Douglas A. Van Belle
@dougvanbelle.bsky.social
New Zealand Science Fiction author and Senior Lecturer in Media and the Politics of Crisis, My Latest Novel, A World Adrift, is now available from Wordfire Press in the U.S. https://wordfirepress.com/books/a-world-adrift/
It has been brought to my attention that A World Adrift was included in discussions during the review of applications for Nasa's Innovative Advanced Concepts stage one grants. Every little plug counts, but forgive me for thinking that one was special wordfirepress.com/products/a-w...
The crushy part of the Crushinator 350. I set it next to the 8 tonne cylinder I decided was a wee bit too small for my new forging press.
As the Academic Track Lead for the 2026 World Science Fiction Convention, I am officially inviting Count Binface. PM me and I'll sort the details.
There is a magical level of F&ck You, that can only be achieved by the British. edition.cnn.com/2026/07/09/u...
Farage left fighting a trash can as the UK populist leader’s election gamble backfires | CNN
Nigel Farage resigned from the UK Parliament amid a controversy over undeclared financial donations but his tactic backfired
edition.cnn.com
The Selected Proceedings from the 2025 Seattle WorldCon are out, and note that we negotiated a very low price for the softcover version for both classroom use and so worldcon members can afford to grab a copy. link.springer.com/book/9789819...
sciencedaily.com/releases/202... I'm 40 years past my physics degree, but this is a reliable source and as best I can tell from the details, this is legit.
Solar cells just did the “impossible” with this 130% breakthrough
A new solar breakthrough may overcome a long-standing efficiency barrier. Researchers used a “spin-flip” metal complex to capture and multiply energy from sunlight through singlet fission. The result ...
sciencedaily.com
edition.cnn.com/2026/06/23/p... Note to Dems: Read the writing on the wall
Live updates: New York primaries, Mamdani-backed Lander, Valdez and Chevalier will win | CNN Politics
Progressives Claire Valdez, Brad Lander and Darializa Avila Chevalier will all win their House primaries, defeating two incumbent Democrats. Follow for live updates.
edition.cnn.com
In New Zealand we have a paint colour called, Dairy Floor. Hmmmmn?
Surrendering to the child units and moving most of my chatting over to discord. User name is Yarking Dawg if, for some reason, you have the misfortune of needed to chat with me.
If you know of anyone on the lower north island with a near dead 2011-2013 Leaf, please put me in touch. Funding a project for my unlicensed electrician child unit.
kerikeritea.co.nz For my fellow NZ tea snobs. Give Kerikeri a try. I like their Oolong and Assam estate teas. Surprisingly, their Darjeeling tastes a lot like the standard Chinese Red Tin tea. They have a mint with Manuka, for those who like digestives. Checking their breakfast blend next.
Kerikeri Tea | Certified Organic Loose leaf tea NZ
Kerikeri Tea | Certified Organic Loose leaf tea -black tea, green tea, fruit and herbal tea, hibiscus tea, rooibos tea, gift packs. Hand blended in New Zealand.
kerikeritea.co.nz
Beware, the book "marketer" scams are getting more sophisticated. Mr JD Marketer (honest to God name he used) seems to have used AI to not only generate a convincing facsimile of being familiar with the story in A World Adrift, but also add some blabber about how that could be leveraged.
These are a real and fairly common thing to see in New Zealand.
thehill.com/homenews/sta... This write up shows why I'm skeptical of the headline numbers from US polls. The sample uses people who self-identify as GOP for 1/3 of the sample, reflecting information from the 2022-24 elections. Primary and special elections strongly suggest that is not accurate.
Republicans trail Democrats by double digits on generic congressional ballot: Survey
A new poll shows Republicans trailing Democrats by double digits on a generic congressional ballot. The survey results released Monday by the New York Times/Siena poll show that 50 percent of…
thehill.com
ICYMI!
Brisbane in 28 Worldcon Bid@brisbane28.org · 3mo agoTime to meet our Treasurer, Melanie! 1. I live in Brisbane. 2. I'm the Treasurer - I like numbers. 3. Why Brisbane? It's my favourite place in the world! I moved here from the UK in 2020 and I love this city. It's compact, beautiful, and it has the best climate. ... #brisbanein28 #meanjinin28
Yesterday, I got to write a detailed description of a temple dedicated to a feral librarian goddess. You should be jealous.
hanspucket.bandcamp.com/album/no-drama @gvbsea.bsky.social @fringedoctor.bsky.social As an old dude who lived the best years of the Seattle music scene, trust me on this one. Saw them as an opening act last night.
No Drama, by Hans Pucket
11 track album
hanspucket.bandcamp.com
For those in the know, Doug just got a delivery of 15N20, 1085, and powdered 1095. Yea!
