Editorial – March 2026: What Is It Good For?
Hello everyone.
Editorials, as I have said in the past, are hard beasts to write if you want to use topical themes, even on a Science Fiction website such as ours. I wrote what follows a week or so ago, but world events have changed things recently. However, much of what I’ve written below is still relevant and even more alarming, as other wars are now also breaking out, with some hoping for media attention while others seem indifferent. Welcome to a scary world, and I hope you can keep your heads down.
Wars, unlike their fictional counterparts, tend to be complex affairs. If you rely on incorrect intelligence regarding a country’s resilience, the result can be something akin to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. In many respects, the start of any war is like a game of poker, working out the hands of opportunity and how much opposition there is from not only the country being assessed but also its allies and how they react. These actions can be attributed to either a territorial grab, religious persuasion, or the egos of the leaders of the respective countries. It’s a messy business, and you have to wonder how such events can happen in any of the world’s countries whose majority of populations just want a quiet life dealing with their own problems.
This dilemma is made worse by the volatility of a man’s behaviour when the scale of what can be done changes. Even when wars are won, both sides incur costs, not only in lives but also in resources, and these victories can quickly be undermined by the death of a winning dictator and the strain of occupation on resources. Clearly, such leaders tend to focus primarily on short-term gains, believing that long-term issues will resolve themselves over time. People rarely view resentment as a problem when they face imprisonment or death for their beliefs. On the world stage, this behaviour makes other countries wary, particularly regarding trade, when there is a lack of trust in cooperation. Oddly, a side effect of such conduct is that contact with countries that have more liberal views will gradually lead their populations to desire similar freedoms, which is likely to impact restrictive political regimes.
Such rhetoric has the potential to alter internal dynamics, resulting in a constant state of instability, as it can provoke dissent among the population and challenge the authority of restrictive regimes. It’s hardly surprising that countries like China and North Korea become more singular, with a desire to keep other countries’ cultures away from their own with varying degrees of success. Ultimately, their leaders must recognise that such rhetoric is a futile effort, and, instead of resisting, they should consider making some concessions.
Evolution occurs not only through physical changes but also within societies. Those that tend to stagnate are also unlikely to evolve, as they fail to adapt to changing circumstances and new ideas that drive progress. Their originators never took such realities into account, believing that political regimes would endure indefinitely, which ultimately led to their downfall as they became disconnected from the evolving needs and values of society. Utopias always fail, something that Science Fiction has shown time and again because perfection is something to wish for, not achieve.
What is really concerning is the news media’s tendency to quickly shift focus to different subjects, including moving off the front page, even during events like wars. Yes, some understanding of this phenomenon exists because it leads to a repetitive cycle, similar to Groundhog Day, and readers desire variety in their news feeds. The thing is, the relegation also ignores that events are still going on and those involved can continue doing whatever they were doing without media attention.
The exception was Covid, primarily because it affected everyone for a period of time; it still affects people, but with less severity. This reflects the news media’s perception of our attention span, especially since people often prefer celebrity news instead. I don’t know how world-wise the press is, but warning viewers that some filmed news might be distressing to watch seems contradictory, considering that much news is distressing, or else it wouldn’t qualify as news.
Anything that was previously in the news would come back to the forefront if events changed. Escalation tends to have a higher profile than becoming peaceful, although peace negotiations that are going nowhere will get some recognition, which can lead to a skewed perception of ongoing conflicts and their resolutions in the media. Is it any surprise that nations’ leaders find they can manipulate media attention, especially given what they are really doing?
Although not everything can ever receive full attention, the current status of events should never be forgotten, especially when it means people’s lives are at stake and they are more than numbers. Leaders of countries in wars that should never have happened must heed current news and unrest. The fact that it is more frightening than science fiction shows it’s a hard lesson to learn.
Just because something is not in the news doesn’t mean it’s stopped.
Thank you, take care, good night, and even short editorials have deep meaning.
Geoff Willmetts
editor: www.SFCrowsnest.info
A Zen thought: Deep thinking is for everyone, especially on a deadline.
What Qualities Does A Geek Have? Everyone can deep think; it’s not just for geeks.
The Reveal: Humans aren’t always kind.
Observation: Although Google says both a dog’s bark and a cat’s meow do have a Doppler effect, human ears can’t really detect the difference.
Observation: If you’re tired of your mobile phone, then there’s a compelling argument to go back to semaphore with modern devices. Still need the flag system and set times to look for messages sent directly to you. Messages can even be sent at night using luminous flags. All you need is a crow’s nest installed on your roof to provide the necessary height for sending and receiving messages. It might not work in the pouring rain, as too many people decide to stay inside. Messages get disrupted all the time. Even better, the system stops spam mail at the first flag.
Observation: Having just moved up to fibre optic for phone and internet, everything should have worked fine after leaving it for a couple hours for the router to get its updates until you try putting in your router’s new password into your computer and get the message ‘No Internet, secured’. After speaking with my telephone provider and obtaining their permission, I suggest that if you encounter a similar problem and wish to save time calling them, you consider trying this. Use a thin cocktail stick or an unfolded paperclip to press the tip into the reset hole for 25 seconds, then try again. If your computer has already had the password put in, you should get directly onto the Net. Then repeat the process, obviously skipping the reset, for all of your technology that needs a router password.
