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Science Fiction

My New Story, Iago v2.0 Is Now Up at Nature

As mentioned earlier this week, my story, Iago v2.0 is now up at Nature. I have wanted to write something like this ever since Facebook was found to be conducting emotional contagion experiments on users. However, the moment passed, and Facebook was able to paper over or dismiss any worries about their disturbing and unethical behavior. It wasn't until I saw video of Washington University's experiments with algorithms that were able to create believable, synchronized video from audio clips that the idea for this story come to me. The political ramifications of said technology were apparent, but I wanted to delve deeper into what could be plausible. I mean, we currently allow plenty of tech companies to offer us "free" services that are nothing but platforms for more advertising penetration. That's where I got the idea that most telecom companies, if given their druthers, would just have an AI build new episodes of...

November 9, 2017
Science Fiction, Writing

My Second Acceptance at Nature: Futures

Earlier this week, I received word I would be published at Nature: Futures for the second time. I completely forgot to mention this earlier because of the flurry of activity at home. My sister and her kids have been staying with us rather than return to Puerto Rico in its current state. Between that, getting my niece enrolled in school (she had four days of 6th grade before both Irma and Maria hit the island), and a handful of other things. . . I confess this good news slipped my mind. The piece, called Iago v2.0, is scheduled to be published next week. I'll keep you posted....

November 3, 2017
Science Fiction, Writing

The 2017 Nebulas Conference

I went to the SFWA 2017 Nebulas Conference in Pittsburgh over the weekend with fellow writers Chris M. Rose, Jeremy Gottwig, and Doug Dluzen. It was the first time for all of us, going to the Nebulas. What followed was four days of socializing with other writers and editors in the field, which was fun, but also draining for me. Pittsburgh was more elegant than I had imagined, and loved how the city is cradled by hills on all sides. I had a blast meeting many people who I had only ever chatted with on the Codex writer's forum, and sitting in on many of the panels programmed for the weekend. I was moved by astronaut Kjell Lindgren's speech about his experiences aboard the ISS, which he accompanied with several pictures of the Earth, as seen from space. I was happy for all the winners of the Nebulas, but was especially thrilled...

May 25, 2017
Fantasy, Science Fiction, Writing

What Have I Been Enjoying Lately?

Earlier this week, I rattled off a very brief post talking about Sylvia Moreno García's efforts at capturing Latin Americans in SFF. I may decide to write more about this at some later date, but for now I wanted to go over the things I've been enjoying recently. Fleabag I started watching this series through Amazon. It is a fascinating experiment in perspective, as the entire show is told exclusively through Fleabag's point of view. The fourth wall is often broken, as the audience is both confidant and accomplice in what Phoebe Waller-Bridge's character is going through. Fleabag is a mess, and the show is funny, crass, sly and--at times--heartbreaking. Legion Currently being aired on FX. Daniel Haller has problems, one of them being that what he thought to be mental illness is actually the by-products of his superpowers. Full disclosure: I had to watch the first episode more than once. This was my...

March 20, 2017
Films, Science Fiction, Series

“Fahrenheit 451” and the Problems of A Single Story

A few nights ago, I took to Twitter to respond to all those articles I've seen urging people to read George Orwell's "1984" (or, alternately, "A Brave New World"). To which I said--and continue to say--"Hey, great books!" However, for me the book to study is Ray Bradbury's "Fahrenheit 451." The reasons I can see for this are: "1984" inhabits the mindscape of Stalinist Soviet Union: hulking gray buildings framed against gray skies, far removed from how someone from the U.S. views their country. "A Brave New World," while prescient in certain ways, is too bizarre an environment for today's readers Styles change, and while I find "1984" to be much more modern-sounding than "Brave New World", Fahrenheit 451 is written in allegorical and poetic language which lends it a timelessness.   [embed]http://https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-IcPx9uD0U[/embed]  Don't want to read the rest of the post? Thug Notes video to the rescue!   Bradbury's book is by far the shortest of...

March 4, 2017
Science Fiction