Transcripts from Science Fiction Saturday, a regular event in Second Life. Hosted by the group Science Fiction Discussion each Saturday at 2.00 p.m. SL time.

Saturday, March 7, 2009

7 March 2009: Insilico (Blue Ant Bar)

[14:03] Jago Constantine: What was the last science fiction book you read, Eddi :)
[14:03] Eddi Haskell: i hve to think / not for a while / you should recommend some / probalby something by thomas pynchon / is there a sci fi group? / you should put me in ti
[14:04] Lewis Luminos accepted your inventory offer.
[14:04] Eddi Haskell: i want to read snow whatever
[14:04] Eddi Haskell: the vrr book
[14:05] Eddi Haskell: nope
[14:05] Eddi Haskell: i know which books i read
[14:05] Eddi Haskell: a big series
[14:05] Lewis Luminos: lm works :)
[14:05] Jago Constantine: Hi, Lewis :)
[14:05] Eddi Haskell: its about lizards
[14:05] Eddi Haskell: hi lewis
[14:05] Lewis Luminos: hi Eddi, Jago
[14:05] Jago Constantine: Lizards?
[14:05] Eddi Haskell: who change the outcome of world war 2 / hi lewis
[14:06] Jago Constantine: Oh by Harry Turtledove
[14:06] Eddi Haskell: yes
[14:06] Jago Constantine: Did you like the series?
[14:06] Eddi Haskell: world war
[14:06] Eddi Haskell: in up to volume 2.5
[14:06] Eddi Haskell: i need torfinish it
[14:06] Eddi Haskell: yes
[14:06] Eddi Haskell: i have all of them
[14:06] Jago Constantine: heh I didn't :P
[14:06] Eddi Haskell: yeah it is hard to read 2000 pages of one author
[14:07] Jago Constantine: lol yes / I don't like his books generally
[14:07] Lewis Luminos: (still can't see anyone yet)
[14:07] Eddi Haskell: it is very slow to rez
[14:07] Jago Constantine: Yeah but it's worth the wait lol
[14:07] Eddi Haskell: and slow to teleport here i crashed
[14:07] Jago Constantine: did you set your graphics low?
[14:07] Eddi Haskell: hi lewis
[14:07] Eddi Haskell: no
[14:07] Lewis Luminos: now I see you :)
[14:07] Eddi Haskell: they were on ultra
[14:07] Eddi Haskell: lol
[14:08] Jago Constantine: lol eddi / no wonder / Lewis this is my partner, Eddi / Eddi, Lewis is a regular for the group :)
[14:08] Eddi Haskell: hi lewis
[14:08] Lewis Luminos: hi Eddi.
[14:08] Eddi Haskell: nice to meet you
[14:08] Lewis Luminos doesnt usually dress like this
[14:08] Jago Constantine: How was your philosophy discussion group?
[14:08] Eddi Haskell: how do you usually dress
[14:09] Lewis Luminos: not too shabby. Actually had people turn up which surprised me
[14:09] Jago Constantine: Hi, Arch
[14:09] Jago Constantine: We're using the Blue Ant for a science fiction discussion, if you want to join us
[14:09] Lewis Luminos: usually just flanell and jeans :-D
[14:09] Eddi Haskell: yeah like me / hi arch
[14:09] Lewis Luminos: <= grungy old hippie
[14:10] Eddi Haskell: lol
[14:10] Jago Constantine: Well you look pretty cyberpunk today
[14:10] Jago Constantine: Heh
[14:10] Eddi Haskell: = space cadet
[14:10] Lewis Luminos: heh
[14:11] Jago Constantine: Anyway Eddi so you like Harry Turtledove and I don't :P
[14:11] Eddi Haskell: well its ok
[14:11] Eddi Haskell: i liked the scene where the lizards became sushi
[14:11] Jago Constantine: lol
[14:11] Eddi Haskell: lol
[14:11] Jago Constantine: Well I was going to read an anthology of short stories
[14:12] Eddi Haskell: which one
[14:12] Jago Constantine: but ended up reading Sidney's Comet by Brian Herbert / It was Galactic Dreamers, secondhand one I found
[14:12] Eddi Haskell: iven been reading alot of alterntative history but that it not necessarily science fiction
[14:13] Jago Constantine: I say it is :)
[14:13] Lewis Luminos: it can be
[14:13] Jago Constantine: What have you read?
