[bookshare-discuss] Accessible World presents the Science Fiction Discussion Group, Jan. 13, 2011

From: "Bob Acosta" <boacosta@xxxxxxxxxxx>
To: "Bob Acosta" <boacosta@xxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Tue, 11 Jan 2011 15:28:56 -0800
Accessible World presents The Science Fiction Discussion Group, 



                    News Wire:

 

Hi Folks,



We had a really good meeting last night, with everyone who read it enjoying The 
Gods Themselves by Isaac Asimov, some of us for the second time. We also had 
fun discussing some of our favorite SF juveniles, as well as older SF books in 
general that we remember fondly, and some of our favorite NLS narrators, many 
of whom are no longer available for readers to hear.



The next meeting of the Science Fiction club will be on Thursday, January 13, 
2011.



Place Book Nook at:



http://conference321.com/masteradmin/room.asp?id=rs7867a2369e0e



Time: 9 PM Eastern, 8 Central, 7 Mountain, 6 Pacific, and 02:00 UTC.



The book we decided to read this month is Earth by David Brin, available from 
both Bookshare and as a digital download from BARD.



The Bookshare version is Publisher Quality and is at:



http://www.bookshare.org/browse/book/267612



and the link to the BARD version is at:


http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.nls/db.32735

 

Here's the NLS synopsis:

 

It is the mid-2000s and the Greenhouse Effect is having a devastating impact on 
Earth. It is almost impossible to go outside without protective clothing, 
sunglasses, and lotions. Siberia has become a temperate zone, and Miami has
disappeared, all due to shifting weather patterns. Now a black hole has been 
found at the planet's core, and a team of scientists must discover a way to 
prevent Earth's destruction.

 

Here's a little review from Publishers Weekly on Amazon:

 

Weaving an epic of complex dimensions, Brin ( Startide Rising ) plaits 
initially divergent story lines, all set in the year 2038, into an 
outstandingly satisfying novel. At the center is a type of mystery: after a 
failed murder attempt, a group of people try to save the victim, recover the 
murder weapon, identify the guilty party and fend off other assassins, all the 
while being led through n + 1 plot twists--each
with a sense of overhanging doom, because the intended victim is Gaea, Earth 
herself. The struggle to save the planet gives Brin the occasion to recap 
recent global events: a world war fought to wrest all caches of secret 
information from the grip of an elite few; a series of ecological disasters 
brought about by environmental abuse; and the effects of a universal 
interactive data network on beginning to turn the world into a true global 
village. Fully dimensional and engaging characters with plausible motivations 
bring drama to these scenarios. Brin's exciting prose style will probably make 
this a Hugo nominee, and will certainly keep readers turning pages.

Don't miss this one. Hope to see lots of people at the next meeting to begin 
another year of reading and talking about great SF.

 

Evan

 

 

J. R. Westmoreland, Group Facilitator

Email: jr@xxxxxxx

 

Date:  Thursday, January 13, 2011

 

Time:  6:00 PM PST, 7:00 PM MST, 8:00 PM CST, 9:00 PM EST,

           and elsewhere in the world Friday 02:00 GMT. 

 

Approximately 15 minutes prior to the event start time; go to The Book Nook at:

 

http://conference321.com/masteradmin/room.asp?id=rs7867a2369e0e

 

Or, alternatively, 

 

Select The Book Nook at: www.accessibleworld.org

Enter your first and last names on the sign-in screen.

 

If you are a first-time user of the Talking Communities online conferencing 
software, there is a small, safe software program that you need to download and 
then run. A link to the software is available on every entry screen to the 
Accessible World rooms.

 

All online interactive programs are free of charge, and open to anyone 
worldwide having an Internet connection, a computer, speakers, and a sound 
card. Those with microphones can interact audibly with the presenters and 
others in the virtual audience. To speak to us, hold down the control key and 
let up to listen. If no microphone is available, you may text chat with the 
attendees.

 

Accessible World uses News Wires, like this one, to inform people of the topic 
and times for the many Discussion Groups on Accessible World. The lists are 
announce only to keep the traffic to a minimum. You can join the Accessible 
World Announce List, the Tek Talk Announce List or the Sports Talk Announce 
List by completing the form at: www.accessibleworld.org/mailinglists

 

Accessible World Contacts:

 

Robert Acosta, Chair

Accessible World

818-998-0044

Email: boacosta@xxxxxxxxxxx 

Web:   www.helpinghands4theblind.org

 

Marcia Moses, Events Coordinator 

Accessible World 

734-495-1496

Email: mgmoses@xxxxxxxxxxx

 

Steve Hoffman, President

Talking Communities

Email: steve@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 

The Accessible World, a division of Helping Hands For The Blind, a 501(c)(3) 
not-for-profit organization, seeks to educate the general public, the disabled 
community and the professionals who serve them by providing highly relevant 
information about new products, services, and training opportunities designed 
specifically to eliminate geographic and access barriers that adversely affect 
them

 

 

 

 



Robert Acosta, President
Helping Hands for the Blind
Email: boacosta@xxxxxxxxxxx
Web Site: www.helpinghands4theblind.org

You can assist Helping Hands for the Blind by donating your used computers to 
us. If you have a blind friend in need of a computer, please mail us at the 
above address.
[bookshare-discuss] Accessible World presents the Science Fiction Discussion Group, Jan. 13, 2011

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