|
Sorry if this is a stupid question, but I'm reading Jurassic Park for the first time and just ran across something weird: "...for one thing, they used computers constantly, a practice traditional mathematicians frowned on." Was this true when JP was published, or is this Crichton blowing smoke? I was 5 when the book was published so I have no idea the state of mathematics at the time.
|
#
?
Oct 9, 2013 11:38
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 10, 2024 15:14 |
|
|
8one6 posted:Sorry if this is a stupid question, but I'm reading Jurassic Park for the first time and just ran across something weird: "...for one thing, they used computers constantly, a practice traditional mathematicians frowned on." Was this true when JP was published, or is this Crichton blowing smoke? I was 5 when the book was published so I have no idea the state of mathematics at the time. It took research mathematicians a while to fully adopt computer processing because they like to be able to verify the working. However, as the first computers were built specifically to perform routine mathematical tasks faster than humans possibly could, Crichton's science is as usual full of poo poo.
|
|
#
?
Oct 9, 2013 12:04
|
|
|
Jurassic Park is entirely lovely science, lovely characters, lovely plotting. I'll give Crichton credit for the concept, and that's about all. The sequel is far worse in all categories. One of the few cases where the movie far outshines the book and pretty much replaces any need for the book to exist.
|
|
#
?
Oct 9, 2013 12:37
|
|
|
Jedit posted:It took research mathematicians a while to fully adopt computer processing because they like to be able to verify the working. However, as the first computers were built specifically to perform routine mathematical tasks faster than humans possibly could, Crichton's science is as usual full of poo poo. Thanks. I'm only about 80 pages in so far and I'm already starting to get a feel for how Crichton uses science. Hedrigall posted:Jurassic Park is entirely lovely science, lovely characters, lovely plotting. I'll give Crichton credit for the concept, and that's about all. The sequel is far worse in all categories. I'm reading it mostly to compare it to the movie. So far the movie is winning. A lot.
|
|
#
?
Oct 9, 2013 12:45
|
|
|
8one6 posted:Thanks. I'm only about 80 pages in so far and I'm already starting to get a feel for how Crichton uses science. How did you like the bit where the cloning is being discussed by the adults, but it conveniently switches to Tim's bored/distracted POV every time there's a bit of science Crichton didn't bother researching?
|
|
#
?
Oct 9, 2013 13:24
|
|
|
Jedit posted:It took research mathematicians a while to fully adopt computer processing because they like to be able to verify the working. However, as the first computers were built specifically to perform routine mathematical tasks faster than humans possibly could, Crichton's science is as usual full of poo poo. Well, to be fair I know that my old university has/had a bunch of mathematicians that believed that such subjects as numerical science or mathematical statistics and other applied mathematics had no place in the mathematical science department.
|
|
#
?
Oct 9, 2013 13:40
|
|
|
I have a copy of The Republic of Thieves in my sweaty little paws. 60 pages down, 530 to go.
|
|
#
?
Oct 9, 2013 17:27
|
|
|
I know Prince of Thorns discussion was a while back, but for people who hated the first book (like me), I still suggest you give the second a try. It's a huge improvement in my opinion. It makes Jorg more relatable (most of his fights are either getting his rear end kicked or running away), while at the same time not any more sympathetic, and changes the dynamic really interestingly: Jorg is no longer a psychopathic badass with an angsty past but a thoroughly pathetic rear end in a top hat who goes around killing guys who actually are heroes, while at the same time, with the way he is made more human, you still sort of root for him. I actually really liked it, though it dragged sometimes. I've also been reading Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? recently. Despite the many plotholes it's a fascinating read and highlights a lot of the irony of the situation even better than the movie. Society loves electronic animals and killing one is considered a huge crime, yet we hunt down electronic humans with no hint of remorse. We decry androids because they supposedly cannot feel real empathy, yet humanity gets its empathy from plugging into a robotic machine and watching some guy crawl up a mountain. It's really thought-provoking stuff. Sex Beef 2.0 fucked around with this message at 23:52 on Oct 10, 2013 |
|
#
?
Oct 10, 2013 23:38
|
|
|
Jedit posted:I have a copy of The Republic of Thieves in my sweaty little paws. 60 pages down, 530 to go. For the first time, I pre-ordered it for the Kindle. It was so cool when it just suddenly started downloading onto my book list, like a nice little surprise for me. I'm only half way through the second book though, so I have to wait to start it.
|
|
#
?
Oct 11, 2013 00:11
|
|
|
According to posts on her Facebook page Robin Hobb is writing a new Farseer book called The Fool's Assassin which will be out in 2014. I hope she doesn't mess it up, I loved the original books!
|
|
#
?
