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A selection of SF volumes acquired over winter break! Which books/covers/authors intrigue you? Which have you read? Disliked? Enjoyed? 1. Flesh, Philip José Farmer (1960) Gerald McConnell’s cover for the 1st edition From the back cover: “Spaceman by DAY… MONSTER by night! Peter Stagg was caught in the vilest trap ever devised–his own lust-driven body! For FLESH is the pulse-stirring story of a space explorer’s return from the strangest voyage …

Andrew Grima, Brooch, 1968. Made of gold, tourmaline and diamonds. Photo Tony Walsh. Schmuckmuseum Pforzheim / Cincinnati Art Museum.

Beloved duo Wallace and Gromit returned to our screens at Christmas, 34 years after their first appearance on UK television, in their second feature-length film, Vengeance Most Fowl. Group blog (-slash-arts-magazine) It’s Nice That recently interviewed creator and director Nick Park, co-director Merlin Crossingham and supervising animator Will Becher about the plasticine pair’s legacy and creating their new adventure. The movie sees the return of arguably the series’ best baddie, …

A werewolf walks into a bar and …. No, that’s not a joke. It’s the opening scene of a 1956 low-budget film with the straightforward and generic title of The Werewolf. And if you’ve seen other werewolf films, you’ll guess … Continue reading →

Recently, I did myself a favor and bought a little Beelink SER5 Pro Mini PC a home server to run some services I use on my home network and also to run some development containers. With this shiny new home server, I also wanted to set up some offsite backups for it. I asked on Mastodon for suggestions and got tips to use borgbackup and restic. Both are reasonable suggestions …

We’ve started a tradition of writing a group document with very short takes on the games that we play. Of course, you’ll not get as much info as in a full review, but as our reviews likely won’t start … Continue reading →

The black poplar or velvet pioppino mushroom is a nutty tasting fungi with elegantly long, chewy stems. Although they can be hard to find, they've started to gain some popularity as a boutique mushroom in the U.S. and are worth seeking out. In this post we'll look at their background, why they're hard to find,... Read More The post Black Poplar or Velvet Pioppino Mushroom appeared first on Forager | …

Transit advocates are gearing up to pass House Bill 2191, which would allow Public Transit Benefit Authority boards across the state to create voting seats for transit riders. Last July, Atlanta’s transit agency board went viral. But it probably wasn’t the sort of attention they were excited to get. A records’ request by a high school student and transit advocate uncovered that most MARTA board members rarely rode transit, including …

Last month, Puck’s Matt Belloni turned many heads when he said that Paul Thomas Anderson’s next film might be “punted” to 2026. Although Belloni is as reliable as film journalists get, we haven’t heard anything official from Warner Bros about a date change.Belloni is now tackling the topic again, via podcast and print, doubling down on it, and claiming that it’s quite simply what he’s “heard.” Warner Bros are “considering” …

In October 2004, Rodney Frank Williams's daughters reported hearing what they described as "a combination of a whale and a dinosaur" coming from the state forestland near their home in Joyce, Washington. Upon further investigation, Williams discovered a footprint "much like a large wide human print dressed in a moccasin." Additional incidents, including a mysteriously moved pumpkin, led

By Evlyn MoreauSelf PublishedBasicLevel ... 4? The oasis is filled with cactus sprouting large yellow flowers. The water flows between a cave mouth and a sandstone crevasse. This 42 page adventure describes about twenty locations in and around desert oasis With Shit Going Down. Creature creativity abounds with an occasional turn of a phrase that is wonderful, but it can’t sustain that and doesn’t support the situation it wants to …

Problems with broken escalators at Cutty Sark DLR station has seen an MP demand answers from TfL as all four remain out of service. Issues have been ongoing for years with the station’s passengers now forced to use small lifts or numerous steps to reach street level. Station pictured with logo of PPP organisation CGL. Now removed Transport for London had blamed years of disruption due to poor quality assets …

Lots of good bits in this feature on Caryl Phillips. Phillips, 66, knew the loose ends demanded a novel “because the engine room for fiction, for me, is character. If I hear a character’s voice or if I can imagine what anxieties a character might have, then I figure I’m dealing with fiction. A piece of non-fiction can take a walk around a subject. But as soon as you start …

Community is a word you hear a lot in Lambeth. Easy to say, but a lot of hard work to create and continue. Alan Slingsby met three people who have put in that hard work and explain how they got help and support that are available to anyone in the borough who is or who wants to […]

Welcome to 2025's first edition of The Weekend Stream, The Second Disc's review of notable catalogue titles (and some new ones, too!) making digital debuts! We're catching up on some of our favorite artists adding albums to stream and download, plus country soul and remixes aplenty - as well as a list of resources to […]