1. Suresh Raina, Irfan Pathan want BCCI to allow Indian players to participate in foreign T20 leagues  Times of India
2. "Such A rHAIR Picture": CSK Troll Shikhar Dhawan For His Throwback Photo With Suresh Raina  NDTV Tamil
3. Wish BCCI plans with ICC: Suresh Raina, Irfan Pathan want Indian players to participate in foreign T20...  Hindustan Times
4. Indian selectors made me an oldie at 30, didn't communicate with me: Irfan Pathan  CricTracker
5. MSK Prasad didn't speak to me at all: Suresh Raina responds to former chief selector's claims  CricTracker
6. View Full coverage on Google News

1. Happy birthday Sai Pallavi: 4 times the actress redefined female superstar tag  Onmanorama
2. Birthday Special! Sai Pallavi is the epitome of elegance and grace in sarees. PHOTOS  Times of India
3. Happy Birthday Sai Pallavi: 5 Instagram Pictures Of The Actress You Can’t Miss  News18
4. Happy birthday Sai Pallavi: A powerhouse performer  Deccan Herald
5. Sai Pallavi birthday: Rana Daggubati, Naga Chaitanya and others send wishes  The Indian Express
6. View Full coverage on Google News

1. Kareena Kapoor is missing her shopping sprees with Saif Ali Khan, shares throwback pic from Morocco  Hindustan Times
2. A Glimpse Of Kareena Kapoor's "Saturday Mood" With Saif Ali Khan  The Newsopedia
3. Bollywood actors share their secret workout moves amid lockdown  NEWS9 live
4. Sara Ali Khan says brother Ibrahim is ‘definitely interested’ in joining Bollywood: ‘It’s a dream right...  Hindustan Times
5. Sara Ali Khan on Ibrahim Ali Khan’s acting aspirations: It’s a dream right now, making it a reality is on him  PINKVILLA
6. View Full coverage on Google News

1. Flipkart teases the release of iPhone SE (2020) in India  NewsBytes
2. Apple iPhone SE 2020 sale to start soon as Flipkart teaser goes live  Hindustan Times
3. Apple iPhone SE 2020 spotted on Flipkart, launch imminent  Livemint
4. Our Apple iPhone SE (2020) video review is up - GSMArena.com news  GSMArena.com
5. Excited for the new iPhone? Take our iPhone through the ages quiz  Techradar
6. View Full coverage on Google News

1. Strategic oil storage to be full by mid-May: Dharmendra Pradhan  Livemint
2. India's fuel demand nearly halves in April amid national lockdown  Hindustan Times
3. Dharmendra Pradhan hints at new gas policy, says low oil prices no answer  Zee News
4. India has ample crude oil reserves: Pradhan  The Tribune India
5. India's Fuel Consumption Falls 46% To Lowest Since 2007  NDTV Profit
6. View Full coverage on Google News

1. Trump admin working to temporarily ban work-based visas: Report  Top Live News
2. US lawmakers want H-1B visas and foreign students internship suspended to protect American jobs  Times of India
3. US likely to temporarily ban work-based visas like H-1B due to rise in unemployment  Zee News
4. US Mulls Temporary Ban on Work Visas Amid Unemployment: Reports  The Quint
5. 5 US lawmakers ask Trump to suspend new H-1B visas  The Tribune India
6. View Full coverage on Google News

1. Shah slams Bengal govt for 'not allowing' migrant trains; Centre lying, says TMC  Times of India
2. Not Allowing Migrants' Trains "Injustice": Amit Shah To Mamata Banerjee  NDTV
3. TMC releases 'proof' after Centre alleges blockade of migrant transport in West Bengal  TIMES NOW
4. News updates from Hindustan Times: Have 7-stage plan to bring back migrants, says TMC on Amit Shah’s...  Hindustan Times
5. Bengal Says 8 Trains to Bring Back Migrant Workers Scheduled as Amit Shah Writes to Mamata on 'Injustice'  News18
6. View Full coverage on Google News

ICMR teams up with Bharat Biotech to develop COVID-19 vaccine  The Financial ExpressView Full coverage on Google News

Histogram: You have to know the past to understand the present by Tomas Petricek, University of Kent

Programs are created through a variety of interactions. A programmer might write some code, run it interactively to check whether it works, use copy and paste, apply a refactoring or choose an item from an auto-complete list. Programming research often forgets about these and represents programs as the resulting text. Consequently, thinking about such interactions is often out of scope. This essay shifts focus from programs to a more interesting question of programming.

