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more about #charlesstross Mark 2000: This is just odd. Why would aliens be sending meat puppets to earth and why wouldn't their sophisticated, FTL probes be smart enough to scan for habit... more » FrankN.Stein: the whole question is rather pointless - humans have conqeuered just about EVERY habitat on earth, wether it's originally habitable for us or not. #space more » Marc Whipple: There is a quote in _Have_Spacesuit,_Will_Travel - which is, of course, a novel about a supergenius teenager attempting to refurbish a derelict surplu... more » daveNYC: The problem is 'mindless'. Humans aren't, which is why we've managed to spread all over the place. #space more » artiofab: (cough) [books.google.ca] It's been done in book format. By authors who didn't say "H. Sapiens Sapiens". (if anyone out there can point out the three ... more » twophrasebark: Well... 99 percent of all the species that have ever lived on this planet are extinct. Planets evolve. Life evolves. Currently on this planet natu... more » Dr Emilio Lizardo: Why do we have to assume the meat probe lands randomly? If a civilization has the ability to launch the meat probe, couldn't said probe evaluate the ... more » Anekanta - Go Play!: But if we can send robots to other solar systems in a timely fashion, surely we can build habitats on these new worlds, to support us until we can liv... more » Dirk Anger: On the other hand, if that "meat machine" is a fish, specifically an arctic fish... #space more » firstofnormalin: Sure--if there's one and only one way to build a human and make it survive for all of time, the odds are pretty low that'll happen. It's the same as t... more » galerant: By that logic, literally every species in the entire history of Earth but for anaerobic bacteria would have a survivability of only a few percent, not... more » Dr.Quatermass Sc.D: Purveyor of Truth, Disseminator of Lies: I have to do it. It seems that Mr. Stross is just trying to keep us safe from #spacerape more » Roklimber: "we couldn't even breathe the air for the vast majority of the planet's history." And that's different from today's Los Angeles how, exactly? #space more » ThisDudeRufus: Well, people've been spitting on the ground long enough that I'd say we're even. Truce, Earth? #space more » leicester: Bill Bryson also discusses the extremely long odds of human existence in 'A Short History of Nearly Everything' - Additionally, there is genetic and ... more » rek: Reminds me of 'Alien Earth' by Megan Lindholm. Aliens rescue us from our polluted mess of a planet, but they're from such a balanced biosphere and eco... more » twDarkflame: This isnt taking into account we evolve to fit our environment. The question is not "how long can earth support us as we currently are" but more "how ... more » ilves: so... we built large habitats floating out in space? no messy planet issues... #space more » HitmonInfinity: Good thing our ancestors didn't need to breathe. Why did we grow lungs in the first place? #space more » crashfrog: What are the chances? In a galaxy of 400 billion suns? In a universe where a dime held at arm's length towards the night sky covers a million such gal... more » -
#madgeoscience
Our Own Planet Would Kill Us Most Of The Time
Is our planet actually inhabitable to humans? Most of us would answer yes, but the answer's a lot more complicated, writes Charles Stross. And those complications have dire implications for our hopes of colonizing other worlds. More » -
#technobabble
Why Charles Stross Hates Scifi Television's Technogibberish
Science fiction author Charles Stross hates Star Trek. He also hates Babylon 5 and can't be bothered with Doctor Who. Why? Because in so much science fiction television, the technology portrayed is so often irrelevant to the story being told. More » -
#hugoawards
Hugos 2009: The Fashion, The Fervor And The Suspense!
Last night, the 2009 Hugo Awards Ceremony brought together many of the genre's leading lights, and we were there. A few victories surprised us, and a couple of speeches moved us. Here's our gallery of the parties and the glamor. More » -
#hotbookshelfinjection
Future Cities, The Steampunk Past, And Everything In Between
This month, spend some time in Victorian steampunk England, hunt down lost artifacts on Mars, or get to know Batman a little better. You could also grab a drink in post-apocalyptic Wales. All that and more, in July books.
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#posthumans
Posthumans Go Hollywood! (Maybe.)
Are we finally going to get a posthuman mass culture? With movies like Surrogates and Avatar hitting theaters later this year, it may be now or never.
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#charlesstross
Paul Krugman Does Charles Stross!
If you didn't already worship visionary writer Charles Stross, a new virtual seminar on his works by a group of luminaries and amazing writers will convert you. Among the highlights: Paul Krugman on transdimensional economics. More » -
#triviagasm
Coital Coronaries and Sexecutions [NSFW]
Looking to do the deed with that hot alien, demon, or super-assassin, but not sure about the risks? We list scifi’s deadliest sexual encounters to ensure that your next orgasm won’t be your last. More » -
#triviagasm
Do Androids Pray to Electric Gods?
The final episodes of Battlestar Galactica promise to reveal everything about the Cylon religion. But those toasters didn't invent robo-faith — here's a list of all the religions which robots have founded over the years.
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#crapfuturism
Larry Niven's Iron-Clad Rules For Predicting Future Tech
How can you predict future technologies? You can't, according to five great science fiction authors quoted in the new CIO Magazine. But at least you can predict what types of problems will crop up.
