'Some of this shit might get you higher than dope'

'There is no evidence that Israel has lost 962 tanks. Israel has visibly lost 41 tanks‚ according to an open-source intelligence website'

Our Complete List Of Led Zeppelin Studio Albums And Songs presents the band’s entire studio album discography. This list begins with Led Zeppelin I‚ which was released in 1969. It ends with their final studio album‚ In Through The Out Door‚ released in 1979. It does not include the Coda album‚ released two years after John Bonham’s death. We place that alum in our Led Zeppelin Compilation article because that was an album of unreleased tracks and was never designed by the band to be an official studio album. I saw Led Zeppelin perform live in 1977 at Madison Square The post Complete List Of Led Zeppelin Studio Albums And Songs appeared first on ClassicRockHistory.com.

Quasars are the bright cores of distant galaxies powered by supermassive black holes‚ and 12 billion light years away‚ one has been found that is shining brighter than 500 trillion suns. Growing in mass by the equivalent of one Sun per day‚ it’s the fastest-growing black hole to date‚ but at 12 billion light years […] The post Scientists Spot the Brightest Object Ever–500 Trillion Times More LuminousThan the Sun appeared first on Good News Network.

Book Recommendations book review Tlotlo Tsamaase’s Womb City Needs More Time to Gestate Its Radical Speculative Visions Africanfuturist debut tackles infertility and the surveillance state via a body-hopping ghost story. By Natalie Zutter | Published on February 21‚ 2024 icon-comment 0 Share New Share Twitter Facebook Pinterest RSS Feed In much of the SFF centering mothers‚ the nature of parenthood is all-consuming‚ with whatever high-concept premise acting as a direct metaphor for the transformative acts of conceiving‚ carrying‚ and caring for a newborn. But despite Tlotlo Tsamaase’s debut novel being called Womb City‚ xe cleverly approaches the premise sideways: Because protagonist Nelah Bogosi-Ntsu is infertile‚ she is obsessed with the possibility of motherhood yet exists in the constant Schrödinger’s identity crisis that plagues all those suffering from infertility: No matter what treatment you’re in the middle of‚ life simply goes on; and there is no guarantee as to when‚ if ever‚ these timelines—yourself as a mother‚ versus yourself not as a mother—will converge. Matching this‚ Womb City is about motherhood and body-hopping and a criminal surveillance state and a vengeful ghost and Botswana folklore. It’s an ambitious tapestry of intersecting ideas that is unfortunately snarled by overwritten passages and stop-and-start exposition that makes it difficult to fully invest emotionally in Nelah’s struggle to retain ownership of her latest body and the future she so desires. The parts that hit are a gut-punch; the parts that miss muddle Tsamaase’s incisive critiques of sexism‚ class‚ and who we preemptively label a “criminal.” The book takes place in near-future Botswana‚ though it quickly becomes apparent that “near” is a relative term; Nelah is on her third full lifespan‚ having waited fifteen years between bodies‚ so the present action is already several generations removed from our own. Body-hopping is a global advancement‚ yet each country has its own cultural rules and immigration policies mostly keeping reincarnated citizens within their respective borders‚ though of course there are always exceptions for the rich. And if you are as especially unlucky as Nelah‚ to receive a body marked for previous criminal activity‚ you’re considered damaged goods; the body is microchipped so that the Criminal Behavior Evaluator can monitor its potential to commit a crime. It’s Minority Report meets Altered Carbon by way of the tauntingly-named Body Hope Facility‚ which is also connected to the magical pools from which nonbinary god Matsieng is said to have risen long ago‚ bringing with Xem Nelah’s ancestors. Botswana’s surveillance state is an apt metaphor for infertility‚ as everyone seems to know the inner workings of Nelah’s body except for her. Nothing is private; daily check-ins via microchip and chirpy female AI are a constant diminishment of her agency and invasion of her biometrics. If she wants to not be berated for even the smallest infraction‚ she must lie about what reaction her body is having to the interrogation—daily‚ weekly‚ and annually; trapping her in a constant state of fight-or-flight trying to trick the system but also waiting to be caught. And the simulations! The CBE’s penchant for occasionally thrusting its subject into virtual reality scenarios to test their purity is such a unique cruelty for someone who already tortures themself imagining potential futures. Buy the Book Womb City Tlotlo Tsamaase Buy Book icon-close Womb City Tlotlo Tsamaase Buy this book from: AmazonBarnes and NobleiBooksIndieBoundTarget To add insult to injury‚ what Nelah most wants out of this season in her body is to succeed at her