Today I've mostly bin...

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MBH
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Re: Today I've mostly bin...

#2961 Post by MBH » Mon Mar 29, 2010 11:10 pm

Hmmmm... Modern-day or 'old school'?

I'm far more into 'fantasy' rather than 'sci-fi' now - but I've still got a soft spot for Harry Harrison's "Stainless Steel Rat" Slippery Jim DiGriz :lol: Saw a one on the 'sale' shelf at the library a couple of months ago and grabbed it - still good fun :D

I think I devoured all I could find from Robert A. Heinlein and Isaac Asimov [who sounds like an amazing character - and he wrote Dirty Limericks :lol: ]

I'll have a check back through the 'Busy Reading' list and see if any were true sci-fi.

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Re: Today I've mostly bin...

#2962 Post by Biscuit » Mon Mar 29, 2010 11:12 pm

not read many sci fi books but seem to love the ones with "special powers" hence tp. read a couple of the children's books but not anything in my own right.

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Re: Today I've mostly bin...

#2963 Post by LAT » Mon Mar 29, 2010 11:57 pm

Now even I used to read Robert Heinlein and Isaac Asimov - including his Black Widower series as well as lots of the Sci Fi ones. Haven't read any for years though but we do have a whole bookshelf of them still.

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Re: Today I've mostly bin...

#2964 Post by clvrlad » Tue Mar 30, 2010 5:28 am

must admit i agree with mbh...... :-o something must be wrong..... ;-)
and yes the rusty rat does hold a place on my library card ;-)
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Re: Today I've mostly bin...

#2965 Post by eirian » Tue Mar 30, 2010 9:03 am

Now I haven't read any Heinlein for a bit (I used to borrow Scurra's) but I've a shelf full of Asimov I read on a regular basis - I especially like the Elijah Bailey detective novels.

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Re: Today I've mostly bin...

#2966 Post by Biscuit » Tue Mar 30, 2010 10:28 am

i quite fancy reading some sci fi and wonder if you can suggest a starting point

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Re: Today I've mostly bin...

#2967 Post by Scurra » Tue Mar 30, 2010 12:28 pm

Well that's a bit like saying "I quite fancy listening to some music - I wonder if you could recommend some" :D

SF is actually a rather odd sort of genre, because it's mostly used for two entirely different things - a generally scientific exploration of some sort of "wacky" idea (faster-than-light travel, or artificial intelligence etc, ), or as a metaphor for some aspect of society but taken to extremes (the surveillance society, eugenics etc.)

The first is often known as "Hard" SF, not because it's difficult but because the author is generally more interested in the scientific principles of the idea, rather than little details like character and plot. This is also amongst the most rapidly out-of-date, since it is usually based on what was a cutting-edge idea at the time of writing - and that idea is often either disproved or simply overtaken by events (almost any pre-70s SF story that features a computer, for instance!)

The second are the ones that are most often accepted into the mainstream of literature because the science-fictional elements is usually background, assisting the plot but often not seeming utterly implausible. A good example here would be Orwell's 1984 which is clearly science-fiction in its setting and technology.

However, both of them are definitely SF unlike Fantasy Science Fiction. This is stuff like Star Wars or Doctor Who, which frequently has a futuristic setting but with no pretence of making the technology consistent or workable. But at least it usually tries to make it feel like technology rather than magic. Serious fans of SF tend to dismissively refer to this as "Sci-Fi" or even Skiffy (even though I suspect that we all rather enjoy it, rather like a "guilty pleasure." Or maybe that's just me? :))

All of that is attempting to avoid the question, of course. What I am saying is that SF is such a massively broad arena that recommending something that you will like (unless I know you very very well!) is almost impossible. And I also think that if you discover SF when you are young, you will tend to have a very different tolerance level to it than if you are an adult; it may be something to do with acquiring a different sort of suspension of disbelief. And that's not even getting into the whole category of "world building" which is something that both Fantasy and Science Fiction excels at, but which strains the patience of a lot of readers, who can't be bothered with having to assimilate masses of what appears to be utterly irrelevant stuff.