[14:13] Jago Constantine: lately
[14:13] Eddi Haskell: a series of short essarys on alternative history but it is in the past
[14:13] Eddi Haskell: i dont know the author i read it last night
[14:14] Jago Constantine: Essays so not stories?
[14:14] Eddi Haskell: i want to read virtual reality alternative fiction / yes / science fiction / i should wirte a novel about my experiences here no one would beleive it
[14:14] Jago Constantine: lol
[14:14] Lewis Luminos: if I wrote about my experiences in SL no-one would want to read it
[14:14] Lewis Luminos: no-one wants to be that bored
[14:14] Jago Constantine: ha
[14:15] Jago Constantine: Are you having trouble sitting, lewis?
[14:15] Lewis Luminos: no but the seat made me sit with my back to you and it felt wrong
[14:15] Jago Constantine: there's a seat behind eddi that might suit / cool
[14:15] Lewis Luminos: ah thats better
[14:16] Jago Constantine: Anyway this book Sidney's Comet
[14:16] Eddi Haskell: the experiences that ibm has had here in sl would make for an interesting novel
[14:16] Eddi Haskell: yes
[14:16] Jago Constantine: it's by Brian Herbert, who is Frank Herbert's son
[14:16] Jago Constantine: who wrote Dune
[14:16] Lewis Luminos: does he show any influence?
[14:17] Jago Constantine: It's nothing like Dune, it's a satire
[14:17] Jago Constantine: or a parody
[14:17] Lewis Luminos: cool
[14:17] Jago Constantine: or silly / kind of funny / I'm enjoying it, basically in the future, the human race sends garbage into space
[14:18] Eddi Haskell: why is it funny
[14:18] Jago Constantine: then aliens send it all back at once in a huge asteroid, so we have to try and deflect it
[14:18] Jago Constantine: it's written humorously
[14:18] Eddi Haskell: lol
[14:18] Lewis Luminos: haha
[14:18] Eddi Haskell: i dont think people in new jersey wuold like it
[14:18] Eddi Haskell: cause they get all new yorks garbage
[14:18] Eddi Haskell: lol
[14:18] Jago Constantine: lol / In this future, everyone shares jobs / so a typing pool in an office have like a 50th of a job each and type different keys
[14:19] Eddi Haskell: lol
[14:20] Jago Constantine: it's pretty silly
[14:20] Jago Constantine: It was Brian Herbert's first book ... recently he's been writing new books in the Dune series
[14:20] Lewis Luminos: sounds like fun.
[14:20] Jago Constantine: they suck :P
[14:20] Eddi Haskell: lol
[14:20] Lewis Luminos: hmm someone else writing Dune stuff sounds less fun
[14:20] Jago Constantine: lol / yeah, he's basically capitalising on his father's work for cash / he co-writes with kevin anderson / their books are nowhere near as deep or detailed as the originals
[14:22] Lewis Luminos: theyre a hard act to follow
[14:22] Jago Constantine: yeah
[14:22] Lewis Luminos: phenomenal world-building there
[14:22] Eddi Haskell: most sequels are
[14:22] Jago Constantine: it's a shame because Brian Herbert clearly has a unique voice as an author, distinct from his father's
[14:22] Jago Constantine: as shown in this book and his other non-dune ones
[14:22] Lewis Luminos: maybe he should have stuck to writing comerdy
[14:23] Jago Constantine: yes he should have ... but they wouldn't sell as well / lol
[14:23] Eddi Haskell: there is nothing wrong with being an A plus writer of B material
[14:23] Lewis Luminos: Terry Pratchett did fine...
