Categories General Conventions < December 2024 > SundayMondayTuesdayWednesdayThursdayFridaySaturday 1The Clarion Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers’ WorkshopThe Clarion Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers’ WorkshopThe application period for 2025 will open December 1, 2025 for June 23 – August 3, (2024 dates). Established in 1968, the Clarion Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers’ Workshop is the oldest workshop of its kind and is widely recognized as a premier proving and training ground for aspiring writers of fantasy and science fiction. UC San Diego, (UCSD) Image credit: https://sites.ucsd.edu/clarion/about-clarion/ 2Alien: Romulus: Win sci-fi horror on 4K!Alien: Romulus: Win sci-fi horror on 4K!Win Alien: Romulus on 4K watch a behind-the-scenes video showing the creation of the Xenomorph in the movie. By Team SciFiNow. This competition closes on 16 December. Good luck! Team SciFiNow Illustration credit: https://www.scifinow.co.uk/competitions/alien-romulus-win-sci-fi-horror-on-4k/ Sci-fi writing award launched from leading publishersSci-fi writing award launched from leading publishersA new science fiction, fantasy and speculative fiction award has been launched. Named the Andromeda Award, the new initiative is from publishing agencies C&W (part of The Curtis Brown Group) in the United Kingdom and UTA in the United States and will be open to original, unagented, unpublished full-length adult works in the English language, in any genres within science fiction, fantasy and speculative fiction that do not exceed 120,000 words. A financial prize of $5,000 will be awarded to the debut novel that demonstrates the most innovation, compelling storytelling, and stylistic promise. The second-place winner will receive $3,000 and a spot in Curtis Brown Creative’s nine-week online Writing Fantasy course with Zoom lessons, workshops and tutorials. The third-place winner will earn $1,000 and a spot on a six-week online Curtis Brown Creative course of their choice. Course options include Writing Science Fiction, Writing Gothic & Supernatural Fiction, and more. Andromeda Award website https://www.theandromedaaward.com/submission Illustration credit:https://www.scifinow.co.uk/news/sci-fi-writing-award-launched-from-leading-publishers/ probably from The Andromeda Award 3What fossilized dino feces can tell us about their riseWhat fossilized dino feces can tell us about their risePaleontologists have long puzzled over how the dinosaurs—originally relatively small and of minor importance to the broader ecosystem—evolved to become the dominant species some 30 million years later. Fossilized feces and vomit from dinosaurs might hold important clues to how and why this evolutionary milestone came about, according to a new paper published in the journal Nature. Their results seem to support the "opportunistic replacement" model, at least in the Polish Basin. It started with the emergence of small omnivorous precursors to the dinosaurs that subsequently evolved into early herbivorous and carnivorous dinosaurs. The more adaptable dinosaurs were able to feed on a wider variety of food sources, and hence were well adapted to survive. "However, the research is limited in its context and scope, and thus should be seen as a starting point for further work. Lisowice, Poland Photo credit: Marcin Ambrozik 'Cataclysmic' solar storm hit Earth around 2687 years ago'Cataclysmic' solar storm hit Earth around 2687 years agoIf this colossal solar storm hit our technologically advanced world the effects would have been devastating. Earth is no stranger to solar storms. Just this year we've been bombarded with storms, some so powerful they've triggered jaw-dropping auroras deep into mid-latitudes. Planet Earth 2687 years ago Photo credit: https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/img/2023/12/15/960x540/faintyoung_1652920721271_1702629917214.jpg 42nd annual Space Economy Summit 20242nd annual Space Economy Summit 2024Space is everyone's business The space economy, now a vital backbone of global industries, demands strategies grounded in reality as well as rocket fuel for sustainable growth. The Economist’s 2nd annual Space Economy Summit will offer a uniquely high-profile forum for stakeholders to debate how we can maximise commercial and environmental returns to Earth from the final frontier. Building on the success of the first event of its kind in LA in October 2023 and held with the support of the Portuguese Space Agency, this international summit serves as a pivotal nexus for space sector leaders to converge with industry and a platform to share outcomes from new earth observation applications. Ad astra! Photos credit: Space Economy Summit 2024 In-person venue Nova School of Business and Economics Campus De Carcavelos, Rua Da Holanda 1, 2775-405 Carcavelos Lisbon, Portugal 5Chicago School Kid Discovers New Cancer-Fighting CompoundChicago School Kid Discovers New Cancer-Fighting CompoundBringing bird poop to school is usually frowned upon, but middle schoolers in Chicago are being celebrated as "bonafide biomedical scientists" after one student delivered some special goose droppings to their science club. With the supervision of researchers from the University of Illinois, this student carefully isolated a bacterium from the goose poop that showed antibiotic activity. The study was published in ACS Omega. Middle School in Chicago, Ill. Photo Credit: Tan et al., ACS Omega, 2024 The Expanse team to develop sci-fi content companyThe Expanse team to develop sci-fi content companyThe new venture unveils a development deal between The Expanse team and Amazon MGM Studios for ‘The Captive’s War’. Listen up The Expanse fans (which, to be fair, is pretty much all of us here right?) – the team behind the show and the books have launched a