Oct 11, 2013 00:19
|
|
|
coyo7e posted:Unfortunately just like everywere else, it's really esay to find his later (kind of kooky seeming, to a large extent) stuff, but you can only get 3 or 4 of the Chronicles novels there. At least none of them on lulu ate $200+. I see the first book pretty often at used book stores (and Hugh Cook books are my quick marker for how much it'll be worth going through a store's SF section, no Hugh Cook --> really not promising, first book --> ok , not bad, more US editions --> looking good, UK editions --> this place is going to have some gems)
|
|
#
?
Oct 11, 2013 00:31
|
|
|
TheWorldIsSquare posted:I've also been reading Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? recently. Despite the many plotholes it's a fascinating read and highlights a lot of the irony of the situation even better than the movie. Society loves electronic animals and killing one is considered a huge crime, yet we hunt down electronic humans with no hint of remorse. We decry androids because they supposedly cannot feel real empathy, yet humanity gets its empathy from plugging into a robotic machine and watching some guy crawl up a mountain. It's really thought-provoking stuff. I saw Blade Runner before I read the book, and my hat is off to Ridley Scott for capturing the dark feel of the book despite cutting out huge chunks of it and inventing parts that didn't exist. That being said, the book is definitely more thought-provoking. I have to confess that when it's revealed that there's likely already a Nexus-7 in the works, I had a vision of a ruined Earth populated by artifical animals and people, going through the motions, as if the Earth itself had become a clockwork toy.
|
|
#
?
Oct 11, 2013 02:18
|
|
|
Speaking of Scott Lynch, an amusing review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/99607064 Patrick Rothfuss reviews Lies of Locke Lamora. "Wherein I admit that Scott Lynch is better than me."
|
|
#
?
Oct 11, 2013 03:21
|
|
|
A few pages back people were talking about a new book by Peter Watts which kinda got me interested. Where should I start with that guy?
|
|
#
?
Oct 11, 2013 05:28
|
|
|
apophenium posted:A few pages back people were talking about a new book by Peter Watts which kinda got me interested. Where should I start with that guy? Blindsight. Pretty much also where you should stop, outside his short fiction. Starfish is all right, don't read the sequels. e: Blindsight is free online right here http://www.rifters.com/real/Blindsight.htm
|
|
#
?
Oct 11, 2013 05:36
|
|
|
TheWorldIsSquare posted:I know Prince of Thorns discussion was a while back, but for people who hated the first book (like me), I still suggest you give the second a try. It's a huge improvement in my opinion. It makes Jorg more relatable (most of his fights are either getting his rear end kicked or running away), while at the same time not any more sympathetic, and changes the dynamic really interestingly: Jorg is no longer a psychopathic badass with an angsty past but a thoroughly pathetic rear end in a top hat who goes around killing guys who actually are heroes, while at the same time, with the way he is made more human, you still sort of root for him. I actually really liked it, though it dragged sometimes. If you haven't read the third book be prepared, because it goes off the rails in another direction. It's a really weird series with the Jorg acting significantly different in all three.
|
|
#
?
Oct 11, 2013 05:37
|
|
|
General Battuta posted:Blindsight. Pretty much also where you should stop, outside his short fiction. Starfish is all right, don't read the sequels. Disagree. While the Rifters books do decline in quality they're still above average sci fi and worth reading.
|
|
#
?
Oct 11, 2013 07:36
|
|
|
minema posted:According to posts on her Facebook page Robin Hobb is writing a new Farseer book called The Fool's Assassin which will be out in 2014. I hope she doesn't mess it up, I loved the original books! Ok, so we see a return of the Fool. Let's hope that Fitz is completely out of it now, cause he has his happy ending, well-deserved as it was. Although it seemed like she forced a happy ending :sic: for him. The Farseer trilogy had a better ending, even though it was less happy.
|
|
#
?
Oct 11, 2013 08:11
|
|
|
General Battuta posted:Blindsight. Pretty much also where you should stop, outside his short fiction. Starfish is all right, don't read the sequels. Someone - possibly in here - recommended his Crysis tie-in. I was skeptical, but decided to give it a shot because hey, it's Watts. It was actually non-bad. I won't go as far as good, but certainly above par for genre fiction and shockingly good for a videogame novelization.
|
|
#
?
Oct 11, 2013 19:08
|
|
|
Cardiac posted:Ok, so we see a return of the Fool.
|
|
#
?
Oct 11, 2013 20:44
|
|
|
Just finished The Republic of Thieves. It's a troubled book and the end feels a little awkward, but it's still good.
|
|
#
?
