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, February 20, 2010

20 February 2010: 'Harry the Crow' by John Kratman

[13:50] Jago Constantine: Hi, Cloud :)
[13:50] Cloud Pilote: Hi Jago
[13:50] Jago Constantine: Are you here for the sci fi meeting?
[13:51] Cloud Pilote: I guess - I looked to see what was on and thought this looked interesting...
[13:51] Jago Constantine: Great - we'll start in about 10 minutes
[13:51] Cloud Pilote: OK
[13:51] Jago Constantine: This week we're listening to a story podcast
[13:52] Cloud Pilote: oh kool - this is every week at this time?
[13:52] Jago Constantine: Yes - 2pm Saturdays / Would you like a group invite?
[13:52] Cloud Pilote: Yes please :o)
[13:53] Cloud Pilote: While we wait I can tell you how i fell in love with sf if you like?
[13:53] Jago Constantine: Sure!
[13:53] Cloud Pilote: OK
[13:53] Cloud Pilote: I am 54 now but for my tenth birthday I got a book token
[13:53] Sora Bluebird: hello everyone
[13:53] Jago Constantine: Hey, Sora :)
[13:53] Cloud Pilote: Dad took me to town and prevailed upon me to buy a brand new book...
[13:53] Cloud Pilote: AC CLarke - 2001!
[13:54] Sora Bluebird: my stream is on already jago
[13:54] Jago Constantine: Wow nice :)
[13:54] Cloud Pilote: I read it deep into the night on my Birthday
[13:54] Cloud Pilote: At 2am I sat bolt upright in bed
[13:54] Cloud Pilote: as Dave Bowmans las words sped from Iapetus
[13:54] Cloud Pilote: to Earth
[13:54] Cloud Pilote: "Its opening and...
[13:54] Cloud Pilote: Oh MY GOd
[13:55] Cloud Pilote: Its full of stars...
[13:55] Cloud Pilote: Who needs drugs!!
[13:55] Jago Constantine: Hehe
[13:55] Lukos Tairov: I think that IS a fantastic line, personally.
[13:56] Cloud Pilote: who are fav authors for you guys?
[13:56] Jago Constantine: yes it has that sense of wonder / personally, I'd say Iain Banks or Neal Stephenson / Sora probably likes manga and anime :)
[13:56] Cloud Pilote: lol
[13:56] Sora Bluebird: you are correct
[13:57] Sora Bluebird: and dysney
[13:57] Cloud Pilote: wELCOME!
[13:57] Jago Constantine: hey zobeid :)
[13:57] Zobeid Zuma: Hii!
[13:58] Lukos Tairov: I haven't read so much sci-fi as watched it, but I do like it.
[13:58] Jago Constantine: Hi, Lukos ... come in and join us if you like :) / We're listening to a podcast sci fi story this week
[13:58] Zobeid Zuma: When it's written, then it's SF. The word "sci-fi" applies to lower life forms, such as TV and movies. :)
[13:58] Cloud Pilote: What is that disc on your face Jago?
[13:59] Jago Constantine: hehe its from the anime Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
[13:59] Lukos Tairov: I'm on a text-only client. I can not navigate around the doorway just using the minimap, haha. So, I'm just gonna stand wherever I am and talk as well x)
[13:59] Jago Constantine: oh ok then you won't be able to hear the story today lol
[13:59] Sebastian Diranovitz: Hello everyone... ^^
[13:59] Jago Constantine: Hi, Sebastian :)
[14:00] Sebastian Diranovitz: HelloZ Jago/... >.<
[14:00] Sebastian Diranovitz sits down shyly
[14:00] Jago Constantine: We'll start the story at about 5 past to give any latecomers time to get here
[14:01] Sora Bluebird snickers at the cute schoolboy
[14:01] Zobeid Zuma: Oh, I think I found a new favorite chair.
[14:01] Jago Constantine: hehe
[14:02] Sebastian Diranovitz: I iz shy! *Frowns*
[14:02] Jago Constantine: um so yeah Cloud - in the anime the character they're hunting is the Laughing Man, a hacker / and he always conceals his face with this symbol / I've been watching it lately so I bought one for myself :P
[14:03] Sora Bluebird: hello eddi hunni
[14:03] Eddi Haskell: hai
[14:03] Jago Constantine: hey eddi babe :)
[14:03] Eddi Haskell: hai
[14:04] Eddi Haskell: hey sweetie, you too jago
[14:04] Eddi Haskell: lol
[14:04] Jago Constantine: lol
[14:04] Eddi Haskell: i just consecrated two dogtags today
[14:04] Eddi Haskell: at a wedding
[14:04] Sebastian Diranovitz: Hii Eddi!
[14:05] Eddi Haskell: hi seb
[14:05] Jago Constantine: ok does everyone have their music stream on?
[14:05] Sora Bluebird: you should be hearing the moonlight sonata
[14:05] Sebastian Diranovitz: yuss... I am swaying to the moonlight sonata
[14:05] Zobeid Zuma: I had to stop and restart it. . . but it's going now.
[14:05] Jago Constantine: Hi, Souldeaf, Jairdan / Are you here for the sci fi meeting?
