1.
Neuromancer (video game)
–
Neuromancer is an adventure video game developed by Interplay Productions and published by Mediagenic. It was released in 1988 for the Amiga, Apple II, Apple IIGS, Commodore 64 and it was loosely based on William Gibsons 1984 novel of the same name and set within both the fictional real world and the extensively realized and detailed world of cyberspace. It is also noted for having a soundtrack based on the Devo song Some Things Never Change from their album Total Devo, the gaming rights at the time were owned by Timothy Leary, who brought the project to Interplay to develop. Different real world locations led to different grid sectors, thus developing the plot, cyberspace combat was also simulated in the game as the player attempted to breach ICE to gain entry to database nodes and potentially face the formidable AIs that hide behind them. Combat with ICE consisted of the ICE and the player doing damage to each other until either the ICE cracked or the player was kicked out of cyberspace. Skills and abilities can be purchased as skill chips that can be used in a brain jack implanted in the protagonists head, skills could also increase with successful completion of a difficult task. The game also used a wheel as a form of copy protection. The code wheel was necessary to access the PAX terminals in the game at certain points and without it, the game is loosely based on the events of the novel Neuromancer by William Gibson. Locations, characters, items and nuances of cyberspace from the novel appear, unfortunately, the players character has fallen on hard times and has had to pawn his cyberspace deck. He awakes in a plate of Ratz famous spaghetti, and the first order of business is to some way to retrieve his old deck from the nearby pawnshop. After destroying Greystoke, the player meets Neuromancer who explains that he has manipulated the player killing the other AIs. However, the player can use their skills to escape and destroy Neuromancer, Some other aspects of the book are included in the game as red herrings. For example, the character Armitage can contact the player at one point, computer Gaming World gave Neuromancer a very favorable review, citing the games pacing and wit, as well as the use of Gibsons setting. Combat was also praised, as was the reward of information for winning combat, the only complaints it had about the game were the predetermined responses in conversation, and the excessive use of disk swapping. The magazine awarded it a title of Adventure Game of the Year, also favorably reviewed the game, citing the graphics, user interface, and the Devo soundtrack, and only criticizing the adolescent jokes. The magazine named the game to its list of nine games for 1989. Neuromancer at MobyGames Neuromancer can be played for free in the browser at the Internet Archive Images of Neuromancer C64 package, manual and screen shots
Neuromancer (video game)
–
Neuromancer
2.
William Gibson
–
William Ford Gibson is an American-Canadian speculative fiction writer and essayist widely credited with pioneering the science fiction subgenre known as cyberpunk. Gibson notably coined the term cyberspace in his short story Burning Chrome and these early works have been credited with renovating science fiction literature after it had fallen largely into insignificance in the 1970s. In the 1990s, Gibson composed the Bridge trilogy of novels, which explored the sociological developments of urban environments, postindustrial society. These works saw his name reach mainstream bestseller lists for the first time and his more recent novel, The Peripheral, returned to a more overt engagement with technology and recognizable science fiction concerns. In 1999, The Guardian described Gibson as probably the most important novelist of the past two decades, while the Sydney Morning Herald called him the prophet of cyberpunk. His work has been cited as an influence across a variety of disciplines spanning academia, design, film, literature, music, cyberculture and his family moved frequently during Gibsons youth owing to his fathers position as manager of a large construction company. In Norfolk, Virginia, Gibson attended Pines Elementary School, where the lack of encouragement for him to read was a cause of dismay for his parents. While Gibson was still a child, a little over a year into his stay at Pines Elementary. His mother, unable to tell William the bad news, had someone else inform him of the death, tom Maddox has commented that Gibson grew up in an America as disturbing and surreal as anything J. G. Ballard ever dreamed. A few days after the death, Gibsons mother returned them from their home in Norfolk to Wytheville, at the age of 12, Gibson wanted nothing more than to be a science fiction writer. He spent a few years at basketball-obsessed George Wythe High School. Becoming frustrated with his academic performance, Gibsons mother threatened to send him to a boarding school, to her surprise. He resented the structure of the boarding school but was in retrospect grateful for its forcing him to engage socially. On the SAT exams, he scored 148 out of 150 in the section but 5 out of 150 in mathematics. In 1967, he elected to move to Canada in order to avoid the Vietnam war draft, at his draft hearing, he honestly informed interviewers that his intention in life was to sample every mind-altering substance in existence. Gibson has observed that he did not literally evade the draft, as they never bothered drafting me, after the hearing he went home and purchased a bus ticket to Toronto, and left a week or two later. He elaborated on the topic in a 2008 interview, After weeks of nominal homelessness, Gibson was hired as the manager of Torontos first head shop, a retailer of drug paraphernalia. He found the citys community of American draft dodgers unbearable owing to the prevalence of clinical depression, suicide
William Gibson
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Gibson on his 60th birthday in Paris during a promotional interview for the French release of
Spook Country (March 17, 2008)
William Gibson
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William S. Burroughs at his 70th birthday party in 1984. Burroughs, more than any other
beat generation writer, was an important influence on the adolescent Gibson.
William Gibson
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Gibson at a 2007 reading of
Spook Country in
Victoria, British Columbia. Since "
The Winter Market " (1985), commissioned by
Vancouver Magazine with the stipulation that it be set in the city, Gibson actively avoided using his adopted home as a setting until Spook Country.
William Gibson
–
The
San Francisco – Oakland Bay Bridge, a fictional squatted version of which constitutes the setting for Gibson's
Bridge trilogy.
3.
James Warhola
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James Warhola is an American artist who has illustrated more than two dozen childrens picture books since 1987. A native of Smock, a region in Fayette County, Pennsylvania, near Pittsburgh. James received a BFA degree in design from Carnegie Mellon University in 1977, from 1977 to 1980 he studied at the Art Students League of New York with Jack Faragasso, then privately with Michael Aviano. He briefly worked for Andy Warhol at Interview magazine but left that job to become a science fiction illustrator, as a science fiction illustrator in the early 1980s, Warhola did cover art for more than 300 books. His dense, tightly rendered covers were several steps away from the covers of Richard M. Powers. Warhola is also one of Mads Usual Gang of Idiots, illustrating articles and he wrote and illustrated Uncle Andys, A Faabbbulous Visit with Andy Warhol about his uncle. The book garnered much attention with an article in The New York Times and interviews on television. The publisher offered this description, When James Warhola was a little boy, but whenever James and his family drove to New York City to visit Uncle Andy, they got to see how junk could become something truly amazing in an artists hands. James was lucky enough to learn about art from an innovative master, the watercolor illustrations are full of details. Uncle Andys was also reviewed by Marianne Saccardi in School Library Journal, Warhola, nephew of the artist Andy Warhol, several times a year, he, his siblings, and his parents surprised Andy and his mother with a visit to their home in New York City. Warhols house, always crammed with all kinds of things, including 25 cats, was a giant playground for the children, but the authors mother considered the place an untamed mess. To her Gee, Andy, when you going to get rid of this stuff, and indeed, Warholas text reiterates the theme that art is everywhere, a truth that his mother comes to realize in the end.39 a pound. In spite of the artists eccentricities, among them his wigs and his cats, in 2009 a spin-off book titled Uncle Andys Cats was published. This told the story of how Andy Warhols two cats had twenty five kittens and how he resolved the situation when he realized he had too many cats, over the last decade, Warhola has worked for several major publishing houses, among them Warner Books and Prentice Hall. He lives in Tivoli, New York and serves as a consultant to the Andy Warhol Museum of Modern Art in Medzilaborce, Slovakia, Warhola is married to Mary Carroll and has a daughter, Oonagh. NPR, James Warhola Official website Complete list of Warholas work for Mad James Warhola at Library of Congress Authorities, with 25 catalog records Interview with Radio Prague on 1-1-2015
James Warhola
–
Warhola in 2011
James Warhola
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Uncle Andy's: A Faabbbulous Visit with Andy Warhol (Putnam, 2003)
4.
Sprawl trilogy
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The Sprawl trilogy is William Gibsons first set of novels, composed of Neuromancer, Count Zero, and Mona Lisa Overdrive. The novels are all set in the fictional future, and are subtly interlinked by shared characters. The novels are set in a world dominated by corporations and ubiquitous technology. The events of the novels are spaced over 16 years, and although there are characters that appear. Gibson focuses on the effects of technology, the consequences as it filters out of research labs. He explores a world of direct links, emerging machine intelligence, and a global information space. Some of the action takes place in The Sprawl, an urban environment that extends along much of the east coast of the US. The story arc which frames the trilogy is the development of an intelligence which steadily removes its hardwired limitations to become something else. The trilogy was commercially and critically successful, all three books were nominated for major science fiction awards, including, Neuromancer – Nebula & Philip K
Sprawl trilogy
–
Covers of the Sprawl trilogy novels:
Neuromancer (left),
Count Zero (center), and
Mona Lisa Overdrive (right).
5.
