A Happy 2021 from SciFiEmpire.net

Looking back on 2020

Before I wish everybody a Happy 2021 I wanted to reflect. 2020 was a bad year, no point in hiding it or cherry-picking the few instances it managed to do Science Fiction justice. Most major releases at the cinema were delayed into 2021, series and games also. Like the year before I have been reading a lot more graphic novel adaptation. Something I want to continue into 2021 starting with Quinn’s Tadhya. Professionally this year was hard as well. Earlier in May I lost my job in Deep Learning due to the economic downturn. The company I worked for had been laying off people since the previous autumn and the pandemic was the straw that did the business in. Luckily, I immediately found gainful employment elsewhere in cloud computing. It is just sad that it isn’t Deep Learning and a lot of hard work ended up never used.

So, if I could cherry-pick the good moments. What would I choose? Gaming was probably the best platform for Sci-Fi with releases such as Cyberpunk 2077, Cloudpunk and Wasteland 3. Series would come next with His Dark Materials, The Mandalorian, Snowpiercer and Westworld. They were just great. However, it was Alex Garland’s Devs that was my absolute favorite. True thought-provoking work, like Annihilation. Novels were a mixed bag, Dune: The Duke of Caladan was better than expected but Ready Player Two was just garbage. I suppose Agency by William Gibson and Bone Silence by Alastair Reynolds were for me the best, and they were released well before the pandemic. When it comes to film there was only one movie of note – TENET. 2020 may just be partly salvaged because I believe it was the best Sci-Fi movies since Blade Runner 2049.

Happy 2021 and my plans

In 2021 I hope to get a lot done, both for SciFiEmpire.net and my professional development. Obviously, some plans had to be put on hold. I could not attend any conventions in the physical sense and that is something I want to do this year. My writing career is also continuing at a good pace. For 2021 I have a lot planned, two books: one on Arduino Robotics while another on Wi-Fi Penetration Testing. Meanwhile in the fiction department a lot if also happening. I am currently working on two novella’s which I hope to release in the summer and the autumn. Meanwhile two previous novels I wrote will see a second print. More on that in the new year. I also hope to start my own company, in face recognition, continuing my efforts at the company I used to work for.

This year SciFiEmpire.net will be celebrating its tenth anniversary. Of course, I will do something special. A giveaway is certainly on the list. I also want to make changes to attract a larger public. Social Media has always been something I do: Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Ello. But I will expand to include Instagram as well. Meanwhile I am very proud of the dedicated Dune pages I created. With the movie being delayed there is a chance to add even more material. I hope to add more dedicated pages for other sci-fi works as well, but they will remain smaller projects. Besides my professional career, my writing career and blogging for SciFiEmpire.net I hope to have a busy social life. Lots of dating, foreign travel (San Francisco), meetups and maybe even moving to London. I am imagining 2021 to be a great year, I hope it will be.

I wish every reader a Happy 2021!