In 2013, Mary Robinette Kowal published a story in an audio anthology called “The Lady Astronaut of Mars,” introducing what she described as “punch card punk” science fiction: a story of space exploration with all the trappings of the Apollo program. This summer, she’s added to that world with two new novels: The Calculating Stars and The Fated Sky.
The novels play out in a breathtaking alternate world where humanity must establish a foothold off-world after an asteroid devastates Earth. While that world-ending scenario sets the stage, it’s the underlying social issues that arise in the aftermath, from race relations to gender equality, that really drive the plot. The resulting duology is an enthralling read that’s pressingly relevant in 2018.
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Stop breadboarding and soldering – start making immediately! Adafruit’s Circuit Playground is jam-packed with LEDs, sensors, buttons, alligator clip pads and more. Build projects with Circuit Playground in a few minutes with the drag-and-drop MakeCode programming site, learn computer science using the CS Discoveries class on code.org, jump into CircuitPython to learn Python and hardware together, TinyGO, or even use the Arduino IDE. Circuit Playground Express is the newest and best Circuit Playground board, with support for CircuitPython, MakeCode, and Arduino. It has a powerful processor, 10 NeoPixels, mini speaker, InfraRed receive and transmit, two buttons, a switch, 14 alligator clip pads, and lots of sensors: capacitive touch, IR proximity, temperature, light, motion and sound. A whole wide world of electronics and coding is waiting for you, and it fits in the palm of your hand.
Have an amazing project to share? The Electronics Show and Tell is every Wednesday at 7pm ET! To join, head over to YouTube and check out the show’s live chat – we’ll post the link there.
