Blog
For my old weblog material, visit www.kschroeder.com/archive
May 16, 2016
Keynote at Sector 3.0 in Warsaw
I'll be speaking May 18, 2016 on "Humans in the digital world"
I'm excited to be traveling to Warsaw, Poland, this week to give a talk at the Sector 3.0 conference. This year's theme is "humantech" and I'll be talking about the potentially transformational impact that blockchain technologies may have on our civilization. Forget self-driving cars, this is where the real action is.
The event is taking place at the stunning Copernicus Center. In the afternoon of the 18th I'll also be speaking on Campus, about a five minute walk from the Center, on the general subject of reinventing democracy using modern technologies and--more importantly--our newly unfolding empirically-based understanding of human nature and cognitive science.
I've always wanted to visit Poland, where my family came from 140 years ago. Ironically, the weather in Warsaw this week is exactly the same as the weather in Toronto--cool, but warm enough to get out and about and enjoy spring in Europe. Which I full intend to do. Thanks to Jean Ekwa and the rest of the organizers of the conference for inviting me. I hope I make it worth their while.
Apr 22, 2016
"The Dragon of Pripyat" reappears
...in France
Stellar French SF magazine Bifrost is marking its 20th year in print. As part of the celebration, they're republishing highlights from their past issues, and have honoured me by choosing "The Dragon of Pripyat" as one of the reprints. You can find the retrospective issue on their website.
Apr 20, 2016
Warsaw, Sector 3.0
I'll be there May 18, 2016
Poland has a very dynamic and forward-looking nonprofit sector, and recently the country has been encouraging local libraries at the town and village level to modernize and innovate. It’s part of an effort to empower local people, organizations and small businesses. Since a lot of my recent work is on governance and in particular, local government and autonomy, I’ve been invited to Warsaw to talk about “technologies of trust” at this year’s Sector 3.0 conference. This will be happening on May 18-19, at the stunning Copernicus Science Centre; I’ll be speaking at 10:00 A.M. on the 18th.
I'm really looking forward to this. The European foresight and innovation community is daring and creative, and this event looks like it'll engage all levels of society in just the kind of dialogue and exploration I enjoy!
I'll add more details as I get them, and hope to livetweet as much of the event as I can.
Nov 23, 2015
Lockstep wins 2015 Aurora Award
I share this award with Charles de Lint--the vote was a tie!
Yesterday we held the 35th Annual Aurora Award ceremony, at Canvention here in Toronto. I was up in the Best Young Adult Novel category, along with a field of impressive peers. My novel Lockstep tied with Charles de Lint's Out of This World to win in the Young Adult category.
I'm thrilled and honoured to be in the company of such fine writers. I'm also delighted to have won in the Young Adult category, as this seals an Aurora win for me in each of the Short Story, Novel, and YA Novel classes.
It's an early Christmas present, and I'm grateful to everyone who contributed to the awards, and in particular the Aurora Committee who have worked so diligently for 35(!) years now to bring this award to the Canadian readership.
Nov 04, 2015
License Expired Book Launch
Appropriately, at the Pravda Vodka Bar
If you're in the Toronto area in November, make sure you come down to Pravda to help us launch License Expired, the unauthorized James Bond anthology. This is going to be huge fun, with readings, grandiose speeches and yes, vodka.
Oct 20, 2015
My World Fantasy Con Schedule
See you in Saratoga
I'm not primarily a fantasy writer, but some great works have had a huge influence on me--most importantly, Mervyn Peake's epic Gormenghast. I read The Lord of the Rings like most kids, and was on my third read of it when I discovered Peake. After finishing Gormenghast, I didn't return to Tolkien for another twenty years.
I'll be going on about that and other stuff on my panels, but heck, I'm really there just to hang out and talk, so if you're going to the convention look for me. I'll be around and happy to shmooze.
The schedule:
City Center 2B | Magic is the essential ingredient of Epic Fantasy… except when it isn't. Can a story be Epic Fantasy if there isn't a spell hurling mage? Do all quests need a wizard? The panel will discuss how magic is used in Epic Fantasy and some of the texts that do things a little differently. Paul DiFilippo (mod.), David Keck, Kate Laity, Karl Schroeder |
Friday:
1:00•City Center 2B | The Fantastic Cities of Monstrous Magnitude Epic Fantasy has created some of the most arresting and wondrous architecture ever dreamed of. The panel will discuss some of their favorite settings in Epic Fantasy and why those cities and buildings evoke such wonder. John Clute, Gemma Files, David Levine, Karl Schroeder |
Reading, 11:00, in Broadway 2