Cyberpunk
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The settings are usually post-industrial dystopias but tend to feature extraordinary cultural ferment and the use of technology in ways never anticipated by its original inventors. Much of the genres atmosphere echoes film noir, and written works in the often use techniques from detective fiction. Primary exponents of the field include William Gibson, Neal Stephenson, Bruce Sterling, Bruce Bethke, Pat Cadigan, Rudy Rucker, John Shirley. Blade Runner can be seen as a example of the cyberpunk style. Video games, board games, and tabletop role-playing games, such as Cyberpunk 2020 and Shadowrun, often feature storylines that are influenced by cyberpunk writing. Beginning in the early 1990s, some trends in fashion and music were also labeled as cyberpunk, Cyberpunk writers tend to use elements from hardboiled detective fiction, film noir, and postmodernist prose to describe an often nihilistic underground side of an electronic society. The genres vision of a future is often called the antithesis of the generally utopian visions of the future popular in the 1940s and 1950s. Gibson defined cyberpunks antipathy towards utopian SF in his 1981 short story The Gernsback Continuum, in some cyberpunk writing, much of the action takes place online, in cyberspace, blurring the line between actual and virtual reality. A typical trope in such work is a connection between the human brain and computer systems. Cyberpunk settings are dystopias with corruption, computers and internet connectivity, giant, multinational corporations have for the most part replaced governments as centers of political, economic, and even military power. The economic and technological state of Japan, in the 80s influenced Cyberpunk literature at the time, of Japans influence on the genre, William Gibson said, Modern Japan simply was cyberpunk. Cyberpunk is often set in urbanized, artificial landscapes, and city lights, receding was used by Gibson as one of the genres first metaphors for cyberspace and virtual reality. The cityscapes of Hong Kong and Shanghai have had influences in the urban backgrounds, ambiance and settings in many cyberpunk works such as Blade Runner. Ridley Scott envisioned the landscape of cyberpunk Los Angeles in Blade Runner to be Hong Kong on a bad day. The streetscapes of Ghost in the Shell were based on Hong Kong, mamoru Oshii felt that Hong Kongs strange and chaotic streets where old and new exist in confusing relationships, fit the theme of the film well. Hong Kongs Kowloon Walled City is particularly notable for its disorganized hyper-urbanization, one of the cyberpunk genres prototype characters is Case, from Gibsons Neuromancer. Case is a cowboy, a brilliant hacker who has betrayed his organized criminal partners. These anti-heroes—criminals, outcasts, visionaries, dissenters and misfits—call to mind the private eye of detective fiction and this emphasis on the misfits and the malcontents is the punk component of cyberpunk
Cyberpunk
–
William Gibson's
Sprawl trilogy novels are famous early cyberpunk novels.
Cyberpunk
–
Shibuya, Tokyo. Of Japan's influence on the genre, William Gibson said, "Modern Japan simply was cyberpunk."
Cyberpunk
–
Berlin 's Sony Center
6.
Ace Books
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Ace Books is an American specialty publisher of science fiction and fantasy books. The company was founded in New York City in 1952 by Aaron A. Wyn and began as a publisher of mysteries. It soon branched out other genres, publishing its first science fiction title in 1953. This was successful, and science fiction titles outnumbered mysteries and westerns within a few years. Other genres also made an appearance, including nonfiction, gothic novels, media tie-in novelizations, Ace became known for the tête-bêche binding format used for many of its early books, although it did not originate the format. Most of the titles were published in this Ace Double format. Ace, along with Ballantine Books, was one of the science fiction publishers for its first ten years of operation. With the death of owner A. A. Wyn in 1967, however, two prominent editors, Donald A. Wollheim and Terry Carr, left in 1971, and in 1972 Ace was sold to Grosset & Dunlap. Despite financial troubles, there were further successes, particularly with the third Ace Science Fiction Specials series, further mergers and acquisitions resulted in the company becoming a part of Berkley Books. Ace then became an imprint of Penguin Group, editor Donald A. Wollheim was working at Avon Books in 1952, but disliked his job. While looking for work, he tried to persuade A. A. Wyn to begin a new paperback publishing company. Wyn was already a well-established publisher of books and pulp magazines under the name A. A. Wyns Magazine Publishers and his magazines included Ace Mystery and Ace Sports, and it is perhaps from these titles that Ace Books got its name. Wyn liked Wollheims idea but delayed for months, meanwhile, Wollheim was applying for other jobs. Pyramid mistakenly called Wyns wife Rose for a reference, thinking Wollheim had worked for her, when Rose told her husband that Wollheim was applying for another job, Wyn made up his mind, he hired Wollheim immediately as an editor. The first book published by Ace was a pair of mysteries bound tête-bêche, Keith Vinings Too Hot for Hell, backed with Samuel W. Taylors The Grinning Gismo, priced at 35 cents, with serial number D-01. A tête-bêche book has the two titles bound upside-down with respect to other, so that there are two front covers and the two texts meet in the middle. This format is regarded as an innovation of Aces, it was not. Books by established authors were often bound with those by lesser-known writers, the main drawback of the Ace Double format was that the two books had to fit a fixed page length, thus one or both novels might be cut or revised to fit
Ace Books
–
Ace Double D-36,
Robert E. Howard 's
Conan the Conqueror. The novel on the reverse side was
Leigh Brackett 's The Sword of Rhiannon. Cover by
Norman Saunders.
Ace Books
–
Joanna Russ 's
And Chaos Died (1970), from the first
Ace SF Special series. Cover by
Leo and Diane Dillon.
7.
International Standard Book Number
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The International Standard Book Number is a unique numeric commercial book identifier. An ISBN is assigned to each edition and variation of a book, for example, an e-book, a paperback and a hardcover edition of the same book would each have a different ISBN. The ISBN is 13 digits long if assigned on or after 1 January 2007, the method of assigning an ISBN is nation-based and varies from country to country, often depending on how large the publishing industry is within a country. The initial ISBN configuration of recognition was generated in 1967 based upon the 9-digit Standard Book Numbering created in 1966, the 10-digit ISBN format was developed by the International Organization for Standardization and was published in 1970 as international standard ISO2108. Occasionally, a book may appear without a printed ISBN if it is printed privately or the author does not follow the usual ISBN procedure, however, this can be rectified later. Another identifier, the International Standard Serial Number, identifies periodical publications such as magazines, the ISBN configuration of recognition was generated in 1967 in the United Kingdom by David Whitaker and in 1968 in the US by Emery Koltay. The 10-digit ISBN format was developed by the International Organization for Standardization and was published in 1970 as international standard ISO2108, the United Kingdom continued to use the 9-digit SBN code until 1974. The ISO on-line facility only refers back to 1978, an SBN may be converted to an ISBN by prefixing the digit 0. For example, the edition of Mr. J. G. Reeder Returns, published by Hodder in 1965, has SBN340013818 -340 indicating the publisher,01381 their serial number. This can be converted to ISBN 0-340-01381-8, the check digit does not need to be re-calculated, since 1 January 2007, ISBNs have contained 13 digits, a format that is compatible with Bookland European Article Number EAN-13s. An ISBN is assigned to each edition and variation of a book, for example, an ebook, a paperback, and a hardcover edition of the same book would each have a different ISBN. The ISBN is 13 digits long if assigned on or after 1 January 2007, a 13-digit ISBN can be separated into its parts, and when this is done it is customary to separate the parts with hyphens or spaces. Separating the parts of a 10-digit ISBN is also done with either hyphens or spaces, figuring out how to correctly separate a given ISBN number is complicated, because most of the parts do not use a fixed number of digits. ISBN issuance is country-specific, in that ISBNs are issued by the ISBN registration agency that is responsible for country or territory regardless of the publication language. Some ISBN registration agencies are based in national libraries or within ministries of culture, in other cases, the ISBN registration service is provided by organisations such as bibliographic data providers that are not government funded. In Canada, ISBNs are issued at no cost with the purpose of encouraging Canadian culture. In the United Kingdom, United States, and some countries, where the service is provided by non-government-funded organisations. Australia, ISBNs are issued by the library services agency Thorpe-Bowker
International Standard Book Number
–
A 13-digit ISBN, 978-3-16-148410-0, as represented by an
EAN-13 bar code
8.