[14:23] Jago Constantine: I suspect that Kevin Anderson writes the new dune books and Brian Herbert puts the name herbert on the cover
[14:24] Jago Constantine: I loved terry pratchett for about the first dozen books
[14:24] Lewis Luminos: I actually never could get into them at all
[14:24] Jago Constantine: but he went downhill for a patch
[14:25] Eddi Haskell: can you guys give me someting to read
[14:25] Eddi Haskell: im serious
[14:25] Jago Constantine: when the books started being 'this one parodies opera', this one parodies rock, this one parodies australia
[14:25] Jago Constantine: a suggestion?
[14:25] Eddi Haskell: lol / yes
[14:25] Jago Constantine: Why not read Snow Crash you keep saying you want to
[14:25] Lewis Luminos: hmm, the last book I read that I really enjoyed was Perdido Street Station
[14:25] Lewis Luminos: oh yeah thats very good too
[14:26] Eddi Haskell: what is perfido about
[14:26] Lewis Luminos: a must-read if you want to read on Virtual Worlds
[14:26] Jago Constantine: Oh Lewis, next time we have a group excursion, there's a China Mieville-based sim we can visit
[14:26] Lewis Luminos: perdido, is a sort of steampunk city bug-hunt
[14:26] Lewis Luminos: ooh
[14:26] Lewis Luminos: :)
[14:26] Jago Constantine: It's based on The Scar actually lol / so you need to read that :P
[14:26] Lewis Luminos: I need to get a copy of that
[14:26] Lewis Luminos: yeah definitely
[14:27] Lewis Luminos: one to buy
[14:27] Arch Optera watches the humans chat as she idly lies there.
[14:27] Jago Constantine: the sim is a bunch of boats joined together
[14:27] Jago Constantine: Hi, Miroirs, thanks for coming :)
[14:27] Miroirs Hax: hello
[14:27] Jago Constantine: Slow rezzing here, set your graphics low for a bit
[14:27] Eddi Haskell: hi miroirs
[14:27] Lewis Luminos: hi Miroirs / so my latest book wasn't as good
[14:28] Jago Constantine: ok what was it again?
[14:28] Lewis Luminos: Speed of Dark by Elizabeth Moon
[14:28] Jago Constantine: oh thats right
[14:29] Lewis Luminos: supposedly a thriller but it wasnt very thrilling
[14:29] Jago Constantine: would you recommend her works?
[14:29] Lewis Luminos: I wouldnt reccomend this one unles you've got a particular interest in the topic
[14:29] Lewis Luminos: which in this case is autism and medical ethics
[14:29] Lewis Luminos: set in the near future
[14:29] Jago Constantine: hmm not really
[14:29] Eddi Haskell: i just read it
[14:29] Lewis Luminos: where they've inventd a cure for autism
[14:29] Eddi Haskell: the synposis
[14:29] Jago Constantine: though I liked The Curious Case of the Dog in the Night Time / Hey Miroirs, have you read any good books lately?
[14:30] Lewis Luminos: and its an exploration of whether it's right to make people have the treatment against their will
[14:30] Miroirs Hax: think i'm almost rezzed, woa, nice location!
[14:30] Jago Constantine: yes isn;t it cool :)
[14:31] Lewis Luminos: while at the same time convicted criminals get forced to have their brais altered, and it's practically the same thing
[14:31] Jago Constantine: This is our first meet where we visit a new location
[14:31] Lewis Luminos: *brains
[14:31] Arch Optera: Welcome to Insilico.