architectural firm and to start a family. But because this body is unable to carry a pregnancy to term‚ having suffered more than one traumatizing stillbirth‚ the only option for her and policeman husband Elifasi is to pay out the nose for the latest advancement in IVF: the Wombcubator‚ which will artificially incubate their fetus‚ so long as they don’t miss their monthly payments to the Matsieng Fertility Fund… and so long as Nelah remains “pure.” Infertility is learning so much about your body that you don’t already know; Tsamaase cunningly extends that discomfort into Nelah being implanted into a body whose history is hidden from her. Her kindly yet distant adoptive family won’t tell her what made the prior two hosts leave this vessel‚ nor how she came to have a cybernetic arm. Not to mention the lack of insight into why she has suffered multiple miscarriages; all she can do is blame her own “Black Womb‚” as the press devastatingly refers to her uterus‚ without understanding the conditions of this temporary form. All Nelah knows is that these factors make her feel not only like less of a woman‚ but less of a person. Eli is wholly unsympathetic‚ seeming to resent her for both the infertility and the microchip‚ yet also lords his control over her; despite her assertions that when they met a decade ago they were happy‚ there is no evidence of that now. It’s no surprise‚ then‚ that Nelah would seek an outlet from her emotionally abusive marriage‚ in a thrilling affair with VC investor and rich boy Janith Koshal. An especially nasty simulation from the CBE propels Nelah to throw caution to the wind and fake work projects to cover their trysts‚ high on their forbidden attraction—he is in the midst of a divorce‚ complicated by having twin daughters—as well as whatever illicit drugs Jan has been able to procure. A middle-of-the-night joyride culminates in a hit-and-run; the victim‚ a young woman in the wrong place at the wrong time. Fueled by panic that she will be not only evicted from this body but her consciousness jailed for life‚ Nelah kills the girl‚ Moremi‚ and does everything in her power to cover up the evidence. But while she has become an expert at fooling her microchip‚ she does not anticipate Moremi’s vengeful ghost stalking her waking life—and demanding the lives of her parents‚ partner‚ and even her unborn daughter as reparation. The fact that it has taken this far through the review to set up Womb City speaks to the fact that there are simply too many fascinating ideas all crammed into one book. The impressively conceptualized worldbuilding is communicated via infodumps that make the forward momentum stutter awkwardly; for one‚ it takes a while for the reader’s confusion between lifespans (70 years) versus seasons (the number of bodies‚ as some stays may be cut short due to premature death or a crime committed) to be completely clarified. Frequent asides filling in minute details of the world detract from the momentum of Nelah and Jan trying to protect their loved ones from Moremi while still saving their own hides. This is further complicated by their ersatz investigation into a conspiracy involving Matsieng and the ominous Murder Trials employed by the CBE. By the time that Tsamaase introduces especially fascinating concepts‚ like the notion that body-hoppers don’t often choose the same gender each time‚ it’s frustrating to not be reading that story about Nelah and to have it exist as no more than a bit of hypothetical worldbuilding. Despite the fact that they’re linked by their complicity in Moremi’s murder‚ there is an inherent flaw in the pairing of Nelah and the spoiled‚ ineffectual Jan‚ in that he is simply not a man worth covering up a murder for… but then again‚ neither is the petty‚ jealous‚ controlling Eli worth being loyal to. The apparent takeaway being‚ men ain’t shit. In fact‚ the book’s truly unbroken link is between mothers and daughters‚ older women and younger—even if they appear the same age‚ the contrast of lived experience between a three-time body-hopper like Nelah and someone like Moremi‚ whose first lifespan is brutally cut short and who has no way to reincarnate. Moremi’s bloodlust is compelling‚ gripping in a way that Nelah’s own rebellion fails to be. The younger generation is always going to galvanize with their deeper well of anger and their willingness to actually do something about it. True to its opening establishing the Wombcubator technology‚ the book ends big and bloody‚ like a birth—or more accurately‚ a rebirth. It’s an escalation from this bloodless act of conception to the goriest of tabula rasas; like IVF‚ it brings its participants to the same state as those who conceive “naturally‚” yet they are changed in a way that no one else can fathom unless they have lived it in their bones‚ too. [end-mark] Womb City is published by Erewhon Books. The post Tlotlo Tsamaase’s <;i>;Womb City<;/i>; Needs More Time to Gestate Its Radical Speculative Visions appeared first on Reactor.