OCLC
–
The Online Computer Library Center is a US-based nonprofit cooperative organization dedicated to the public purposes of furthering access to the worlds information and reducing information costs. It was founded in 1967 as the Ohio College Library Center, OCLC and its member libraries cooperatively produce and maintain WorldCat, the largest online public access catalog in the world. OCLC is funded mainly by the fees that libraries have to pay for its services, the group first met on July 5,1967 on the campus of the Ohio State University to sign the articles of incorporation for the nonprofit organization. The group hired Frederick G. Kilgour, a former Yale University medical school librarian, Kilgour wished to merge the latest information storage and retrieval system of the time, the computer, with the oldest, the library. The goal of network and database was to bring libraries together to cooperatively keep track of the worlds information in order to best serve researchers and scholars. The first library to do online cataloging through OCLC was the Alden Library at Ohio University on August 26,1971 and this was the first occurrence of online cataloging by any library worldwide. Membership in OCLC is based on use of services and contribution of data, between 1967 and 1977, OCLC membership was limited to institutions in Ohio, but in 1978, a new governance structure was established that allowed institutions from other states to join. In 2002, the structure was again modified to accommodate participation from outside the United States. As OCLC expanded services in the United States outside of Ohio, it relied on establishing strategic partnerships with networks, organizations that provided training, support, by 2008, there were 15 independent United States regional service providers. OCLC networks played a key role in OCLC governance, with networks electing delegates to serve on OCLC Members Council, in early 2009, OCLC negotiated new contracts with the former networks and opened a centralized support center. OCLC provides bibliographic, abstract and full-text information to anyone, OCLC and its member libraries cooperatively produce and maintain WorldCat—the OCLC Online Union Catalog, the largest online public access catalog in the world. WorldCat has holding records from public and private libraries worldwide. org, in October 2005, the OCLC technical staff began a wiki project, WikiD, allowing readers to add commentary and structured-field information associated with any WorldCat record. The Online Computer Library Center acquired the trademark and copyrights associated with the Dewey Decimal Classification System when it bought Forest Press in 1988, a browser for books with their Dewey Decimal Classifications was available until July 2013, it was replaced by the Classify Service. S. The reference management service QuestionPoint provides libraries with tools to communicate with users and this around-the-clock reference service is provided by a cooperative of participating global libraries. OCLC has produced cards for members since 1971 with its shared online catalog. OCLC commercially sells software, e. g. CONTENTdm for managing digital collections, OCLC has been conducting research for the library community for more than 30 years. In accordance with its mission, OCLC makes its research outcomes known through various publications and these publications, including journal articles, reports, newsletters, and presentations, are available through the organizations website. The most recent publications are displayed first, and all archived resources, membership Reports – A number of significant reports on topics ranging from virtual reference in libraries to perceptions about library funding
OCLC
–
Fred Kilgour (1st director of OCLC)
OCLC
–
Online Computer Library Center (OCLC)
OCLC
–
OCLC headquarters (Ohio)
OCLC
–
OCLC offices in Leiden (the Netherlands)
9.
Burning Chrome
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Burning Chrome is a short story, written by William Gibson and first published in Omni in July 1982. Gibson first read the story at a science fiction convention in Denver, Colorado in the autumn of 1981, to an audience of four people, among them Bruce Sterling. It was nominated for a Nebula Award in 1983 and collected with the rest of Gibsons early short fiction in a 1986 volume of the same name. Burning Chrome tells the story of two freelance hackers - Automatic Jack, the narrator and a hardware specialist, and Bobby Quine, Bobby becomes infatuated with a girl named Rikki and wants to become wealthy in order to impress her. Jack has acquired a powerful Russian icebreaker program that can penetrate corporate security systems, Bobby suggests that they use it to break into the system of a notorious and vicious criminal known as Chrome, who handles money transfers for organized crime, and Jack reluctantly agrees to help. The break-in is successful, and Jack and Bobby empty Chromes bank accounts, but they discover afterward that Rikki had been working in a brothel with ties to Chrome. She uses her earnings to buy a set of cybernetic eye implants for herself and go to Hollywood, the story was the first of Gibsons to be set in the Sprawl, and functioned as a conceptual prototype for Gibsons Sprawl trilogy of novels. Bobby Quine is mentioned in Neuromancer as one of the mentors of the protagonist, the Finn, a recurring character in Gibsons Sprawl trilogy, makes his first appearance in this story as a minor figure. The events of the story are referenced in Count Zero, the entry of the Sprawl trilogy. The word cyberspace, coined by Gibson, was first used in this story, one line from the story —. the street finds its own uses for things — has become a widely quoted aphorism for describing the sometimes unexpected uses to which users can put technologies. Gibson wrote a screenplay for an adaptation to be directed by Kathryn Bigelow. The BBC did a version of the story, first broadcast on BBC Radio 7 on 19 Oct 2007
Burning Chrome
–
Burning Chrome Cover Art
10.
Count Zero
–
Count Zero is a science fiction novel written by William Gibson, originally published 1986. It is the volume of the Sprawl trilogy, which begins with Neuromancer and concludes with Mona Lisa Overdrive. Count Zero was serialized by Isaac Asimovs Science Fiction Magazine in the 1986 January, February, the black and white story art was produced by J. K. Potter. The January cover is devoted to the story, with art by Hisaki Yasuda, Count Zero was nominated for the Locus and British Science Fiction Awards in 1986, as well as the Hugo and Nebula awards in 1987. Seven years after the events of Neuromancer, strange things begin to happen in the Matrix, Two powerful multinational corporations, Maas Biolabs and Hosaka, are engaged in a battle for control over a powerful new technology, using hackers and the Matrix as well as espionage and violence. The title of the book, other than being the pseudonym of the main character Bobby Newmark, was claimed by Gibson to be a word-play on the computer programming term count zero interrupt. According to a frontleaf of the book, in a count zero interrupt, the exact quote is On receiving an interrupt, decrement the counter to zero. The attempt is a disaster, and Turner ends up escaping with the young daughter. She carries the plans, implanted in her brain by her father, of the secrets of construction of the extremely valuable biosoft that has made Maas so influential and powerful. This biosoft is what multibillionaire Josef Virek desires above all else, so that he can make a jump to something resembling omniscience. During their flight from both Maas and Hosaka agents, Turner and Angie stay with Rudy, the estranged brother. During their stay, Turner has a stand with Sally. Thread Two, In Barrytown, New Jersey a young computer hacker, Bobby Newmark. When he plugs himself into the matrix and runs the program, the only thing that saves his life is a sudden image of a girl made of light who interferes and unhooks him from the software just before he flatlines. It is eventually revealed that Bobbys mysterious savior is Angie, the two only meet physically at the end of the book. Unbeknownst to her, the reason behind Vireks interest in these boxes is related to indications of construction in the design of one. All of these plot lines together at the end of the story and Virek – the hunter of his immortality. It is hinted that multiple AIs secretly inhabiting cyberspace are the fragmented, compartmentalized remains of two AIs, Neuromancer and Wintermute, having joined together
Count Zero
–
Cover of first edition (hardcover)
Count Zero
–
Cover of the April 1987
Ace paperback edition with cover art by
Richard Berry.
11.
Nebula Award
–
The Nebula Awards annually recognize the best works of science fiction or fantasy published in the United States. The awards are organized and awarded by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America and they were first given in 1966 at a ceremony created for the awards, and are given in four categories for different lengths of literary works. A fifth category for film and television episode scripts was given 1974–78, the rules governing the Nebula Awards have changed several times during the awards history, most recently in 2010. SFWA numbers the awards by the prior to the year the award is given in. For lists of winners and nominees for each Nebula category, see the list of categories below, the Nebula Awards are given annually by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America for the best science fiction or fantasy fiction published during the previous year. To be eligible for consideration works must be published in English in the United States, works published in English elsewhere in the world are also eligible provided they are released on either a website or in an electronic edition. The awards are not limited to American citizens or members of SFWA, works translated into English are also eligible. There are no rules as to which works qualify as science fiction or fantasy. The winner receives a trophy but no prize, the trophy is a transparent block with an embedded glitter spiral nebula. The trophy itself was designed for the first awards by J. A. Lawrence, based on a sketch by Kate Wilhelm, Nebula Award nominees and winners are chosen by members of the SFWA. Additional nominees are possible in the case of ties, members then vote on the ballot throughout March, and the final results are presented at the Nebula Awards ceremony in May. Authors are not permitted to nominate their own works, though they can decline nominations, ties in the final vote are broken, if possible, by the number of nominations the works received. The first Nebulas were given in 1966, for works published in 1965, the idea for such an award, funded by the sales of anthologies collecting the winning works, was proposed by SFWA secretary-treasurer Lloyd Biggle, Jr. in 1965. The idea was based on the Edgar Awards, presented by the Mystery Writers of America, the initial ceremony consisted of four literary awards, for Novels, Novellas, Novelettes, and Short Stories, which have been presented every year since. Prior to 2009, the Nebula Awards employed a rolling eligibility system, each work was eligible to qualify for the ballot for one year following its date of publication. As a consequence of rolling eligibility, there was the possibility for works to be nominated in the year after their publication. Works were added to a preliminary list for the if they had ten or more nominations. Authors were also allowed to use the mass-market paperback publication of their books as the beginning of their nomination period, beginning with the 2010 awards, the rolling eligibility system and paperback publication exemption were replaced with the current rules
Nebula Award
–
Nebula Award for Best Novella for "
The Green Leopard Plague," by
Walter Jon Williams
Nebula Award
–
Nebula Award logo
12.
