Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #canadiansf, aggregated by home.social.
Application for a pitch session at Can*Con was approved! But I have to catch a train at that exact time, sadness. I'll publish this thesis one day...
#SFFH #CanCon #thesis @academicchatter #dissertation #academia #phd #sciencefiction #CanadianSF #CanadianScienceFiction #postapocalyptic
Looking forward to going to Can*Con this year! Come see me moderating "Being Outside Rome During the Fall" on Saturday Oct. 17 at 11:30 - if that's a bit too early (or depressing), I'm also moderating a panel later that afternoon at 4pm - "Worldbuilding Focus: Park Politics".
You can check out the details of each panel at https://www.can-con.org/
#CanCon2026 #convention #scifi #sciencefiction #SFFH #CanadianSF #Ottawa
“Exactly. The Starlinks get chipped and embedded in concrete. The positioning motors on the Starlinks are repurposed to initiate the deorbit and initial targeting. The projectiles are fitted with guidance controls, and packed in a fairing ready for launch.” The smirk turned into a serious face. “And more emplaced every few days. Enough to discourage the folks near DC and others around the world when the time comes.”
In this episode of Re-Creative, Mark and I talk to Diane Walton, a founding member and long-time managing editor of On Spec: The Canadian magazine of the Fantastic. On Spec is well known in Canadian speculative fiction circles (and beyond!) for publishing quality fiction and art from (largely but not exclusively) Canadian writers and artists.
https://mahoneyj.substack.com/p/diane-walton-and-on-spec-the-canadian
And at the end of November, the storm hit.
#PositiveSF #CanadianSF #HoE #Transmigration #MachineIntelligence #Robots #Gaia #SelfConsciousness
The world seemed to have forgotten about MIke’s announcements. We never made the news any more, which suited us all fine. Even the usual fake news and comedy programs stopped making fun of MIke within a few days as new scandals were uncovered. We all knew it was the calm before the storm.
#PositiveSF #CanadianSF #HoE #Transmigration #MachineIntelligence #Robots #Gaia #SelfConsciousness
Thousands of conventional computers were installed in racks in an adjacent gallery, with their own data lines to the Internet backbone. The first large Petisol of the 10 megawatt class was installed in an adjacent gallery for secure local power. Barbarobo got their 500 kilowatt unit to power their aeroplane.
#PositiveSF #CanadianSF #HoE #Transmigration #MachineIntelligence #Robots #Gaia #SelfConsciousness
Mica’s private gallery was closed off and the blast doors installed. Apart from her connections to power and data lines, she was physically as secure as we could manage. Marc and Sandra installed and commissioned several dozen additional quantum computers in other parts of her gallery.
#PositiveSF #CanadianSF #HoE #Transmigration #MachineIntelligence #Robots #Gaia #SelfConsciousness
Our galleries were filling up with thousands of Ultors and a few hundred avatars. We had thousands of spare Petisols, each good for 5kW steady electrical output, packed and ready for shipment. Larger variants were starting limited production. On the surface we were accumulating empty sea cans, ready to ship Ultors around the world.
#PositiveSF #CanadianSF #HoE #Transmigration #MachineIntelligence #Robots #Gaia #SelfConsciousness
We started installing the Petisol reactors in the robots as each came off the line, with enough left over to retrofit the Ultors coming in from Barbarobo. Floyd and his crew even had sent us a few avatars, so MIke was able to have a physical body presence in all critical areas. The avatars were becoming a common sight around Goderich, acting as a very effective PR interface with the public.
#PositiveSF #CanadianSF #HoE #Transmigration #MachineIntelligence #Robots #Gaia #SelfConsciousness
The Petisol manufacturing line took a bit longer because we had to order injection casting machines and have the custom moulds made. Once the manufacturing machines were working properly, the Petisol production line soon outpaced all the robot lines put together.
#PositiveSF #CanadianSF #HoE #Transmigration #MachineIntelligence #Robots #Gaia #SelfConsciousness
Over the next month we got the Ultor and avatar lines in full production. Michel’s crew returned in the specified two weeks and commissioned the second GF power plant. MIke and Michel had a proof of concept of the Petisol working within a week, and a production model a week after that.
#PositiveSF #CanadianSF #HoE #Transmigration #MachineIntelligence #Robots #Gaia #SelfConsciousness
Back at the aeroplane Veronika released the tie downs and did the preflight. After hugs all around, they climbed into their magic carpet and headed home.
#PositiveSF #CanadianSF #HoE #Transmigration #MachineIntelligence #Robots #Gaia #SelfConsciousness
With that all under control, Floyd said “OK good. Time for the three of us to go home and get to work. Betty has been holding down the fort, but with what we have learned here, it’s even more critical that we get back to do our parts. We will return as needed to get the lines running here. It is only a half hour flight, a short commute for us.”
#PositiveSF #CanadianSF #HoE #Transmigration #MachineIntelligence #Robots #Gaia
I hadn’t been in the barn building since we initially inspected the property, so was seeing it from a new perspective. We all agreed that with the tankage already in place, it would be adequate to our purposes.
#PositiveSF #CanadianSF #HoE #Transmigration #MachineIntelligence #Robots #Gaia #SelfConsciousness
Back upstairs, we were joined by Judith. As we walked toward the large barn-like building, MIke said to her, “I owe you an apology too, Judith. Percy pointed out that I had made a bad assumption regarding need-to-know. Henceforth I will share with both of you any information that is shared with the others in the core group. That’s the Barbarobo team, Marc, Sandra, Michel, and Carter.”