News Mars Machines It’s a Tough Life for a Space Toaster in Mars Machines Toasters on Mars! By Molly Templeton | Published on February 21‚ 2024 icon-comment 0 Share New Share Twitter Facebook Pinterest RSS Feed Award-winning author Lavie Tidhar has a new project‚ and it’s not a book. Mars Machines is a seven-part animated series created by Tidhar (who wrote it) and Nir Yaniv (who animated and scored it). It stars an endearing pair: a cranky toaster and his persnickety coffee pot friend. As the synopsis explains: A grumpy toaster and a fastidious coffeepot uneasily cohabit in a kitchen on Mars. Their owner is gone‚ out on a case. The toaster used to be a spaceship‚ the coffeepot a burglar working for the Robo-Pope. Beyond the window ice-meteorites fall‚ and the enigmatic Dr Novum haunts their dreams‚ trying to get into their hidden shelter – and their minds. When a new answering machine turns out to be Bianca‚ a secret agent from Earth long on the trail of the inhuman Novum‚ their worlds collide. Mars Machines was created “at the height of the Covid-19 epidemic‚” a press release says. It stars Russell Wilcox as Buddy‚ Digger Mesch as Toaster‚ and Anne Wittman as Bianca. Tidhar‚ Yaniv‚ and these three actors (along with a larger cast) also created the short film Loontown‚ released last fall. Co-creator Tidhar is an award-winning author whose work includes Osama (winner of the World Fantasy Award)‚ Central Station‚ and The Circumference of the World. The trailer is below; the first episode is available now on YouTube and at the series’ website. [end-mark] The post It’s a Tough Life for a Space Toaster in <;i>;Mars Machines<;/i>; appeared first on Reactor.

Book Recommendations book review An Uneven Look at the Future and A.I.: Convergence Problems by Wole Talabi A review of Wole Talabi’s latest short story collection. By Alexis Ong | Published on February 21‚ 2024 icon-comment 0 Share New Share Twitter Facebook Pinterest RSS Feed (cw: mentions of suicide) It takes a while to tune myself to the same wavelength as Wole Talabi’s anthology Convergence Problems‚ which‚ despite its overall unevenness‚ does a superb job at giving fresh life to familiar science fiction concepts. His work is filled with a deep connection to Kenya and his home culture—a window into very different micro-worlds that highlight all the anxieties and pitfalls of our all-too-often anthropomorphized relationship with technology. The first short story‚ “Debut‚” chronicles two robots veering off their programmed paths into the world of art. As a trained engineer‚ Talabi brings a formidable sense of hard technological reality and coolness to his work; for the most part‚ his prose feels appropriately detached‚ almost like semi-anthropological reporting on technological phenomena that retains a necessary‚ dry neatness.  “Saturday’s Song” has better footing—a story-within-a-story rooted in Yoruba religion that speaks to the intimate brutality of family and what comes after. Talabi’s matter-of-factness is a vital part of the story’s cohesion‚ given its themes of resilience and revenge and difficult decisions that propel his single-minded protagonist‚ Saura‚ forward. “Lights in the Sky‚” a brief foray into the mind of a far-future space commando‚ feels mostly generic and forgettable‚ as do the other ultra-short pieces where Talabi tries his hand at romance (“Gamma‚” “Silence‚” “The Million Eyes of a Lonely and Fragile God”). “Blowout‚” a story about quasi-estranged siblings in a Martian mining disaster‚ tries to approach the same emotional depth and layers of “Saturday’s Song‚” but its focus on action and straightforward reconciliation doesn’t yield the same results.  “Ganger” is where I find myself wholly on board with Talabi’s vision. It’s a longer‚ more measured piece that follows the personal and political awakening of teen misfit Laide‚ in a future city divided between “citizen-investors” and an indentured‚ brain-implanted working class. Laide‚ who has lived under a hyper-intrusive data surveillance system for her whole life‚ has never felt comfortable in her own body‚ or really with her own life; we meet her when she solemnly tries to kill herself‚ followed by a darkly humorous sequence of events that‚ to paraphrase Talabi‚ effortlessly inserts itself between Laide and the death she so desires. There is a truly magnificent sense of bleak comedy and robot-driven physical slapstick in the way Talabi orchestrates his opening scene—an exquisitely-written‚ tonally complex fragment that burrows deep into my brain. Buy the Book Convergence Problems Wole Talabi Buy Book icon-close Convergence Problems Wole Talabi Buy this book from: AmazonBarnes and NobleiBooksIndieBoundTarget At times‚ “Ganger‚” like several other stories in Convergence Problems‚ gets bogged down in over-exposition as Talabi offers us an all-too-familiar tech dystopia born from our current reality. But “Ganger” also does a tremendous job at crystallizing how revolution is born as a small‚ individual spark; Laide’s story makes a brisk turn away from cliché to self-determination‚ and here Talabi’s habit of writing abrupt endings helps to frame Laide’s self-radicalization as a process rather than a destination. “Tends to Zero” is another standout story in the collection that hinges on a single character coming to terms with reality; it’s a powerful piece on grief and acceptance with a deceptively‚ deliberately generic beginning that follows an over-indulgent party night with the dull comfort of a hangover and the protagonist’s simmering depression. Here it really feels like—in conjunction with “Saturday’s Song”—that Talabi has a distinctly powerful strength in modern‚ quasi-urban fantasy‚ as the protagonist begins to shrink and waste away. “I am a developing a muscle for erasing myself‚” he says‚ “strengthening it with high-intensity exercise.” This fascinating peristaltic process of self-training‚ self-conditioning‚ and self-acceptance forms a common thread across several stories‚ which feel particularly unique to Talabi’s interests. It’s probably easiest to first approach Talabi’s work as a series of vignettes‚ as he favors the equivalent of an Irish goodbye when it comes to wrapping up a story‚ and for the most part it works very well; “Debut” lends itself especially well to the abrupt‚ almost editorial/reporting-style end‚ as well as some of the alternative story formats that take place via document footnotes and changes‚ or internet forums. Convergence Problems is‚ overall‚ a patchy collection‚ buttressed by a handful of terrific pieces that outshine the others by gigawatts of both style and substance. Talabi’s prose feels at its best when it leaves us hanging and just a little uneasy‚ which is why I chose to skim very cursorily over all of the author’s notes that serve as a writer’s post mortem for each story. I would rather analyze and critique stories like “Embers” for what they are on the page. There’s some honest self-dissection here‚ especially with regard to Talabi’s reluctant attempt at romance‚ but as the sort of reader who doesn’t want to know more than what the story already gave me‚ this was the most frustrating portion of the book. (To be fair‚ I’m not a huge fan of explanatory prefaces‚ either‚ and this one goes into great detail about the mathematical concept of convergence problems.) There’s a lot in the notes that feels like a very weird‚ uncomfortable union of STEM expectations and self-critique‚ which more often than not detracts from the stories themselves.  Of course the decisions to include these elements in a book are totally subjective. Despite the state of the world right now‚ Talabi‚ in his notes‚ still holds a generally optimistic view of technology and science—he is an engineer after all—and it is through these notes I learned that he used the Google Wordcraft AI to write “Performance Review‚” which has‚ for better or worse‚ a bizarre dialog fragment (“You this babe!”) that felt like it was missing a piece‚ or perhaps I’m just ignorant of Lagosian slang. Depending on personal convictions about the use of AI in writing fiction‚ if you’re interested in the complexities of writers using an amalgamated slurry of other writers’ stolen work to call their own‚ reading