[14:06] Jairdan Tearfall: hello
[14:06] SOULDEAF Zabaleta: hello
[14:06] Jairdan Tearfall: yes, thought i would come and listen
[14:06] Jago Constantine: Great - put your music stream on cos we're just about to start / today's story is Harry the Crow / by John Kratman
[14:07] SOULDEAF Zabaleta: helo
[14:07] SOULDEAF Zabaleta: hello
[14:10] Sebastian Diranovitz: Guys... *Sighs* gotta go.... Suddenly... RL... I will try to make it back
[14:11] Jago Constantine: kk :)
[14:11] Sebastian Diranovitz waves
[14:11] Eddi Haskell: bye seb
[14:18] Eddi Haskell: must be from new york
[14:18] Jago Constantine: hi, serafina, we're listening to a story on the music stream
[14:18] Serafina Faith: cool
[14:38] Jago Constantine: hi, niccole :)
[14:38] Niccole Damone: hi!
[14:38] Jago Constantine: we're listening to a podcast story on the music stream
[14:38] Niccole Damone: ok
[14:53] Jago Constantine: cool
[14:53] Zobeid Zuma: That was wild!
[14:53] Eddi Haskell: hi!
[14:53] Jago Constantine: lol hi? / So what did you all think?
[14:54] Zobeid Zuma: Very funky story. A flight of fantasy, really, but a fun one.
[14:55] Jago Constantine: Yeah I thought it was fun / I've read a few stories and novels with native american themes / It would be good to have a NA perspective on the story
[14:56] Eddi Haskell: ok question
[14:56] Eddi Haskell: they were robot animaloids right?
[14:56] Eddi Haskell: what did they do?
[14:56] Jago Constantine: animaloids?
[14:56] Eddi Haskell: yeah
[14:56] Eddi Haskell: like kinda animals and kinda robots
[14:56] Jago Constantine: there was one robot in the story / harry
[14:57] Eddi Haskell: what were tthe others?
[14:57] Jago Constantine: there was a horse / and some buffalo
[14:57] Eddi Haskell: but how come it talked
[14:57] Jago Constantine: how come what talked?
[14:57] Eddi Haskell: the horse
[14:57] Jago Constantine: did it? / what did it say?
[14:57] Eddi Haskell: well everyone was intelligent
[14:58] Eddi Haskell: I got the sense that all the animals were semi robotic
[14:58] Jago Constantine: all the people were / no I don't think so
[14:59] Zobeid Zuma: Sometimes a horse is just a horse.
[14:59] Eddi Haskell: of course!
[14:59] Jago Constantine: of course
[14:59] Eddi Haskell: unless it is a horse that talks of course!
[14:59] Jago Constantine: lol
[14:59] Eddi Haskell: mr. ed
[15:00] Eddi Haskell: that was the opening of a TV show about a talking horse
[15:00] Jago Constantine: I wonder if the author is native american? / yes we know
[15:00] Eddi Haskell: im batting 100 today!
[15:00] Eddi Haskell: im just tying to make sense of it
[15:00] Eddi Haskell: the crow
[15:00] Eddi Haskell: the native americans
[15:01] Eddi Haskell: the starbase
[15:01] Eddi Haskell: but i guess the story about about Harry who is a robot
[15:01] Jago Constantine: yes / basically its the old story about the robot who wants to become human
[15:02] Eddi Haskell: oh yeah
[15:02] Jago Constantine: like pinocchio
[15:02] Zobeid Zuma: He seems to posit a future in which the native tribes have -- somehow -- retaken large parts of the country.
[15:02] Jago Constantine: well it said the government handed Yellowstone to the native americans in 2053
[15:02] Sora Bluebird: ok guys im gonna get going
[15:03] Zobeid Zuma: One of those things that would be hard to explain, but you can get away with it just by treating it as a given and leaving the rest to the reader's imagination.
[15:03] Jago Constantine: ok thanks sora :)
[15:03] Sora Bluebird: have fun!
[15:03] Eddi Haskell: io need to go too
[15:03] Jago Constantine: well I figure that if a lot of the population is moving into space
[15:03] Eddi Haskell: i need to run i have a commitment for dinner
[15:03] Jago Constantine: then the people with more ties to the land would remain / and why not get their lands back / it seemed like it was pretty sympathetic to the Crow culture / but again I would be interested in a Native American point of view on the story
[15:05] Zobeid Zuma: Well, it's been fun. :)
[15:05] Jago Constantine: so next week we'll be back to book discussion :) / thanks zobeid!
[15:06] Zobeid Zuma: I should read something!
[15:06] Jago Constantine: niccole, would you like a group invite?
[15:06] Niccole Damone: i just joined the group the other day. seems good. i had no idea what this story was about
[15:06] Zobeid Zuma: You arrived in the middle of it, didn't you?
[15:06] Niccole Damone: yeah, halfway through.
[15:06] Jago Constantine: hehe well you can download the full story here / http://media.rawvoice.com/escapepod/media.libsyn.com/media/escapepod/EP201_HarryTheCrow.mp3
[15:07] Niccole Damone: that's ok, just wanted to get here and meet some people.
[15:07] Niccole Damone: i'm already in the group
[15:07] Jago Constantine: oh cool / anyway, next week we'll be talking about what we've read lately / 2pm saturday, same location
[15:07] Niccole Damone: oh ok
[15:08] Jago Constantine: Time for my breakfast - see you next week!
