Let the reader invest emotionally in a fully rounded character like Millie, and you can let the world end and begin again in any number of ways, as SGLet the reader invest emotionally in a fully rounded character like Millie, and you can let the world end and begin again in any number of ways, as SGJ does in this affecting tale of Otherness and history....more
It’s incredible how these ‘guides’ to science fiction differ in content and approach. I must say my all-time favourite is ‘The Cambridge History of ScIt’s incredible how these ‘guides’ to science fiction differ in content and approach. I must say my all-time favourite is ‘The Cambridge History of Science Fiction’, which includes ‘modern’ topics like Afrofuturism and the Global South. There is even a chapter on fandom and ‘convergence culture’, whatever that is. The ‘Routledge Companion’ is divided into four main sections: History, Theories, Issues and Challenges, and Subgenres. It does include Critical Race Theory and Queer Theory, which the ‘Cambridge History’ does not. However, ‘Routledge’ does not venture into the choppy global waters beyond postcolonialism. It is probably best to read several such guides in conjunction to get the most comprehensive overview of the genre possible....more
Not a conventional history of Nigerian-South African relations but uses decoloniality and hegemony as a springboard. Even a chapter on the dynamic intNot a conventional history of Nigerian-South African relations but uses decoloniality and hegemony as a springboard. Even a chapter on the dynamic introduced by climate change. My favourite chapter is by Ahmed Haroon Jazbhy discussing the two countries as two regional hegemons, against the background of global coloniality. Jazbhy uses Quijano’s colonial matrices of power and runs the gamut of decolonial thinkers from Santos to Ndlovu-Gatsheni, Grosfoguel, and Mignolo. A fascinating read, especially in the context of how BRICS is changing power dynamics in the Global South....more
Existential dread seeps through the pages of this quietly brutal and disquieting story by the author of 'Mysterious Skin', who takes an unflinching loExistential dread seeps through the pages of this quietly brutal and disquieting story by the author of 'Mysterious Skin', who takes an unflinching look at the dark heart of vengeance, and its true cost....more
Set in 1989 in Seoul, this is a heavy-handed short story from the author of 'Pachinko' about family gender dynamics. I really did not like the ending,Set in 1989 in Seoul, this is a heavy-handed short story from the author of 'Pachinko' about family gender dynamics. I really did not like the ending, which adds such a big dollop of melodrama to what would have worked much better as a quieter, more subtle interrogation of the consequences of societal expectations....more
Probably the goriest of the Creature Feature bunch, bolstered by an emotional family dynamic that grounds the horror. One star off for a few niggling Probably the goriest of the Creature Feature bunch, bolstered by an emotional family dynamic that grounds the horror. One star off for a few niggling lapses in logic at the end, which doesn't quite work. Still, proof there is a bloody beating heart to be found in every cliche and trope....more
Clearly, it is dawning on the business world that AI is not only about robots taking away jobs and taking over the world. More often, it is about runnClearly, it is dawning on the business world that AI is not only about robots taking away jobs and taking over the world. More often, it is about running our businesses and our lives more efficiently.
If you are remotely interested in AI, its potential and likely evolution going forward, as well as its impact on whatever sector you work in – from business entrepreneurs to academics, finance, medical, legal, and even industrial automation – this is the book for you.
Arthur Goldstuck is the best tech expert and commentator in South Africa, and his weekly Sunday Times column is a must read. Here he has penned a no-nonsense guide to AI, with practical examples and advice.
The book is structured to include general interest reading as well as content specifically for consumer, business, professional and technical audiences, all neatly arranged so you can easily dip in and out of the book. The writing is simple, making this a fast but invaluable read.
There is a lot of hype, hyperbole, and hand-wringing about AI at the moment. Goldstuck strips all of that away and focuses on best-use cases for the technology (with caveats where needed.) He says: “There’s just so much opportunity, because there’s so much innovation, so much thinking and so many directions in which artificial intelligence can go.”
