Galaxis 4 ... Is not the Last One

I've decided not to end my digital science/science fiction magazine Galaxis with the current issue, #4. I'm working up plans to have a fifth issue after all, and this one should appear in digital and in limited print editions.

So while I put the finishing touches on the first Galaxis Reader book and start pulling together the fifth edition of Galaxis magazine, it's a good time to remind everyone that Galaxis #4 is still available for you to read, free, online.

Read the magazine:

Complete Contents of Galaxis October 2011 Issue

Now that several hundred people have already sampled the second issue of Galaxis, my digital magazine devoted to "The Worlds of Science & Science Fiction," it's time to share the entire contents with you.

FEATURES  

The Great Starship Challenge (help NASA and DARPA plan an interstellar spacecraft)
Battlestar Galactica: The Complete Episode Guide (to the reimagined series)
The Old German Future (a look at forgotten German science fiction)
Prometheus Unbound (a critical examination of the free-for-all attempts to publicize secrets about Ridley Scott's new film)
Bunky's Odd Friends (Lyle Lahey's 1970s comic strip rediscovered)
Perry Rhodan Starts Over (rebooting the German SF series)
Trips to the Moon (possibly the very first SF story ever written)
Saturn's Secrets (photo guide to the ringed planet) 

DEPARTMENTS 

Viewscreen (when politics and SF meet)
Launch Tube (short news about Schwarzenegger and the next Terminator, remembering Martin H. Greenberg, Star Trek updates, and more)
Worldly Things (these are a few of our favorite things)
Webbed (websites of interest)
Compendium (event listings – exhibits, conventions, space launches, lectures, and much more)
Mail (reader reaction)
Reviewscreen (reviews of The Magician King, The Windup Girl, The Host, the summer's superhero onslaught, and more)
Plus, of course, a look at the next issue.

All of that is in one colorful 60-page magazine, which I've designed for people who love science fiction and science, and particularly for people looking for something a little different, a little deeper, than they get from other magazines in the field. Won't you join us?

Remember, you can read or download a free digital copy of Galaxis from here, or you can purchase a print-on-demand copy here.

Socially Relevant Science Fiction in China: The Prosperous Time: China 2013

I wouldn't want to be author Chen Guanzhong when the Chinese government comes knocking at his door, but for now I think everyone who's interested in China developing into a prosperous and free country would be interested in this article from Foreign Policy.

Writer Xujun Eberlein describes the book The Prosperous Time: China 2013, which is a pretty rough critique of the Chinese communist political system and the people's acquiescence and complicity in the authoritarian system. A rare social science-fiction story in a country where SF tends to shy away from commenting on political matters, The Prosperous Time was first published in Hong Kong and then offered by the offer free of charge to mainland readers.

It's of interest to anyone concerned with Chinese science fiction, which has had a turbulent century or so, notes Eberlein – and it continues to be turbulent, as recent turmoil at its leading SF magazine has shown.

Hi, I'm Isaac Asimov. Which Science Fiction Author Are You?

This is a year or more old, but I stumbled across this quiz to find out which science fiction author you most represent. After taking the quiz, I was told I was closest to the good doctor Asimov. I think I'll take it again and purposely see if I can get it to tell me I'm Harlan Ellison (even if he has threatened physical harm to anyone calling him a science fiction author -- and therein lies the key to my hoped-for rigging of the quiz).

Who are you?

I am: Isaac Asimov One of the most prolific writers in history, on any imaginable subject. Cared little for art but created lasting and memorable tales.

Which science fiction writer are you?




UPDATE: I took the test again, but I missed my Ellison mark. I ended up as Frank Herbert. Who knew?

The SyFy Fun Continues

The blogosphere is being quite harsh on the Sci Fi Channel's plans to rebrand itself as Syfy. As one site, io9, put it in a headline: Sci Fi Channel Changes Its Name to a Typo

But there are others. Bloggers tend to be an outspoken (and often profane) group to begin with, but when they're actually on the side of angels, their brutality can be at least amusing. "WTF" "stupid" and "waste of time" seems to crop up in a number of these commentaries.

Here's a roundup of a few:

Scyence Fyction: Because Geeks Are Inhuman (Keith McDuffee)

Question of the Day: WTF Is up with Sci Fi Channel Changing Its Name to SyFy? (Flick Filosopher)

What the Hell Is a SyFy? (Crunch Gear)

More on that SciFi/SyFy Channel Thing (Starlog)

WTF: Sci Fi Channel Renamed SyFy (/film)

Editorial: SciFi Channel Rebranding to Syfy; "Skiffy" No More? (Firefox News)

That's a Little Iffy (The Star Online)

Sci Fy to SyFy? Houston, We've Got no Problem (Chris Matyszczyk on CNET)

Sci Fi Channel "Geeks" Blast Network's Decision to Change Name to SyFy (Chicago Tribune)

Even Sci Fi Channel Embarrassed to Admit It Watches Sci Fi Channel: Changes Name to SyFy (BestWeekEver.tv)

Sci Fi Rebrand: Fans React (Broadcasting and Cable)

Sci Fi Channel to Suffer Makeover (ENews 2.0)

And, of course, my own previous post: Sci Fi Channel Doesn't Like Sci Fi (Weimar World Service Blog)

Sci Fi Channel Doesn't Like "Sci Fi"

NBC Universal's popular (and growing) Sci Fi Channel has decided it's embarrassed by its name, and by its audience. Deciding that "sci fi" gives people images of "geeks and dysfunctional, antisocial boys in their basements" (in the words of one consultant) the cable channel is changing its name to Syfy, according to TV Week.

Their reasoning that "sci fi" turned off people who might otherwise like the content is ridiculous, considering the continued major gains in audiences and in critical accolades (just witness much of the critical laurels being thrown out for the reimagined Battlestar Galactica).

An interesting sidenote: There already was a syfyportal.com, but that's changed its name to the difficult to market airlockalpha.com.

All of this brings to mind a column I wrote for Internet World in 2000. In it, I mused about (and mocked, deservedly) the companies that changed their names from perfectly good ones to stupid ones. And the silliness continues. TV Week cites Sci Fi Channel President Dave Howe:

Mr. Howe said Sci Fi looks at its branding every couple of years. He added that when new executives join the network, they usually ask if it has ever thought about changing the name.

Seriously? What kind of person goes to apply for a job at Bank One, and then suggests that they change their name to something a little less "banky"? Does Sports Illustrated hire many editors who are embarrassed about the bad image of sports fans and suggest they change the name to Sprites Illuminated?

Just where do you hire these people?