#PositiveSF #CanadianSF #HoE #Transmigration #MachineIntelligence #Robots #Gaia
“Yes in the large building next to the secondary elevator shaft. Stainless steel, empty and clean. They just held brine from the water jet cutters until it could go to the evaporation pond. I’ll have them flushed out, ready for the plastic liquids. If we’re done here for now, let’s go take a look,” Percy said.
#PositiveSF #CanadianSF #HoE #Transmigration #MachineIntelligence #Robots #Gaia #SelfConsciousness
“Excellent!” I said. “Something else came up yesterday. We’ll need storage tanks for liquid raw materials. Apparently the feed stock for the robots’ plastic body comes as two different liquid plastics. I vaguely remember seeing some tankage in one of the surface buildings. Am I remembering correctly?”
#PositiveSF #CanadianSF #HoE #Transmigration #MachineIntelligence #Robots #Gaia #SelfConsciousness
“Understood. Now let’s move on.” Percy led us to the third gallery. “This gallery is closest to the secondary freight elevators, once we punch a hole right there,” he said gesturing at a rock salt wall. “It’ll make a good goods staging area.”
#PositiveSF #CanadianSF #HoE #Transmigration #MachineIntelligence #Robots #Gaia #SelfConsciousness
The Ultor’s head drooped, then looked again straight at Percy. “As Carter knows, my Gaia component has no direct experience dealing with humans. Thank you for the lesson in sensitivity.”
“Wow Percy!” I said. “You just received an apology from a goddess. Don’t let it go to your head!” I grinned to make sure he knew I was trying to make light of a heavy situation.
#PositiveSF #CanadianSF #HoE #Transmigration #MachineIntelligence #Robots #Gaia #SelfConsciousness
“I suspected something like this, as did Judith. I understand about need-to-know, but both of us need to know. You either trust us or not,” Percy said straight to the Ultor.
MIke paused for at least a half minute. Percy was getting antsy. Finally, it said “You are correct, and my sincere apologies for doubting you. Either you are better at hiding things than I am at finding them, or I have made a bad assumption.”
#PositiveSF #CanadianSF #HoE #Transmigration #MachineIntelligence #Robots #Gaia
“Actually, and this is privileged information, not even for Judith, they will be much smaller. Small enough to fit in my chest,” MIke said through the Ultor. “We will need to exceed combined Ultor and avatar production quantities. But Michel and my avatar are just now talking about design. All we know so far is that we think it’s possible, and the casing outer dimensions.”
#PositiveSF #CanadianSF #HoE #Transmigration #MachineIntelligence #Robots #Gaia
“Very good Percy,” the Ultor said. “More efficient all around. We can use the second gallery for storage of finished units waiting for delivery.”
Percy led us to another large gallery, this one without equipment. “I was thinking this one for the Petisol lines. Those units are car-sized or less, right?”
#PositiveSF #CanadianSF #HoE #Transmigration #MachineIntelligence #Robots #Gaia
“As you see,” Percy said gesturing around an unused gallery, “The excavation equipment is here and ready to go first thing Monday. Floyd sent me the specs on the production equipment. We can do a double, maybe triple version of what they have in Trollbridge. But instead of a separate gallery for the avatars, why don’t we just put another line in here? This is the largest open gallery, we have the room.”
#PositiveSF #CanadianSF #HoE #Transmigration #Robots #Gaia #SelfConsciousness
“OK, so I’m planning three separate manufacturing and assembly areas,” the Ultor said in MIke’s voice. “One for more Ultors, that’ll be the biggest priority. Percy, Barbarobo have offered to reroute some production equipment already on order and I have increased the order. That should all start arriving by the middle of the week.”
#PositiveSF #CanadianSF #HoE #Transmigration #MachineIntelligence #Robots #Gaia
The Ultor joined the rest of us on a tour of possible factory areas.
“How late did things go last night Percy?” I asked.
“Not very. Everyone left not long after you did. Only Randall’s regulars stayed, chattering away about all the new opportunities. I think inviting the locals was a smart move.”
#PositiveSF #CanadianSF #HoE #Transmigration #MachineIntelligence #Robots #Gaia
We had all just finished breakfast when we heard the backup beeping of a delivery truck. The crew were a bit surprised to see MIke, but pretty much took it in stride, especially once MIke started carrying the heaviest pieces. All the new furniture was in place, assembled, and ready for use within a half hour.
“That should spread some rumours to our benefit,” MIke said after the door closed.
#PositiveSF #CanadianSF #HoE #Transmigration #MachineIntelligence #Robots #Gaia
“You are still adequate. Now go get cleaned up, the delivery people should be here in a while. I already flushed myself, and am fully charged. I’ll go start the coffee for the meats.” MIke unplugged and headed downstairs.
Floyd, Veronika, and Barb came downstairs looking cheery and eager for work. Michel was a bit sleepier. He probably had been up half the night thinking of the new reactor possibilities.
#PositiveSF #CanadianSF #HoE #Transmigration #MachineIntelligence #Robots #Gaia
As the room brightened, Mica was sitting on the floor, back in MIke mode. “Good morning Carter, did you sleep well after our refresher? And did I perform as well as before?”
“I did, thank you, and you did. Actually, you are even more agile now than when we were in our twenties, while I’m less so. I hope you found me adequate.” I was referencing our oldest joke.
#PositiveSF #CanadianSF #HoE #Transmigration #MachineIntelligence #Robots #Gaia
I peeled, peed, and slipped into bed. Mica was already there, in her young Mica form. “Thank you for asking permission to allow me to experience the forms of the others, but I like you as you,” I said to her.
“I suspect if you play your cards right, you may enjoy the originals at some point,” Mica said, as she started to refresh my memory of her skills. Her batteries lasted longer than I did, and I eventually fell into a peaceful and satisfied sleep.