We represent programs as lists of interactions such as triggering an auto-complete and choosing an option, declaring a value, introducing a variable or evaluating a piece of code. We explore a number of consequences of this way of thinking about programs. First, if we create functions by writing concrete code using a sample input and applying a refactoring, we do not lose the sample input and can use it later for debugging. Second, if we treat executing code interactively as an interaction and store the results, we can later use this information to give more precise suggestions in auto-complete. Third, by moving away from a textual representation, we can display the same program as text, but also in a view inspired by spreadsheets. Fourth, we can let programmers create programs by directly interacting with live previews as those interactions can be recorded and as a part of program history.

We discuss the key ideas through examples in a simple programming environment for data exploration. Our focus in this essay is more on principles than on providing fine tuned user experience. We keep our environment more explicit, especially when this reveals what is happening behind the scenes. We aim to show that seeing programs as lists of interactions is a powerful change of perspective that can help us build better programming systems with novel features that make programming easier and more accessible. The data exploration environment in this interactive essay may not yet be that, but it gives a glimpse of the future.

Let's talk about Blockchain. Goal is to use this forum topic to highlight its usefulness to programming language theory and practice. If you're familiar with existing research efforts, please share them here. In addition, feel free to generate ideas for how Blockchain could improve languages and developer productivity.

As one tasty example: Blockchain helps to formalize thinking about mutual knowledge and common knowledge, and potentially think about sharing intergalactic computing power through vast distributed computing fabrics. If we can design contracts in such a way that maximizes the usage of mutual knowledge while minimizing common knowledge to situations where you have to "prove your collateral", third-party transactions could eliminate a lot of back office burden. But, there might be benefits in other areas of computer science from such research, as well.

Some language researchers, like Mark S. Miller, have always dreamed of Agoric and the Decades-Long Quest for Secure Smart Contracts.

Some may also be aware that verification of smart contracts is an important research area, because of the notorious theft of purse via logic bug in an Ethereum smart contract.

I’m Coming Back To Lindsay Lohan

Welcome back, Lindsay Lohan. And what better time than when we are all trapped in our homes desperate for something/anything to talk about. Linsday just dripped her first single, "Back To Me", since the year of the flood.

I Mean…What?!?

When Queens Becomes Kings (Tiger King)

The hysteria around the Netflix show "Tiger King" has been very eyeopening. What is it about this low-rent animal abuser has Jared Leto, Cardi B, and the many other celebrities peacocking their obsessions with his unforgivable shenanigans?

I Mean…What?!?

Humble Beginnings

Our family residence was a low-income nest nestled on a non-tree-lined street amongst a glut of row houses. Think of the East End of London without the cache of, well, London.

I Mean…What?!?

Hollywood and Brine

One thing is getting to Hollywood; the other is staying here. You can’t just stay here in the hopes of becoming a celebrity and take a job at a bank or some other menial office job in the Valley. Heaven forbid.

I Mean…What?!?

