dewline: Exclamation: "Hear, Hear!" (celebration)
[personal profile] dewline
I mentioned privately last week that I'd been accepted for enrolment into the Canadian Dental Insurance Plan. The one that our federal government hired Sun Life to administer for everyone earning less than C$90K/year and not already covered by their employer or their province?

That one.

I finally got the card in the papermail from Sun Life today.

Orange and pink and white plastic.

It's just hitting me now that, after over three decades of paying out of pocket by instalments for my dental health basics - exams, fillings and repairs of same, that sort of thing - I no longer have to worry about that part of my life's financial juggling. It's already covered through my federal income tax from now on unless I land a sufficiently lucrative job with its own coverage.

Hoping it all works out.

Question

Jun. 10th, 2025 02:45 pm
fbhjr: (Cottage)
[personal profile] fbhjr
Monday I’m going to start a new job with a totally new group of people I don’t know.
I was tempted to print up little index cards with information about me.
But, then I couldn’t think of what to tell folks.

Any recommendations?

Prodigy

Jun. 10th, 2025 12:48 pm

From This Day Forward by John Brunner

Jun. 10th, 2025 09:00 am
james_davis_nicoll: (Default)
[personal profile] james_davis_nicoll


The sudden, shocking, return of Shockwave Reader. Will the living envy the dead?

From This Day Forward by John Brunner
dewline: A fake starmap of the fictional Kitchissippi Sector (Ottawa)
[personal profile] dewline
I found out today - or was reminded today, I'm not entirely sure as I've downloaded resources from the IAU on the subject of star names in the past year and then neglected to review them carefully - that in 2015, a star in Monoceros - HD 45652 - was named "Lusitânia", in connection with their Name ExoWorlds programme. The one known planet orbiting it is named "Viriato". For the purposes of the projects I'm working on with the Tranquility Press fanfic gang, it's in Klingon space as of 2240-2410.

I love that this astronomical naming process is picking up speed in my lifetime!

2025's Summer of the 69 is now open!

Jun. 9th, 2025 09:48 pm
soc_puppet: A sunflower against a blue sky with a few stray clouds; text reads, "Summer of the 69" (Summer of the 69)
[personal profile] soc_puppet posting in [community profile] fictional_fans
A photo of a sunny summer day; text reads, "Summer of the 69"


Community: [community profile] summerofthe69

Event Description: Summer of the 69 is an event focused on creative works about the sexual position, open to all fandoms and to original works, and to all types of creations. Participation is through two means: A comment meme where users can leave and fill prompts, and themes posted weekly to get creative juices flowing.

The 2025 fest has officially opened! If the above description interests you at all, check out the following links:

Community profile
2025's Theme Calendar
2025's Comment Prompt Meme
2025's First Theme: "First Time 69: Everyone has to start somewhere"

(no subject)

Jun. 9th, 2025 07:40 pm
ravena_kade: (Default)
[personal profile] ravena_kade
Today the boss did not come in. I thought she was getting her car inspected and would be in later. She has tomorrow off. Well she emails that she will be signing off of work at noon. I asked if she would be in the office on Wednesday? If so I would move my remote day Wednesday so I can be in the office when she is in the office. I won't see her next week because I have PTO. He response was that she didn't know. If the car takes too long she may just go back to Maine (to get her Lexus in the special color she wanted she had to buy it in Massachusetts so she does all the saving down here). She may be in Wednesday or Thursday, but she doesn't know, but she can answer texts while getting the car serviced so she is working (not my point, but whatever). I should just plan on coming in.

A while later I had to email her to let her know that my Dad has a cardiologist appointment at 8 AM next Wednesday. I would stay late until the brach closes and use PTO for the rest of the appointment (2 months ag she said that there was no reason why I should clock in early...even if I was there and working...the board wouldn't like it) Instead of just scything thank you for letting me know she lectures me in writing saying this is exactly what PTO is for. HR and the Board don't want to see you making up time.

This pissed me off for the rest of the day. Not much work got done. Yes, bosses get to do whatever they want while the little workers can't even save time for proper vacations. She takes 6 weeks a year including 2 weeks at Christmas.

Part of me thinks I should schedule later appointments and just use my PTO to get out of work early and not come back...but the sad reality is that the later the appointment the later they see you... 5 minutes late with each patient means a 3 PM appointment is now pushed back to after 4 PM.

Bundle of Holding: Fantasy AGE 2E

Jun. 9th, 2025 02:01 pm
james_davis_nicoll: (Default)
[personal profile] james_davis_nicoll


The 2023 Second Edition corebook, TECHNOFANTASY, and more

Bundle of Holding: Fantasy AGE 2E
conuly: (Default)
[personal profile] conuly
Every day is perfect, if
when you wake, you hear birds
in the garden, in the yard. Birds

up and down, ushering in one more day
in all the houses on Shaker Way. Birds
on telephone lines, light posts. Birds

twit, twittering on trees
hailing fellow birds
with a nod of  beak—gray kingbird;

top-hatted, streamertail
tuxedoed, doctor bird—
busy-bodied hummingbird

tucking in, out, of pink, red ixoras
punch-drunk in love. Birds
preening for, chatting up other birds—

the oriole, the grass quit, in mid-song
on the lawn, in a dance of  birds
an all-day-long conference of bird;

red-headed woodpecker
—drummer boy, or girl bird
in this daily symphony of  birds

—an orchestra on Shaker Way
in serenade of each perfect day with birds—
from the very first mockingbird

heralding, in solo warble
one more day, filled with birds—
brightened, lightened, trilled by birds:

precious, diamond-throated
sweet song, miracle-toting birds
the-gift-of-day-is-here birds.