Oct 11, 2013 20:51
|
|
|
I'm not really sure if this fits the thread, but the Kindle edition of Year Zero: A Novel by Rob Reid is on sale at Amazon for $0.99quote:Low-level entertainment lawyer Nick Carter thinks it’s a prank, not an alien encounter, when a redheaded mullah and a curvaceous nun show up at his office. But Frampton and Carly are highly advanced (if bumbling) extraterrestrials. The entire cosmos, they tell him, has been hopelessly hooked on American pop songs ever since “Year Zero” (1977 to us), resulting in the biggest copyright violation since the Big Bang and bankrupting the whole universe. Nick has just been tapped to clean up this mess before things get ugly. Thankfully, this unlikely galaxy-hopping hero does know a thing or two about copyright law. Now, with Carly and Frampton as his guides, Nick has forty-eight hours to save humanity—while hoping to wow the hot girl who lives down the hall from him.
|
|
#
?
Oct 11, 2013 20:58
|
|
|
Fart of Presto posted:I'm not really sure if this fits the thread, but the Kindle edition of Year Zero: A Novel by Rob Reid is on sale at Amazon for $0.99 It's tries to be the Hitchhiker's Guide for millenials and fails. It's an alright read, especially at that price, just don't expect anything approaching Adams.
|
|
#
?
Oct 11, 2013 21:50
|
|
|
coffeetable posted:Someone - possibly in here - recommended his Crysis tie-in. I was skeptical, but decided to give it a shot because hey, it's Watts. It was actually non-bad. I won't go as far as good, but certainly above par for genre fiction and shockingly good for a videogame novelization. This is a correct post. I read it, it's shockingly decent.
|
|
#
?
Oct 11, 2013 22:23
|
|
|
I liked it better than the game. Wasn't massively OH SWEET JESUS I THINK I CAME kinda great, but it was decent enough. Worth a read if you like the games, I guess.
|
|
#
?
Oct 12, 2013 00:51
|
|
|
Just finished reading Thirteen, by Richard K. Morgan. Long story short, if you like the Takeshi Kovacs novels and want more, you should read it. It's in a different setting but not by much, and it reads a lot like the Adventures of not-Takeshi Kovacs, cyberpunk anti-superhero. As an avid consumer of Morgan I enjoyed it. I know he has some mixed reviews here and I can't say I'd expect anyone to change their mind based on this one.
|
|
#
?
Oct 12, 2013 09:15
|
|
|
Lord Yod posted:Just finished reading Thirteen, by Richard K. Morgan. Long story short, if you like the Takeshi Kovacs novels and want more, you should read it. It's in a different setting but not by much, and it reads a lot like the Adventures of not-Takeshi Kovacs, cyberpunk anti-superhero. As an avid consumer of Morgan I enjoyed it. I know he has some mixed reviews here and I can't say I'd expect anyone to change their mind based on this one. I really liked this, it uses all Morgan's usual tropes but he mixes up the plot and setting enough to keep me hooked. If I read something else about LCLS panels though i'll go bonkers.
|
|
#
?
Oct 12, 2013 14:41
|
|
|
Lord Yod posted:Just finished reading Thirteen, by Richard K. Morgan. Long story short, if you like the Takeshi Kovacs novels and want more, you should read it. It's in a different setting but not by much, and it reads a lot like the Adventures of not-Takeshi Kovacs, cyberpunk anti-superhero. As an avid consumer of Morgan I enjoyed it. I know he has some mixed reviews here and I can't say I'd expect anyone to change their mind based on this one. First I thought it was a book by Richard Morgan that I hadn't read and apparently missed buying. Then I check Wikipedia and realize it's the American version of Black Man. Sensitive title for you in the US? I liked Black Man, reread it a couple of months ago. A problem with Morgan is that he can't write main characters that are not violent psychopaths.
|
|
#
?
Oct 12, 2013 16:11
|
|
|
I suspect the publisher wanted to dodge any controversy on that front, yeah. Can't really blame them.
|
|
#
?
Oct 12, 2013 18:12
|
|
|
I wanna see Richard Morgan write a book with a female protagonist.
|
|
#
?
Oct 12, 2013 18:49
|
|
|
Rough Lobster posted:I wanna see Richard Morgan write a book with a female protagonist. Seriously. He had the perfect setup for this in the Kovacs books, but he never took the chance. One of the running subtextual concerns of his work was the way personality is shaped by the body and neurochemistry - he should've put Kovacs in a female sleeve and either written something really brilliant or (probably) hosed it all up royally with 
|
|
#
?
Oct 12, 2013 19:02
|
|
|
Rough Lobster posted:I wanna see Richard Morgan write a book with a female protagonist. His gender stuff is a lot better in Land Fit for Heroes. The Kovacs books... Every female character felt like a prop for Kovacs to gently caress. It rarely added to the plot. But yeah, he hosed them, because.
|
|
#
?
Oct 12, 2013 19:30
|
|
|
Rough Lobster posted:I wanna see Richard Morgan write a book with a female protagonist. Only if he did it without any sex scenes. Lord Yod fucked around with this message at 01:05 on Oct 13, 2013 |
|
#
?