I did a quick web search, and came up with this page which is a pretty good list (with some good explanations for the choices too) - if you picked some of these, you would probably get a good idea of how massive this field really is.
http://www.studentgroups.ucla.edu/enigm ... ry/sf.html
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Re: Today I've mostly bin...

#2968 Post by MBH » Tue Mar 30, 2010 4:45 pm

Ah - Orson Scott Card :D I enjoyed Ender's Game when I first read it, and more recently found Ender's Shadow (which is a fascinating way of re-veiwing a story from someone elses point of reference).

Not sure if I ever read this whole series - but I enjoyed the 'twist' in the Game, and the action was good.

There is an interesting bit of 'technology' in the schoolroom as well - the 'pad' (may have a different name in the book)... I thought of this when recent 'Apple' products were mentioned :)

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Re: Today I've mostly bin...

#2969 Post by Biscuit » Tue Mar 30, 2010 6:35 pm

thanks for all the suggestions - i can now see what a wide array of books there are - i think it might be an idea for a trip to the library to test some out.

thanks all

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Re: Today I've mostly bin...

#2970 Post by tricia » Tue Mar 30, 2010 7:27 pm

looking forward to logging on to puzzlebrains - I have had withdrawel symptoms - Weve had friends over from Holland , celebrating an annieversary. unfortunately my computer was out of bounds. Now they're home and I can log on and catch up. The weather here is attrocious - we have gale force winds , driving raIN AND SLEET AND LOOK FORWARD TO A HUGE DUMP OF SNOW - hopefully clydebank will miss it.
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Re: Today I've mostly bin...

#2971 Post by clvrlad » Tue Mar 30, 2010 8:12 pm

more snow :-o :D send it here instead please :-D
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Re: Today I've mostly bin...

#2972 Post by gill216 » Tue Mar 30, 2010 8:26 pm

I'm a bit confused about this snow now. We are also on dump warning BUT with predicted temperatures of around 9-10 degrees cent. I didn't think that was possible :?

We have the torrential rain- - its bouncing- and Leeds looked like it had a big black hat over it all day. Quite peculiar to see actually. A blanket of black cloud across the top of sunshine for most of the day :shock:
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Re: Today I've mostly bin...

#2973 Post by clvrlad » Tue Mar 30, 2010 9:33 pm

it is possible but it depends on humidity and temperature

basically when at high altitudes (colder) snow forms and descends if the heat gained from the surroundings via conduction from the atmosphere is less than or equal to the heat loss due to evaporation then snow can survive to the ground

but low humidity is rare when its raining ;-)

basically go here http://www.sciencebits.com/SnowProbCalc slot in your numbers for relative humidity and atmospheric temprature and youll get a probability of snow surviving the descent ;-)
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Re: Today I've mostly bin...

#2974 Post by giraffe » Tue Mar 30, 2010 9:53 pm

Torrential rain and hailstones here today :roll:

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Re: Today I've mostly bin...

#2975 Post by MBH » Tue Mar 30, 2010 10:09 pm

Tipping it down with rain all day up here as well. Various roads difficult to pass :(

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Re: Today I've mostly bin...

#2976 Post by Bunnylump » Tue Mar 30, 2010 10:30 pm

Just plain miserable here. C'mon, where's spring gone? :roll:
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Re: Today I've mostly bin...

#2977 Post by clvrlad » Tue Mar 30, 2010 11:01 pm

well i blame the rabbits ;-)

dont forget were in england rain is spring weather ;-)
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Re: Today I've mostly bin...

#2978 Post by Bunnylump » Tue Mar 30, 2010 11:33 pm

Yeah, us rabbits get blamed for everything... :roll: Now if I REALLY had control over the weather I'd arrange for snow...everywhere apart from where the metal dog lives... :twisted: (I could do with another snow day...) :lol:
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Re: Today I've mostly bin...

#2979 Post by LAT » Tue Mar 30, 2010 11:51 pm

Please could I be excused the snow? I'm not a fan of driving in it and I do need to get to work. :(

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Re: Today I've mostly bin...

#2980 Post by Bunnylump » Tue Mar 30, 2010 11:53 pm

OK I'll let you off. That's you and Clvrlad. But he's not getting it because he WANTS it... :mrgreen:
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