1. Viroloog Marion Koopmans: 'Als het misgaat, hebben we echt een megaprobleem'  AD.nl
2. Ook Nederlandse viroloog verwacht tweede coronagolf | Buitenland | Nieuws  Het Laatste Nieuws
3. Viroloog: “Nieuwe coronagolf verwacht, alles staat of valt met hoe we ons gedragen”  Oog TV
4. BLIJF BANG! Viroloog Marion Koopmans waarschuwt: 'Die tweede coronavirus-golf komt er'  De Dagelijkse Standaard
5. Viroloog: 'Er komt een tweede coronagolf die mogelijk nog krachtiger is dan de eerste'  ThePostOnline
6. Hele verhaal bekijken via Google Nieuws

'Groepsimmuniteit gaat niet gebeuren'  De TijdHele verhaal bekijken via Google Nieuws

Antilichamen in uw bloed zijn geen belofte dat u veilig bent  Het Belang van LimburgHele verhaal bekijken via Google Nieuws

1. Kans op 2e golf, maar contactopsporing moet 2e lockdown vermijden: bekijk de beste fragmenten uit "Het coronadebat"  VRT NWS
2. Het Corona Debat met Marc Van Ranst, Erika Vlieghe, Maggie De Block (Open Vld), Bart De Wever (N-VA) en anderen  De Morgen
3. 'We moeten tijd winnen tot vaccin er is'  De Standaard
4. Het grote coronadebat: “We moeten tijd winnen tot vaccin er is”  Het Belang van Limburg
5. Hele verhaal bekijken via Google Nieuws

1. Waasland-Beveren dropt bom, Club Brugge dreigt titel te verliezen  Voetbal24.be
2. Waasland-Beveren wil niet zakken: "1A met 18 is logische oplossing"  sporza.be
3. Waasland-Beveren heeft uitstekend nieuws voor Beerschot en OHL  VoetbalNieuws.be
4. Waasland-Beveren-voorzitter Dirk Huyck over de strijd om in 1A te blijven - Voetbalnieuws  Voetbalkrant.com
5. Voorzitter Waasland-Beveren: “Wij zullen nooit akkoord gaan met degradatie”  Het Laatste Nieuws
6. Hele verhaal bekijken via Google Nieuws

1. gaat voor een nieuw contract bij Antwerp - Voetbalnieuws  Voetbalkrant.com
2. 'Mbokani zorgt voor zeer onaangename transferverrassing bij Antwerp'  Voetbal24.be
3. Defour schenkt klare wijn over toekomst bij Antwerp  VoetbalNieuws.be
4. Steven Defour: “Er is wat interesse uit het buitenland, maar ik wil bij Antwerp blijven”  Het Laatste Nieuws
5. 'Sinan Bolat versiert fraaie toptransfer: Dit is zijn nieuwe club'  Voetbal24.be
6. Hele verhaal bekijken via Google Nieuws

1. Remco Evenepoel: "Vandaag had een heel belangrijke dag moeten zijn"  sporza.be
2. Remco Evenepoel verkiest Giro boven Luik-Bastenaken-Luik | Wielrennen | Sport  Het Laatste Nieuws
3. Contador over 20 minuten-test Evenepoel: “Als die klopt, kan hij nu al de Giro winnen”  WielerFlits.be
4. Patrick Lefevere bevestigt dat Remco Evenepoel de Giro gaat rijden  Wielerkrant.be
5. Remco Evenepoel rijdt Giro in het najaar: "Intriest dat hij Luik niet kan rijden"  sporza.be
6. Hele verhaal bekijken via Google Nieuws

1. Het laatste woord is nog niet gezegd: "Niet ondenkbaar dat KBVB en clubs zich burgerlijke partij stellen in strafonderzoek naar Moeskroen”  Het Laatste Nieuws
2. Peter Vandenbempt over Moeskroen: "Het failliet van de licenties"  sporza.be
3. BAS-arbiter die Moeskroen laat gaan was debutant  Het Nieuwsblad
4. Belgische voetbalbond: “Principieel oneens met beslissing BAS om Moeskroen licentie toe te kennen”  Het Laatste Nieuws
5. Verbazing alom over licentie voor Moeskroen: “Hier laat Westerlo het niet bij, de strijd barst nu écht los”  Gazet van Antwerpen
6. Hele verhaal bekijken via Google Nieuws

