Premature Burial

A few days ago, all Twitter was aglow with the information that Harlan Ellison had died.

Last night, I received email that Normal Spinrad had died during an operation.

As it happens, Harlan is very much alive, and Norman survived his operation perfectly well.

So there seems to be a “prankster” working the science fiction social networks. I put “prankster” in quotes because, speaking only for myself, I think pranks should actually be funny, and if possible witty and imaginative, and these aren’t. These are just, I dunno, dumb. If I were an Internet prankster, I could think of scads of pranks that would be a lot more intelligent and funny than these.

So if you hear that some well-known science fiction writer has died, please check with a third party before reposting. Thank you.