Observation: This presents a puzzle for people in the UK and possibly other parts of the world. One of the advertising firms in the UK says no one likes funerals, yet at some time, you attend one, if not in spirit, then certainly in body.
Observation: Now, going back to the 1970s ‘UFO’ TV series, we all know about the coloured panel in Straker’s office because Foster worked it out in the episode ‘Court Martial’ and dived through it. In one of the photos from the opening episode, Gay Ellis is seen removing her leggings, and her own room later features a smaller but similar window. Whether it exists in all moonbases’ personal rooms is difficult to say, although there is one other room showing it. The real question is whether this space is an emergency escape in the event of an atmosphere breach.
Eyes on the coloured glass.
Observation: Would you prefer a shorter answer with none of the details?
There.
Short enough?
Feeling Stressed: Getting a fibre optic line and realising that your original line connection to your living room won’t work and you need to get a cordless phone unless you want to rely only on your mobile phone.
Submissions:-
If you think having free books to review isn’t enough, how about reading them months ahead of everyone? I mean real months. Beats a time machine. Some sites might pay you, but we believe in honest reviews.
I did think that having a lot of text about submitting material to SFCrowsnest would attract those with a compulsion to read and understand things the geeky way. The main problem with the Internet is that it tends to encourage less reading, so it’s time to take a different approach, such as promoting concise and engaging content that captures the interest of readers and encourages deeper exploration of topics. The original notes will be left on the July 2009 editorial, although the links aren’t likely to work.
With your cover email, tell me something about yourself so I don’t work in a vacuum. The boss in the tower, also called Stephen Hunt, describes me as a ‘Dutch uncle’ in that I’m helpful with advice and can explain when I see something that is wrong. Egos should be left at the door, as I’m only interested in your talent and how to improve it.
Reviews:
I always have a clarion call for new reviewers, and if you have the yen to learn, you’ll quickly get the ropes if you’ve never done it before, but you must show me a sample, especially if you can follow my guidelines. We can usually get paper-based books in the UK, but if you live abroad, then you might have to stick with e-books. If you’ve picked a book we haven’t reviewed, then it stands a better chance of being used, so use the SFC search engine to see first, but I need to see how you would write for us.
The obvious qualification is a desire to read regularly and like to tell others about the book without giving away too many spoilers. The benefit is access to free books for the price of a review.
I want to give you the opportunity to get things right, so look up the review guidelines link: https://www.sfcrowsnest.info/so-you-want-to-write-reviews-for-sfcrowsnest-what-you-need-to-know-by-geoff-willmetts/
Fiction:-
Although we can’t pay for submissions, what we do make up for is exposure. Only the Sci-Fi Channel gets more hits than us, so it’s worthwhile getting us on your writer’s CV. Please avoid samplings from books you might be writing or have printed elsewhere, as I do check. New original work is best, and whether I accept or reject it, you will be told of any problems I see so you look your best and have a grammar check that is equal to the pro world. Even the boss finds me scarily accurate.
Flash or One-Page Fiction:-
Speaks for itself. The shortest fiction possible is also the toughest to write, as not one word must be wasted.
Link here for details: https://www.sfcrowsnest.info/one-page-stories-or-flash-fiction-submissions-instructions-by-gf-willmetts/
Short Stories:-
The definition of a short story is anything up to 30 pages, and then it becomes a novella. Bear in mind you want other people to read it online; stay somewhere between 5 and 20 pages. At least digitally, you don’t have to go double-line, as HTML will do that automatically, but think about being concise. If you want to send an attachment with these, then ask first and send it as a TXT file, as it removes most techy virus codes.
Look up the short stories link by linking here: https://www.sfcrowsnest.info/so-you-really-want-to-write-an-sf-story-an-update-by-gf-willmetts/
Finally:-
The worst problem I see in any samples is poor grammar. Although I don’t want you to think I seek perfection, the less work I have to do, the easier it is to focus on other problems you might have. It will also serve you in good stead if you ever approach paper-based publishers because they will send back any bad-grammar samples because it’s not worth their time.
Good grammar is the tool of any writer. Don’t just depend on what you remember doing at school. There are plenty of decent grammar books out there, so remind yourself of the rules. If you think there are far too many to remember, get the major ones right before moving to the next so it becomes second nature.
This link, www.sfcrowsnest.info/the-guide-to-better-grammar-from-the-harrowed-hand-of-gf-willmetts/, will show you the common problems.
To submit, use our email address by joining the spaces as shown here: letters@SFCrowsnest.info, and use the subject matter as to what you’re submitting.
If you have any pastimes that can be used to pass the time in captivity, let me know and we’ll see if it can be turned into an article.
Comments directly to reviews should still work as before.
Good luck.
Geoff