[14:32] Eddi Haskell: i like to photo here
[14:32] Jago Constantine: Basically Miroirs, we go through what we read last, then what we're going to read next at these meets :)
[14:32] Miroirs Hax: sounds nice, sorry for being late
[14:32] Lewis Luminos: I dont have anything else lined up yet, will have to see whats int he library on Monday
[14:33] Jago Constantine: no worries, Miroirs
[14:33] Lewis Luminos: unless I can buy a copy of Scar
[14:33] Jago Constantine: You could try it as an ebook / it might be online
[14:33] Lewis Luminos: trouble with that is I do all my reading while I'm commuting
[14:33] Jago Constantine: ah
[14:33] Lewis Luminos: and I dont have anything I can use to take an ebook with me
[14:33] Jago Constantine: I wish we had Kindles in australia / I use my pda sometimes
[14:34] Lewis Luminos: to be honest I prefer my books to be made of paper
[14:34] Jago Constantine: me too, but a lot of people say that then love kindles :P
[14:34] Eddi Haskell: xerox has has paper that can change text electronically for many years
[14:34] Eddi Haskell: it will come to the market soon
[14:35] Jago Constantine: cool / There is an ebook of The Scar available for the record :)
[14:35] Lewis Luminos: I'd like to have a pda that never runs out of battery, and is still easy to read when the sun;s shining on the screen
[14:35] Lewis Luminos: then I'll be happy :)
[14:35] Jago Constantine: heh
[14:36] Jago Constantine: Once I finish this Sidney's Comet book I will read the sequel The Garbage Chronicles :P
[14:36] Jago Constantine: I picked them both up at once
[14:37] Jago Constantine: Not sure what the sequel is about, apart from garbage again and the same characters
[14:38] Jago Constantine: Hey Miroirs, are you rezzed? Would you like to discuss a book or are you happy to listen :)
[14:39] Miroirs Hax: i've not been able to read any sci-fi lately, sadly, so i'll mostly listen if that's ok
[14:39] Jago Constantine: Sure
[14:39] Jago Constantine: Oh can I invite you to join our group?
[14:40] Eddi Haskell: invite me please
[14:40] Miroirs Hax: sure, thanks
[14:40] Jago Constantine: Great / I send out notices for our saturday meetings through it / also, if you want to discuss sci fi in chat, feel free to use group / So you all like the venue for this week's meeting?
[14:42] Lewis Luminos: it looks great
[14:42] Eddi Haskell: i do
[14:42] Jago Constantine: take some time to look around later it's worth it
[14:42] Miroirs Hax: yes, sure sets the mood, did you create this?
[14:42] Jago Constantine: oh no
[14:42] Jago Constantine: I just asked the creator if we could meet here
[14:42] Jago Constantine: it's a roleplay sim
[14:43] Jago Constantine: this bar is Out of Character
[14:43] Miroirs Hax: :)
[14:43] Jago Constantine: or its allowed here / This isn't book related, but I went to see The Watchmen yesterday :)
[14:44] Lewis Luminos: so did I :)
[14:44] Jago Constantine: I really liked it
[14:44] Eddi Haskell: is it good?
[14:44] Jago Constantine: It's kind of like Sin City
[14:44] Lewis Luminos: I... actually didn't, to be honest
[14:44] Jago Constantine: with superheroes
[14:44] Lewis Luminos: though I didnt like the book much either
[14:45] Jago Constantine: I never got a chance to read the comics
[14:45] Lewis Luminos: I'd hesitate to use the word "heroes" in there
[14:45] Jago Constantine: well yeah / the characters are all flawed
[14:45] Lewis Luminos: very much so
[14:45] Miroirs Hax: i've only just learned about the watchmen, i sure liked sin city though
[14:46] Lewis Luminos: If you like very, very dark, and very very gruesomely violent
[14:46] Jago Constantine: yes, this is just as stylised and violent
[14:46] Jago Constantine: its from the director of 300 I think
[14:46] Arch Optera: Frank Miller, yes.
[14:46] Lewis Luminos: then you'll like it
[14:46] Lewis Luminos: and you dont mind that the "heroes" are rapists and murderers
[14:47] Arch Optera: Don't mind me boys since we're ooc here I am just listening.