Oct 13, 2013 00:48
|
|
|
Rough Lobster posted:I wanna see Richard Morgan write a book with a female protagonist. Morgan wrote a run of Black Widow comics that I thought were pretty solid. He does a good job with her, and to the extent Natasha Romanov is a psycho, she's not just a variation on Kovacs. Can't recall the titles off the top of my head, but they're collected in two smaller TPBs. Worth checking out.
|
|
#
?
Oct 13, 2013 01:19
|
|
|
I finished Ready Player One and I did not enjoy it. It was masturbatory to the extreme and the sheer number of pages that amounted to nothing more than 80’s name dropping got irritating. There were several chapters that I just skimmed through.
|
|
#
?
Oct 13, 2013 02:34
|
|
|
The last time I read fantasy was when I read Hobbit for the hundreth time when I was nine years old, after that I've been dwelling on non-fiction, reading history, political history, criminology, true crime and some popular science stuff. Learning new things is fun. Now, though, I'm having an urge to check out some fiction, but my criteria is that it shouldn't be pure entertainment. Well written and exciting is all fine, nothing wrong with that, but I want books that in one way or another make me think. Like if the books have some interesting philosophical stuff or the theme is morally or otherwise (for example it's about political or racial issues) interesting. Well written is a huge plus. If the books are adult and mature fantasy, that would be fun. Science fiction is alright too. Edit: Oh, and if the books would have something interesting to say about religion, it would be extremely interesting.
|
|
#
?
Oct 13, 2013 21:13
|
|
|
ManOfTheYear posted:The last time I read fantasy was when I read Hobbit for the hundreth time when I was nine years old, after that I've been dwelling on non-fiction, reading history, political history, criminology, true crime and some popular science stuff. Learning new things is fun. Now, though, I'm having an urge to check out some fiction, but my criteria is that it shouldn't be pure entertainment. Well written and exciting is all fine, nothing wrong with that, but I want books that in one way or another make me think. Like if the books have some interesting philosophical stuff or the theme is morally or otherwise (for example it's about political or racial issues) interesting. Well written is a huge plus. If the books are adult and mature fantasy, that would be fun. Take a gander at Lord of Light by Roger Zelazny for something relatively light, and Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut for something relatively heavier. Both of those are sci-fi, though. For fantasy try something by Guy Gavriel Kay, maybe Lions of Al-Rassan.
|
|
#
?
Oct 13, 2013 22:06
|
|
|
ManOfTheYear posted:The last time I read fantasy was when I read Hobbit for the hundreth time when I was nine years old, after that I've been dwelling on non-fiction, reading history, political history, criminology, true crime and some popular science stuff. Learning new things is fun. Now, though, I'm having an urge to check out some fiction, but my criteria is that it shouldn't be pure entertainment. Well written and exciting is all fine, nothing wrong with that, but I want books that in one way or another make me think. Like if the books have some interesting philosophical stuff or the theme is morally or otherwise (for example it's about political or racial issues) interesting. Well written is a huge plus. If the books are adult and mature fantasy, that would be fun. If you don't mind more overtly religious material, there's The Sparrow by Maria Doria Russell. If you really don't mind more overtly religious material, move on to Out of the Silent Planet by CS Lewis. If you'd rather read a religious novel by someone who inexplicably had religious beliefs that have been pretty much defunct for fifteen hundred years (gnosticism) there's David Lindsay's Voyage to Arcturus. On the philosophy end, if you like classical philosophy then check out Neal Stephenson's Anathem. If you're more interested in the modern philosophy of consciousness then try China Mieville's Embassytown.
|
|
#
?
Oct 13, 2013 22:26
|
|
|
Lex Talionis posted:If you don't mind more overtly religious material, there's The Sparrow by Maria Doria Russell. I don't think calling The Sparrow "overtly religious material" a la CS Lewis' books really describes it too well in comparison. It's very, very critical. Tiny Timbs fucked around with this message at 22:33 on Oct 13, 2013 |
|
#
?
Oct 13, 2013 22:28
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 10, 2024 15:14 |
|
|
Fallom posted:I don't think calling The Sparrow "overtly religious material" a la CS Lewis' books really describes it too well in comparison. It's very, very critical. On the other hand, though, the protagonist is a literal Jesuit missionary to an alien race. You don't get much more "I am writing about religion" than that -- even C.S. Lewis's stuff does more to hide the ball ("That's totally not a cross! It's a stone table! Bet you never saw that coming!") I wouldn't recommend Gene Wolfe to someone new to fantasy. He's a great writer and all but he's sortof like the James Joyce of fantasy -- you don't just read his books, you have to actively research them while you read in order to even understand half of what's going on.
|
|
#
?
Oct 13, 2013 23:19
|
|