these notes may provoke frustration‚ withering resignation‚ or enthusiastic agreement. This is not the place to litigate the fair or ethical use of AI‚ but it is impossible to glide past this fact when one realizes the full provenance of the art that they are assigned to critique. Here‚ your mileage may vary‚ but for me‚ this was the end of the road. Talabi doesn’t need an AI to write good stories‚ and he knows it—in his own words‚ he participated in a workshop to give feedback to Google Research that will‚ in an ideal world‚ empower writers. In the greater context of observing Google’s feckless decline since the halcyon days of “don’t be evil‚” it feels more like Google got writers to offer feedback on the presentation and packaging of the trolley machine without changing the fundamental mechanics of who’s getting mowed over by the trolley. I understand that‚ from an engineering standpoint‚ it feels cool to participate in these things. But I will never condone using it for producing a piece of writing. “Performance Review” is a middling story at best‚ and if using AI‚ which he jokes is “a bit like writing science fiction while living it‚” was such a godsend‚ you would think that someone who so capably crafts tech dystopias and ecologically ruined hellscapes would recognize the many problems of using AI for shits and giggles‚ with only the equivalent of a small‚ cheery footnote for disclosure. It is a disappointment‚ and unfortunately‚ one that isn’t going to go away any time soon.[end-mark] Convergence Problems is published by Astra. The post An Uneven Look at the Future and A.I.: <;em>;Convergence Problems<;/em>; by Wole Talabi appeared first on Reactor.

News Borderlands Cate Blanchett as a Grumpy Redhead Is the Best Thing About the Borderlands Trailer The videogame adaptation comes from horror director Eli Roth. By Molly Templeton | Published on February 21‚ 2024 icon-comment 0 Share New Share Twitter Facebook Pinterest RSS Feed At first‚ the trailer for Borderlands makes it seem like the movie might have a sort of Tank Girl potential. Weird stuff‚ funny outfits‚ desert-apocalypse kind of fun times‚ you know? But then it quickly becomes clear that this is a movie working from the Guardians of the Galaxy playbook—ragtag team! familiar song! really thin found-family vibes!—and it all begins to feel a bit familiar. Still‚ there is a joke about robot diarrhea. Make of that what you will. Borderlands is based on the extremely popular videogame‚ and features at least two of the game’s playable characters‚ Lilith (Cate Blanchett) and Roland (Kevin Hart). The rest of the characters include Atlas (Edgar Ramírez)‚ Tiny Tina (Arianna Greenblatt)‚ Krieg (Florian Munteanu)‚ Tannis (Jamie Lee Curtis)‚ and Claptrap (the voice of Jack Black). Gina Gershon is in here somewhere; according to IMDb she’s playing Moxxi (presumably of the Mad Moxxi’s Underdome Riot downloadable add-on for the game). Here’s the synopsis: Lilith (Blanchett)‚ an infamous bounty hunter with a mysterious past‚ reluctantly returns to her home‚ Pandora‚ the most chaotic planet in the galaxy. Her mission is to find the missing daughter of Atlas (Ramírez)‚ the universe’s most powerful S.O.B. Lilith forms an unexpected alliance with a ragtag team of misfits – Roland (Hart)‚ a seasoned mercenary on a mission; Tiny Tina (Greenblatt)‚ a feral pre-teen demolitionist; Krieg (Munteanu)‚ Tina’s musclebound protector; Tannis (Curtis)‚ the oddball scientist who’s seen it all; and Claptrap (Black)‚ a wiseass robot. Together‚ these unlikely heroes must battle an alien species and dangerous bandits to uncover one of Pandora’s most explosive secrets. The fate of the universe could be in their hands – but they’ll be fighting for something more: each other. Based on one of the best-selling videogame franchises of all time‚ welcome to Borderlands. Borderlands comes from director Eli Roth (Thanksgiving)‚ who also co-wrote the screenplay with Joe Crombie. It’s in theaters August 9th. [end-mark] The post Cate Blanchett as a Grumpy Redhead Is the Best Thing About the <;i>;Borderlands<;/i>; Trailer appeared first on Reactor.

