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TECH: How Close Are We to 2001’s AI Future?

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Hal - 2001

“I’m sorry Dave, I’m afraid I can’t do that.” Movie audiences first heard these calmly intoned and ominous words in 1968, spoken by a spaceship’s intelligent computer in the science-fiction masterpiece “2001: A Space Odyssey.” With that one phrase, the computer named HAL 9000 confirmed that it could think for itself, and that it was prepared to terminate the astronauts who were planning to deactivate it. Fifty years after director Stanley Kubrick released his visionary masterpiece of space colonization, how close are humans to the future that he imagined, in which we partner with artificial intelligence (A.I.) that we ultimately … Read more

ANNOUNCEMENT: Clutch, by Piper Scott & Virginia Kelly

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Clutch

QSFers Piper Kay and Virginia Kelly have a new MM paranormal mpreg book out: Bookish, snarky, and fiercely independent Nate Boudreaux leads a solitary life. Between teaching classes at the university and working toward his PhD, he doesn’t need a partner to occupy his time, and he certainly doesn’t need a man like Alistair Drake complicating his future. Alistair Drake, black sheep of the tremendously wealthy Drake family, is more interested in adding another notch to his bedpost than another zero to his bank account. When a Grindr message brings him to Nate’s doorstep, then straight to his bed, he … Read more

FOR WRITERS: Writing Mental Illness

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FOR WRITERS Today’s writer topic comes from QSFer Lex Chase: Again with pushing for diversity, what about writing characters with mental illness? Not as villains or unhinged perverts but as heroes? And not only heroes, but heroes compliant with treatment or making steps to seek treatment? Not using their illness to make them “interesting” or use an episode as a plot device. This is a legacy chat. Join the chat

SPACE: NASA Wants to Send Humans to Live in the Clouds on Venus

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Venus Cloud Living - NASA==

Popular science fiction of the early 20th century depicted Venus as some kind of wonderland of pleasantly warm temperatures, forests, swamps and even dinosaurs. In 1950, the Hayden Planetarium at the American Natural History Museum were soliciting reservations for the first space tourism mission, well before the modern era of Blue Origins, SpaceX and Virgin Galactic. All you had to do was supply your address and tick the box for your preferred destination, which included Venus. Today, Venus is unlikely to be a dream destination for aspiring space tourists. As revealed by numerous missions in the last few decades, rather … Read more

ANNOUNCEMENT: Loving Loch, by Kris Jacen

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Loving Loch

QSFer Kris Jacen has a new MM shifter romance out: Loving Loch. Check off the bucket list? Maybe Love should be added to the list? David Rowan spends his days crunching numbers and his nights watching history or travel shows. He’d been out of school for four years when a note from a fraternity brother reminded him of his “Bucket List” that they’d made up one year for pledges at the fraternity as a ‘get to know the brothers’ activity. But maybe it was time for him to take his list and make it a reality. Loch Gallagher—yes, his ma … Read more

Will Superhumans Replace Us? Stephen Hawking Thought So

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superhero - pixabay

Are we all going to be replaced? Stephen Hawking apparently thought so. In the grand tradition of famous physicists making claims about subjects beyond their scope of expertise, the great British theorist left behind a collection of essays in which he speculated about and predicted the human future. In one essay, published Oct. 14 in the Sunday Times, Hawking argued that humanity risks being replaced by genetically modified “superhumans.” Well-intentioned research designed to improve human health and human life, he wrote, will eventually be corrupted. People will start to modify humans to live longer, be smarter, or be more aggressive … Read more

ANNOUNCEMENT: To Save His Prince, by Hurri Cosmo

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To Save His Prince

QSFer Hurri Cosmo has a new MM fantasy book out: To Save His Prince. Emory is a humble kitchen servant intent on working hard so he can continue to earn his daily crust of bread. It is a thankless, back-breaking job, but it is exactly where Emory wants to be. In the magnificent West Quay castle. Because that is where the incredibly handsome, extremely talented Crown Prince Riffyn lives. The beautiful, kind, and attentive man stole Emory’s heart years before when he rescued him and his mother from a band of thieves. Now Emory’s only wish is to be close, … Read more

SPOILER ALERT: Major Arrow Character is Gay

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“Arrow” revealed that one of its major characters is gay in the second episode of its seventh season. The episode titled “The Longbow Hunters,” which aired on Monday, featured a flash forward with Oliver’s son William now all grown up. William is reunited with Roy and gives a quick rundown of what he’s been up to in an off-hand comment about his sexuality.’ “Felicity and Oliver, they really just left you?” Roy asks William. He replies: “Pretty much. And my ex-boyfriend wonders why I have commitment issues.” Some fans were thrilled at the series adding more LGBT characters. By Mariah … Read more