1. TV-bazen over de impact van corona - DEEL 2. Davy Parmentier van VTM: “Hoe het straks verder moet, weet vandaag nog niemand”  Het Laatste Nieuws
2. 'Een vrijscène met 1,5 meter afstand, hoe doe je dat?'  De Tijd
3. TV-bazen over de impact van corona - DEEL 1. Olivier Goris van VRT: “Ik hou er rekening mee dat we de komende zes maanden geen seconde fictie draaien”  Het Laatste Nieuws
4. Zomer vol herhalingen, en herhalingen van herhalingen: coronacrisis is opdoffer voor alle tv-zenders, en vooral voor VRT  Het Laatste Nieuws
5. Hele verhaal bekijken via Google Nieuws

Valerie De Booser deelt uitdagende foto op Instagram vanuit haar kot  Het NieuwsbladHele verhaal bekijken via Google Nieuws

1. China lanceert nieuwe herbruikbare capsule voor vluchten met taikonauten  Tweakers
2. Chinees ruimteschip landt succesvol terug op aarde | Wetenschap & Planeet  Het Laatste Nieuws
3. China zet succesvolle stap richting eigen ruimtestation  Het Nieuwsblad
4. Hele verhaal bekijken via Google Nieuws

MSI komt met inruilprogramma voor upgrade naar Z490-moederbord  Hardware InfoHele verhaal bekijken via Google Nieuws

1. Muzikanten brengen ultiem eerbetoon aan alle 'heroes' vanop het dak van het Jessa Ziekenhuis  Het Laatste Nieuws
2. Flip Kowlier en Isolde Lasoen filmen cover van Heroes op dak van Jessa  Het Belang van Limburg
3. Hele verhaal bekijken via Google Nieuws

1. Smartphones aan spotprijzen, ze bestaan nog: onze gadget inspector test er twee  Het Belang van Limburg
2. GETEST. Spotgoedkope smartphones van minder dan 100 euro  Het Nieuwsblad
3. Hele verhaal bekijken via Google Nieuws

Minister Muylle wil tijdelijke werkloosheid verlengen tot 1 ...  Het NieuwsbladHele verhaal bekijken via Google Nieuws

1. Moeten we Brussels Airlines redden of niet?  De Tijd
2. Hoog spel rond Brussels Airlines  De Standaard
3. Akkoord tussen Swiss en Lufthansa: blauwdruk voor Brussels Airlines?  Trends
4. Lufthansa groep vanaf juni met 160 vliegtuigen de lucht in  Up in the Sky
5. Lufthansa Group verdubbelt in juni het aantal vliegtuigen in dienst  Luchtvaartnieuws.nl
6. Hele verhaal bekijken via Google Nieuws

1. 173 gestrande Belgen eindelijk thuis na quarantaine in Tenerife: “Regering liet ons aan ons lot over. We hebben twee maanden op ons terras moeten doorbrengen”  Het Laatste Nieuws
2. 173 gestrande Belgen eindelijk thuis na quarantaine in Tenerife: “Regering heeft te weinig gedaan!”  Het Laatste Nieuws
3. Na quarantaine in Tenerife: 173 Belgen eindelijk weer thuis  De Morgen
4. Belgen die vastzaten op Tenerife charterden zelf vliegtuig naar huis  De Standaard
5. West-Vlaming regelt repatriëring gestrande Belgen  Focus en WTV
6. Hele verhaal bekijken via Google Nieuws

Minister De Croo (Open Vld): 'Hoop dat misbruik van coronasteun door zelfstandigen randfenomeen is'  De MorgenHele verhaal bekijken via Google Nieuws

Honger treft de VS, boven op corona  De Standaard

Motorrijder uit Zottegem overleden na zwaar ongeval in Zwalm, bestuurster auto zwaargewond  Het NieuwsbladHele verhaal bekijken via Google Nieuws

1. 76 nieuwe overlijdens in de afgelopen 24 uur, evenveel ziekenhuisopnames  Het Belang van Limburg
2. OVERZICHT. Dalende curve zet zich voort. 76 overlijdens, 210 patiënten naar huis en 76 nieuwe opnames  Het Laatste Nieuws
3. Coronavirus: 76 overlijdens, 210 patiënten ontslagen uit het ziekenhuis  newsmonkey
4. Minder patiënten in onze ziekenhuizen  Het Nieuwsblad
5. OVERZICHT. 76 nieuwe ziekenhuisopnames en overlijdens, 585 nieuwe besmettingen | Binnenland | Nieuws  Het Laatste Nieuws
6. Hele verhaal bekijken via Google Nieuws