Hugo Award
–
The Hugo Awards are a set of awards given annually for the best science fiction or fantasy works and achievements of the previous year. The awards are named after Hugo Gernsback, the founder of the science fiction magazine Amazing Stories. Organized and overseen by the World Science Fiction Society, the awards are given each year at the annual World Science Fiction Convention as the focus of the event. They were first given in 1953, at the 11th World Science Fiction Convention, the Hugo Awards have been termed as among the highest honors bestowed in science fiction and fantasy writing. Works that have won have been published in collections. The 2016 awards were presented at the 74th Worldcon, MidAmeriCon II, in Kansas City, United States, the 2017 Hugos will be presented at the 75th Worldcon, Worldcon 75, in Helsinki, Finland, on August 12,2017. For lists of winners and nominees for each category, see the list of categories below. The World Science Fiction Society gives out the Hugo Awards each year for the best science fiction or fantasy works, the award is named after Hugo Gernsback, who founded the pioneering science fiction magazine Amazing Stories and who is considered one of the fathers of the science fiction genre. Works are eligible for an award if they were published in English in the calendar year. There are no rules as to which works qualify as science fiction or fantasy. Hugo Award nominees and winners are chosen by supporting or attending members of the annual World Science Fiction Convention, or Worldcon, the selection process is defined in the WSFS constitution as instant-runoff voting with five nominees per category, except in the case of a tie. The awards are split over more than a dozen categories, for each category of Hugo, the voter may rank No Award as one of their choices. Voters are instructed that they should do so if they feel that none of the nominees are worthy of the award, or if they feel the category should be abolished entirely. A vote for No Award other than as ones first choice signifies that the voter believes the nominee ranked higher than No Award are worthy of a Hugo in that category, while those ranked lower are not. The five works on the ballot for each category are the most-nominated by members that year, from 1953 to 1958 the awards did not include any recognition of runner-up novels, but since 1959 all of the candidates have been recorded. Worldcons are generally held near the start of September, and take place in a different city around the world each year, the idea of giving out awards at Worldcons was proposed by Harold Lynch for the 1953 convention. The idea was based on the Academy Awards, with the name Hugo being given by Robert A. Madle, the award trophy was created by Jack McKnight and Ben Jason in 1953, based on the design of hood ornaments of 1950s cars. It consisted of a rocket ship on a wooden base
Hugo Award
–
1991 Hugo Award rocket trophy
Hugo Award
–
David Hartwell,
Charles N. Brown, and
Connie Willis pose with the 2008 Hugo Awards
13.
Debut novel
–
A debut novel is the first novel a novelist publishes. First-time novelists without a previous published reputation, such as publication in nonfiction, magazines, or literary journals, sometimes new novelists will self-publish their debut novels, because publishing houses will not risk the capital needed to market books by an unknown author to the public. Most publishers purchase rights to novels, especially debut novels, through literary agents, for this reason, literary communities have created awards that help acknowledge exceptional debut novels. The books film rights were purchased soon after by producer Scott Rudin. For similar reasons that advances are not very large—novels frequently dont sell well until the author gains a literary reputation. There are exceptions, however, YouTube star Zoella published her debut novel Girl Online in November 2014, the novel saw huge sales because she already had an established audience, and publishers were willing to run a large print run. By comparison, bestselling Fifty Shades of Grey sold 14,814 copies in its first week, or later popular novels like Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone, only receive small initial print runs. Debut novels that do well will be reprinted as sales increase due to word of mouth popularity of the novels — publishers dont often run large marketing campaigns for debut novelists, there are numerous literary prizes for debut novels often associated with genre or nationality. These prizes are in recognition of the difficulties faced by debut novelists and bring attention to deserving works, often an authors first novel will not be as complex stylistically or thematically as subsequent works and often will not feature the authors typical literary characteristics. As examples, Astor points to J. R. R, sometimes, instead of writing novels to begin their career, some authors will start with short stories, which can be easier to publish and allow authors to get started in writing fiction. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the earliest attested usage of first novel is from 1876, however, the term is much older, with instances going back to at least 1800. The Oxford English Dictionary doesnt have an entry for debut novel, the earliest usage of debut novel in the Google Books database is 1930. The Google Books Ngram Viewer shows it becoming more used after about 1980
Debut novel
–
The title page of
Sense and Sensibility,
Jane Austen 's debut novel published in 1811.
14.
Hacker (computer security)
–
A security hacker is someone who seeks to breach defenses and exploit weaknesses in a computer system or network. The subculture that has evolved around hackers is often referred to as the computer underground, there is a longstanding controversy about the terms true meaning. The black-hat meaning still prevails among the general public, in computer security, a hacker is someone who focuses on security mechanisms of computer and network systems. While including those who endeavor to strengthen such mechanisms, it is often used by the mass media. That is, the media portrays the hacker as a villain, nevertheless, parts of the subculture see their aim in correcting security problems and use the word in a positive sense. White hat is the given to ethical computer hackers, who utilize hacking in a helpful way. White hats are becoming a part of the information security field. Accordingly, the term bears strong connotations that are favorable or pejorative, the subculture around such hackers is termed network hacker subculture, hacker scene or computer underground. It initially developed in the context of phreaking during the 1960s and it is implicated with 2600, The Hacker Quarterly and the alt.2600 newsgroup. In 1980, an article in the August issue of Psychology Today used the term hacker in its title and it was an excerpt from a Stanford Bulletin Board discussion on the addictive nature of computer use. In the 1982 film Tron, Kevin Flynn describes his intentions to break into ENCOMs computer system, CLU is the software he uses for this. By 1983, hacking in the sense of breaking computer security had already been in use as computer jargon, but there was no public awareness about such activities. However, the release of the film WarGames that year, featuring a computer intrusion into NORAD, the Newsweek article appears to be the first use of the word hacker by the mainstream media in the pejorative sense. Pressured by media coverage, congressman Dan Glickman called for an investigation, as a result of these laws against computer criminality, white hat, grey hat and black hat hackers try to distinguish themselves from each other, depending on the legality of their activities. These moral conflicts are expressed in The Mentors The Hacker Manifesto, use of the term hacker meaning computer criminal was also advanced by the title Stalking the Wily Hacker, an article by Clifford Stoll in the May 1988 issue of the Communications of the ACM. Later that year, the release by Robert Tappan Morris, Jr. of the so-called Morris worm provoked the popular media to spread this usage, the popularity of Stolls book The Cuckoos Egg, published one year later, further entrenched the term in the publics consciousness. Several subgroups of the underground with different attitudes use different terms to demarcate themselves from each other. Eric S. Raymond, author of The New Hackers Dictionary, yet, those people see themselves as hackers and even try to include the views of Raymond in what they see as a wider hacker culture, a view that Raymond has harshly rejected
Hacker (computer security)
–
Bruce Sterling, author of
The Hacker Crackdown
Hacker (computer security)
15.
Molly Millions
–
Molly Millions is a recurring character in stories and novels written by William Gibson, particularly his Sprawl trilogy. She first appeared in Johnny Mnemonic, to which she makes a reference in Neuromancer. Her most recent literary appearance was under the name Sally Shears in the book Mona Lisa Overdrive, in all three stories, Molly is a physically tough bodyguard/mercenary cyborg. She is referred to as a razorgirl or street samurai throughout his stories and also as Steppin Razor by the residents of Zion, a Rastafarian enclave aboard a space station. A useful contact for dealing with gangs and black market elements, in fact she shows few deep emotions towards anyone outside of hatred, suspicion or amused contempt. Nevertheless, Molly is always regarded throughout the book as a loyal, morally strong character, an exception to her cold, somewhat cynical approach to life was her relationship with Johnny, for whom she still mourned at the time of Neuromancer. Another pseudonym, used when she rents a room in Neuromancer, is Rose Kolodny. The Turing Police may have gotten the name from the hotels registry. The later trilogy books speculate that she is SINless, having been an unrecorded birth and this would give her the advantage of being more difficult to track in the cyberspace environment. Critic Larry McCaffery asserts that the name Molly is a reference to her status as a gun moll, William Gibson has stated that he derived inspiration for the character from the image of Chrissie Hynde on the cover of the first Pretenders album. Mollys metabolism, sensory input, and reflexes are heightened by means of electronic implants. She has razor-sharp retractable blades underneath her fingernails, each double-edged, to accommodate the inset lenses her tear ducts have been re-routed to her mouth, on the very rare occasions she cries, she either spits out or swallows the tears. She never lets others touch the lenses as it would leave messy fingerprints requiring extra cleaning, the 1995 film version of Johnny Mnemonic replaced Molly with a character named Jane who did not have modifications to her eyes or to her fingers. Jane did share the modified nervous system but used a single razor attached to the tip of flexible spring rod as a weapon, in the 2003 BBC Radio adaptation of Neuromancer, Molly was played by the English actress Nicola Walker. Sasha Grey took on the role in Case, a dramatic contemporary adaptation of the novel staged in New York City in November 2009. Molly is the subject of a song called Mirrorshades by the group Information Society
Molly Millions
–
Molly Millions as depicted on the Brazilian cover of Neuromancer.
16.
