SF/F Links: The March Opener

What could be a better way to start the month than with some interesting links? A lot of things, but unfortunately I can't send any of you to Disneyland or buy you all a brand new sports car. So you're stuck with links. Enjoy:

• Here's a list of 11 literary references people make without realizing it.  It's an interesting list (I don't agree that all of them are unknown to people, but maybe that's because I get almost all of them instantly).
• Clarion South needs your help.  Donate, or something.
• Stock Bank has a short list of some very interesting speculative fiction books written by African Americans.
• Heretical Ideas talks about the sluggish progress of transportation technology today in comparison to the past.  It's interesting to think about where we've come from in that field and the fact that we're not going much of anywhere now.
• Larry at OF Blog of the Fallen talks about worldbuilding and escapism in fantasy literature and recent "trends" calling for more "realism" in the genre.
• Futurismic has an article about a recent study from Reading University that suggests the extinction of some words in the English language we're all familiar with.  Weird and interesting.  Maybe we need a conservation campaign for the English language!
• Mike Brotherton asks what you think about the Loch Ness monster, Big Foot, and other cryptozoological things.
• Tia of Fantasy Debut has a great article about readership and reader retention.
• Colleen Anderson has an interesting letter talking about the ghettoization of speculative fiction.  Some great points are made.
• SF Signal asks what the worst book you ever read was.  I voted one of the ones I reviewed a while back and could get into.  What about you?

And there you have it.  Enjoy!