[14:47] Miroirs Hax: that's a lot of criticism in a recommendation Lewis :)
[14:47] Jago Constantine: I understand that it was kind of the point of the comic to try and depict the kind of people who might become masked vigilantes in RL
[14:47] Lewis Luminos: no I actually do think its a good film, just not my type of film
[14:47] Lewis Luminos: it was very true to the book, well-executed
[14:48] Jago Constantine: Feel free to comment, Arch :)
[14:48] Jago Constantine: Some criticism I heard was that it was too true to the books
[14:48] Lewis Luminos: could that even be a criticism?
[14:48] Lewis Luminos: heh
[14:49] Jago Constantine: well I read a quote once, a book is hundreds of pages
[14:49] Jago Constantine: a script is 40 pages
[14:49] Jago Constantine: you can't try to force everything in
[14:49] Arch Optera: I always like to see how they translate book to film, unfortunately sometimes they suck. But each director always has an interesting interperetation.
[14:49] Jago Constantine: Hi, Ji NI, thanks for coming
[14:49] Lewis Luminos: I'm not particularly squeamish but there were several scenes I just couldn't watch
[14:49] Ji Ni: hello :)
[14:50] Jago Constantine: there were times when I felt the movie was trying to fill in a lot of backstory
[14:50] Eddi Haskell: hi Ji Ni
[14:50] Miroirs Hax: hello
[14:50] Jago Constantine: I didn't mind that
[14:50] Lewis Luminos: the movie was easier to follow than the book
[14:50] Lewis Luminos: maybe it was dumbed down a bit
[14:50] Jago Constantine: We're talking about The Watchmen movie, Ji
[14:50] Jago Constantine: Definitely
[14:50] Lewis Luminos: or maybe I was too young when I read it
[14:51] Ji Ni: i havent seen it yet :(
[14:51] Jago Constantine: I think they wanted Terry Gilliam to film it at one stage, and he said it was unfilmable :P
[14:51] Lewis Luminos: probably was, then. Movie-making technology has come a long way since then
[14:52] Jago Constantine: no cgi :)
[14:52] Jago Constantine: yes, Terry Gilliam would have done it old school :)
[14:52] Eddi Haskell: with humour
[14:52] Jago Constantine: this had humour, as dark as Gilliams
[14:53] Jago Constantine: well darker maybe
[14:53] Jago Constantine: less absurd
[14:53] Jago Constantine: How are you going, Ji, rezzed?
[14:53] Lewis Luminos: I thought some of the humour in Watchmen was inappropriate
[14:54] Jago Constantine: Can you say without spoiling which bits?
[14:54] Jago Constantine: without spoilers
[14:54] Lewis Luminos: hmm... choice of certain bits of soundtrack
[14:54] Ji Ni: meh, holy rez mania
[14:54] Lewis Luminos: making reference to other pop-culture icons...
[14:55] Jago Constantine: Hmm I can't figure the parts you mean lol
[14:55] Jago Constantine: Did you set your graphics low Ji?
[14:55] Lewis Luminos: Apocalypse Now
[14:55] Jago Constantine: oh yeah
[14:55] Ji Ni: mine are low as they can go, shitty puter though
[14:55] Jago Constantine: I liked that bit
[14:56] Jago Constantine: I thought it was just how a superhero would be used in RL
[14:56] Lewis Luminos: yeah I agree
[14:56] Jago Constantine: but the music subverted it
[14:57] Lewis Luminos: but there I was laughing at the music and watching that, and suddenly thought "why the hell am I laughing at this?"
