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The Fatal Science Flaw of the Premise of Interstellar

Sunday, December 21st, 2014

This is a repeat of an article I originally posted at Amazing Stories. There have already been a lot of scientists and science popularizers and others looking at the science of Christopher Nolan’s ambitious film Interstellar. Kip Thorne, the eminent Caltech scientist powering much of the science, has written a book and there’s even a […]

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Superheroic Science!

Monday, November 18th, 2013

I took the weekend off the big proposal deadline Friday. I’ll do a starlinks post soon, but in the meantime, the video of my recent talk in Gillette, WY, on the science of superheroes is now available. Enjoy! Comments welcome. Share/Bookmark

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The Science in the Movie Gravity: an Interview with Science Consultant Kevin R. Grazier

Friday, September 20th, 2013

I have my interview up at Amazing Stories today. Why not click through there, read it, and leave a comment if so motivated? Share/Bookmark

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The Geek Test: What’s Your Score?

Friday, August 30th, 2013

To take the 50 question test below, give yourself two points when you answer “yes” to the questions below beginning, “Have you ever…” 1. Attended a small (< 2000 people) science fiction convention? 2. Attended a one of the major science fiction conventions (e.g, Worldcon, Dragon*con)? 3. Attended a Comic-Con or media-oriented Convention (e.g. Shoreleave)? […]

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How Do I Get There (Another Star?) — Let Me Count the Ways

Wednesday, April 17th, 2013

I am inspired today by Starship Century, a symposium at UCSD May 21-22, involving Gregory Benford, David Brin, Geoffrey Landis, Joe Haldeman, Neal Stephenson, Alan Steele, etc., almost everyone you might think of from the science fiction side, and a lot of folks involved from the science side (Freeman Dyson, Robert Zubrin, John Cramer, etc.).  […]

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Educational Videos for Science Fiction Writers and Critical Fans

Tuesday, April 2nd, 2013

What’s wrong with giant bugs?  Or human bodies exploding in the vacuum of space?  Or the answers to any of a bunch of other questions science fiction writers need to know to craft their story? I’ve written blog posts about some of these in the past, but started noticing videos with similar explanations and thought […]

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Ten Totally Illogical Science Fiction Premises on Amazing Stories Blog

Friday, February 22nd, 2013

This is a repeat of a post that just went up earlier today at Amazing Stories.  I encourage you to check out the link and join the conversation over there.  Feel free to comment here, too, of course!  Onward… Recently I wrote about eight science fiction tropes of convenience, mainly about unlikely or impossible technology […]

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Eight Science Fiction Tropes of Convenience

Tuesday, February 19th, 2013

There are a number of tropes that I see popping up over and over in science fiction, even though they are not very scientifically plausible and border on the impossible given our current understanding.  They are used and will continue to be used, especially in movies and tv, because they’re very convenient.  I find it […]

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Ten Classic Hard SF Novels over at the SFWA Blog

Tuesday, November 13th, 2012

I did a list for SFWA, all of which feature physics and/or astronomy.  Without all the introductions and discussion, here’s the list: 1. Mission of Gravity by Hal Clement 2. The Fountains of Paradise by Arthur C. Clarke 3. Ringworld by Larry Niven 4. Dragon’s Egg by Robert Forward 5. Timescape by Gregory Benford 6. The Black Cloud by Fred Hoyle 7. Tau Zero by Poul Anderson 8. The Moon […]

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What If Science Fiction Actually Involved Science?

Thursday, September 20th, 2012

The reason we’ve probably never seen a dramatic TV series involving scientists in the tradition of ER or CSI or Newsroom is that the actual work is usual tedious, boring to most non-experts, with low stakes most of the time (cancer doesn’t get cured every week, or even nearly cured).  This is also the reason […]

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10 More Classic Mistakes in Science Fiction Movies

Monday, August 13th, 2012

I came across a kindred spirit today, finding an article titled 10 Classic Mistakes in Sci-Fi Movies. His list takes some well deserved but easy potshots at some large targets, and perhaps more tv shows than movies. 1. Aliens Speak English, often without evidence of translators or any previous interaction with modern English-speaking humans.  Let’s […]

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Matt Ridley is a Biased Hypocrite

Wednesday, August 8th, 2012

In the past I would have called him a “stupid smart person,” but I’m moving away from that term, I think, as it’s too prejudicial, in favor of being more specific. Ridley is primarily a writer doing various sorts of science journalism, and definitely a smart guy, but also something of a provocateur.  Controversy brings […]

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