August 2014

Hugo Gernsback was born 130 years ago

0

Hugo Gernsback was born on August 16, 1884 in Bonnevoie, an area south-east of Luxembourg City, Luxembourg. He was first first of all a technology pioneer, an inventor who at the end of his life held 80 patents. He founded many magazines in various fields, from electronics to science fiction, founded the radio station WRNY and was a pioneer of amateur radio. In 1926, Hugo Gernsback founded “Amazing Stories”, the first magazine dedicated to the genre he called “science fiction”. In 1953 for the first time the Hugo Award was awarded for the best science fiction works of the year. Gernsback died on August 19, 1967 in New York.

0

Google, in collaboration with China Mobile International, China Telecom Global, Global Transit, KDDI and SingTel with NEC as a manufacturer, has announced the construction of a submarine cable that will provide an extremely fast Internet connection between the west coast of the USA and Japan.

The task will cost $300 dollars and is expected to become operational in the second quarter of 2016. The communication speed of this cable, called Faster, will reach 60 Terabit per second, that is 600,000 times the speed of 100 Mbps connections.

Michael Moorcock omnibus that includes The Ice Schooner, The Eternal Champion and The Rituals of Infinity (Italian edition)

0

The novel “The Ice Schooner” by Michael Moorcock was published for the first time in 1966 serialized in the magazine “sf Impulse” and in 1969 as a book. A revised edition was published in 1977, a further revision was published in 1985.

Konrad Arflane is the descendant of a family of sailors but had to give up the ice ship he commanded to pay debts. One day he stumbles into an elderly man wounded and lost on the ice after the destruction of his ship. After some hesitation, he rescues him and brings him back to his city.

The man is Lord Rorsefne, one of the most powerful men in the city of Friesgalt. He feels gratitude to Konrad Arflane and the fact that he has experience as a ship captain is a lucky sign. Lord Rorsefne shipwrecked during an expedition to find the legendary New York and needs someone to be put in command of a new journey.

Steve Ballmer in 2010 (Photo Microsoft Sweden)

1

Steve Ballmer, who until a few months ago was Microsoft CEO, is officially the new owner of the Los Angeles Clippers. The purchase of the NBA franchise was very complex because Donald Sterling tried all the legal possibilities to prevent the sale after the NBA banned him for life for racist behavior. Ballmer’s offer was the most solid since May and with $2 billion he was able to buy the Clippers.

Robin Williams in 2011

1

Yesterday the great actor Robin Williams passed away. Right now there is no official statement on the cause of death but there is a strong suspicion that he committed suicide. Born on July 21, 1951, Robin Williams is remembered for his extraordinary performances, from the one on TV in “Mork & Mindy” to others in movies such as “Dead Poets Society”. For his role in the movie “Good Will Hunting” in 1997, Robin Williams received the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.