What Are Sensitivity Readers? Previously published on February 28, 2024 by Naomi Jacobs on the Speculative Fiction Writers Association Blog. Sensitivity Readers: What They Do and Why You Need Them Learn From My Mistakes It all began with my fascination with the Navajo Code Talkers. Their ability to rapidly send messages in a code they …
Alternate History
What If: A Speculative Foray Into Alternate History Previously published June 14, 2023 by Naomi Jacobs on the Speculative Fiction Writers Association Blog What if? What if the Neanderthals had become the dominant species of Hominids? If Napoleon had conquered America? If there had been no Industrial Revolution? If space aliens had come to Earth …
Trans Rights Are Human Rights–#ProtectTransKids–Missouri Alert!
I am certain that Alan Turing would be insistent on the importance of trans youth and adults being fully supported in every way. This is not merely because Alan himself experienced body dysphoria through forced hormonal treatment which pained him deeply but because he held a strong belief in the necessaries of human authenticity--the freedom …
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#BLM is a holy movement. Thank you Black Folk for all you have done and all you do now and will do. We are not worthy but are grateful nonetheless.
I am one of those writers who can't work on their novel. Not since March. It's Tisha B'Av, the sacred day of mourning and I don't have to remember ages of Jewish history -- there's plenty enough to mourn right now. I take the greatest hope in hearing and sometimes seeing (on radio, online) the …
Alan Turing, Harvey Milk, and the Power of Music
Both Alan Turing and Harvey Milk were music lovers. Alan enjoyed singing out-of-season hymns, loved British Pantomines, which are full of silly songs, and even took up the violin. Even as he had the police over at his residence, he entertained them with an Irish Classic, "Cockles and Mussels." There is a statue in Dublin …
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Autistically Awesome Alan Turing
THE IMPORTANCE OF NEURODIVERSITY The future of our society and our planet lies in recognizing Neurodiversity. Different brains are organized in different ways and are skilled at different tasks. People with so-called Bipolar Disorder have different brains. People with so-called Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder have different brains and people who are Autistic have different brains. …
How Alan Turing Would Like to Be Remembered: (Hint: Gay yes, Martyr no!)
There is no denying it. Alan Mathison Turing, one of the most magnificent beings to grace this planet, was treated most shabbily and we cannot even begin to comprehend the repercussions of his loss. But that does not mean that he wanted to be remembered as a tragic figure. Yet time and time again on …
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Harvey Milk as a Prophet
What would Harvey Bernard Milk say if he were alive today? Wherever we turn there are many troubles, where the innocent, the vulnerable and the disempowered are targeted by the forces of non-love. What would Harvey Milk, who would have been eighty-seven on this day, say about our current political climate? Harvey’s personality was …
Chechnya — What Would Harvey Do?
The Holocaust took place while Harvey was a teenager and its events impressed upon him greatly. Were he alive today, he would be in the forefront of the protests, urging us to fill the streets everyday, stand outside the embassies and consulates every day, and be relentless with our pressure about the media and government …
What Would Harvey Milk Think of These Times?
GET THE BUMS OUT Harvey got his start in politics because of Watergate. Before he spoke of hope, his first message was “get the bums out!” He would definitely share that attitude today although the language he would use would be even more colorful. GET OUT THERE Harvey was a very strong proponent of getting …
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Mathematical Knitting with Alan Turing
(Photo by Phil Parker) Hand crafts are an excellent way to soothe the nerves and get into a meditative state. Alan Turing, like many wonderful people, could get rather anxious at times. Knitting was thus an excellent hobby for him. It also was a great tie-in with the knitting sheep/White Queen of ALICE THROUGH THE LOOKING …
Alan Turing’s Sponge Cake
ALAN’S DOMESTIC TALENTS Alan Turing was a man of numerous talents. He could break unbreakable codes, invent artificial intelligence, make huge contributions to morphogenesis, run marathons at an Olympic level, knit and bake. BAD BAKER HARVEY Now Harvey Milk, Alan’s lover in FOR THE LOVE OF ALAN TURING was quite the gourmet chef and an …
Harvey Milk’s Special Pancake
When I was a kid, we often visited my maternal grandparents for Passover. And one of the best things my grandmother made was Matzah Meal pancakes. They are soft, savory and all round delightful. The official name for them is Bubaleh, not to be confused with Bubbele (which is an affectionate term that means literally …
How Did Alan Turing Break the Enigma?
Alan Turing was able to break the Enigma due to a combination of factors. THANK THREE GREAT POLISH MATHETICIANS Three Polish mathematicians: Jerzy Rozycki, Henryk Zygalski, and Marion Rejewski were able to reverse-engineer the Enigma and also take advantage of the way Germans used indicators (used in the beginning of the message to show certain settings to …
Why Harvey Milk and Alan Turing Belong Together
Today, November 27, 2016 is the 38th anniversary of the assassination of Harvey Bernard Milk on November 27, 1978. If he were alive today he would be 86 years old. To think of all that could have happened had he and Alan Turing lived out a full lifespan, providing hope and technology to make our world a …
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Remembering Harvey Milk
Q: How did you remember Harvey on the anniversary of his death? A: We just happened to be meeting up with friends at a New York style Deli. To my delight I noticed that they served Egg Cream. I first heard of this New York specialty in my childhood reading of Louise Fitzhugh’s Harriet the Spy. …
In the Navy: Alan Turing and Harvey Milk’s Naval Connections
Both Harvey Milk and Alan Turing have deep roots with the Navy.