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San Francisco, 5:07 PM
Sat Nov 21
18 posts in the last 24 hours

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    Meet Guest Writer Gary Susman

    Sarah Connor Chronicles Fake DVD's Back Cover is Refreshingly Honest

    The Guns, Beauty and Cities Of Final Fantasy XIII

    Prototype Comic Launches on April Fools Day

    Here's Star Wars Battlefront III's Sith Kenobi

    Leaked Star Wars Battlefront 3 Gameplay Footage

    Should Science Fiction Change Its Name?

    The Shiniest Stories On io9 Last Week

    The Little ARG That Failed
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    Dsmvwl  Admin  Promote to frontpage Approve user Ban user ×
    Image of Evil Tortie's Mom: R.O.A.C.H. Evil Tortie's Mom: R.O.A.C.H.
    06/08/09

    In reply to Meet Guest Writer Gary Susman
    OMG, he's looooooking at me!


    Hi, Gary. PopWatch is the only part of EW worth anything.

     Reply
    Evil Tortie's Mom: R.O.A.C.H. was starred Evil Tortie's Mom: R.O.A.C.H. was unstarred
    Image of bonniegrrl bonniegrrl
    06/08/09

    In reply to Meet Guest Writer Gary Susman
    Pop Watch is all kinds of geektastic! Welcome!
     Reply
    bonniegrrl was starred bonniegrrl was unstarred
    Image of Meredith Woerner Meredith Woerner
    06/08/09

    In reply to Meet Guest Writer Gary Susman
    I changed the picture because he Gary was stretched, besides, now it looks it looks like he can see you!
     Reply
    Meredith Woerner was starred Meredith Woerner was unstarred
    Image of Grey_Area Grey_Area
    06/08/09

    @Meredith Woerner: It's like his eyes are peering deep within my soul...
     Reply
    Grey_Area was starred Grey_Area was unstarred
    Image of crashedpc - Haifisch crashedpc - Haifisch
    06/08/09

    In reply to Meet Guest Writer Gary Susman
    Yes, but what's his stance on glorbleblort, and can he tell what's a Disaster or not?
     Reply
    crashedpc - Haifisch was starred crashedpc - Haifisch was unstarred
    Image of Rasselas Rasselas
    06/08/09

    In reply to Meet Guest Writer Gary Susman
    You live in New Jersey? What are the Aqua Teen Hunger Force really like?
     Reply
    Rasselas was starred Rasselas was unstarred
    Image of DeepFriar DeepFriar
    06/08/09

    In reply to Meet Guest Writer Gary Susman
    [folds arms, stares critically]
    So, Gary. What's your take on the new Optimus Prime, as opposed to the 80's version?
    And you better not say "much better!"
     Reply
    DeepFriar was starred DeepFriar was unstarred
    Image of Mount_Prion Mount_Prion
    06/08/09

    In reply to Meet Guest Writer Gary Susman
    So where's his nerd-cred?
     Reply
    Mount_Prion was starred Mount_Prion was unstarred
    Image of fyngyrz fyngyrz
    12/08/08

    In reply to Should Science Fiction Change Its Name?
    Perhaps we need three shelves, not two:


    o [SF] Science fiction (rationally extrapolated or existing science)

    o [DB] Douchebaggery (trying to look like SF, but failing)

    o [Fy] Fantasy (honest hand-waving, mythology, tripe-tropes)


    Examples: Two faces of Tomorrow - James P. Hogan; SF. Wizard of Earthsea - Ursula K. Le Guin; Fy. Fantastic Voyage, Isaac Asimov, DB.


    Yes, that's right - Asimov, Mr. Science and Rationality himself, on the DB shelves. There's no scientific basis available that may be used to extrapolate the wholesale shrinkage of a macroscopic object. Temporarily or otherwise. Not in 1967, and not now.


    Though I love a good SF novel, in 50 years of reading, I haven't encountered a large number of them. DB dominates. Not to say that DB is unreadable; just that it isn't SF by any means.


    And that's on paper, where special effects are no more costly than an argument between characters. Movies... guh. Terrible stuff in terms of scientific extrapolation. Just awful.


    Then there's the usual Hollywood plot-mangling; poster child for that is Harrison's "Make Room, Make Room", a great *SF* novel about the world running short of resources and long on people, which Hollywood turned directly into bottom-feeder fare without further ado. For the record, soylent green is made of seaweed. :/


    Ok, Four shelves:


    o [SF] Science fiction (rationally extrapolated or existing science)

    o [DB] Douchebaggery (trying to look like SF, but failing)

    o [Fy] Fantasy (honest hand-waving, mythology, tripe-tropes)

    o [Ki] Kindling (primarily useful to start fires)

     Reply
    fyngyrz was starred fyngyrz was unstarred
    Image of Pope John Peeps II Pope John Peeps II
    12/08/08

    @fyngyrz: so your version of fiction is scientifically accurate, eh? oh but "rationally extrapolated"? whatever that means?


    You sound like the most boring person I don't ever want to meet.

     Reply
    Pope John Peeps II was starred Pope John Peeps II was unstarred
    Image of Pope John Peeps II Pope John Peeps II
    12/07/08

    In reply to Should Science Fiction Change Its Name?
    Why not just give it an accurate, real-world name based on what it does for its readership?