[15:08] Niccole Damone: ok, nice meeting you

Saturday, February 13, 2010

13 February 2010

[13:54] Jago Constantine: Hey, Zobeid :)
[13:55] Zobeid Zuma: Hello
[13:56] Jago Constantine: Hi, Simeon :)
[13:56] Simeon Bookmite: hi there
[13:57] Jago Constantine: hey, metro, leiben
[13:57] Metro Annamemnon: hi!
[13:57] Leiben Lorakeet: Hello Jago, know if we have to turn voice on or anything?
[13:58] Jago Constantine: No, we chat in local for the meeting :)
[13:58] Leiben Lorakeet: great
[13:58] Jago Constantine: brb just getting a drink
[14:00] Egil Milner waits for things to rez.
[14:01] Zobeid Zuma: It can take A While.
[14:01] Jago Constantine: Ok back :) / Thanks for coming, folks! / For those of you who are new, the meeting usually runs as follows / we go round the circle and take turns to discuss what we've read in the genre recently / I usually start, but unfortunately I didn't get a chance to read anything this week :P / hehe / I did listen to some podcast stories
[14:03] Mesmer Jericho: hello everyone
[14:03] Leiben Lorakeet: Hello
[14:03] Jago Constantine: hey, mesmer, nika
[14:03] Mesmer Jericho: sorry to barge in ^^
[14:03] Nika Farshore: hello :)
[14:03] Jago Constantine: no worries / are you here for the science fiction meeting?
[14:04] Mesmer Jericho: well, yes ^^
[14:04] Jago Constantine: cool ... welcome :) / we just started
[14:04] Mesmer Jericho: not sure what form it'll take, though? ^^ i'll just hang back and see what you're all up to
[14:04] Jago Constantine: the format is that we go round the circle talking about what we read last
[14:04] Zobeid Zuma: unfortunately. . . I had water invading my work area, so I've spent most of my days running a shop vac instead of reading. :(
[14:05] Jago Constantine: I was just saying I didn't get to read anything but I have been listening to podcast sci fi
[14:05] Mesmer Jericho: alright, sounds neat
[14:05] Jago Constantine: (because next week's meeting we'll be listening to a story) / So I can't really talk about the story :) / So ... Simeon - have you read anything lately?
[14:06] Leiben Lorakeet: Ive been reading classic science fiction this past week
[14:06] Zobeid Zuma: This is a spoiler-free zone. :)
[14:06] Jago Constantine: lol yes zobeid
[14:06] Simeon Bookmite: I Have been listening to the podcast versions of Fledgeling and saltation
[14:06] Jago Constantine: hmm fledgeling?
[14:07] Simeon Bookmite: by Steve Miller and Sharon Lee
[14:07] Simeon Bookmite: I will be inerviewing them her tommorrow for our pudcast
[14:07] Jago Constantine: Oh, cool / what is it about?
[14:08] Simeon Bookmite: so I had to do some background work:$)
[14:08] Simeon Bookmite: saltation comes out next month.
[14:08] Simeon Bookmite: fledgling came out in september
[14:08] Simeon Bookmite: from Baen
[14:09] Jago Constantine: Hi, RihaNa, welcome :)
[14:09] Simeon Bookmite: mostly they are back story for the liaden Universe
[14:09] Metro Annamemnon: hi, paolo!
[14:10] Jago Constantine: Ok... I haven't read any liaden books
[14:10] Paolo Alfa: hello all
[14:10] Zobeid Zuma: There's a big faction of Liaden fans in SL. . . I'd never heard of those books until I came here.
[14:10] Mesmer Jericho: hey paolo
[14:10] Zobeid Zuma: And still haven't gotten around to reading any.
[14:10] Simeon Bookmite: they cover the early years of one of tjhe characters so that we can see how she fits into the overall picture.
[14:11] Jago Constantine: Can you give a bit of an overview of the Liaden universe?
[14:12] Simeon Bookmite: Its pure space opera.
[14:12] Simeon Bookmite: characterisation is good hardware is pretty generic,
[14:13] Simeon Bookmite: Liaden is one of the major human Cultures
[14:13] Simeon Bookmite: terra ia another
[14:14] Jago Constantine: are there aliens?
[14:14] Simeon Bookmite: yes but not in the books I read.
[14:14] Jago Constantine: heh ok
[14:15] Simeon Bookmite: they are I gather big slow moving and pretty unstopable.
[14:15] Metro Annamemnon: brb
[14:16] Jago Constantine: ok and what time is your interview tomorrow?
[14:16] Simeon Bookmite: 1 PM in the podcast studio
[14:17] Jago Constantine: cool :)
[14:17] Simeon Bookmite: I will put out a LM before hand
[14:17] Jago Constantine: Thanks, Simeon :) / Ok, Leiben ... have you read anything good lately? / You there? / Hi, Richard, welcome :)
[14:19] Leiben Lorakeet: oops sorry was afk, Just finished the foundation series.
[14:20] Jago Constantine: Ah, nice / all the books, or the original foundation series?