Noodnummer 1722 geactiveerd wegens slecht weer op zondag  Het NieuwsbladHele verhaal bekijken via Google Nieuws

1. Verbod om water op te pompen komt vroeger dan ooit  De Tijd
2. Extreem droge maand april: verbod om water op te pompen uit tien kwetsbare stromen in provincie Antwerpen  Gazet van Antwerpen
3. Vlaams infocentrum land- en tuinbouw - Captatieverbod in 10 stroomgebieden in Antwerpen  Vilt
4. Water oppompen verboden in tiental kleine waterlopen in Antwerpen door aanhoudende droogte  VRT NWS
5. Captatieverbod in tien ecologisch kwetsbare stroomgebieden i...  Het Nieuwsblad
6. Hele verhaal bekijken via Google Nieuws

1. Betogers uit erg diverse hoeken protesteren tegen coronamaatregelen in Duitsland  VRT NWS
2. Duitsland demonstreert tegen coronamaatregelen  De Standaard
3. Duitse ME grijpt in bij protest tegen coronamaatregelen  Telegraaf.nl
4. Hele verhaal bekijken via Google Nieuws

Man die fietspad bezaait met prikkeldraad, spijkers en glas praat zichzelf aan de galg tegen visser die stiekem filmt  Het Laatste Nieuws

Experts, economen en politici: iedereen is nu al bezig met een tweede coronagolf. “Zolang er geen vaccin is, zal het nieuwe normaal blijven bestaan”  Het Nieuwsblad

Sunday is Mothers Day Streaming Love

Stranger Still Michaelbrent Collings Written Insomnia Press, 2020 Reviewed by Andrew Byers Stranger Still is a stand-alone sequel to Michaelbrent Collings’ horror thriller Strangers, which I reviewed way back in 2013. I enjoyed Strangers a lot, so was very pleasantly surprised to find that after this long hiatus, Collings had returned to that world. In […]

The Best of Both Worlds S.P. Miskowski Trepidatio Publishing May 1, 2020 Reviewed by Elaine Pascale  The Best of Both Worlds is a sequel to The Worst is Yet to Come in the sense that the plot runs parallel and the characters’ story arcs intersect in subtle yet important ways. The Best of Both Worlds […]

A new play by Nick Dear, based on the novel by Mary Shelley. Watch Danny Boyle’s monster hit Frankenstein with Benedict Cumberbatch as the creature and Jonny Lee Miller as Victor Frankenstein. Frankenstein with Benedict Cumberbatch as the creature is streaming for free from 7pm UK time on Thursday 30 April. Available on demand until […]

More than a quarter-century ago, I was driving to Pittsburgh, with my wife, Marianne Porter, and we were talking about fantasy and about steam locomotives. I made a joke about the Baldwin Steam Dragon Works and Marianne laughed. Then, another mile or so down the road, I said, "Write that down, please."

Thus was born the Iron Dragons Trilogy, a trio of stand-alone books, the third of which, The Iron Dragon's Mother, was published just last year.

Far more recently, just an hour or so ago, I got an email from my associates at Open Road Media, telling me that The Iron Dragon's Mother, first of the three, will be on sale for $1.99 this coming Monday, March 23.

That's one day only BUT this time the sale includes Canada. Which I am very grateful for because the Canadian science fiction community has always been very warm and kind to  me.

Anyway, here's the boilerplate below, cut-and-pasted from the corporate email:


We are pleased to let you know that the following ebook(s) will be featured in price promotions soon.

