Category: Sci-Fi

A Brief Close Encounter

I was at a comic/media convention in Cambridge, MA with my son. Standing with one foot on the first step of the long curved staircase up to the mezzanine, I had a hand on the railing. My head was turned to talk to my son about when and where we’d meet later.

There was a tap on my shoulder. I turned my head, and Morena Baccarin was only an arm’s length away — her arm — in front of me. She was beyond stunning to behold, and I was unable to suppress my immediate reaction. I gasped and exclaimed, “WOW!” Morena smiled, said thank you, and I got out of her way. Whether looking at a woman or at a work of art, world-class beauty is best appreciated in person.

That pleasant moment happened less than halfway between Baccarin appearing in the Firefly TV series in 2002 and the first Deadpool movie in 2016. Good thing I was less decrepit than I am now, and in marathon running trim. I’d have felt like a jerk if she hadn’t acknowledged my spontaneous compliment!

That’s the Way the Kindle Crumbles

The end of magazine subscriptions through Amazon…

Dear Amazon Customer,

Thank you for being a valued Amazon Newsstand magazine subscriber. We are writing to inform you that we have made the decision to stop selling print magazine subscriptions on Amazon as of March 9, 2023.

According to our records, here are your subscription(s):

The New Yorker

Starting today, you will no longer be able to purchase new subscriptions or renew your existing subscription(s) through Amazon. For the subscription(s) you’ve already purchased, you will continue to receive all remaining issues in your subscription term unless you decide to cancel.

You can continue to manage your subscription(s) through Amazon until June 5, 2023, 11:59PM PST. After that date, all customer service inquiries for any remaining active subscriptions will be serviced directly by the publisher. More details on the publisher customer service options will be shared in the coming months.

Publishers have provided alternative subscription options for your magazine(s) when your current Amazon subscription expires. Visit the Your Memberships and Subscriptions page on Amazon for more details at https://www.amazon.com/yourmembershipsandsubscriptions. Select digital magazine subscriptions are also available in Kindle Unlimited. Visit https://www.amazon.com/kindle-dbs/fd/ku-aycr-magazines for more information.

If you have any questions or require assistance, please visit the Newsstand FAQ page or contact customer service.

Sincerely,
Amazon Newsstand Team

… including Kindle edition newspapers and magazines.

Dear Amazon Customer,

Thank you for being a valued Amazon Kindle Newsstand subscriber. We are writing to inform you that we have made the decision to stop selling Kindle magazine and newspaper subscriptions on Amazon.

According to our records, here are your monthly subscription(s):

The New York Times – Daily Edition for Kindle

Fantasy & Science Fiction

You will continue to receive your issues through September 4, 2023 unless you decide to cancel. After that date, you will no longer be able to renew your subscription(s) through Amazon. You will still be able to read all issues that have already been delivered to you by visiting Your Kindle Library. If you wish to continue receiving content from a publisher directly, please visit their website for alternative subscription options. Visit the Your Memberships and Subscriptions page on Amazon for more information at: https://www.amazon.com/yourmembershipsandsubscriptions.

Select digital magazine subscriptions are also available in Kindle Unlimited. Visit https://www.amazon.com/kindle-dbs/fd/ku-aycr-magazines for more information.

If you have any questions or require assistance, please visit the Newsstand FAQ or contact customer service.

Sincerely,
Amazon Newsstand Team

The New Yorker stopped offering a Kindle edition a long time ago, but I was mostly reading the print copies anyway. I’ve been reading The New York Times on Kindle ($20/month) for only the past six months, and being blissfully free of ads and comments, it’s the only way I read the NYT. Now I’ll be forced to subscribe online in the way that I wanted to avoid.

The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction has been in the news recently, being one of the genre magazines receiving AI-generated story submissions. I’m mostly a Sci-Fi guy, and not so much into Fantasy. I’m not sure what I’ll do about my F&SF subscription.