[14:20] Leiben Lorakeet: The original, Yeah so there are some newer ones i have not read yet, but it is neat to go back, and for its time it still holds up well
[14:21] Jago Constantine: We were just talking a few weeks ago about the reasons Asimov created a human-only setting
[14:22] Simeon Bookmite: was never tempted by the later ones
[14:22] Leiben Lorakeet: yes? I liked that about them.
[14:22] Zobeid Zuma: Why was it, I wonder?
[14:23] Jago Constantine: From memory, John W Campbell didn't like stories where aliens were more advanced than humans / or defeated them / Something like that
[14:23] Simeon Bookmite: yeah as i said hard to sell stories where welose
[14:23] Mesmer Jericho: i have to admit i liked it also. there's often sort of an automatic assumption that aliens are part of space.
[14:24] Jago Constantine: Yes / I'm something of a contact pessimist
[14:24] Zobeid Zuma: This is something I've thought about. . .
[14:24] Leiben Lorakeet: Wow, thats not why i liked that. Well star wars kinda stole the empire from the foundation series, but in starwars i always thought it was unrealistic that all those aliens would share a government
[14:25] Zobeid Zuma: I'd like to see a setting where there are only humans at first, but then we spread out and create new species. . . We become the "progenitors" if you will.
[14:25] Jago Constantine: None of the aliens in star wars are really *alien* though
[14:25] Zobeid Zuma: Is anyone aware of a setting like that, I wonder?
[14:25] Mesmer Jericho: and also, like you mentioned, that they are superior to humans. i wonder why that is? because we tend to view ourselves as being inherently inferior?
[14:25] Jago Constantine: zobeid - I think there are
[14:25] Simeon Bookmite: nods just guys in suits
[14:25] Jago Constantine: maybe cordwainer smith's books
[14:26] Zobeid Zuma: David Brin came close with this stories about uplifted species. . . But he posited a galaxy already full of them by the time humans appear.
[14:26] Jago Constantine: Well the idea of there being superior aliens is a consequence of the age of the cosmos
[14:26] Simeon Bookmite: nods strange author cordwainer
[14:26] Jago Constantine: aliens could have evolved aeons before us
[14:27] Egil Milner logs off to head home. "If I get there in time, I'll return."
[14:27] Mesmer Jericho: and then exploded aeons ago ^^ but i see your point.
[14:27] Paolo Alfa: They're almost certainly are aliens, but whether we'll have much to do with them is something else, or them with us.
[14:28] Zobeid Zuma: I think it's very questionable whether there are other civilizations already in our own galaxy. . . meaning, anywhere near enough for us to ever encounter them.
[14:28] Zobeid Zuma: But it's so uncertain, it's perfectly plausible to write stories either way.
[14:28] Jago Constantine: yes
[14:28] Simeon Bookmite: think civilisation is a human concept
[14:28] Jago Constantine: I sometimes wonder what would happen to sci fi if we ever meet aliens / I mean, as a genre / how can you write stories when you *know* what's out there
[14:29] Zobeid Zuma: I think Larry Niven did do a good job with his aliens in the Known Space and Ringworld series. . . They weren't just suits.
[14:29] Mesmer Jericho: well, it'd just be fiction? ^^
[14:29] Jago Constantine: yes LOL / thriller novels
[14:30] Zobeid Zuma: No matter how much is known, there always will be unknown too. :)
[14:30] Mesmer Jericho: the genre would spread out into different genres, like crime novels ("the martian on the balcony"), romance ("while you were hibernating") and so on...
[14:30] Leiben Lorakeet: If we did, im sure it would open a whole new genre of science fiction exploring our new neighbhors.
[14:30] Richard Ghostaltar: Isn't the key word "science"?
[14:31] Richard Ghostaltar: SF doesn't need aliens
[14:31] Jago Constantine: true / Ok ... Mesmer, what have you been reading lately?
[14:32] Simeon Bookmite: mm you can some up most of Niven's aliens in a few pages. which i dont think you should bevable to withany alien with depth
[14:32] Mesmer Jericho: well, actually... i haven't been reading sf in a while - that's part of why i thought i'd stop by here, see what's being read
[14:32] Jago Constantine: no worries :)
[14:32] Mesmer Jericho: so unless you want to hear my other books, i'll respectfully pass ^^
[14:32] Jago Constantine: Ok, Paolo - would you like to talk about something you've read lately?
[14:33] Paolo Alfa: I've just gotten about halfway thru Snow Crash
[14:33] Jago Constantine: nice :)
[14:34] Paolo Alfa: And I'm going to start One Hundred Years of Solitude today. Is that fantasy?
[14:34] Jago Constantine: Yes / So how are you finding Snow Crash?
[14:35] Brekka Sveiss: Thanks for the invite Jago
[14:36] Paolo Alfa: I like it, but don't quite understand it
[14:36] Jago Constantine: Which parts?
[14:37] Paolo Alfa: It's hard to tell what's real and what's virtual
[14:37] Paolo Alfa: which I think is the whole idea
[14:38] Jago Constantine: hmm ok ... from memory the virtual aspects are pretty clear / I haven't read it for a while though / one hundred years of solitude will be very different to follow it :)
[14:39] Paolo Alfa: yes, i started it once, heavy going really
[14:40] Paolo Alfa: but I hear it's the best of Magical realism, and arent' the Twilight books that?
