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Perihelion Science Fiction - Science Articles: foreword by Sam Bellotto Jr.
Popular - mostly very advanced (but with NO math) - articles about science topics by a science journalist with 40 years' experience, 5 print books, and more than 17,000 bylined articles in 130 publications. John McCormick is a member of The National Press Club and the AAAS (American Association for the Advancement of Science). These were originally published on www.perihelionsf.com, a professional online science fiction magazine. John's bibliography is at www.siliconsamurai.info.
Articles range from a humorous look at the biology of Godzilla and 50-ft. women to the danger from asteroids and solar flares. Some include interviews with famous scientists and even two Apollo astronauts.
Note from Sam Bellotto Jr., Editor and Publisher of Perihelion Science Fiction.
Perihelion is a professional (meaning it pays contributors) free online science fiction magazine published monthly.
IN NOVEMBER 1967 from the Zeckendorf College campus of Long Island
University, in Brooklyn NY, the first issue of Perihelion Science
Fiction was published by two enterprising and ambitious, if nothing
else, college students―Sam Bellotto Jr. and Eric M. Jones.
The amateur publication, innovative in many aspects, caught the
attention of the science fiction community. Not all of it was good,
but nobody ever expected the little magazine to have an impact beyond
the inner-city college campus at all.
As reported by Mike Ashley in the acclaimed Gateways to Forever, the
magazine “presented a mixture of fannish news, articles, and fiction,
including a heroic-fantasy comic strip, ‘Alaron’ by art editor William
Stillwell. Amongst its fiction was work by writers who would soon be
selling professionally, including Robert E. Toomey and Evelyn Lief.”
In later issues, the magazine would present stories by Dean Koontz,
David R. Bunch, and comics by iconoclastic artist Vaughn Bode.
It was a bright promise. But back then, before the Internet, before
personal computers, printing costs were high. The logistics and
expense of distribution for magazines was a nightmare. And there were
careers to get underway. Perihelion didn't stand much of a chance. I
went on to become a professional magazine editor in New York City. My
co-editor Eric M. Jones spent his career designing advanced medical
devices and now designs aircraft/avionics parts, many of which found
their way into space after all.
During each of the 43 years since, I never stopped thinking about
Perihelion. It was always a big dream of mine to bring the magazine
back. But the print industry continued to downsize and magazines and
newspapers went belly up. Book publishers tightened their belts. I
wondered if there might ever be a way for Perihelion to return. The
Internet eventually responded in a big way.
Joining "Perihelion" for its Internet launch was journalist,
scientist, adventurer, businessman John McCormick. McCormick has
written five non-fiction books, studied physics and math in various
universities, and has held jobs from heavy equipment mechanic to
mainframe supervisor and computer security consultant. Off and on he
has also been a photojournalist for 40 plus years. He currently lives
with his copy editor Beth on their organic ranch just outside the home
of Groundhog Day, Punxsutawney, PA.
Collected in this volume, then, are some of McCormick's finest science
articles that appeared in "Perihelion." To A good article is worth
repeating.
Sam Bellotto Jr., Editor, "Perihelion Science Fiction.
Articles range from a humorous look at the biology of Godzilla and 50-ft. women to the danger from asteroids and solar flares. Some include interviews with famous scientists and even two Apollo astronauts.
Note from Sam Bellotto Jr., Editor and Publisher of Perihelion Science Fiction.
Perihelion is a professional (meaning it pays contributors) free online science fiction magazine published monthly.
IN NOVEMBER 1967 from the Zeckendorf College campus of Long Island
University, in Brooklyn NY, the first issue of Perihelion Science
Fiction was published by two enterprising and ambitious, if nothing
else, college students―Sam Bellotto Jr. and Eric M. Jones.
The amateur publication, innovative in many aspects, caught the
attention of the science fiction community. Not all of it was good,
but nobody ever expected the little magazine to have an impact beyond
the inner-city college campus at all.