Bird, bird, bird. Hello bird.
You lift me up bird.
You sing the day beautiful, bird.


***********


Link
james_davis_nicoll: (Default)
[personal profile] james_davis_nicoll


No rules, no bureaucracy, just some randos messing around with the past, present, and future.

Five Stories About Time Travel on a Limited Scale
conuly: (Default)
[personal profile] conuly
Rok continues to be the best at everything, and deserves all the hugs. Though I remain baffled how ST thinks they can on one hand have post-scarcity nearly everywhere (including, one presumes, in places just outside of the Federation where they can easily abscond with probable Federation citizens) and also have seedy underbellies everywhere as well. The problem is that they never actually worked out how it all works, and I think the only solution is to ditch the idea that even the Federation really has no currency and is totally post-scarcity. Everybody has their basic needs met, I'll agree is supported by the writing. Anything past that, no.

Anyway, Rok's friend in her tragic backstory was clearly no more able to leave that situation than she was and though I can see there's too much plot for that to happen in canon I really hope they could rescue him.

Speaking of tragic backstories, I cannot believe a. that Dal tried to say his was the worst and b. his version of being "the worst" absolutely skips past the part where Read more... ) But seriously, dude, you grew up as a slave on a mine full of child slaves. It's not a situation people get into because their life was just so great beforehand. If everything was hunky-dory, none of you would've been targeted in the first damn place. You all have a terrible backstory, you don't need to prove it!

Moving on, Murf continues to also be the best, but ffs, can somebody get him an AAC? Or a whiteboard, at least? Teach him sign language? This is a solved problem even in the real world, surely Starfleet can figure it out!

Nothing to say about Jankom, he's just there. *shrug* And I feel kinda ditto about Zero, tbh. I mean, I like them, but....

Ma'Jel, between her cool hair and her increasingly consternated expression as the turbolift got more and more crowded, is clearly not one of the most unemotional Vulcans out there. (I don't care what Vulcans say, the opposite of "logical" is not "emotional", it's just "illogical".) I feel like she and our darling T'Lyn would have a lot to talk about.

The adults on the ship - this show is clearly trying to walk a fine line between keeping them competent and allowing the kids to run circles around them. I'm not sure it always works, but I appreciate the effort, and also I appreciate how they were careful to make it clear that the adults, whether they're being strict or a bit Too Much, are only acting the way they do because they're sympathetic. (Frankly, all the kids could stand to appreciate their new situation a bit more - except Rok, she already gets it - but I understand why they're struggling a bit.)

Gets a bit spoilery )

**************


Ugh, the news )

Clarke Award Finalists 2000

Jun. 9th, 2025 10:21 am
james_davis_nicoll: (Default)
[personal profile] james_davis_nicoll
2000: The theft of an Enigma Machine comes too late to play a significant role in World War Two, Sellafield highlight British dedication to nuclear saafety, and the Conservatives, informed polling has them 2% ahead of Labour, discover that they are actually trailing by 13%.

Poll #33234 Clarke Award Finalists 2000
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 54


Which 2000 Clarke Award Finalists Have You Read?

View Answers

Distraction by Bruce Sterling
11 (20.4%)

A Deepness in the Sky by Vernor Vinge
40 (74.1%)

Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson
42 (77.8%)

Silver Screen by Justina Robson
8 (14.8%)

The Bones of Time by Kathleen Ann Goonan
4 (7.4%)

Time by Stephen Baxter
11 (20.4%)



Bold for have read, italic for intend to read,, underline for never heard of it.

Which 2000 Clarke Award Finalists Have You Read?
Distraction by Bruce Sterling
A Deepness in the Sky by Vernor Vinge
Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson
Silver Screen by Justina Robson
The Bones of Time by Kathleen Ann Goonan
Time by Stephen Baxter

Well, I read the news

Jun. 9th, 2025 08:33 pm
conuly: (Default)
[personal profile] conuly
Or, anyway, I glanced at the headlines and oh fuck no. Can I just go back to bed, and somebody wake me when things improve?

Timing

Jun. 8th, 2025 07:06 pm
james_davis_nicoll: (Default)
[personal profile] james_davis_nicoll
I swung by Old Goat Books to pick up a book I ordered, which meant I was in the right place at the right time hear the confused customer next to me ask "What's speculative fiction?" Which, after I explained what it meant, was followed by the question. "Do you know anything about Andre Norton?"

It was only with great effort that I resisted shouting "BEHOLD! I AM Marshall McLuhan" before helping.

The Heirs of Babylon by Glen Cook

Jun. 8th, 2025 09:18 am
james_davis_nicoll: (Default)
[personal profile] james_davis_nicoll


A decrepit fleet sails from Germany to play its role in a futile war, crewed by sailors who seem more eager to kill each other than the perfidious Australians.

The Heirs of Babylon by Glen Cook

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