    Something like:


    Nerd Mating Call Fiction

    High School Social Status Divider Fiction

    Will Never Appreciate Hemmingway Fiction


    hahaha.

     Reply
    Pope John Peeps II was starred Pope John Peeps II was unstarred
    Image of Pope John Peeps II Pope John Peeps II
    12/07/08

    In reply to Should Science Fiction Change Its Name?
    recapping comment threads we all already read seems like the absolute pinnacle of the internet.


    I think the whole thing has now reached the status of an entirely closed system.

     Reply
    Pope John Peeps II was starred Pope John Peeps II was unstarred
    Image of Heresiarch Heresiarch
    12/07/08

    @Pope John Peeps II: It's only Jedi and Britney Spears from here, spiralling towards heat death.
     Reply
    Heresiarch was starred Heresiarch was unstarred
    Image of Pope John Peeps II Pope John Peeps II
    12/07/08

    @allread5: I only pray that Britney Reaches total entropy before I do. That's a moment I don't want to miss.
     Reply
    Pope John Peeps II was starred Pope John Peeps II was unstarred
    Image of Torley Torley
    12/07/08

    In reply to Should Science Fiction Change Its Name?
    "Science fiction" has already changed its names through myriad substyles, each meant to address a more specific, and in many cases, contemporary audience. Like cyberpunk and steampunk. :p
     Reply
    Torley was starred Torley was unstarred
    Image of JennaW JennaW
    12/07/08

    In reply to Should Science Fiction Change Its Name?
    The day after Forrest Ackerman -- the man who coined the term SciFi -- dies and we're still beating this horse? It's just a frickin' abbreviation!
     Reply
    JennaW was starred JennaW was unstarred
    Image of kuriakos kuriakos
    12/07/08

    In reply to Should Science Fiction Change Its Name?
    I think modern day SciFi is basically fantasy but with the magic replaced by advanced technology.
     Reply
    kuriakos was starred kuriakos was unstarred
    Image of ggodo, the man from R.O.A.C.H. ggodo, the man from R.O.A.C.H.
    12/07/08

    @kuriakos: Remember what Clarke said. . .
     Reply
    ggodo, the man from R.O.A.C.H. was starred ggodo, the man from R.O.A.C.H. was unstarred
    Image of ManchuCandidate ManchuCandidate
    12/07/08

    @kuriakos:

    I actually agree. Why not Science Fantasy?
     Reply
    ManchuCandidate was starred ManchuCandidate was unstarred
    Image of goldfarb goldfarb
    12/07/08

    @kuriakos: this has always been by central point...my real gripe with the term 'science fiction' is that the 'science' of science fiction isn't really science at all...but almost always 'technology'...science is not a thing, science isn't space, it isn't faster than light travel, it isn't lasers, robots, gene splicing...science is a process, a method, a way of looking at the universe, a way of asking questions and thinking about the proposed answers to those questions...and then asking more questions...

    I'm really hard pressed to think of many(any?) fictional books or movies or TV that I would honestly describe with the word 'science'...


    where is the science in our 'science fiction'?

     Reply
    goldfarb was starred goldfarb was unstarred
    Image of Gann Gann
    12/07/08

    @ManchuCandidate: I've always thought Future Fantasy had a nice ring to it.
     Reply
    Gann was starred Gann was unstarred
    Image of Moff Moff
    12/07/08

    In reply to Should Science Fiction Change Its Name?
    I'm starting my own autobiographical genre called sad-fi.
     Reply
    Moff was starred Moff was unstarred
    Image of ggodo, the man from R.O.A.C.H. ggodo, the man from R.O.A.C.H.
    12/07/08

    @Moff: Great, More Emo lit. Just what the world needs.
     Reply
    ggodo, the man from R.O.A.C.H. was starred ggodo, the man from R.O.A.C.H. was unstarred
    Image of Moff Moff
    12/07/08

    @ggodo: All of the titles have to be at least seven words long, and preferably, involve parentheses.
     Reply
    Moff was starred Moff was unstarred
    Image of Pope John Peeps II Pope John Peeps II
    12/07/08

    @Moff: "The leaves are turning brown (in my heart's heart)"

    "Each of us are mourning (in a special way)"

    "The dust on (the roses) of life"
     Reply
    Pope John Peeps II was starred Pope John Peeps II was unstarred
    Image of ggodo, the man from R.O.A.C.H. ggodo, the man from R.O.A.C.H.
    12/07/08

    In reply to Should Science Fiction Change Its Name?
    You know, the only flaw in Copore-Metal's argument is tht no bookstore I have found distinguishes between Science Fiction and Fantasy. Which bugs the hell out of me to this day.
     Reply
    ggodo, the man from R.O.A.C.H. was starred ggodo, the man from R.O.A.C.H. was unstarred
    Image of ggodo, the man from R.O.A.C.H. ggodo, the man from R.O.A.C.H.
    12/07/08

    @ggodo: I hate this internet connection. It lags and wrecks my already horrendous typing.
     Reply
    ggodo, the man from R.O.A.C.H. was starred ggodo, the man from R.O.A.C.H. was unstarred
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