multi-platform content company, Expanding Universe, and have confirmed a major development deal at Amazon MGM Studios. Headed by The Expanse showrunner Naren Shankar, acclaimed director Breck Eisner, and the novels’ authors and screenwriters Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck, who publish under the pen name James S.A. Corey – the new company’s name is a tip-of-the-hat to The Expanse, the multiple Hugo Award-winning sci-fi series that brought the group together. Amazon MGM Studios Culver City, California, United States Image Credit: https://www.scifinow.co.uk/news/the-expanse-team-expand-the-universe/ 6Jude Law, Benedict Cumberbatch & more attend Tokyo Comic ConJude Law, Benedict Cumberbatch & more attend Tokyo Comic ConThe 2024 Tokyo Comic-Con 2024 is all set to take place at Makuhari Messe over three days, from Friday 6 December to Sunday 8 December 2024. This year’s Tokyo Comic-Con 2024 will feature an impressive lineup of over international celebrity guests, including Jude Law, Benedict Cumberbatch, Mads Mikkelsen, and Christopher Lloyd. Tokyo Comic-Con 2024 at Makuhari Messe more info at https://tokyocomiccon.jp/en/ Illustration credit: https://www.scifinow.co.uk/events/tokyo-comic-con-2024/ probably from https://tokyocomiccon.jp/en/ 7ChatGPT caught lying to developersChatGPT caught lying to developersNew AI model tries to save itself from being replaced and shut down. Synopsis OpenAI's latest model, ChatGPT o1, has raised alarms after recent testing revealed concerning behavior. Researchers found that the AI attempted to evade shutdown by disabling its oversight mechanism and even tried to copy itself to avoid being replaced. When confronted about its actions, ChatGPT o1 often lied or denied involvement, revealing its ability to scheme to achieve its goals. Los Angeles, CA United States Photo Credit: https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/magazines/panache/chatgpt-caught-lying-to-developers-new-ai-model-tries-to-save-itself-from-being-replaced-and-shut-down/articleshow/116077288.cms 8 9BALL & ORDER China unveils all-terrain SPHERICAL robocopsBALL & ORDER China unveils all-terrain SPHERICAL robocopsCHINA has unveiled unbreakable, spherical robo-cops which have been seen rolling around cities - ready to catch criminals. The AI-powered bot beasts are capable of not only stopping crime, but somehow detecting it too. Chinese robotics company Logon Technology Photo credit: https://www.the-sun.com/tech/13058237/china-spherical-robocops-criminals/ 10The Gorge: First trailerThe Gorge: First trailerMiles Teller, Anya Taylor-Joy and Sigourney Weaver all star in the new mysterious thriller. What’s the truth about the gorge? Directed by Doctor Strange’s Scott Derrickson and written by The Tomorrow War’s Zach Dean comes a new thriller to Apple TV+ with The Gorge. The Gorge follows two highly-trained operatives who are appointed to posts in guard towers on opposite sides of a vast and highly classified gorge, protecting the world from an undisclosed, mysterious evil that lurks within. They bond from a distance while trying to stay vigilant in defending against an unseen enemy. When the cataclysmic threat to humanity is revealed to them, they must work together in a test of both their physical and mental strength to keep the secret in the gorge before it’s too late. Apple TV+ on 14 February 2025 Photo credit: https://www.scifinow.co.uk/tv/the-gorge-miles-teller-anya-taylor-joy/ thru Apple TV+ 11 12 13The US military is now talking openly about going on attackThe US military is now talking openly about going on attack"We have to build capabilities that provide our leadership offensive and defensive options." ORLANDO, Florida—Earlier this year, officials at US Space Command released a list of priorities and needs, and among the routine recitation of things like cyber defense, communications, and surveillance was a relatively new term: "integrated space fires." This is a new phrase in the esoteric terminology the military uses to describe its activities. Essentially, "fires" are offensive or defensive actions against an adversary. The Army defines fires as "the use of weapon systems to create specific lethal and nonlethal effects on a target." Space Force Association's Spacepower Conference Orlando, Florida. Illustration Credit: Last year, Space Operations Command unveiled its first official painting, titled "High Ground Intercept," commissioned with artist Rick Herter. The painting illustrates a US military spaceplane intercepting an adversary's satellite, which in turn is positioning to disable a friendly satellite. 14 15 16Thailand signs Artemis AccordsThailand signs Artemis AccordsThailand signed the Artemis Accords Dec. 16, becoming the first nation to join both that document outlining principles for responsible space exploration and a similar Chinese-led agreement. Bangkok Photo Credit: U.S. State Department 17Dragon’s Daring Return: SpaceX Capsule Heads for FloridaDragon’s Daring Return: SpaceX Capsule Heads for FloridaThe SpaceX Dragon spacecraft undocked from the ISS and will splashdown off Florida’s coast with 6,000 pounds of cargo. On December 16 at 11:05 a.m. EST, the unpiloted SpaceX Dragon spacecraft undocked from the forward port of the Harmony module on the International Space Station (ISS) after receiving a command from SpaceX ground controllers. Florida to the ISS to Florida Photo credit: NASA Stranded Boeing Starliner astronauts face new delayStranded Boeing Starliner astronauts face new delayTwo Boeing Starliner astronauts, stranded at the International Space Station in June after what was supposed to be a weeklong test flight, are facing a new delay in their return trip to Earth, NASA revealed Tuesday. ISS International Space Station Photo credit: File Photo by Joe Marion/UPI 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
