links for 2009-09-06

I've recently been inspired to pursue some sort of photography process. I find that too many of my hobbies involve the written word (writing and reading) and getting into something more visual would be a nice change of pace for me. This post really made me think about what I could do… now I just need the camera!

Interesting look at the impact of Dune on the SF publishing history. I was never aware of such far-reaching impacts but it is very true that some of the best novels that I have read have been brief and to the point – maybe that's why I've started reading more and more short stories recently. There are times when less is more!

Livestock be genetically re-engineered so that they don’t feel pain? A crazy thought to let people overcome their own guilt of causing pain to animals rather than correcting the conditions major factory farms. It's really all our faults for demanding the cheapest food in our supermarkets that instead fixing the problem, we look for ways to get around it. Luckily, it doesn't look like this idea has legs.