[14:40] Jago Constantine: um no / hehe / I would describe them as paranormal romance
[14:41] Paolo Alfa: But they treat vampires as real, I mean as they would really act, not like scary monsters
[14:42] Jago Constantine: sure / but I think the genre of magical realism is more surreal
[14:42] Simeon Bookmite: Umm vampire are scary monsters
[14:42] Jago Constantine: the twilight milieu is fairly consistent
[14:42] Zobeid Zuma: I like for vampires to be scary monsters.
[14:42] Jago Constantine: even science fictional in that there is a rational explanation for vampirism
[14:42] Paolo Alfa: well, yes, but they wouldn't try to appear as such, that
[14:43] Metro Annamemnon: i read once that magical realism comes from thetransposition of the catholic church onto native belief systems.
[14:43] Jaen Wirefly: do you think most sci-fi is geered toward young adults?
[14:43] Mesmer Jericho: magic realism seems like when you infuse the "real world" with a kind of subtle mysticism? whereas twilight is just vampires all around, no questions asked - another reality, not a different perception of reality...
[14:43] Mesmer Jericho: (blah blah blah, that was long, sorry)
[14:43] Jago Constantine: Wikipedia: Magic realism, or magical realism, is an aesthetic style in which magical elements or illogical scenarios appear in an otherwise realistic or even "normal" setting.
[14:44] Simeon Bookmite: nods well said mesmer
[14:44] Metro Annamemnon: i think it's a way of thinking, of giving realism another layer of meaning.
[14:44] Simeon Bookmite: magic realism can and does merge with fantasy
[14:44] Jago Constantine: You'll see when you read 100 years of solitude / how magical it is
[14:45] Metro Annamemnon: like a natural disaster being the hand of god.
[14:45] Simeon Bookmite: but its less defined
[14:45] Metro Annamemnon: or alien visitation being another face of god :)
[14:46] Jago Constantine: Here's a good example - the woody allen movie Purple Rose of Cairo ... where the character comes out of the movie screen
[14:46] Jaen Wirefly: great movie btw
[14:46] Jago Constantine: no explanation or anything, it's a given
[14:47] Simeon Bookmite: inexplicable things happening and being accepted is magic realism for me, most fantasy
[14:47] Paolo Alfa: I've got to see that
[14:47] Simeon Bookmite: the inexplicable is explained
[14:47] Jago Constantine: yes its systemic simeon
[14:47] Metro Annamemnon: or, put another way maybe, the inexplicable is taken for granted.
[14:47] Jago Constantine: yes
[14:48] Jaen Wirefly: fantasy, sci-fi and horror almost always overlap
[14:48] Jago Constantine: sure there are blurred boundaries
[14:48] Metro Annamemnon: these days, surely.
[14:48] Metro Annamemnon: before i always though of fantasy as very Campbell-esque.
[14:48] Jago Constantine: hmm campbellesque?
[14:49] Metro Annamemnon: Joseph Campbell-esque.
[14:49] Jago Constantine: oh I get it / I was just talking about John W Campbell so I got confused
[14:49] Metro Annamemnon: The Hero's Quest.
[14:49] Simeon Bookmite: "some one comes to town some one leaves town" Big, Little lots of New weird.
[14:50] Jago Constantine: I thought 'someone comes to town' was a little contrived seeming / forced
[14:50] Simeon Bookmite: anythiong buy an author who gets hewr ideas from a dream diary :%0
[14:50] Metro Annamemnon: I haven't read that.
[14:50] Jago Constantine: its by cory doctorow
[14:50] Simeon Bookmite: still the world worst typist.
[14:50] Metro Annamemnon: Is Jeff Vandermeer doing an anthology on The New Weird? Or is that somebody else?
[14:51] Jago Constantine: the protagonist's father is a mountain and his mother is a washing machine / new weird is different again
[14:51] Jaen Wirefly: wow that is bizzare
[14:51] Jago Constantine: yeah but the symbolism seems a little heavy handed
[14:51] Simeon Bookmite: yeah and forced as jago said
[14:51] Metro Annamemnon: Sorry, i might be losing the thread here :)
[14:52] Jago Constantine: no worries metro
[14:53] Simeon Bookmite: just saying fantasy does not have to follow quest motifies, or ghost motifs for that matter
[14:54] Simeon Bookmite: urban fantast can take on magicrealim elements
[14:54] Metro Annamemnon: What do you think a 'new' definition of fantasy would be? It HAS gotten blurry.
[14:54] Paolo Alfa: what is the title of this book? with the protagonist washing machine and mountain?
[14:54] Zobeid Zuma: Fantasy isn't what it used to be.
[14:55] Jago Constantine: Someone comes to town, someone leaves town / by Cory Doctorow
[14:55] Metro Annamemnon: SciFi is different, too.
[14:55] Paolo Alfa: thank you
[14:55] Jago Constantine: Wikipedia again: Fantasy is a genre that uses magic and other supernatural forms as a primary element of plot, theme, and/or setting.
[14:55] Simeon Bookmite: nods but both have always changed
[14:55] Jago Constantine: that's very broad isn't it :P
[14:56] Metro Annamemnon: My old definition of scifi would have just encompassed hard scifi and that's no longer appropriate.
