The Hugo finalist list for 2026 is out: https://www.thehugoawards.org/hugo-history/2026-hugo-awards/.

I've already read 3 of the Best Novel finalists in this year's batch (which has some overlap with the Nebula's finalist list), and I'll probably pick up most of the others. (I've found the Hugo list a good way to find new-to-me authors and books I'm likely to enjoy.)

Novelist finalists can be found in many libraries. Many of the shorter fiction finalists are freely available online before final Hugo voting. #Books #SF #library

The British Library's Electronic Legal Deposits came back online this month, 30 months after a cyberattack took down most of the British Museum's online systems. These are materials deposited for copyright that can only be viewed on the British Library premises. More details: https://www.bl.uk/stories/news/electronic-legal-deposit-material-available

Some other digital collections the British Library hosted before the attack remain unavailable, including some of their digital Treasures collections like Shakespeare in Quarto.

"Your university, in particular, can form pioneers of a new humanism in the context of the digital revolution. While the African continent is well acquainted with its alluring aspects, it also knows the darker side of the environmental and social devastation caused by the relentless pursuit of raw materials and rare earths."

Pope Leo's speech to the Catholic University of Central Africa is also to academics & technologists in richer places, noting what we often overlook: https://www.vatican.va/content/leo-xiv/en/speeches/2026/april/documents/20260417-camerun-mondo-universitario.html

NJ Transit says it needs to charge $150 for round-trip trains to the Meadowlands stadium's World Cup games to "recoup costs". Not clear to me why; while I'm sure the usual $12.90 round-trip fare there is subsidized, it's hard to believe the full cost to a stadium for a crowd comparable to its NFL games is that high. https://apnews.com/article/world-cup-nj-transit-train-costs-nyc-3071f6905198f7d8787a4af3a510260e

Attendees might not have much choice, though; parking will be limited and cost even more, and you might not be able to legally get there on foot or bike.

When you vote in this year's primary and general elections, don't forget to include state legislators (and to make sure you vote for good ones).

Not only can they either enable or stymie federal abuse of power, but they will also play a key role in passing amendments to the #Constitution that we'll need to counter some of the worst abuses we're now seeing. (It's now clear, for instance, that presidential immunity plus unlimited pardon power supercharges corruption, and has to go.)

#USPol #Vote