Blog
For my old weblog material, visit www.kschroeder.com/archive
Feb 19, 2008
SciBarCamp
Here's your formal invitation to a cool and transformative event happening in Toronto in March
This is fun: I'm helping organize a “SciBarCamp” with a diverse group of local people including entrepreneurs, students, artists, and scientists. The event will take place at Hart House at the University of Toronto on the weekend of March 15-16, with an opening reception on the evening of March 14.
SciBarCamp is a gathering of scientists, artists, and forward-thinking members of the public for a weekend of talks and discussions. The goal is to create connections between science, entrepreneurs and local businesses, and arts and culture. The themes are:
- The edge of science (eg, synthetic biology, quantum gravity, cognitive science)
- The edge of technology (eg, mobile web, ambient computing, nanotechnology, web 2.0)
- Science 2.0 (open access, changing models of publication and collaboration)
- Scientific literacy and public engagement (eg, one laptop per child project, policy and science, technology as legislation, science as culture, enfranchising the poor, the young, the old)
In
the tradition of BarCamps, otherwise known as "unconferences", (see BarCamp.org
for more information), the program is decided by the participants at the
beginning of the meeting, in the opening reception. Presentations and
discussion topics can be proposed at the SciBarCamp
website or on the opening night.
The talks will be informal and interactive; to encourage this, speakers who
wish to give PowerPoint presentations will have ten minutes to present, while
those without will have twenty minutes. Around half of the time will be
dedicated to small group discussions on topics suggested by the
participants. The social events and meals will make it easy to meet
people from different fields and industries. Our venue, Hart House, is a congenial space
with plenty of informal areas to work or talk. There will be free
wireless access throughout.
Our goals are:
- Igniting new projects, collaborations, business opportunities, and further events.
- Intellectual stimulation and good conversation.
- Integrating science into Toronto's cultural, entrepreneurial, and intellectual activites.
- Protoyping a model that can be easily duplicated elsewhere.
Attendance is free, but there is only space for around 100 people, so please register soon by sending an email to Jen Dodd (dodd.jen@gmail.com) with your name and contact details.. Include a link to your blog or your organization's webpage that we can display with your name on the participants list at www.SciBarCamp.org.
More information can be found at www.SciBarCamp.org.
Feb 14, 2008
Boskone changes/additions
Kaffeeklatsch, reading, signing, and more
Head on over to the Events page of my site for details about my final itinerary at Boskone.
Feb 13, 2008
Engine of Recall page added
I'm continuing to add to the site. This time, the short story collection
I've just added a page for my short story collection, The Engine of Recall. You can find it under the My Books item in the left-hand menu.
The success of this collection has inspired me to start writing short fiction again. I'd won awards, and been nominated for awards, with some of my short work--but, you gotta understand, nearly all of it was originally published here in Canada. Until very recently, American markets snubbed my short stories. I'd concluded that, if my short pieces weren't actually bad (some were obviously very good) they didn't in any case match American tastes. The U.S. and Britain being the biggest markets for short fiction, I'd concluded it wasn't really worth my while continuing to write the stuff if I only sold it locally.
Maybe it's because I'm now known because of my novels; maybe what was needed was all my stories combined together into one big indigestible lump for readers to buy; but now, I'm regularly receiving requests for short fiction from the U.S. I'm happy to oblige--though slightly bemused, too, by the turnaround.
Feb 11, 2008
Immobilized
Can't do nothing but sit indoors and write. What a shame
I'm more than halfway through The Sunless Countries, and things are heating up. The weather in Toronto's been cooperating by cooling things down-- it was -18 last night, with a wind chill in the -30s--so I have no excuses not to work on the book.
It all puts me in the mood to write about the nations of permanent darkness that hide in Virga's 'winter' zones. They're mostly unknown by people who live in the lit countries, as are the vast reaches of blackness that surround the artificial suns. It's a realm where 'here be dragons' could in fact be true--and in fact. . ., well, I'm not about to spoil it by revealing more.
But it's glorious fun; there remains an unlimited amount of exploration to be done in Virga. This book will add as much cool stuff as all the previous books combined.
Feb 08, 2008
Vote Venera in '08
Because nomination is the sincerest form of flattery
Yes, there is an alternative! It's awards season again, and my latest novel Queen of Candesce is eligible--for the Hugo, the Aurora, and others. If you were a member of Worldcon last year, or are already this year, you're eligible to nominate for the Hugo--but better do it soon, because the deadline is the end of February!
Similarly, Canadians can nominate for the Aurora online, but be quick about it. Nominations close March 17.
And why do I think you should nominate Queen? Well, don't take my word for it:
With Queen of Candesce, Karl Schroeder's Virga saga establishes itself as an SF saga of the same order as LeGuin's Earthsea stories, Asimov's Robot stories, and Niven's Ringworld stories.
--SF Revu
Comparable to classic SF epics like John Varley’s Gaean trilogy and Jack L. Chalker’s Well of Souls series, Schroeder’s saga is an awe-inspiring example of masterful world-building.
--Publisher's Weekly
Queen of Candesce . . . offers a generous abundance of reading pleasure, and its confirms that Karl Schroeder belongs in the front ranks of SF world-builders.
--SciFi.com
SF remains the home to some of the most visionary writers of the day, and to some of the most overlooked. With Queen of Candesce, [Schroeder] has achieved a clockwork balance of deftly paced adventure and humour, set against an intriguing and unique vision of humanity's far future.
--The Globe and Mail
Vote Venera in '08!
Feb 06, 2008
. . .And speaking of being singled out
Pirate Sun will be August, 2008's SciFi Essential book
Once again the SciFi channel is gracing me with a special honour: Pirate Sun will be August, 2008's SciFi Essentials title.
The SciFi Essentials home page describes the programme like this:
Each month we select a new book as a SCI FI Essential. That means it deserves to be counted among the finest works of the genre.
My novel Lady of Mazes was also a SciFi Essential, back in 2005.
This month, by the way, the Essentials book is Paul Melko's Singularity's Ring, which is just fantastic. This is a first novel that reads like the work of an accomplished master. Melko's a superhot talent, and I hope the Essentials seal of approval gives this book the attention it deserves.