As reported by Mike Ashley in the acclaimed Gateways to Forever, the
magazine “presented a mixture of fannish news, articles, and fiction,
including a heroic-fantasy comic strip, ‘Alaron’ by art editor William
Stillwell. Amongst its fiction was work by writers who would soon be
selling professionally, including Robert E. Toomey and Evelyn Lief.”
In later issues, the magazine would present stories by Dean Koontz,
David R. Bunch, and comics by iconoclastic artist Vaughn Bode.
It was a bright promise. But back then, before the Internet, before
personal computers, printing costs were high. The logistics and
expense of distribution for magazines was a nightmare. And there were
careers to get underway. Perihelion didn't stand much of a chance. I
went on to become a professional magazine editor in New York City. My
co-editor Eric M. Jones spent his career designing advanced medical
devices and now designs aircraft/avionics parts, many of which found
their way into space after all.
During each of the 43 years since, I never stopped thinking about
Perihelion. It was always a big dream of mine to bring the magazine
back. But the print industry continued to downsize and magazines and
newspapers went belly up. Book publishers tightened their belts. I
wondered if there might ever be a way for Perihelion to return. The
Internet eventually responded in a big way.
Joining "Perihelion" for its Internet launch was journalist,
scientist, adventurer, businessman John McCormick. McCormick has
written five non-fiction books, studied physics and math in various
universities, and has held jobs from heavy equipment mechanic to
mainframe supervisor and computer security consultant. Off and on he
has also been a photojournalist for 40 plus years. He currently lives
with his copy editor Beth on their organic ranch just outside the home
of Groundhog Day, Punxsutawney, PA.
Collected in this volume, then, are some of McCormick's finest science
articles that appeared in "Perihelion." To A good article is worth
repeating.
Sam Bellotto Jr., Editor, "Perihelion Science Fiction.
66 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 20, 2014
2 people are currently reading
About the author
John A. McCormick
15 books9 followersBylined (and paid) 17,000+ times in 120+ publications (not counting blogs, etc.). 5 books with major publishers and a growing list of Kindle ebooks bibliography at siliconsamurai.info
Member, American Association for the Advancement of Science. Member, National Press Club, Science Editor, perihelionsf.com, and Senior contributor, newsblaze.com.
Retired Emergency Mgmt. Coordinator and Radiologic monitor (PA). Retired Senior Editor two magazines.
Sailor, locksmith, dragline mechanic, trained physicist / mathematician (Northeastern U and Harvard), ordained minister, horse and dog breeder, photographer, videographer, and more.
In Government Computer News I wrote the Power User Column for decades under various editors and publishers including Post-Newsweek Tech Media.
For TechRepublic.com I wrote The Locksmith security column for several years under my real name.
My benchmarking article on OCRs (Optical Character Recognition) published in the April 1987 issue of Byte was listed in Cambridge Scientific Abstracts' Journal of Computers and Information Science.
I wrote my first computer program in 1963 for an IBM 1401.
Mainframe 360 supervisor, Wang Labs.
Spoke at hacker conventions (security) and Mensa gatherings (freelancing).
Member, American Association for the Advancement of Science. Member, National Press Club, Science Editor, perihelionsf.com, and Senior contributor, newsblaze.com.
Retired Emergency Mgmt. Coordinator and Radiologic monitor (PA). Retired Senior Editor two magazines.
Sailor, locksmith, dragline mechanic, trained physicist / mathematician (Northeastern U and Harvard), ordained minister, horse and dog breeder, photographer, videographer, and more.
In Government Computer News I wrote the Power User Column for decades under various editors and publishers including Post-Newsweek Tech Media.
For TechRepublic.com I wrote The Locksmith security column for several years under my real name.
My benchmarking article on OCRs (Optical Character Recognition) published in the April 1987 issue of Byte was listed in Cambridge Scientific Abstracts' Journal of Computers and Information Science.
I wrote my first computer program in 1963 for an IBM 1401.
Mainframe 360 supervisor, Wang Labs.
Spoke at hacker conventions (security) and Mensa gatherings (freelancing).
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