That comment was made at a 2014 panel discussion at Wits about ‘The Future of the Connected Human’. Speaking about Wits, Dr Benjamin Rosman, Professor of AI and Robotics, says in his introduction:
The reality is that we are in uncharted waters, and we do not know how these technologies will play out over the next few years and decades. What we really need is for broader cross sections of the population to add their voices to how AI is built and deployed, to take advantage of the exciting opportunities to improve our lives, and at the same time to help steer us away from the risks. ...more
This popped up on my Scribd / Everand feed, then I saw it is to be included in the upcoming 'You Like It Darker'. Yes, King is a Leonard Cohen fan. AnThis popped up on my Scribd / Everand feed, then I saw it is to be included in the upcoming 'You Like It Darker'. Yes, King is a Leonard Cohen fan. And if the brutal nihilism of this queasily funny, extraordinarily violent punch-to-the-gut morality tale is any indication of the general tenor of the collection, we are indeed in for a hell of a dark ride ......more
Heavy on the ick factor, this interesting story by Jason Mott is ultimately let down by an, er, host of unanswered questions if you scrutinise the maiHeavy on the ick factor, this interesting story by Jason Mott is ultimately let down by an, er, host of unanswered questions if you scrutinise the main premise too quickly....more
Oof. You invoke the inimitable John Langan at your own peril. This feels more like a pastiche of Langan's character-driven phantasmagoria than a succeOof. You invoke the inimitable John Langan at your own peril. This feels more like a pastiche of Langan's character-driven phantasmagoria than a successful horror story in its own right....more
This starts off so strongly. Genuinely otherworldly and unsettling. Then Malerman opts for a rational ending - Silence of the Lambs (stitching a new fThis starts off so strongly. Genuinely otherworldly and unsettling. Then Malerman opts for a rational ending - Silence of the Lambs (stitching a new face from human skin) - that completely unravels the wonder and the terror. True horror is ineffable, dammit....more
'Some men were born to play football, fuck models, and be on TV; some men were born to attend Yale and run for Congress. Willy was born to push the pr'Some men were born to play football, fuck models, and be on TV; some men were born to attend Yale and run for Congress. Willy was born to push the pram . . . to walk out of his unhappy life and into the green wood of something better.'
Joe Hill should have titled this 'Children of the Pram'....more
Another research reread, focusing on ‘The Necessity of Tomorrow(s)’ (racism in SF) and ‘Some Presumptuous Approaches to Science Fiction’ (theory). DelAnother research reread, focusing on ‘The Necessity of Tomorrow(s)’ (racism in SF) and ‘Some Presumptuous Approaches to Science Fiction’ (theory). Delany is as gregarious and as penetrating as ever:
These baker’s dozen disparate pieces discuss the past and the future of science fiction, those violences committed on our reading of science fiction texts by memory (and remembering) and desire (and although we have no English word re-desiring, desire itself is so closely allied to repetition that Freud could identify the two).
Matthew Cheney provides an excellent, fascinating introduction into Delany’s “new kind of criticism”, which is where “difference is what separates a science fiction text from other texts: a difference of representation and reference, a difference of reading strategies (protocols, codes), a difference of history.”
Of course, Cheney makes the useful connection to Derrida’s différance, and the (immense) fun Delany has poking at this bear of a structuralist theory. Despite its intimidating sub-title, ‘More Notes on the Language of Science Fiction’, following on from ‘The Jewel-Hinged Jaw’, this is a meandering, fun, occasionally maddening, sometimes obtuse and even irreverent, examination of a genre that remains a benchmark in SF criticism to this day....more
A nearly 30 page story with zero dialogue about a sentient starship that decides, in the interests of the galaxy, to change its mission ... Nail-bitinA nearly 30 page story with zero dialogue about a sentient starship that decides, in the interests of the galaxy, to change its mission ... Nail-biting, thought-provoking, and packed with pathos, this is Scalzi effortlessly flexing his SF muscles. And that ending ......more