[14:57] Jago Constantine: Sure ... there's lots of great sci fi outside the hard stuff
[14:57] Simeon Bookmite: lord Dunsey had little in common with fritz leiber or george macdonald Fantasy has always attrated oddballs
[14:58] Jago Constantine: mervyn peake
[14:58] Zobeid Zuma: I read somewhere once that fantasy worked by presenting readers with the familiar, and SF by presenting the unfamiliar. But if that was ever true, it's totally broken down now.
[14:58] Leora Darkstone: how is sci fi different today?
[14:59] Simeon Bookmite: its broadened i think.
[14:59] Metro Annamemnon: I think it's a much broader category, only loosely based on science spec.
[14:59] Leora Darkstone: From just space opers?
[14:59] Simeon Bookmite: during the fifties it was defined by american magazines
[14:59] Leora Darkstone: sorry operas?
[14:59] Simeon Bookmite: nowadays there is awide range of influences
[15:00] Jago Constantine: Sorry, folks, it's 3.00pm I have to log now ...
[15:00] Metro Annamemnon: i fell in love with it in the early 60's. it was pretty hard scifi spec fiction.
[15:00] Leora Darkstone: I think the biggest changes I have seen is de emphasis on hard science
[15:00] Jago Constantine: thanks for a great discussion ... feel free to hang around and keep talking :)
[15:00] Mesmer Jericho: bye bye, jago
[15:00] Zobeid Zuma: Well, the whole computer revolution and cyberpunk genre totally changed the focus of SF.
[15:00] Leora Darkstone: bye jago
[15:00] Paolo Alfa: thanks for haviing it ,bye
[15:01] Jago Constantine: Next week we're listening to an audio story, so please do come along for that!
[15:01] Metro Annamemnon: thank you, Jago.
[15:01] Zobeid Zuma: I'll be here.
[15:01] Metro Annamemnon: What's the story?
[15:01] Jago Constantine: hehe I'll send a group notice out during the week when I pick it :)
[15:02] Metro Annamemnon: Enjoyed it. Bye!
[15:02] Simeon Bookmite: space opera is works where people run around with rayguns and fly spqace ships and nobody feels any need to explain the science, but are glad of an excuse to fight

Saturday, February 6, 2010

6 February 2010: 'How I Mounted Goldie, Saved My Partner Lori, and Sniffed Out The People’s Justice' by Jonathon Sullivan

[13:41] Jago Constantine: Hi, Deflective :)
[13:41] deflective Trapdoor: yo
[13:41] Jago Constantine: How are you today?
[13:42] deflective Trapdoor: s'alright. how about you?
[13:42] Jago Constantine: Pretty good ... getting ready for my book discussion group in 20 minutes :)
[13:42] Jago Constantine: Hi, Kghia :)
[13:42] Kghia Gherardi: hi there
[13:42] Jago Constantine: Hi, Simeon!
[13:42] Kghia Gherardi: that is a fold-out sofa.
[13:43] Jago Constantine: yeah ... I tried clicking it to see it I could fold it
[13:43] Jago Constantine: but no luck
[13:43] Kghia Gherardi: If someone clicks the heart-shaped pillow, bed time
[13:43] Jago Constantine: ohh
[13:43] Kghia Gherardi: I need it to finish rezzing
[13:43] Jago Constantine: I didn't work that out
[13:43] Simeon Beresford: In case we get snowed in
[13:43] Jago Constantine: lol
[13:43] Kghia Gherardi: there we go
[13:44] Kghia Gherardi: our scripts have been borked here today, so who knows
[13:45] Jago Constantine: hey eddi :)
[13:45] Eddi Haskell: hi
[13:45] Eddi Haskell: still rezzing
[13:47] Sora Bluebird: this isnt the beach
[13:47] Sora Bluebird: XD
[13:47] Jago Constantine: hey sora lol
[13:47] Jago Constantine: nope its not
[13:47] Sora Bluebird: hello ..ohh wait..ill dress properly.
[13:48] Jago Constantine: you can dress any way you like ... even naked is ok here :P
[13:48] Eddi Haskell: no its not
[13:48] Eddi Haskell: i find that scary
[13:48] Eddi Haskell: lol
[13:48] Jago Constantine: lol eddi
[13:48] Eddi Haskell: no
[13:48] Eddi Haskell: lol
[13:48] Kghia Gherardi: we don't discriminate against nudist. :)
[13:49] Sora Bluebird: even so..im professional :P
[13:49] Jago Constantine: Cool
[13:49] Jago Constantine: ok I changed the stream over already ...
[13:49] Jago Constantine: Hi, Paolo :)
[13:49] Paolo Alfa: Hello
[13:49] Kghia Gherardi: I've sent out notices, Jago. Let me know if you need anything.
[13:49] Jago Constantine: thanks :)
[13:50] Jago Constantine: I sent out a notice to my group too
[13:52] Jago Constantine: Hmm we have 78 members in the sci fi group now :)
[13:52] Eddi Haskell: is there any sound?
[13:52] Jago Constantine: not yet
[13:52] Eddi Haskell: you can use my group if you want
[13:52] Eddi Haskell: nah they dont come
[13:52] Jago Constantine: oh its okay
[13:52] Eddi Haskell: they just want to dance
[13:52] Jago Constantine: lol
[13:52] Jago Constantine: hey zobeid :)
[13:53] Zobeid Zuma: Hello
[13:53] Zobeid Zuma: I'm having a lot of difficulty with SL today.