ISBN13	Title	Author	Promo Type	Country	Start Date	End Date	Promo Price
9781504025669	The Iron Dragon's Daughter	Swanwick, Michael	ORM - Early Bird Books NL	US	2020-03-23	2020-03-23	$1.99
9781504025669	The Iron Dragon's Daughter	Swanwick, Michael	ORM - Early Bird Books NL	CA	2020-03-23	2020-03-23	$1.99

Open Road will promote the feature via social media. We hope you can share the deal with your network as well. You can subscribe to the newsletters at the links below so that you will get the direct link to the deal on the day that it appears.

Newsletter	Link
Early Bird Books	Subscribe Now
The Lineup	Subscribe Now
The Portalist	Subscribe Now
Murder & Mayhem	Subscribe Now
A Love So True	Subscribe Now
The Archive	Subscribe Now
The Reader	Subscribe Now

So if you (1) read e-books, (2) don't own a copy of The Iron Dragon's Daughter, and (3) would like to... well, here's your opportunity to do it on the cheap.

Just a reminder that people in Canada and the US can buy an e-book of The Iron Dragon's Mother, the first book of my stand-alone fantasy trilogy for only $1.99 today. Tomorrow will be too late:

Here's the boilerplate:

ISBN13	Title	Author	Promo Type	Country	Start Date	End Date	Promo Price
9781504025669	The Iron Dragon's Daughter	Swanwick, Michael	ORM - Early Bird Books NL	US	2020-03-23	2020-03-23	$1.99
9781504025669	The Iron Dragon's Daughter	Swanwick, Michael	ORM - Early Bird Books NL	CA	2020-03-23	2020-03-23	$1.99

Open Road will promote the feature via social media. We hope you can share the deal with your network as well. You can subscribe to the newsletters at the links below so that you will get the direct link to the deal on the day that it appears.

Newsletter	Link
Early Bird Books	Subscribe Now
The Lineup	Subscribe Now
The Portalist	Subscribe Now
Murder & Mayhem	Subscribe Now
A Love So True	Subscribe Now
The Archive	Subscribe Now
The Reader	Subscribe Now

Marianne Porter's nanopress imprint, Dragonstiars Press,  has just announced its latest chapbook!

The Devil's Bestiary, a dark, brooding, and occasionally scabrous piece of fun composed by your truly, will be made available for purchase tomorrow, Thursday April 9, at noon Philadelphia Time (that's 4 p.m. Greenwich Mean Time) at the Dragonstairs Press website, www.dragonstairs.com.

But not a minute before then.

Here's the official announcement:

The Devil's Bestiary is Michael Swanwick's cynical,whimsical take on twenty nine creatures of myth and fables.  It is 5 ½ inch square format, with an outer wrapper of hand-dyed kozo paper, hand-stitched, numbered, and signed by the author.  It is published in a limited edition of 45, of which 40 are available for sale.   

The signed and very limited edition chapbook will go for $12 in the USA and $14 elsewhere, postage included. (When I tell Marianne she's not charging enough, she just glares at me.)  Which means that it will sell out pretty much immediately.

It's a lovely thing and I'm proud, as the content provider, to own a copy.


And rather than buy a pig in a poke with a blind horse . . .

Here are a couple of typical entries from The Devil's Bestiary:


Today he’s the picture of affluence. Respectable people pay extremely well for his services, for he returns the remains of their loved ones to the earth in the most environmentally responsible way imaginable.


Those, at the low-rez pic above, should tell you right away whether you need a copy or not.

Over on Facebook, Samuel R. Delany, answering a question in a post, offered the best and most succinct writing advice anyone has ever codified. Here, in its entirety, it is:

Writing advice: Read and reread. Think of a story you have never read but wish you had; then write it as carefully as you can. Finish it, and send it around till it's published.

The third sentence, as Chip noted at the time, was a condensation of advice that Robert A. Heinlein offered. So what you have above is the combined wisdom of two of the greatest careers science fiction has ever seen.

I could unpack that brief paragraph at enormous length. But, honestly, there's no need. You read it and you understood it. Now you only have to live it.


Above: The photo by James Hamilton was lifted from The Nation, where it illustrated a typically thoughtful and enlightened interview with Chip. You can find it here.