Notices by Dilman Dila (dilmandila@mograph.social)

If you want to get into African scifi, there is a story bundle with lots of good books on it, including my collection of short stories, Where Rivers Go To Die.

https://storybundle.com/scifi

@bookstodon #writing #sff #sffbooks #writingcommunity #scifi

This crowdfunding thing, where platforms accept money from all over the world but only people based in certain countries can create campaigns, has bugged me a lot, so I wrote about it some more, wondering if it is a symptom of the colonial economic system that ensures money flows in only one direction. Read about it here, and let me know your thoughts!

https://www.dilmandila.com/the-plight-of-african-filmmakers-seeking-film-funds

#CrowdfFunding #art #artists #filmmaker #film #Africa

Last year I met a female biotechnologist, one of the very few in Uganda, researching AIDS. She helped me make my new short film, as I researched, conceptualized and built a bedroom lab capable of gene editing. The film is about a woman who genetically engineers a butterfly in a bedroom lab, turning it into an assassin to kill political opponents of a dictator.

Last week, she, suddenly, lost her job after a dictator in the US cut all foreign aid. Her research on AIDS 100% depends on US aid.

@Lironah @HeliaXyana @dandylover1 I sometimes write in what I was feeling when taking the photograph, like one time I took a picture of clouds, and I said something like they looked great when I looked up in the sky and saw them, but the picture is crappy.... I find it fun to add such silly details in the alt text.

I can't figure out how to increase text size in #moshidon and it makes for hard reading. I don't have eyesight problems, but sometimes when I'm really tired I don't want to strain to read posts. This is on an android device.

@JulietEMcKenna My favourite book is always the last one that I thoroughly enjoyed. It stays favourite until I find another that keeps me up at night. Same with film.

Yes!! Finally got a good news call, a grant to make a live action short film, meaning I can think about working with a more experienced vfx artist using #blender rather than do it myself. Its a rush-rush job as the money people want the film ready by 1st November. But I'm thinking of manageable vfx, involving butterflies mating and fire-breathing birds. And a bush catching fire. Maybe there is a zombie in the mix?

Uhm, anyone wants to discuss this?

Boosts are welcome!

#vfx #b3d #cgi

Meanwhile I've finished modelling a monster for my new short film, though it's proving really tough to create a frightening creature out of a flower. It just looks cute, but I do want to make a horror film. Whew. Tough roads we have to travel as artists!

Watch my films here #DilmanShortFilms and I'll be posting this one under #FlowerMonster

https://www.patreon.com/posts/progress-on-new-104775168?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=postshare_creator&utm_content=join_link

#film #art #blender #b3d #horror #sff #scifi #mastoart #filmmaker #shortfilm #patreon #creativetoots #creature #monster

@thomy2000 @thomasfuchs Can verify
It doesn't even say AI on my end.

I have finally finished a novel that I have been writing since 2017 (I think I am now done!?) so wondering what the way forward is. Agent? Big Five/Four? But I would really prefer a reputable small press publisher (maybe Big Small Press😁), so going to knock on doors again. If there is any you know that is open for submissions, I'll appreciate the tip.

It is a science fiction/fantasy story.

#writing #writingcommunity #sff #scifi #fantasy #books #PublishMe #publishing

@DarkSheepArts @bookstodon I'm not sure, but I think its a jury based award. If you are a member of SFWA you can nominate the book for the Nebulas or of the BSFA there is the bsfa awards. Thanks for the kind gesture, though. Much appreciated 🤗

What's the alternative to 'Dear sir or madam' when writing an email to a generic account, like info@thisorthat.com, and you can't know who will read it?

@dbc3 sounds like pidgin....;-)

So finally, someone I know in real life has joined mastodon, @charliekob Do give him a big welcome and a follow. He is a filmmaker, he has been making films since he was thirteen, which is strange for a person who grew up in Kampala. Well, this #followfriday do give him a follow as we await a proper #introduction post from him. And you can suggest to him filmmakers and other cool people that he can #follow
;-)

@EverydayMoggie Hmmm I wonder what made them change you from plural to singular, but we know the main force behind using they, so we should argue for 'they is'... but going with the polls, that is unlikely too take root. ;-)

Its supposed to be the dry season in Kampala, very hot and dusty, but it feels like its been raining daily for almost more than a week. I don't even recall experiencing the usual fierceness of the sun in January. It rained through December as well. No floods or anything dramatic, so we may not make the news, but some crops need it to stop raining after a while or else they spoil in the ground, resulting into food shortages. No alarm bells yet, but if it keeps up..... #climatecrisis

Oh my God! Oh f*ck! I wake up to this big news and all I can say is f*ck! I went to bed having read something about Philip K Dick Awards (I can't even remember what I read about it!) and I wake up to learn that my book, Where Rivers Go To Die, has been nominated for this and its a big deal to me and all I can day is f*ck! What a way to start the year!

https://www.norwescon.org/2024/01/09/2024-philip-k-dick-award-nominees-announced/

@bookstodon #books #sff #book #writing #writingcommunity

I've had to reject publishers only twice. Once when they wanted me to cut out half of the story, and now because they don't want 'neutral pronoun agenda'. They should have done research before contacting me. Idiots. They say they know of me from my story, Braveheart's Homecoming, https://mithilareview.com/dilman_dila_03_16/ Perhaps they thought I'm like them since it's an action story that pays homage to Bollywood. Well, it's sad that my first writing email this year is a rejection letter, but I'm glad I sent it.

"Nevertheless, I hope it becomes increasingly clear why the line, for some of us, isn’t about “non-commercial” or “non-algorithmic,” but about Meta’s specific record of bloody horrors, and their absolute unwillingness to enact genuinely effective measures to prevent future political manipulation and individual suffering and loss on a global scale."

https://erinkissane.com/untangling-threads

#meta #threads #fediblock #fedipact

@anclement @evan "Supernodes" are okay if they are not predators with a track record like meta. We know how meta runs its social networks and we ran away from its playforms for something different.