in Favor of Authors and Publishers
Wed, Mar 7, 2007
In my last essay, I said I would continue to explore the way in which fair use benefits authors and publishers. In fact, I went so far as to say that "fair use has always been the author's best friend" and I made the following two claims:
April 2007
Sun, Mar 4, 2007
Okay, I hear you ask, how the hell can Jim Baen's Universe pay such phenomenal word rates? Are we just a loss leader for Baen Books?
Arias & Barcarolles
Sat, Mar 3, 2007
From its inception as a category of publishing in this country (the first issue being Gernsback's April, 1926 Amazing Stories), science fiction was a literature of ideas.
Books: The Opaque Market
Fri, Feb 9, 2007
In my last essay, I approached the question of so-called online piracy from what I called a "negative" standpoint—
There Ain't No Such Thing as a Free Lunch
Fri, Feb 2, 2007
I ended my last essay as follows:
Is it true that modern electronic devices have made copyright infringement "so effortless" that it has become
The answer is "no." In the next issue, I'll explain why.
The Future and You February 2007
Sun, Jan 28, 2007
Listen as Elizabeth Bear, Toni Weisskopf, Walter Jon Williams, Ginjer Buchanan and L.E. Modesitt describe many of the technological and social changes which will alter your life during the next few years.
From the Heart's Basement February 2007
Wed, Jan 24, 2007
Here is the third incarnation of this column of commentary; there were eight in Pulphouse in the early 90's and then a couple in Ellen Datlow's online Event Horizon in 1998.
Editor's Page February 2007
Fri, Jan 12, 2007
So here I am, the new Executive Editor of Jim Baen's Universe. And here you are, wondering who the hell I am and what I like.
Schlock Cover for Dec 2006
Fri, Dec 1, 2006
Howard Taylor of Schlock Mercendary provides our cover for Issue number 4. Thanks Howard. Visit Schlock Mercendary now at http://www.schlockmercenary.com.
The Future and You December 2006
Fri, Nov 24, 2006
I am pleased to announce that your beloved online magazine, Jim Baen's Universe, has teamed with the award-winning podcast The Future And You, in an effort to benefit the patrons of both.
The Editor's Page December 2006
Tue, Nov 14, 2006
Since our third issue came out a few weeks ago, we've expanded our staff by adding two new people.
What is Fair Use
Sat, Sep 16, 2006
Although this column addresses the controversy surrounding so-called Digital Rights Management, I devoted my first three essays to a discussion of the general principles concerning copyright as such.
The Editor's Page October 2006
Sat, Sep 16, 2006
Jim Baen, the founder of this magazine, died three months ago. Between that and the fact that we've now had enough initial experience with Universe to have a much better sense of the prospects for the magazine than we did when we launched it at the end of last year, I think it would be appropriate for me to use this issue's Editor's Page to let our readers know what our current plans are.
Copyright: How Long Should It Be?
Thu, Aug 24, 2006
I ended my last essay by presenting the general principles needed to answer the question, how long should copyright terms last?
The Editor's Page August 2006
Tue, Aug 1, 2006
My original plans for this issue's "The Editor's Page" got swept aside last month by the death of Jim Baen, the man who launched the magazine and whose name is
McCauley on Copyright
Mon, Jul 31, 2006
These are two speeches given by Thomas Macaulay in Parliament in 1841, when the issue of copyright was being hammered out. They are, no other word for it, brilliant—
Our second animated cover
Mon, Jul 31, 2006
David Mattingly has been a major cover artist at Baen for a long time.
We hope you enjoy our second animated cover, "Cities in Flight."
Publisher's Podium
Fri, Jul 14, 2006
Jim looks into the research of Cynthia Kenyon, an eminently respectable scientist who publishes on aging in nematodes.
Copyright: What Are the Proper Terms for the Debate?
Fri, Jun 16, 2006
I want to continue my discussion of copyright, which I began in last issue's column, before turning my attention to the issue of so-called "Digital Rights Management" itself.
The Fifth Information Age
Wed, Jun 14, 2006
We keep hearing about how we are in "The Information Age," but rarely is any reference made to any of four previously created Information Ages, and technology changes that were as powerful in their day as the Internet is today.
A Matter of Principle
Mon, May 22, 2006
DRM isn't just evil. It's evil and stupid. The first of a continuing column on why.
The History of Power From the Gutenberg Revolution to the Computer Revolution
Tue, Apr 4, 2006
The more the publishing media can deliver to the masses, the more it will be that laws are passed to stop that same media from reaching the masses.
Upload Your Life Now
Tue, Feb 7, 2006
Is the singularity coming? Mark Van Name provides a weather report.
