Monthly Archives: June 2014

Bums on Seats

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One of the many joys of having moved somewhere you have no intention of ever leaving is that, after years of itinerant academic life, I can now start to set down roots in the local community. So I am delighted to have been welcomed with such open arms on to Toby Miller’s great Cambridge 105 film review show ‘Bums on Seats’. My first visit to the studio saw us reviewing an interesting mix of the summer’s blockbusters from Belle to Maleficent, with a little bit of sci fi thrown in there too, of course, by way of Edge of Tomorrow. Podcast available here if you’re interested to hear our thoughts.

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Loncon3 is Coming!

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After a busy start to the year, I’m looking forward to a quiet academic few months over the summer focusing on reading and writing. But I couldn’t not post today after receiving the draft programme for Loncon3, the 72nd World Science Fiction Convention taking place in London from 14th-18th August. This is the first Worldcon to be held in London since 1965 and the 75th anniversary of the very first Worldcon held in New York in 1939.  Thousands of SF fans from around the world will be descending on London. There will of course be people dressed as ewoks and other fun elements of SF fan culture, but to provide entertainment and stimulation across the whole range, there is also an incredibly stimulating Science Programme of talks and discussions. I’ll be giving a talk on What Scientists Read, as well as taking part in panel discussions on the animal in SF (with Adam Roberts and others), climate change narratives (with Kim Stanley Robinson and others), and the uses (or abuses?) of TED as a form of science communication. Go along to Loncon3 to check out all the details of how to join in the fun and discussion. What with the BFI Science Fiction Season following closely on its heels, it’s going to be an exciting summer for SF in London!