Announcing the 2011 cover of Dread Machine: Tales from the Void

Sci Fi Students-
Your classmate Safa (Serena) Gobah has done an awesome job creating the cover that will adorn our upcoming magazine. Now all we have to do is fill it up with great stories and interior artwork.

Safa explained how she devised her art:
"I tried to include all the topics we went thru in sci fi...Time (the big orange clock in the back), aliens (the elite halo guy on the bottom left...with energy sword :P), utopia (the magical tree on the right) space (the fake planet on the top right), and apocolypse (everything together i guess)."
For her contribution, Safa has earned some well-deserved extra credit. If any other student is interested in contributing art for the magazine, I would be willing to offer 20 points for Class Participation or turn your lowest Guided Practice grade into 100%. However, this offer expires on May 31.

Short Story Peer Editing

Short stories are coming in! It’s that time of the semester. Your classmates are getting their creative juices flow, but they need your help… and I’m willing to give you extra credit for your assistance. I will grant the following, if and only if, you follow the instructions below:
Extra Credit
You may earn 20 points for Class Participation OR One zero in the Novel Questions category forgiven (changed to 100%)
Here’s what to do:
1. Read one of the posted short stories. Keep in mind that these are rough drafts, not the finished product.
2. Click on the comments section below this post to leave your feedback. Be sure to save a copy of your feedback in a Word document, just in case something happens while you're typing. You should select the Anonymous posting option, but please put your name at the top of the comment box and the title of the story and name of the author you are addressing. Comments with no names will not get the extra credit.
3. Answer the following questions. Be as specific as possible so that your classmate can get the best advantage from your advice. Be constructive. If you don’t like something in a story, explain how you might have handled it or offer suggestions to correct.

a. What aspect of the story did you enjoy most? Explain why.
b. Were the characters well-developed and/or likable? Why or why not?
c. Is the premise of the story plausible? In other words, is the story believable and does it work within the rules the writer has set?
d. What aspect of the story do you think could be improved? Why?

Designing an Alien

Dread Machine: Tales from the Void

Click here to view past issues of the magazine created by Science Fiction class students:

Spring 2009

Spring 2008

Spring 2006

Whatcha readin'?

As you can see at the top of the blog, I've posted a Shelfari bookshelf which shows you some of my favorite sci fi books that I have read, am reading, or have on my real bookshelves at home and plan to read. What are your favorite sci fi books? Like to share with the class? For fun, you can create and post your own Shelfari to the blog. Here's how:

1. Click on the "Get Your Own Shelf" link below my shelf.
2. Follow the instructions on Shelfari to create an account.
3. Add books to your shelf.
4. Choose what style of bookcase you want and what books you want to display.
5. Go to the Bookshelf page and then click on the "Put Your Shelf on Your Blog". When it asks for the URL of the blog, type: http://armansciencefiction.blogspot.com/.
6. When it creates the widget, copy and paste the html into an e-mail and send it to me. I will then take the html and post your widget on the class blog.

Time Travel Conundrum- Class Participation for March 19

For the second (and hopefully final) part of the blogging class participation (if you haven't done part 1, please do that first), I am going to let you watch a little television. No, your eyes are not deceiving you. Below is the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode entitled "Yesterday's Enterprise". It tackles the moral problem of whether it is right to change the past, no matter what the costs. It's also about sacrifice for a greater good. Pay careful attention to the character of Lt. Tasha Yar (the blond security guard lady). (Note: The episode is split into five parts. When you reach the end of one part click on the link that will appear for the next part.)

Enjoy the videos and answer the questions below:


1. Do you think the method of time travel used in this episode seems scientifically plausible? Why or why not?
2. Consider the decisions made by Lt. Yar to sacrifice her life to change the past? Would you have made the same decision, even if you were unsure of how it might change the timeline? What about Capt. Picard? What were his reservations about sending the Enterprise C back through the rift? Would you have made the same decision, based on what information that Guinnan gave him, or would you have sided with Cmdr. Riker, who felt the Enterprise C should stay in the future and help with the war efforts against the Klingons?

Hey, All You Zombies-- Class Participation for 3/17

Since I am currently out of the office and unable to discuss this week's stories live and in person, I've decided on an alternative that you might enjoy. Below is one young director's interpretation of Heinlein's story. I figure it might help you better understand the mind-twisting time paradox that Heinlein has set up in his story.
After you watch this, in order to get class participation credit for Wednesday's class, answer the questions below and post your answers using the comment button below. You may select "anonymous" from the posting options, so long as you put your name in the text box. Or e-mail me your response, so that at least I get it.



1. How faithful was the movie to the original story? What details did they change?
2. If you were directing the movie version of any story we've read so far, which one would you film? How would you make your movie a unique interpretation of the story (for example, do you have a particular actor in mind for one of the characters, a special effect that might be cool, or music that might make the movie pop off the screen)?