2011 Hugo nominees

Nominees for the excellent Hugo awards have been announced. Another great crop of books.

Best Novel:

• Blackout/All Clear by Connie Willis
• Cryoburn by Lois McMaster Bujold
• The Dervish House by Ian McDonald
• Feed by Mira Grant
• The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin

Best Novella:

• “The Lady Who Plucked Red Flowers beneath the Queen’s Window” by Rachel Swirsky
• The Lifecycle of Software Objects by Ted Chiang
• “The Maiden Flight of McCauley’s Bellerophon” by Elizabeth Hand
• “The Sultan of the Clouds” by Geoffrey A. Landis
• “Troika” by Alastair Reynolds

Best Novelette:

• “Eight Miles” by Sean McMullen
• “The Emperor of Mars” by Allen M. Steele
• “The Jaguar House, in Shadow” by Aliette de Bodard
• “Plus or Minus” by James Patrick Kelly
• “That Leviathan, Whom Thou Hast Made” by Eric James Stone

Best Short Story:

• “Amaryllis” by Carrie Vaughn
• “For Want of a Nail” by Mary Robinette Kowal
• “Ponies” by Kij Johnson
• “The Things” by Peter Watts

This post's theme word is argosy, "a large ship, or a fleet of ships, especially one carrying valuable cargo" or "a rich source or supply". The Hugo nominee list is an argosy for [certain] genre readers.

Gleimous, gloppy goo

The engineers in the basement have set up a giant pit of goo. This is the type of viscous slime which is liquid when allowed to flow freely, but becomes firm when compressed. A handful of this glop is a 3rd-grade fun activity; a ridiculous vat is a university engineering project. Plus they colored it blue.

The engineers are taking turns running across it. With many small, quick steps, it is possible to cross as if on a solid. However, those who step too heavily or linger too long begin to sink, and this stuff is sticky and reluctant to release its gooey grasp on their shoes. The whole floor is lightly tinted blue with the footsteps of the failed goo-walkers.

[Update: photos and video now added below.]

The tub of goo.

Translation: chemical engineers in their final year of undergrad are responsible for this exhibit, made this sign, and are not very good at manual kerning.


One student runs across the puddle.


Another student runs across the puddle.

This post's theme word is gleimous, "full of phlegm." He marveled at the vast expanse of gleimous gunk.