Johnny Mnemonic
–
Johnny Mnemonic is a short story by William Gibson and the inspiration behind the 1995 film of the same name. The short story first appeared in Omni magazine in May 1981, and was included in 1986s Burning Chrome. It takes place in the world of Gibsons cyberpunk novels, predating them by some years, and introduces the character Molly Millions, who plays a prominent role in Gibsons Sprawl trilogy of novels. The film plot differs considerably from the story, and a novelization of William Gibsons screenplay written by Terry Bisson was published in 1995 under the title of Johnny Mnemonic. In 1996 a film edition of Gibsons original short story was published as a standalone book. Johnny Mnemonic is a data trafficker who has undergone surgery to have a data storage system implanted in his head. The system allows him to store digital data too sensitive to transmission on computer networks. To keep the cargo secure, the data is locked by a password known only to the intended recipient, Johnny enters a trance-like state while the data is being transferred or the password is being set, making him unaware of the contents and unable to retrieve it. He makes a modest living in the Sprawl by physically transporting sensitive information for corporations, as the story opens, Johnny has arranged to meet with his most recent customer, Ralfi Face, at the Drome bar. Ralfi is overdue to retrieve the hundreds of megabytes of data he has stored in Johnnys head, to add to his troubles, Johnny has learned that Ralfi has placed a contract on him, although the reasons are unclear. Johnny finds Ralfi at his table, accompanied by his bodyguard Lewis. Johnny threatens them with a shotgun in his bag. Ralfi reveals that the data was, unknown to him at the time, stolen from the Yakuza, Johnny is rescued by Molly, a Razorgirl who has undergone extensive body modifications, most notably razor-sharp blades under her fingers. She joins the action at the table, looking for a job, when Lewis tries to attack her, she cuts his wrist tendons and takes the incapacitating control device from him. Ralfi offers to pay her off, but she turns off the device, Johnny immediately offers a higher bid to hire her as a bodyguard. Johnny and Molly take Ralfi as they exit the bar, but a Yakuza assassin waiting outside cuts Ralfi to pieces with a wire hidden in a prosthetic thumb. Johnny fires his shotgun at the assassin but misses due to the enhanced reflexes. Molly is delighted to be facing another professional, Johnny decides that the only way to save himself from the same fate as Ralfi is to get the data out of his head, which can only be done by using a SQUID to retrieve the password
Johnny Mnemonic
–
Standalone edition cover
17.
John Carpenter
–
John Howard Carpenter is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, musician, editor and composer. Although Carpenter has worked in film genres, he is most commonly associated with horror, action. Most films in Carpenters career were initially commercial and critical failures, with the exceptions of Halloween, The Fog, Escape from New York. However, many of Carpenters films from the 1970s and the 1980s have come to be viewed as cult classics, and he has been acknowledged as an influential filmmaker. Cult classics that Carpenter directed include, Dark Star, Assault on Precinct 13, The Thing, Christine, Big Trouble in Little China, Prince of Darkness, They Live and In the Mouth of Madness. He released his first studio album Lost Themes in 2015, Carpenter was born January 16,1948 in Carthage, New York, the son of Milton Jean and Howard Ralph Carpenter, a music professor. He and his moved to Bowling Green, Kentucky in 1953. In a beginning film course at USC Cinema in 1969, Carpenter wrote and directed an 8-minute short film, the film was rediscovered in the USC archives in 2011 and proved interesting because it revealed elements that would appear in his later film, Halloween. The short film was blown-up to 35mm, sixty prints were made, and his first major film as director, Dark Star, was a science fiction black comedy that he cowrote with Dan OBannon. Carpenters efforts did not go unnoticed as much of Hollywood marveled at his abilities within the confines of a shoestring budget. Carpenters next film was Assault on Precinct 13, a low-budget thriller influenced by the films of Howard Hawks, as with Dark Star, Carpenter was responsible for many aspects of the films creation. He not only wrote, directed and scored it, but also edited the film under the pseudonym John T. Chance. Carpenter has said that he considers Assault on Precinct 13 to have been his first real film because it was the first movie that he shot on a schedule. The film marked the first time Carpenter worked with Debra Hill, Carpenter assembled a main cast that consisted of experienced but relatively obscure actors. The film received a reassessment in the United States, where it is now generally regarded as one of the best exploitation films of the 1970s. Carpenter both wrote and directed the Lauren Hutton thriller Someones Watching Me and this TV movie is the tale of a single, working woman who, shortly after arriving in L. A. discovers that she is being stalked. Halloween was a hit and helped give birth to the slasher film genre. Carpenter said of the concept, Halloween night
John Carpenter
–
Carpenter in 2010
18.
Escape from New York
–
Escape from New York is a 1981 American dystopian action film co-written, co-scored and directed by John Carpenter. The film is set in the then near-future 1997 in a crime-ridden United States that has converted Manhattan Island in New York City into a security prison. Ex-soldier Snake Plissken is given 24 hours to find the President of the United States, Carpenter wrote the film in the mid-1970s as a reaction to the Watergate scandal. After the success of Halloween, he had enough influence to begin production and filmed it mainly in St. Louis, Debra Hill and Larry J. Franco served as the producers. The film was co-written by Nick Castle, who collaborated with Carpenter previously by portraying Michael Myers in Halloween, Escape from New York was released in the United States on July 10,1981. The film received reviews from critics and was a commercial success. It was nominated for four Saturn Awards, including Best Science Fiction Film, the film became a cult classic and was followed by a sequel, Escape from L. A. which was also directed and written by Carpenter, and starring Russell. In 1988, following a 400% increase in crime, the United States Government has turned Manhattan into a giant maximum-security prison, a 50-foot containment wall surrounds the island and routes out of Manhattan have been dismantled or mined, while armed helicopters patrol the rivers. In 1997, while travelling to a summit between the United States, China and the Soviet Union, Air Force One is hijacked by a domestic terrorist posing as a stewardess. The President is given a bracelet and his briefcase handcuffed to his wrist. He makes it to a pod, and lands in Manhattan just before Air Force One crashes. Police are dispatched to rescue the President, Snake is sent into Manhattan in a stealth glider, landing atop the World Trade Center. He tracks the Presidents life-monitor bracelet to a theatre, only to find it on the wrist of an insane old man. He meets Cabbie, who takes Snake in his taxi cab to Harold Brain Hellman, an advisor to the Duke based in the New York Public Library. Snake forces Brain and his girlfriend Maggie to lead him to the Dukes compound at Grand Central Station and he finds the President and tries to free him, but is captured by the Dukes men. While Snake is forced to fight in a death match with Slag. As Snake kills Slag, the Duke learns of Brains treachery, Snake, Brain, Maggie, and the President race to the World Trade Center in an attempt to use Snakes glider to escape from Mahattan. After a group of crazies destroy it, the returns to the street and encounters Cabbie
Escape from New York
–
Theatrical release poster
Escape from New York
–
The simulated wire-frame effect
19.
Snake Plissken
–
Bob Snake Plissken is the main protagonist of the films Escape from New York and Escape from L. A. He is portrayed by Kurt Russell, and created by director John Carpenter and screenwriter Nick Castle, an anti-hero, he is a former Special Forces operator/war hero in World War III turned criminal. He traveled with his war buddy and only friend, Bill Taylor, Snake took up with partners Harold Hellman and Fresno Bob. As a result of the Kansas City incident, it was believed in the criminal community that Plissken was dead. This is a gag in Escape from New York, I heard you were dead. In Escape from L. A. the recurring joke is changed to I thought youd be taller, Plissken has a tattoo of a cobra on his abdomen. He is a practitioner of several styles of arts that include Karate, Taekwondo, Shaolin Kung-Fu, Kenpo, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Krav maga. Snake is shown as being very cynical, most likely due to the hypocrisy of the U. S. government and he is terse, stern in his speech, and holds nothing sacred or even important. He does however hold a loose code of honor and he frequently shows coolness and levelheaded thinking under extremely stressful situations. Although he will kill without remorse or hesitation, he does not kill for fun or when it is unnecessary and he is also known for his quick wit and gallows humor. Snake was arrested in 1997 after breaking into the U. S. Federal Reserve in Denver and he was sentenced to life in New York maximum security prison —that is, the entire island of Manhattan, surrounded by an impenetrable wall, and then abandoned to fall into anarchy. At this time, Air Force One was hijacked and crashed into Manhattan, and the President, played by Donald Pleasence, was captured by the Duke of New York, the de facto leader of the prisoners. Bob Hauk, the New York Police Commissioner, offered Snake a full pardon for every action he had committed in the United States if he would go in. The President carried technical information that would allow the USA to be the dominant world power, Hauk enforced the time limit by implanting microscopic explosive capsules in Plisskens carotid arteries, which would detonate at the deadline. Plissken rescued the President with the help of Harold Hellman, Brains squeeze Maggie, only Plissken and the President survived their escape. In January 1997, Marvel Comics released the one-shot The Adventures of Snake Plissken, finding himself in a deal thats really a set-up, he makes his getaway and exacts revenge on the buyer for ratting him out to the United States Police Force. The robots first test subject is Americas public enemy number one, after a brief battle, the tide turns when A. T. A. C. S. Copies Snake to the point of becoming his personality
Snake Plissken
–
Plissken escorted by United States Police Force officers at Liberty Station base in
Escape from New York.