We’re diving into issue 88 of Wizard to explore the Spider-Man relaunch‚ take a tour of Joe Madureira’s home studio‚ explore the psyches of supervillains‚ review the early work of Devin Grayson‚ enjoy a Q&;A CONTINUE READING... The post WIZARDS The Podcast Guide To Comics | Episode 88 appeared first on The Retro Network.

Suppose you joined a local gym several years ago‚ but after a while you discovered that you didn’t like some of the gym’s policies. So‚ you tell the gym that you no longer want to be a member and ask it to stop taking your monthly membership payments. The gym confirms that you are no longer a member and stops taking payments. However‚ a couple of months later‚ you discover that the gym has started taking payments again without getting your permission. When you ask what happened‚ the gym claims to have made a mistake by allowing you to leave. Apparently‚ the only time you may stop payments to the gym is during a 10-day period occurring once a year. Unless you make your request within that window next year‚ they’ll just keep taking your money—even though you haven’t been a member or been charged for months. Surely‚ the gym can’t just start taking your money without your permission after stopping payments months earlier. But that’s pretty much what happened to Denise Cogar—except in her case‚ she tried to quit and stop paying a public sector union‚ rather than a gym. When Cogar began working as a paraprofessional for an Ohio school district more than 20 years ago‚ she joined the Ohio Association of Public School Employees‚ Local 367‚ the union that represents the district’s paraprofessionals. It’s an affiliate of the American Federation of State‚ County and Municipal Employees. At the end of 2022‚ she became frustrated with the union‚ and sent a letter withdrawing her membership and requesting that dues no longer be withheld from her wages on her paycheck. The union confirmed her withdrawal and told her that it would inform the school district to stop withholding union dues. And the school did stop—briefly. Four months later‚ the school district started taking money from her wages again. The union told Cogar that it had made a mistake. Because she hadn’t made her request during the union’s 10-day “opt-out window‚” she had to keep paying dues after all. Worse‚ the union and the school district’s actions were at the behest of Ohio law‚ which requires that a government employer withhold dues from its employees on behalf of the union. But the U.S. Supreme Court in 2018 held in Janus v. AFSCME that public employers cannot give an employee’s money to a public sector union “unless the employee affirmatively consents to pay.” Doing so violates the employee’s First Amendment rights. Because the union confirmed that Cogar was no longer a member and instructed the school district to stop withholding dues at the end of 2022‚ dues could only be withheld from her paychecks again if she consented to the withholding. But she didn’t consent—and the union’s reliance on Ohio state law to withhold union dues violated her First Amendment rights. The union’s violation of the Cogar’s constitutional rights didn’t end there. Months later‚ based on the union’s claim that Cogar could only stop paying dues during an “opt-out window” between Aug. 22 to Aug. 31‚ she tried to stop the withholding of dues again. She mailed an opt-out request to the union‚ which the union said it had received one day before the window began. As a result‚ the union refused to stop her dues payments. The union waited until after that window had closed to tell her that. According to the union‚ that means she’ll have to wait another full year for the opt-out window to reopen before she can try again—and the union plans to keep charging her monthly dues in the meantime. The union’s actions to continue to take Cogar’s money without her permission is unjust and unconstitutional. That’s why Cogar‚ with the help of the Liberty Justice Center‚ filed a federal lawsuit in Ohio alleging that the union’s actions‚ the school district’s withholding of union dues‚ and the Ohio law on which the union and district relied are unconstitutional because they violate her First Amendment rights. Government employees have a First Amendment right to decide whether they want their money to support public sector unions‚ and those unions can’t move the goal posts in order to take an employee’s money without their consent. The Daily Signal publishes a variety of perspectives. Nothing written here is to be construed as representing the views of The Heritage Foundation. Have an opinion about this article? To sound off‚ please email letters@DailySignal.com and we’ll consider publishing your edited remarks in our regular “We Hear You” feature. Remember to include the URL or headline of the article plus your name and town and/or state. The post Ohio Union Violating First Amendment by Taking Dues From Public School Staffer Who Opted Out appeared first on The Daily Signal.