art and technology

https://kottke.org/19/08/these-nigerian-teens-are-making-sci-fi-shorts-with-slick-visual-effects

For the past year, a group of teens in Nigeria called the Critics Company have been uploading short sci-fi films to their YouTube channel. Using a smartphone with a busted screen, makeshift equipment, open source 3D tools like Blender, and green sheets hung on walls, the self-taught group has produced some professional-grade special effects.

wonderful to see the ways in which ubiquitous computing (and cellphones in particular) enable this sort of creativity.

pagliacci

https://scifi.stackexchange.com/questions/131380/was-rorschachs-pagliacci-joke-a-real-joke

Interesting discussion of the history of the "great clown Pagliacci" joke.

2019 hugos

https://io9.gizmodo.com/here-are-your-hugo-2019-award-winners-1837368271

a little disappointed that "record of a spaceborn few" didn't win, but excited to read "the calculating stars". (and thrilled that wayfarers won "best series", though i hope the centenal cycle gets one too in some future year).

also awesome news for ao3 and the embracing of fanfic as a valuable part of the community.