[13:53] Jago Constantine: oh what kind?
[13:53] Paolo Alfa: hello Zobeid
[13:54] Zobeid Zuma: lag bubbles, slow rezzing, things like that
[13:54] Jago Constantine: Hi, Cipher, welcome :)
[13:54] Jago Constantine: wb Sora
[13:54] Sora Bluebird: thanks
[13:54] Paolo Alfa: Helllo Cipher, wb Sora
[13:54] Cipher Grayman: hi
[13:55] Jago Constantine: lol
[13:55] Cipher Grayman: 2L, SF discussion, and no chairs on the ceiling?!
[13:56] Jago Constantine: So there's still probably 10 minutes til we start the story
[13:56] Jago Constantine: we haven't needed chairs on the ceiling to date :)
[13:56] Jago Constantine: For anyone who isn't in my group, this week we're listening to a story
[13:57] Jago Constantine: How I Mounted Goldie, Saved My Partner Lori, and Sniffed Out The People’s Justice by Jonathon Sullivan
[13:58] Jago Constantine: its a pretty fun story
[13:59] Zobeid Zuma: voice or streaming?
[13:59] Jago Constantine: streaming
[13:59] Zobeid Zuma: good, that usually works better :)
[13:59] Jago Constantine: yes :)
[13:59] Jago Constantine: at the moment you'll be hearing some soundtrack music on the stream
[14:00] Jago Constantine: hey bobby :)
[14:00] Bobby Lomba: Helluuu sir!
[14:00] Paolo Alfa: hello Bobby
[14:00] Bobby Lomba: Hello Mr Alfa
[14:01] Bobby Lomba: oh, no mr!
[14:01] Bobby Lomba: Miss ja
[14:01] Paolo Alfa: Ms, but that's ok
[14:01] Bobby Lomba: Okidoki, sorry ma'am:)
[14:01] Jago Constantine: We'll wait a few more minutes for late arrivals :)
[14:02] Jago Constantine: Does everyone hear the music?
[14:02] Cipher Grayman: yes
[14:02] Paolo Alfa: If I turn it on, very nice
[14:03] Eddi Haskell: i like this music
[14:03] Jago Constantine: What's it from, Sora?
[14:03] Eddi Haskell: its music to do your fingernails to
[14:03] Jago Constantine: lol
[14:03] Sora Bluebird: library music?
[14:04] Sora Bluebird: calm and smooth ;)
[14:04] Jago Constantine: Ok, Sora, can you start the story?
[14:04] Sora Bluebird: yes sir
[14:05] Jago Constantine: ok I hear it :)
[14:05] Jago Constantine: hey haptic :)
[14:06] Haptic Heliosense: Heyhey!
[14:06] Haptic Heliosense: Sorry, I was was afkish
[14:06] Jago Constantine: is ok
[14:06] Eddi Haskell: hi haptic
[14:06] Haptic Heliosense: Hiya Eddi :D
[14:06] Jago Constantine: the story is just being introduced on the stream
[14:06] Eddi Haskell: hi
[14:07] Roy Smashcan: Hello
[14:07] Jago Constantine: Hi, Roy, welcome
[14:08] Jago Constantine: we're listening to a story on the stream
[14:08] Roy Smashcan: Am I dancing?
[14:08] Jago Constantine: no
[14:08] Roy Smashcan: (Had some problems stopping it)
[14:08] Roy Smashcan: Ah, good
[14:12] Haptic Heliosense: lol
[14:12] Eddi Haskell: lol
[14:12] Jago Constantine: lol
[14:12] Simeon Beresford: lol
[14:16] Marina99 Skytower: hi
[14:16] Simeon Beresford: hi
[14:17] Haptic Heliosense: Hi Marina :-)
[14:17] Marina99 Skytower: :)
[14:18] deflective Trapdoor: music stream, eh?
[14:18] Jago Constantine: yes
[14:18] Simeon Beresford: nods yes
[14:18] deflective Trapdoor: would i find that in the menu up top?
[14:18] Jago Constantine: edit > preferences > audio > play streaming music
[14:19] Jago Constantine: then the play button at the bottom right of the SL client
[14:19] deflective Trapdoor: got it, thanks
[14:23] Haptic Heliosense: lmao
[14:23] Jago Constantine: lol
[14:23] Eddi Haskell: i bet hes a palin supporter
[14:25] Eddi Haskell: or a reformed lady rabbi
[14:25] Eddi Haskell: lol
[14:27] Jago Constantine: lol
[14:28] Cipher Grayman: been there
[14:43] Jago Constantine: lol
[14:45] Simeon Beresford: yes!
[14:45] Haptic Heliosense: wow
[14:45] Haptic Heliosense: terrific story
[14:45] Simeon Beresford: good one
[14:45] Veruca Tammas: Wonderful
[14:45] Eddi Haskell: yea it was cute
[14:45] Jago Constantine: great story :)
[14:46] Jago Constantine: Ok Sora you can stop the feed now :)
[14:46] Sora Bluebird: done
[14:46] Jago Constantine: Well I'm glad you all liked it ...
