Rob Hansen News Today

State school sale pending, Concord Middle School design contract approved ... and more

The Vril-Ya Bazaar and Fête was inspired by a popular Victorian science fiction novel—and introduced the world to Bovril.

After months in the rainforest, the Museum of Idaho is gearing up to head to space in its new exhibit, “Above and Beyond,” which opens Saturday.

Drink Tank 453, edited by Chuck Serface, Alissa Wales and Christopher J. Garcia, and with a striking cover by Hugo-winning artist Sara Felix, takes a deep look at everyone's favorite friendly neighborhood Spider-Man.Articles include Juan Sanmiguel considering the 1967 Spider-Man cartoon, Julian West looking at “Spider-Man: The Combination Super-Hero”, and British fanhistorian Rob Hansen talking about

Stirred to action by a particularly stupid and dismissive media generalization about science fiction fans, Rob Hansen has prepared this collection of brief biographies and essays that tell -- both in his words and in their own -- the stories of fans who have made some impact on the mundane world: Beyond Fandom: Fans, Culture

(1) WHEN GRAVITY FAILS. [Item by Mike Kennedy.] Chuck Jones’ rules for Coyote cartoons said it works best when gravity is what defeats him. Instead, the change in management at Warner Bros seems to be what has claimed his long-awaited film. The mixed live/animated Coyote Vs. Acme is rumored to have been consigned to the dustbin, despite

How decades-old decisions to build two California prisons in a dry lake bed and a chaotic climate left 8,000 incarcerated people at risk.

A baker says his chairs were moved out as a dispute spiralled into court action.

(1) WHEN GRAVITY DOESN’T FAIL. “NASA Wants Ideas for How to Destroy the International Space Station”. Really. SYFY Wire explains why. …At present, Roscosmos has committed to continued use and maintenance of the station through 2028 while the other four agencies will remain through 2030. After that, unless there’s another extension, everyone will come home, and the station’s

Rob Hansen surveys the early presence of women in UK science fiction fandom, identifies the UK’s first known female fan, and shows the lead-up to the fanzine Femizine (1954-1960) – the first true rallying point for female British fans -- in Generation Femizine, the latest addition to TAFF’s library of free downloads. The 67,000-word book, compiled from