Fallout Shelter

Aw hell

Charles N. Brown, 1937-2009

Locus is one of my favorite SF-related magazines, too.  Damn. 

J. G. Ballard, RIP

Author J. G. Ballard has died at the age of 78.

Watchmen credits online

Featuring "The Times They Are A-Changin" by Bob Dylan:

The Watchmen Titles

A few minutes long, but definitely worth watching.  I especially like the way the tenor of it changes over its course. 

[Via Vee_ecks.]

[Edit: Taken down.  I'd link to the new place I found it, but then it'd prolly get taken down too.  But it's worth looking for if you haven't seen it.] 

Philip José Farmer, RIP

Philip José Farmer died this morning.  He was the author of the Riverworld series, probably one of my favorite of the sprawling SF series sub-genre.  I liked it so much, it caused me to read 2 different biographies of Richard Francis Burton, who is central to the series.  Good bye, Mr. Farmer. 

[Via Ray; thank you.]

Edits:

• Wikipedia article on Riverworld.
• Subterranean Press published an obituary for PJF.
• I had no idea there was a Riverworld movie.

Patrick McGoohan, RIP

Patrick McGoohan, who played in about a billion things other than The Prisoner, died yesterday in southern California. 

I'd had no idea he was actually born a US citizen. 

Rest in peace, you old bastard. If I could cause this post to appear in Albertus (ok, "Village") -- on everyone's web browser in your honor, I probably would. 

Edit -- other posts (if you posted about this, send me your link):

Be seeing you
I Will Skip the Obvious Joke

Watch out for the Watchmen Watchers

I'm not a big comics person, but some friend made me sit down and read Watchmen a long time ago, and I've never regretted it.  So I'm also eagerly awaiting the movie.  But... just because I like the graphic novel doesn't mean I'm above making fun of it.  :) 

[Via vee_eckx.]

Quién es más macho?

Fritz Lang or Zach Snyder? 

I can't decide which is cooler. 

[For Metropolis, click on "Walkthrough"; for Watchmen, you may need to click on start after waiting a bit for the trailer to load.  And thanks to Richard for the first link and Eric for the second.]

Edit - Ah, now something I can embed:

Thomas M. Disch, RIP

Tom Disch apparently killed himself on July 4th.  Sorry to see him go.  At least this writer suicide didn't hit me so hard as Hunter S. Thompson's. 

No wire stories yet, so maybe there won't be.  Which is really a shame: I can remember schlepping a dump of his books in hardcover out to the front of the bookstore I once worked at. 

If you're feeling ghoulish, you can try to discern any foreshadowing on his LJ.  I doubt he'll care at this point. 

[via Vee_ecks.]

Edit: Locus has an obit up now. 

Algis Budrys, R.I.P.

Wikipedia says that Algis Budrys (born Algirdas Jonas Budrys) died today at 77 years of age.  Budrys wrote one of my favorite SF novels, Rogue Moon, with his Michaelmas a close second. 

Edit:  Locus now has a couple things up about Budrys (today's is unlinkable, for some reason, but it's on the front page ATM).

I CAN HAS EXPENSIV MAKEOVR?

icanhascheezburger looked a little different when I bumped into it again today.  Turns out they can probably give up on the "cheezburger" and start eating steak:  The site was bought out last fall.  The overarching company, Pet Holdings, has raised M$2¼ in venture capital.  I can has $$$?

edit:  Trapped... by... lolcat... generator....

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