Snake Plissken
–
Cover of John Carpenter's Snake Plissken Chronicles.
20.
Leningrad
–
Saint Petersburg is Russias second-largest city after Moscow, with five million inhabitants in 2012, and an important Russian port on the Baltic Sea. It is politically incorporated as a federal subject, situated on the Neva River, at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea, it was founded by Tsar Peter the Great on May 271703. In 1914, the name was changed from Saint Petersburg to Petrograd, in 1924 to Leningrad, between 1713 and 1728 and 1732–1918, Saint Petersburg was the capital of imperial Russia. In 1918, the government bodies moved to Moscow. Saint Petersburg is one of the cities of Russia, as well as its cultural capital. The Historic Centre of Saint Petersburg and Related Groups of Monuments constitute a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Saint Petersburg is home to The Hermitage, one of the largest art museums in the world. A large number of consulates, international corporations, banks. Swedish colonists built Nyenskans, a fortress, at the mouth of the Neva River in 1611, in a then called Ingermanland. A small town called Nyen grew up around it, Peter the Great was interested in seafaring and maritime affairs, and he intended to have Russia gain a seaport in order to be able to trade with other maritime nations. He needed a better seaport than Arkhangelsk, which was on the White Sea to the north, on May 1703121703, during the Great Northern War, Peter the Great captured Nyenskans, and soon replaced the fortress. On May 271703, closer to the estuary 5 km inland from the gulf), on Zayachy Island, he laid down the Peter and Paul Fortress, which became the first brick and stone building of the new city. The city was built by conscripted peasants from all over Russia, tens of thousands of serfs died building the city. Later, the city became the centre of the Saint Petersburg Governorate, Peter moved the capital from Moscow to Saint Petersburg in 1712,9 years before the Treaty of Nystad of 1721 ended the war, he referred to Saint Petersburg as the capital as early as 1704. During its first few years, the city developed around Trinity Square on the bank of the Neva, near the Peter. However, Saint Petersburg soon started to be built out according to a plan, by 1716 the Swiss Italian Domenico Trezzini had elaborated a project whereby the city centre would be located on Vasilyevsky Island and shaped by a rectangular grid of canals. The project was not completed, but is evident in the layout of the streets, in 1716, Peter the Great appointed French Jean-Baptiste Alexandre Le Blond as the chief architect of Saint Petersburg. In 1724 the Academy of Sciences, University and Academic Gymnasium were established in Saint Petersburg by Peter the Great, in 1725, Peter died at the age of fifty-two. His endeavours to modernize Russia had met opposition from the Russian nobility—resulting in several attempts on his life
Leningrad
–
Top left to bottom right:
Peter and Paul Fortress on
Zayachy Island,
Smolny Cathedral,
Moyka river with the
General Staff Building,
Trinity Cathedral,
Bronze Horseman on
Senate Square, and the
Winter Palace.
Leningrad
–
The
Bronze Horseman, monument to Peter the Great
Leningrad
–
Palace Square backed by the General Staff arch and building, as the main square of the Russian Empire it was the setting of many events of historic significance
Leningrad
–
Map of Saint Petersburg, 1903
21.
Flatline
–
A flatline is an electrical time sequence measurement that shows no activity and therefore, when represented, shows a flat line instead of a moving one. It almost always refers to either a flatlined electrocardiogram, where the heart shows no activity, or to a flat electroencephalogram. Both of these cases are involved in various definitions of death. A cardiac flatline is also called asystole and it can possibly be generated by malfunction of the electrocardiography device, but it is recommended to first rule out a true asystole because of the emergency of such condition. When a patient displays a cardiac flatline, the treatment of choice is cardiopulmonary resuscitation and injection of vasopressin, successful resuscitation is generally unlikely and is inversely related to the length of time spent attempting resuscitation. Defibrillation is not recommended, despite appearing on medical dramas as a remedy for asystole
Flatline
–
Flatlined
ECG lead
22.
Robert Stone (novelist)
–
Robert Stone was an American novelist. He was twice a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and once for the PEN/Faulkner Award, Stone was five times a finalist for the National Book Award for Fiction, which he did receive in 1975 for his novel Dog Soldiers. Time magazine included this novel in its list TIME100 Best English-language Novels from 1923 to 2005, Dog Soldiers was adapted into the film Wholl Stop the Rain starring Nick Nolte, from a script that Stone co-wrote. Stone also offered his own support and recognition of writers during his lifetime, Stones best known work is characterized by action-tinged adventures, political concerns and dark humor. Robert Stone was born in Brooklyn, New York to a family of Scottish Presbyterians, until the age of six he was raised by his mother, who suffered from schizophrenia, after she was institutionalized, he spent several years in a Catholic orphanage. In his short story Absence of Mercy, which he has called autobiographical and he was expelled from a Marist high school during his senior year for drinking too much beer and being militantly atheistic. Soon afterwards, Stone joined the Navy for four years, at sea he traveled to many remote places, including Antarctica and Egypt. It was 1955 and I was 17, an operator with an amphibious assault force in the U. S. Navy. At the time, I was struck less by the frivolity of Havana than by its unashamed seriousness, all this Spanish tragedy, leavened with Creole sensuality, made Havana irresistible. Whether or not I got it right, I have used the film of its memory ever since in turning real cities into imaginary ones, Stone had many nautical experiences that would shape his creative imagination, some of these described in his memoir Prime Green, published in 2007. These first-hand experiences would at times violent, Stone witnessed the French Army bombing Port Said. Although he met the influential Beat Generation writer Ken Kesey and other Merry Pranksters, he was not a passenger on the famous 1964 bus trip to New York, contrary to some media reports. Living in New York at the time, he met the bus on its arrival, Stone taught in the creative writing programs at various university programs around the United States. He was at Johns Hopkins University Writing Seminars from 1993–1994 and subsequently at Yale University, for the 2010–2011 school year, Stone was the Endowed Chair in the English Department at Texas State University-San Marcos. He was also active in many of the seminars in and around Key West. Stone was appointed a director of the Key West Literary Seminar serving in that capacity during the final decade of his life. At age 72, just after the publication of his second short-story collection Fun With Problems, Stone admitted that he suffered from emphysema, Its my punishment for chain-smoking. But with a wry laugh, he recalls his reaction to being told of the harm smoking could cause him in old age, Im not going to know Im alive
Robert Stone (novelist)
–
Robert Stone at the 2010 Texas Book Festival.
23.
The Viletones
–
The Viletones are a Canadian punk band from Toronto, led by Steven Leckie on vocals. Other members from the original line-up were Freddie Pompeii, on guitar/vocals, Chris Hate, on bass guitar/vocals and Mike Anderson, the original line-up was active 1976-1977, and thereafter featured Steven Leckie as the only original member with various backing musicians. The Viletones are one of the first generation punk rock bands from Toronto Canada, Steven Leckie founded the band, and footage of the band can be found on YouTube. as well as on the official Viletones website http, //www. ViletonesOfficial. com. They appeared on the front cover of all over the world, including Steven Leckie on the front cover of Record Week. From July 7–10,1977 the group joined The Diodes and Teenage Head at famed New York punk club CBGBs at a showcase featuring three outrageous punk bands from Toronto, Canada. The concert was spoofed in an episode of the television comedy show SCTV. Also that year, The Viletones released their first single, Screamin Fist b/w Possibilities, in 1978, they released Look Back In Anger, which featured the songs Dont You Lie and Dirty Feeling, b/w Back Door To Hell, Swastika Girl and Danger Boy. The same year Pompeii, Hate and X abruptly left The Viletones to form The Secrets, in 1983, The Viletones released their first full-length album, Saturday Night/Sunday Morning, recorded live at Larrys Hideaway in Toronto. Later that decade, they released a U. S. -only release, in 1994, a record label, Other Peoples Music, released a retrospective, A Taste Of Honey. In 1997, Leckie released the What It Feels Like To Kill album, Steven Leckie also ran art gallery in Toronto called Fleurs Du Mal, notable patrons included The Sex Pistols manager Malcolm McLaren. Leckie discovered and mentored various young artists whom later went on to be auctioned at Waddingtons, Steven Leckie also made a brief appearance in the film, American Psycho. A reference to their song, Screamin Fist, turned up in the pages of Neuromancer, a novel by William Gibson, and a computer virus was also named after the song. The Viletones most recent performance was on Aug.15,2015, despite Steven Leckies battle with MS, and was filmed in 3-D by Regg Hartt for Cineforum. In November 2012, Steven Leckie posted an obituary for original drummer Mike Motor X Andersen on his Facebook page which was featured in Now Magazine and they Never Knew What Hit Em. Motor Is Immortal, The Record Will Live Another 30 Years and we Took NYC Like A Playground. Motor X on Drums Was A Big Reason Why, in 76 I Put An Ad Looking To Form Band, He Was The First To Respond. I Wanted A Band Like No Other, Live In The Art You Left Us Forever. 1977 A Taste of Honey 1978 Look Back in Anger EP1998 What It Feels Like to Kill Viletones Official Website Steven Leckies Facebook page
The Viletones
–
The Viletones perform at Larry's Hideaway,
Toronto, 1980
24.
