The Mob, Vegas, and Tea

Today was incredible, stunning really. Today I interviewed Buzz Aldrin about his new memoir Magnificent Desolation.

I had an excellent chat with Buzz, who had a great deal to say about space exploration, younger generations, and the future in general. His first steps on the moon certainly solidify him as an American hero.

As I walked out of the room where I was conducting the interview, a colleague told me while I was talking with Buzz, Michael Jackson had died. I was shocked. I hoped the early reports of hospitalization and coma could result in everything somehow being okay.

Sadly, Jackson died at UCLA today. Michael Jackson--the smooth robotic pop sensation who everyone wanted to dance like. Michael Jackson who invented the moonwalk. Michael Jackson whose video 'Thriller' defined the video age.

The Los Angeles Times reported this first. Here is a rundown of today's coverage:

"Pop star Michael Jackson dead at 50"

Music critic Ann Powers:
"A performer who kept transcending boundaries"

Fashion critic Booth Moore:
"Michael Jackson: King of style"

Michael's life in album covers:
"Michael Jackson discography"

Michael Jackson's obituary:
"Michael Jackson's life was infused with fantasy and tragedy"

Hotel, motel, Holiday Inn...In Reno, they like to make art in motel rooms. The New York Times has a fine photo gallery, capturing many of the quirky art installations:
"Get a Room, Make a Show"

According to the Press Enterprise, Joshua trees are going extinct. Scientists are saying the icons of the desert land could be completely extinct within a century due to global warming:
"Desert icon Joshua trees are vanishing, scientists say"

The blog Lens collected readers' old Polaroid pictures and published them. So many tender moments and memories here:
"Readers' Photos: Polaroid Gallery"

Photo: This is a shot of one of my favorite pieces of art--David Hockney's iconic tribute to the desert 'Pearblossom Highway' (1986). Revealing both the American west and mundane bits of the desert, Hockney really captured how the open road feels. Joshua trees appear on either side of his photocollage highway.

The Citizen Journalism going on in Iran has perhaps reached critical mass, as the violent death of Neda Agha-Soltan, 26, was captured and uploaded to the Internet. The graphic content so shocking that her death is now being called "an international symbol of the protest movement."

A screen grab of the video is on the cover of the Wall Street Journal this morning.

And of course, stellar reporting continues from Tehran from Los Angeles Times correspondent Borzou Daragahi.

His full report, filed today, is here:
"Family, friends mourn Iranian woman who died on video"

Doesn't 2010 seem like the perfect year to publish a Science Fiction story? I think so.

A little note that in 2010, I have a Science Fiction tale coming out in an anthology put together by Jarret Keene and Todd James Pierce.

Very exciting. More details to come.

Photo: This is advertising art for the 1936 Science Fiction film Things to Come, orginally a novel by H.G. Wells.

As events in Iran continue to escalate and unfold, Citizen Journalism is going strong as many Iranian citizens have uploaded their own videos to YouTube. In these videos, you can see the streets flooded, the chants, marching, and mourning.

Powerful first-hand accounts from the citizens themselves.

Also of note, as I've brought up once before, when the New York Times reported that Moldovans were organizing protests against Communism through tweets--(here's the article in case you missed it: "Protests in Moldova Explode, With Help of Twitter")-- Twitter could be a tool of revolution. As the crowds as we are seeing in Iran come together through the social networking site, it certainly shines a whole new light on what Twitter can be used for.

Andrew Sullivan writes an interesting piece on the topic for The Atlantic here: "The Revolution Will Be Twittered"

As social networks and mobile technology have propelled the world forward in terms of connection and the ability to tell your own story (through status updates, camera phones, and mobile video), Citizen Journalism has been on the rise for some time.

In recent memory, the plane crash in the Hudson River in New York City was first captured by a citizen who updated his Twitter account status.

Similarly, it's been fascinating in the last few days to watch events unfold in Iran.

According to CNN, information is being passed from person to person and to news organizations through iReports, Facebook, and Twitter.

Clearly, the power of not only social networking, but mobile technology is seen here.

Many traditional journalists and expats have been following the Iran Twitter feeds, through this hashtag: #iranelection.

Some fascinating bits of 140 character info. there.

Difficult to tell what bits are true and what could be made up. Nevertheless, we see technologies hard at work, aiding in storytelling and connection.

It is always humbling to chat with interviewees who have accomplished amazing things in their lives. Ask Dr. D.A. Henderson what he has done in his life, and on the list is: eradicate smallpox from the face of the Earth.

Henderson tells his incredible story of battling bureaucracy, travelling to villages around the globe where smallpox ravaged thousands, and eventually the day that the World Health Assembly formally announced that smallpox no longer existed anywhere in the world.

Most people don't think of diseases as fascinating, but how smallpox haunted millions certainly is harrowing.

Here is my Q&A with Dr. Henderson about his story and his new book Smallpox: The Death of a Disease:
"‘Smallpox -- The Death of a Disease,’ a Q&A with Dr. D.A. Henderson"

My most recent Q & A was with author Nick Rombes about his Cultural Dictionary of Punk: 1974-1982. Ever heard of the Slits? The Sleepers? The Raincoats? The Whistle Punk of Camp 15?

Pick up this dictionary and you'll know all you ever wanted. And more, probably.

Here's the full Q & A:
"Punk's not dead, and this is your guide: Q&A with author Nicholas Rombes"