[14:57] Jago Constantine: yeah it was conflicting
[14:57] Lewis Luminos: it felt wrong
[14:57] Jago Constantine: one of the parts I felt worst seeing was the kennedy assassination
[14:57] Lewis Luminos: oh god yeah
[14:58] Lewis Luminos: worst bit for me was the prison scene
[14:58] Lewis Luminos: the bit with the saw
[14:58] Eddi Haskell: your making me want to see it
[14:58] Jago Constantine: lol eddi
[14:58] Miroirs Hax: heh, same here
[14:58] Jago Constantine: well that was so over the top
[14:58] Jago Constantine: you should go!
[14:59] Eddi Haskell: i will
[14:59] Jago Constantine: Ji, would you like an invite to our group?
[14:59] Lewis Luminos: yeah. I didnt actually like it but I still think it was a good film
[14:59] Ji Ni: sure :)
[15:00] Jago Constantine: We
[15:00] Jago Constantine: re winding up now, so this will help you know where the next meet is
[15:00] Ji Ni: Will you put it into the Search events listing?
[15:00] Jago Constantine: It could be back at my and Eddi's land, or it could be at a China Mieville theme sim
[15:00] Jago Constantine: yes, I will
[15:01] Jago Constantine: so it will be easy to find
[15:01] spyVspy Aeon: hi there
[15:01] Ji Ni: ok, that is best, i only have 25 group slots :(
[15:01] Miroirs Hax: hello
[15:01] Jago Constantine: sure
[15:01] Jago Constantine: it's the only science fiction event I know :P
[15:01] Jago Constantine: Hi, spy
[15:01] Lewis Luminos: I'm nearly out of group slots too
[15:01] Eddi Haskell: well
[15:01] Eddi Haskell: i am going to put more inisilico photos up at my gallery
[15:02] Eddi Haskell: so you can see my photos
[15:02] Eddi Haskell: there is an inisilico photo from me in metaverse
[15:02] Miroirs Hax: nice to meet you, thanks for the event
[15:02] Eddi Haskell: the sl newspaper
[15:02] Ji Ni: Its a great topic, I luvz the scifi
[15:02] Jago Constantine: me too ... I'm surprised there weren't sci fi discussion groups already
[15:02] Jago Constantine: I had to make one :)
[15:03] Lewis Luminos: I'm glad you did, its fun
[15:03] Lewis Luminos: its also got me reading more :-D
[15:03] Ji Ni: ive seen the odd sci fi book discussed in general fantasy groups but ya, its good to see specifically sci fi
[15:03] spyVspy Aeon: :) scifi lover too
[15:04] Jago Constantine: I think our next meeting will be at my land like last week, and we'll do the excursion after that
[15:04] Jago Constantine: would you like a group invite, spy?
[15:04] Jago Constantine: We have sci fi discussion saturdays at 2
[15:04] spyVspy Aeon: yay sounds really cool
[15:04] spyVspy Aeon: need to know if I have time lol too much things to do
[15:05] Jago Constantine: Sure
[15:05] spyVspy Aeon: thnks
[15:05] spyVspy Aeon: right now doing a machinima
[15:05] Jago Constantine: any time you want
[15:05] Jago Constantine: You can also discuss sci fi in group chat
[15:05] spyVspy Aeon: :) I will need for the storyboards
[15:05] Lewis Luminos: Jago I gotta say I love that Tony-Stark style heart thing you're wearing there :)
[15:06] Jago Constantine: heh thanks I bought it in the mall here
[15:06] Saskia Bowie: Hello everyone
[15:06] Jago Constantine: Hi, Saskia :)
[15:06] Lewis Luminos: hi Saskia
[15:06] Eddi Haskell: hi saskia
[15:07] Jago Constantine: Ok, I might log and have breakfast :)
[15:07] Saskia Bowie: hmm, no rp?
[15:07] Astolio Krell: hello
[15:07] Jago Constantine: thanks for coming I will send a group notice with the next location
[15:07] Jago Constantine: we just had a sci fi discussion event
[15:08] Lewis Luminos: I have to go too
[15:08] Lewis Luminos: nice meeting you Eddi

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