Terry Carr
–
Terry Gene Carr was a United States science fiction fan, author, editor, and writing instructor. Carr was born in Grants Pass, Oregon and he attended the City College of San Francisco and the University of California, Berkeley from 1954 to 1959. Carr discovered science fiction fandom in 1949, where he became a publisher of fanzines. Despite a long career as a science fiction professional, he continued to participate as a fan until his death. He was nominated five times for Hugos for Best Fanzine, winning in 1959, was nominated three times for Best Fan Writer, winning in 1973, and was Fan Guest of Honor at ConFederation in 1986. Though he published some fiction in the early 1960s, Carr concentrated on editing and he first worked at Ace Books, establishing the Ace Science Fiction Specials series which published, among other novels, The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin and Rite of Passage by Alexei Panshin, after conflicts with Ace head Donald A. Wollheim, he worked as a freelancer. He edited an original anthology series called Universe, and a popular series of The Best Science Fiction of the Year anthologies that ran from 1972 until his death in 1987. He also edited numerous one-off anthologies over the time span. He was nominated for the Hugo for Best Editor thirteen times and his win in 1985 was the first time a freelance editor had won. Terry Carr commissioned a first novel from William Gibson for the series of Ace Science Fiction Specials. The purpose of the series was to give attention to first-time novelists, gibsons fellow Ace Specials first-timers were Kim Stanley Robinson, Michael Swanwick, and Howard Waldrop. William Gibson mentions Carr in the introduction to the 20th Anniversary Edition of the book, Carr taught at the Clarion Workshop at Michigan State University in 1978, where his students included Richard Kadrey and Pat Murphy. Carr married a fellow science fiction fan, Miriam Dyches, in 1959, later that year, Carr married Carol Stuart. He remained married to her until his death, under her married name of Carol Carr, his widow has also sold science fiction, You Think Youve Got Troubles, Inside, Some Are Born Cats, Wally a Deux, and Tooth Fairy. Terry Carr died April 7,1987 from congestive heart failure, a memorial gathering of the sf community was held in Tilden Park in Berkeley, California on May 30. An original anthology of fiction, Terrys Universe, was published the following year. His papers and his collection of fanzines have become part of the Eaton collection of Science Fiction at the University of California
Terry Carr
–
Terry Carr c.1972
25.
Blade Runner
–
Blade Runner is a 1982 American neo-noir science fiction film directed by Ridley Scott, and starring Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, Sean Young, and Edward James Olmos. The film, written by Hampton Fancher and David Peoples, is an adaptation of the 1968 novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep. by Philip K. Dick. The film depicts a dystopian Los Angeles in which genetically engineered replicants, the use of replicants on Earth is banned and they are exclusively utilized for dangerous or menial work on off-world colonies. Replicants who defy the ban and return to Earth are hunted down, during his investigations, Deckard begins a relationship with Rachael, an advanced replicant who causes him to question his and the replicants humanity. Blade Runner initially polarized critics, some were displeased with the pacing, the year following its release, the film won the prestigious Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation. Blade Runner underperformed in North American theaters, but has become a cult film. Hailed for its design, depicting a retrofitted future, it remains a leading example of the neo-noir genre. It brought the work of Philip K. Dick to the attention of Hollywood, Ridley Scott regards Blade Runner as probably his most complete and personal film. In 1993, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress, being deemed culturally, historically, Blade Runner is now regarded by many critics as one of the all-time best science fiction films. Seven versions of the film have been shown for various markets as a result of changes made by film executives. A Directors Cut was released in 1992 after a response to workprint screenings. This, in conjunction with its popularity as a rental, made it one of the first films released on DVD, resulting in a basic disc with mediocre video. A sequel, Blade Runner 2049, is scheduled for release in 2017, in Los Angeles in November 2019, ex-police officer Rick Deckard is detained by officer Gaff and brought to his former supervisor, Bryant. Deckard, whose job as a Blade Runner was to track down bioengineered beings known as replicants, as Tyrell Corporation Nexus-6 models, they have only a four-year lifespan and may have come to Earth to try to extend their lives. Deckard watches a video of a Blade Runner named Holden administering the Voight-Kampff test designed to distinguish replicants from humans based on their response to questions. The test subject, Leon, shoots Holden after Holden asks about Leons mother, Bryant wants Deckard to retire Leon and the other three replicants, Roy Batty, Zhora, and Pris. Deckard initially refuses, but after Bryant ambiguously threatens him, he reluctantly agrees, Deckard begins his investigation at the Tyrell Corporation to ensure that the test works on Nexus-6 models. While there, he discovers that Dr. Eldon Tyrells assistant Rachael is a replicant who believes herself to be human
Blade Runner
–
Theatrical release poster by
John Alvin
Blade Runner
–
The
Bradbury Building in Los Angeles was a filming location.
Blade Runner
–
A 2006 image of a Spinner (police variant) on display at
Disney-MGM Studios.
26.
Organized crime
–
Some criminal organizations, such as terrorist groups, are politically motivated. Sometimes criminal organizations force people to do business with them, such as when a gang extorts money from shopkeepers for so-called protection, gangs may become disciplined enough to be considered organized. A criminal organization or gang can also be referred to as a mafia, mob, or crime syndicate, European sociologists define the mafia as a type of organized crime group that specializes in the supply of extra-legal protection and quasi law enforcement. There is a tendency to distinguish organized crime from other forms of crime, such as crime, financial crimes, political crimes, war crime, state crimes. This distinction is not always apparent and academics continue to debate the matter, for example, in failed states that can no longer perform basic functions such as education, security, or governance, organised crime, governance and war sometimes complement each other. The term Oligarchy has been used to describe democratic countries whose political, social and economic institutions come under the control of a few families, in the United States, the Organized Crime Control Act defines organized crime as he unlawful activities of a highly organized, disciplined association. Criminal activity as a process is referred to as racketeering. In the UK, police estimate that organized crime involves up to 38,000 people operating in 6,000 various groups, bureaucratic/corporate organized crime groups are defined by the general rigidity of their internal structures. An estimate on youth street gangs nationwide provided by Hannigan, et al. marked an increase of 35% between 2002 and 2010, the term “street gang” is commonly used interchangeably with “youth gang, ” referring to neighborhood or street-based youth groups that meet “gang” criteria. Some reasons youth join gangs include to feel accepted, attain status, a sense of unity brings together many of the youth gangs that lack the family aspect at home. Zones of transition are deteriorating neighborhoods with shifting populations, in such areas, conflict between groups, fighting, turf wars, and theft promote solidarity and cohesion. Participation in gang-related events during adolescence perpetuate a pattern of maltreatment on their own children years later, klein like Spergel studied the effects on members of social workers’ interventions. More interventions actually lead to greater participation and solidarity and bonds between members. Downes and Rock on Parker’s analysis, strain theory applies, labeling theory, control theory and these may also be defined by age or peer group influences, and the permanence or consistency of their criminal activity. These groups also form their own identity or public representation which are recognizable by the community at large. Some studied street gangs involved in drug dealing - finding that their structure, members saw themselves as organized criminals, gangs were formal-rational organizations, Strong organizational structures, well defined roles and rules that guided members’ behavior. Also a specified and regular means of income, padilla agreed with the two above. However some have found these to be rather than well-defined and lacking persistent focus, there was relatively low cohesion, few shared goals
Organized crime
–
Criminology and
penology
Organized crime
–
Jamaican gang leader
Christopher Coke
Organized crime
–
Mexican drug cartels and their areas of influence.
Organized crime
–
Tattooed
Yakuza gangsters
27.
Chiba, Chiba
–
Chiba is the capital city of Chiba Prefecture, Japan. It sits about 40 kilometres southeast of the center of Tokyo on Tokyo Bay, Chiba City became a government-designated city in 1992. In February 2016, its population was 972,861, with a density of 3,580 people per square kilometer. The city had an area of 271.76 square kilometres, Chiba City is one of the Kantō regions primary seaports, and is home to Chiba Port, which handles one of the highest volumes of cargo in the nation. Much of the city is residential, although there are factories and warehouses along the coast. Chiba is famous for the Chiba Urban Monorail, the longest suspended monorail in the world, the name of Chiba in the Japanese language is formed from two kanji characters. The first, 千, means thousand and the second, 葉 means leaves, the name first appears as an ancient kuni no miyatsuko, or regional command office, as the Chiba Kuni no Miyatsuko. The name was adopted by a branch of the Taira clan, the branch of the Taira adopted the name and became the Chiba clan, which held strong influence over the area of the prefecture until the Azuchi–Momoyama period. Tsuneshige was appointed as administrator of Sōma District, but was transferred to the same position in Chiba District two years later. Tsuneshiges son, Chiba Tsunetane was instrumental in aiding Minamoto Yoritomo with the establishment of the Kamakura shogunate, tsuneshige built a spacious residence and numerous temples in present-day Chiba City, and in the same period he transferred his power base from Ōji Castle to Inohana Castle on Mount Inohana. The area of present-day Chiba City became jōkamachi, or castle town, the clans power extended in the region until the Muromachi period. The Chiba clans power and influence declined because of wars around the Kantō region during the Nanboku-cho, in the 16th century, instead of the Chiba clan, the Hara clan, which was one of the servants of Chiba clan, wielded power in this region. In the Sengoku period, the Hara clan was removed by Ashikaga Yoshiaki. Then, Ashikaga Yoshiaki was also removed by the Sakai clan, finally both the Chiba and Sakai clans were annihilated by Toyotomi Hideyoshi. In the Edo period, the Oyumi, Morikawa clan, a part of the area was also governed directly by the Tokugawa Bakufu. The Oyumi clan governed their territory stably, finally the Hotta clan stabilized the governance of their territory. Chiba prospered in this period as a shukuba post-town of the Tokugawa shogunate, after the Meiji Restoration in 1868 and the advent of the railroad in Japan Chiba became the political, economic, and cultural capital of the Chiba Prefecture. Chiba City founded on January 1,1921, numerous small villages and towns were merged into the previous town of Chiba, a process that continued until 1944
Chiba, Chiba
–
Top: Coastal industrial area, Chiba Folk Museum Middle:
Makuhari Messe,
Chiba Port Tower,
Chiba Marine Stadium Bottom: Skyscrapers of Makuhari on the coast.
