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Spider Star
The human colony on the planet Argo has long explored and exploited the technology left behind by an extinct alien race. But then an archaeology team accidentally activates a terrible weapon...
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Praise for Star Dragon
"Seldom does a storytelling talent come along as potent and fully mature as Mike Brotherton. His complex characters take you on a voyage that is both fiercely credible and astonishingly imaginative. This is Science Fiction."
-- David Brin"Star Dragon is terrific fare, offering readers a fusion of hard science and grand adventure."
-- Locus Magazine"Star Dragon is steeped in cosmology, the physics of interstellar travel, exobiology, artificial intelligence, bioscience. Brotherton, author of many scientific articles in refereed journals, has written a dramatic, provocative, utterly convincing hard science sf novel that includes an ironic twist that fans will love."
-- Booklist starred review"Readers hungry for the thought-provoking extrapolation and rigorous technical detail of old-fashioned hard SF are sure to enjoy astronomer Brotherton's first novel."
-- Publishers Weekly"Mike Brotherton, himself a trained astrophysicist, combines the technical acuity and ingenuity of Robert Forward with the ironic, postmodern stance and style of M. John Harrison. In this, his debut novel, those twin talents unite to produce a work that is involving on any number of levels. It's just about all you could ask for in a hardcore SF adventure."
-- Paul di Fillippo, SCI-FI.COM
Friday Night Death Slot Starlinks
June 5th, 2009
It’s happened before, and it will happen again. No, not Battlestar Galactica! Maybe they’re stealing, maybe they’re just being inspired, or maybe great minds think a like, but another science fiction site is doing their take on one of my blog posts. Here are Seven Unfilmable Sci-Fi Books. Here were my Ten Great Science Fiction Novels that would Make Terrible Movies. Well, there’s only one book in common: Hyperion by Dan Simmons. I like most of the seven choices, so the lists are pretty complimentary. I should combine them into the Sixteen Impossible Science Fiction Novels to Film.
Nice post and video about Star Trek Mistakes by Misch. Not the new movie, but rather consistency problems with the long history of Trek.
An article about new research indicating no gender gap between males and females. On the other hand, a vigorous and compelling rebuttal over here. (Scroll down to June 5.) It does sound like the study and summary of the study are not so conclusive as they sound and the issue remains complex and worth more study and less politics. Here’s a more mathematical post from a few years ago on this topic.
The Myth of Science for the Public Good. A long Libertarian talk about how science spending isn’t that economical for the government. I reject the entire premise of his position. Governments and people more generally do things whether or not they are economically advantageous. Basic research without any promise of economic gain is worth doing to better understand ourselves and our place in the universe. Lots of things are worth the effort. If life is only about money it isn’t worth living, is it?
Hmmm. I need to start asking for donations to keep writing this blog, or get some big obnoxious banner advertising…
But I digress.
CNN article with several photos of real-life superheroes. I love these people, doing good and making life more interesting in general. I wonder how much money they make? (GET OUT OF MY MIND, MINDLESS ECONOMIC LIBERTARIAN!) Peter Parker never made that much selling Spidey photos…. (OUT!)
James Harris has several new interesting posts: comparing Battlestar Galactica and Hyperion Cantos, Earth 2100 (also see over here in a thread at James Nicoll’s LJ), and about seeing Mars in HD. Jim, keep posting regularly and not so intermittently! In the meantime, the Moon in HD and here. Really, really cool.
Apparently Kate Beckinsale to be replaced on Barbarella remake by Rose McGowen. I think I just came. Twice. Uh oh. I see that Christina Ricci is available again. I am too… And better I hook up again or end up like the great David Carrdine. I think he tried to kill Bill one too many times…
Is science fiction liberal? From David Ellis. I think it is, in the way he discusses.
On questionable science, health, and rationality, Oprah! Or maybe not. That’s the public controversy.
New science fiction show Virtuality to premeire in the June 26 Fright night “death slot.” Well, David Carradine won’t be watching it…ouch. I tend to joke in the face of death, because I am uncomfortable with the reality, so please ignore me if I cross the line and take five steps before my heart explodes…
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June 5th, 2009 at 9:08 pm
I don’t quite understand why science needs to be economically beneficial for the government or anyone. It’s as you said, it’s meant more for the common good than for what will bring us a quick buck. Look at NASA, for example, which has given us so many things that have literally changed the face of the our society (like the MRI, which you would be hard pressed to argue is anything but a monumental achievement in medical technology that has literally saved millions of lives globally). Stem cell research, too, may not produce billions of dollars of profits for the government, but it will provide resolutions to our medical problems (and it already has, proving that it can be used to halt the progression of Type I diabetes, stop MS and even repair some of the mental damage from it, and even give partial site back to a blind eye, etc.).
I think the whole premise of the argument, as you indicate, is idiotic at best. It’s almost like suggesting that we shouldn’t study cancer to find it a cure simply because it won’t benefit the government. Screw that. Science funding is absolutely 100% essential, in my opinion.
Oi.
June 5th, 2009 at 9:15 pm
SMD, go go go!
Even if there was no economic benefit to putting men on the moon, what price is there on the fact that men have walked on the moon?
Fuck anyone who says that it wasn’t worth it. It makes me cry.
June 5th, 2009 at 9:39 pm
And that’s where I usually disassociate myself with libertarians that and they’re sometimes too close for comfort relation or ties with right wing conservatives. Science is nothing but to further the benefit of all mankind. If it makes someone money, then so be it.
Though on the unfilmable books, what about video games? I think that could work, if given enough time and budget. Besides I have not seen many books translated into video games. The upcoming Dante’s Inferno, which is very loosely based on the first part of the Divine Comedy, is about the only example I can think of. Actually I remember reading that they’re going to be making an Ender’s Game game. And Orson Scott Card is involved in the making of a new original game.
I dunno, I really want to see video games elevated to an art form but with the common mind set that games have to be fun causes them to fall short.