[14:47] Zobeid Zuma: Oh yeah, I liked that. :)
[14:47] Paolo Alfa: that was great, sherlock holmes meets Jack London
[14:47] Haptic Heliosense: lol
[14:47] Jago Constantine: heh
[14:47] Jago Constantine: It reminded me on the show Inspector Rex, if anyone has seen it :P
[14:48] Jago Constantine: It's a german police dog show
[14:48] Simeon Beresford: mot seen it
[14:48] Haptic Heliosense: I thought when it first started "wow, this guy's a terrible reader. Then I I had my "oh, duh" moment when he gave the first hint about liking the window rolled down
[14:48] Jago Constantine: hehe
[14:49] Cipher Grayman: you'd think panting would have been mentioned
[14:49] Jago Constantine: I'd heard it before, but I still had a little trouble tuning into the fast paced read
[14:49] Simeon Beresford: he was enthusiastic
[14:49] Jago Constantine: yeah :)
[14:49] Haptic Heliosense: He did a great job on the whole Doggy Attitude thing
[14:50] Zobeid Zuma: I also had that moment when I wondered what was wrong with him, but I figured it out pretty quick. :)
[14:50] Haptic Heliosense: <-- dog person, despite the ears and tail
[14:50] Jago Constantine: lol
[14:50] Jago Constantine: there were some very funny moments in it
[14:50] Paolo Alfa: I didn't reallize the judge was a computer until the very end
[14:50] Jago Constantine: like "Fuck!"
[14:50] Eddi Haskell: yeah goldie and the sculcap
[14:51] Eddi Haskell: was he a robotic dog or an evolved dog?
[14:51] Jago Constantine: evolved
[14:51] Eddi Haskell: did he have some robotic elements?
[14:51] Simeon Beresford: enhanced
[14:51] Sora Bluebird: i will be going for now people. seya.
[14:51] Haptic Heliosense: enhanced, I though
[14:51] Haptic Heliosense: yeah
[14:51] Eddi Haskell: by sora
[14:51] Haptic Heliosense: t/c Sora :-)
[14:51] Jago Constantine: I think an enhanced brain, but also with a cap which allows him to be controlled
[14:51] Jago Constantine: cya sora thanks :)
[14:51] Sora Bluebird: thank you, enjoy
[14:52] Haptic Heliosense: Interesting how the author touched on conflicing politics and yet didn't give any tidy answers
[14:52] Haptic Heliosense: wow, I can almost spell
[14:52] Jago Constantine: lol
[14:52] Jago Constantine: I thought the People's Justice was a plausible vision of the future
[14:52] Eddi Haskell: yeah me too
[14:52] Haptic Heliosense nods
[14:53] Cipher Grayman: reminded me of Idiocracy
[14:53] Haptic Heliosense: great flick
[14:53] Jago Constantine: yeah :)
[14:53] Eddi Haskell: good choice jago it was not really depressive for a change
[14:53] Jago Constantine: lol
[14:53] Haptic Heliosense: heh
[14:53] Simeon Beresford: nods same same. modifyin a brain is enchancing and controloing
[14:54] Simeon Beresford: they were a bunch of shits
[14:54] Kellie Lockwood: hi everyone
[14:54] Jago Constantine: I will try to find another upbeat story for the next reading in 2 weeks
[14:54] Simeon Beresford: hi kelli
[14:54] Haptic Heliosense: ty so much for the reminder, Jago, this was a terrific break from my Saturday drudgery :D
[14:54] Axle Razorfen: book club? cool
[14:54] Jago Constantine: my pleasure, thanks for coming, haptic :)
[14:54] Kellie Lockwood: are we talking about twilight?
[14:54] Eddi Haskell: yeah jago i liked it and paid attention can I have my red star now?
[14:54] Jago Constantine: so next week we're having another discussion about what we're reading
[14:55] Zobeid Zuma: Maybe I'll hae read something by then. . .
[14:55] Jago Constantine: lol zobeid
[14:55] Kellie Lockwood: when is the next meeting?
[14:55] Haptic Heliosense: What's the current book? Or is everybody doing their own thing and reporting back?
[14:55] Jago Constantine: next saturday at 2pm
[14:55] Kellie Lockwood: wonderful
[14:55] Jago Constantine: everyone reads their own thing
[14:55] Kellie Lockwood: what book?
[14:55] Haptic Heliosense: k
[14:55] Jago Constantine: science fiction
[14:56] Jago Constantine: and we go round the group discussing what we've read
[14:56] Love LittleBoots: i guess i can't read twilight then.....
[14:56] Love LittleBoots: :(
[14:56] Jago Constantine: it's not really science fiction
[14:56] Kellie Lockwood: yeah that one is mine
[14:56] Eddi Haskell: do we HAVE to have the next meeting naked Jago i like to wear clothes
[14:56] Jago Constantine: lol eddi
[14:57] Jago Constantine: you could argue that twilight is science fiction because they give a naturalistic explanation of vampirism
[14:58] Jago Constantine: ok that's about time folks
[14:58] Jago Constantine: thanks for coming along :)
[14:58] Haptic Heliosense: Thanks for hosting, Jago
[14:58] Jago Constantine: no worries :)
[14:59] Veruca Tammas: bye all
[14:59] Jago Constantine: bye veruca :)