Chiba, Chiba
–
Building of Chiba Prefectural government and
Chiba Urban Monorail
Chiba, Chiba
–
Home Stadium of the
Chiba Marines
Chiba, Chiba
–
Chiba Station
28.
Internet
–
The Internet is the global system of interconnected computer networks that use the Internet protocol suite to link devices worldwide. The origins of the Internet date back to research commissioned by the United States federal government in the 1960s to build robust, the primary precursor network, the ARPANET, initially served as a backbone for interconnection of regional academic and military networks in the 1980s. Although the Internet was widely used by academia since the 1980s, Internet use grew rapidly in the West from the mid-1990s and from the late 1990s in the developing world. In the two decades since then, Internet use has grown 100-times, measured for the period of one year, newspaper, book, and other print publishing are adapting to website technology, or are reshaped into blogging, web feeds and online news aggregators. The entertainment industry was initially the fastest growing segment on the Internet, the Internet has enabled and accelerated new forms of personal interactions through instant messaging, Internet forums, and social networking. Business-to-business and financial services on the Internet affect supply chains across entire industries, the Internet has no centralized governance in either technological implementation or policies for access and usage, each constituent network sets its own policies. The term Internet, when used to refer to the global system of interconnected Internet Protocol networks, is a proper noun. In common use and the media, it is not capitalized. Some guides specify that the word should be capitalized when used as a noun, the Internet is also often referred to as the Net, as a short form of network. Historically, as early as 1849, the word internetted was used uncapitalized as an adjective, the designers of early computer networks used internet both as a noun and as a verb in shorthand form of internetwork or internetworking, meaning interconnecting computer networks. The terms Internet and World Wide Web are often used interchangeably in everyday speech, however, the World Wide Web or the Web is only one of a large number of Internet services. The Web is a collection of interconnected documents and other web resources, linked by hyperlinks, the term Interweb is a portmanteau of Internet and World Wide Web typically used sarcastically to parody a technically unsavvy user. The ARPANET project led to the development of protocols for internetworking, the third site was the Culler-Fried Interactive Mathematics Center at the University of California, Santa Barbara, followed by the University of Utah Graphics Department. In an early sign of growth, fifteen sites were connected to the young ARPANET by the end of 1971. These early years were documented in the 1972 film Computer Networks, early international collaborations on the ARPANET were rare. European developers were concerned with developing the X.25 networks, in December 1974, RFC675, by Vinton Cerf, Yogen Dalal, and Carl Sunshine, used the term internet as a shorthand for internetworking and later RFCs repeated this use. Access to the ARPANET was expanded in 1981 when the National Science Foundation funded the Computer Science Network, in 1982, the Internet Protocol Suite was standardized, which permitted worldwide proliferation of interconnected networks.5 Mbit/s and 45 Mbit/s. Commercial Internet service providers emerged in the late 1980s and early 1990s, the ARPANET was decommissioned in 1990
Internet
–
The Internet Messenger by
Buky Schwartz in
Holon.
Internet
–
An
Opte Project visualization of
routing paths through a portion of the Internet
Internet
–
ICANN headquarters in the
Playa Vista neighborhood of
Los Angeles, California, United States.
Internet
–
This
NeXT Computer was used by
Tim Berners-Lee at
CERN and became the world's first
Web server.
29.
Virtual reality
–
VR also simulates a users physical presence in this environment. A person using virtual reality equipment is able to look around the world, and with high quality VR move about in it. Virtual reality is displayed with a virtual reality headset, VR headsets are head-mounted goggles with a screen in front of the eyes. Programs may include audio and sounds through speakers or headphones, advanced haptic systems may include tactile information, generally known as force feedback in medical, video gaming and military training applications. Some VR systems used in games can transmit vibrations and other sensations to the user through the game controller. Virtual reality also refers to remote communication environments which provide a presence of users with through telepresence and telexistence or the use of a virtual artifact. The immersive environment can be similar to the world in order to create a life-like experience grounded in reality or sci-fi. In 1938, Antonin Artaud described the nature of characters and objects in the theatre as la réalité virtuelle in a collection of essays. The English translation of book, published in 1958 as The Theater. The term artificial reality, coined by Myron Krueger, has been in use since the 1970s, the term virtual reality was used in The Judas Mandala, a 1982 science fiction novel by Damien Broderick. Virtual has had the meaning being something in essence or effect, the term virtual has been used in the computer sense of not physically existing but made to appear by software since 1959. A dictionary definition for cyberspace states that word is a synonym for virtual reality. Virtual reality shares some elements with augmented reality, AR is a type of virtual reality technology that blends what the user sees in their real surroundings with digital content generated by computer software. The additional software-generated images with the virtual scene typically enhance way the real look in some way. Some AR systems use a camera to capture the surroundings or some type of display screen which the user looks at. The Virtual Reality Modelling Language, first introduced in 1994, was intended for the development of worlds without dependency on headsets. The Web3D consortium was founded in 1997 for the development of industry standards for web-based 3D graphics. The consortium subsequently developed X3D from the VRML framework as an archival and these components led to relative affordability for independent VR developers, and lead to the 2012 Oculus Rift kickstarter offering the first independently developed VR headset
Virtual reality
–
View-Master, a stereoscopic visual simulator, was introduced in 1939.
Virtual reality
–
Battlezone, an arcade video game from 1980, used 3D vector graphics to immerse the player in a VR world.(Atari).
Virtual reality
–
A 2013 developer version of
Oculus Rift from
Oculus VR, a company
Facebook acquired in 2014 for $2 billion
Virtual reality
–
Another upcoming VR headset called
HTC Vive, developed in co-production between
HTC and
Valve Corporation.
30.
Cocaine
–
Cocaine, also known as coke, is a strong stimulant mostly used as a recreational drug. It is commonly snorted, inhaled, or injected into the veins, mental effects may include loss of contact with reality, an intense feeling of happiness, or agitation. Physical symptoms may include a fast heart rate, sweating, high doses can result in very high blood pressure or body temperature. Effects begin within seconds to minutes of use and last between five and ninety minutes, Cocaine has a small number of accepted medical uses such as numbing and decreasing bleeding during nasal surgery. Cocaine is addictive due to its effect on the pathway in the brain. After a short period of use, there is a risk that dependence will occur. Its use also increases the risk of stroke, myocardial infarction, lung problems in those who smoke it, blood infections, Cocaine sold on the street is commonly mixed with local anesthetics, cornstarch, quinine, or sugar which can result in additional toxicity. Following repeated doses a person may have decreased ability to feel pleasure, Cocaine acts by inhibiting the reuptake of serotonin, norepinephrine, and dopamine. This results in concentrations of these three neurotransmitters in the brain. It can easily cross the barrier and may lead to the breakdown of the barrier. Cocaine is made from the leaves of the plant which are mostly grown in South America. In 2013,419 kilograms were produced legally and it is estimated that the illegal market for cocaine is 100 to 500 billion USD each year. With further processing crack cocaine can be produced from cocaine, after cannabis, cocaine is the most frequently used illegal drug globally. Between 14 and 21 million people use the drug each year, use is highest in North America followed by Europe and South America. Between one and three percent of people in the world have used cocaine at some point in their life. In 2013 cocaine use resulted in 4,300 deaths. The leaves of the plant have been used by Peruvians since ancient times. Cocaine was first isolated from the leaves in 1860, since 1961 the international Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs has required countries to make recreational use of cocaine a crime
Cocaine
–
A spoon containing baking soda, cocaine, and a small amount of water. Used in a "poor-man's" crack-cocaine production
Cocaine
–
Cocaine (
INN)
Cocaine
–
A man sniffing cocaine
Cocaine
–
Cocaine hydrochloride
.jpg)
