16 January 2010

[13:57] Drennen Piers: good afternoon
[13:57] Jago Constantine: oh hi, hiroya
[13:58] Hiroya Chrome: Just heard of this gathering a few minutes ago. Regular occurance?
[13:58] Hiroya Chrome: e
[13:58] Jago Constantine: yes its weekly from now on
[13:58] Drennen Piers: i think that's what the other gal was asking too
[13:58] Hiroya Chrome: Eddi Haskel... funny
[13:59] Drennen Piers: and if we were going to work on some fiction ourselves as a whole
[13:59] Eddi Haskell: why. Mrs. Cleaver likes me.
[13:59] Hiroya Chrome: so you are golden. ;-)
[13:59] Jago Constantine: ok no at the moment we don't work on creating fiction in the group :)
[13:59] Eddi Haskell: lol
[14:00] Jago Constantine: Anyway as I said the usual format is that we go round the group and discuss what we read since the last meeting
[14:00] Jago Constantine: For anyone new, every second meeting we listen to a podcast science fiction story and discuss that
[14:01] Jago Constantine: I didn't get a chance to read much over Christmas, but I did get Dan Simmons' Drood
[14:02] Jago Constantine: It's not really science fiction I suppose ... it's a historical novel set in Victorian London
[14:03] Drennen Piers: very nice...how is it so far?
[14:03] Jago Constantine: But Simmons is a great science fiction writer and the book has supernatural themes
[14:03] Jago Constantine: It was really enjoyable - the protagonist is Wilkie Collins and it revolves around his relationship with Charles Dickens
[14:04] Jago Constantine: and the sinister evil character Drood who lives in the underworld beneath London
[14:04] Drennen Piers: interesting
[14:06] Jago Constantine: Drood is a really nicely portrayed villain - something like the phantom of the opera
[14:06] Jago Constantine: lol he's wearing an opera cloak when we first see him
[14:06] Jago Constantine: or maybe dracula
[14:07] Drennen Piers: i think i might have to pick that up for a good read
[14:07] Drennen Piers: well i re-read Ender Game over the break by Orson Scott Card
[14:07] Camilla Delvalle: Wow I have read Enders Game
[14:07] Jago Constantine: cool that's always a good read
[14:07] Jago Constantine: hey camilla :)
[14:07] Camilla Delvalle: Hola!
[14:07] Drennen Piers: i like Card's worlds he creates
[14:07] Drennen Piers: hi Camilla
[14:08] Camilla Delvalle: brb
[14:09] Hiroya Chrome: Scott writes very well though his themes are repetitive
[14:09] Drennen Piers: i agree
[14:09] Jago Constantine: I haven't read any of his shadow series ...
[14:10] Hiroya Chrome: The Alvin Maker books are well imagined
[14:10] Jago Constantine: yeah I enjoyed those
[14:10] Jago Constantine: a nice alternate history
[14:11] Drennen Piers: i was going to read that series next from him
[14:11] Drennen Piers: i haven't had a chance yet
[14:11] Jago Constantine: ok hiroya - what have you been reading lately?
[14:11] Hiroya Chrome: Sad that they didn't make a movie of "Enders Game" before others plagiarized it
[14:12] Jago Constantine: yeah
[14:12] Jago Constantine: hey erica
[14:12] Jago Constantine: its slow rezzing here so maybe wait a bit before moving :)
[14:12] Erica Barbarossa: hm..still rezzing :-) that s why i hit walls... sorry..i interrupted you
[14:12] Erica Barbarossa: hi
[14:12] Camilla Delvalle: Who plagiarized Enders Game?
[14:12] Hiroya Chrome: Several non-fiction, but recent fiction has been "Towing Jehovah" and "The Philosopher's Apprentice" by Morrow
[14:13] Hiroya Chrome: Halo is fairly brazen
[14:13] Jago Constantine: ok I haven't read much morrow
[14:14] Jago Constantine: or any really
[14:14] Hiroya Chrome: I met Morrow on a panel in Montreal last summer. Interesting person so I picked up a couple of his books. Very good reads.
[14:14] Jago Constantine: cool
[14:15] Hiroya Chrome: TJ is not really SF, more fantasy.
[14:15] Jago Constantine: he has a few in that series, right?
[14:15] Hiroya Chrome: TPA is a modern Frankenstein
[14:16] Hiroya Chrome: He handles the deeper ideas as well as anyone working now. Reminds me of Huxley but a better writer
[14:17] Jago Constantine: ok thanks hiroya :)
[14:17] Jago Constantine: Hey Camilla - what have you read since we met last?
[14:17] Hiroya Chrome: Not everyone would agree about the "better writer" statement but I've been impressed
[14:17] Camilla Delvalle: Where to start?
[14:18] Camilla Delvalle: Well I got a sf book in christmas present from a secret admirer.
[14:18] Camilla Delvalle: But I havnet read it yet.
[14:18] Drennen Piers: mysterious
[14:18] Jago Constantine: ooh a secret admirer o.O
[14:18] Jago Constantine: What you didn't read my book!!!!
[14:18] Jago Constantine: :p
[14:18] Camilla Delvalle: Actually I know who sent it because I recognized the calligrafic writing.
[14:19] Camilla Delvalle: From an ex boyfriend.
[14:19] Jago Constantine: heh ok whats the book?
[14:19] Camilla Delvalle: Nova I think it is called.
[14:19] Camilla Delvalle: Anyway I have mostly seen anime series.
[14:20] Camilla Delvalle: I think I already told you about Chobits.
[14:20] Camilla Delvalle: Maybe I can talk about Revolutionary Girl Utena?
[14:20] Jago Constantine: heh first tell us who Nova is by :)
[14:21] Camilla Delvalle: I dont remember but it is the same as Babel 17 I think.
[14:21] Jago Constantine: Delany?
[14:21] Camilla Delvalle: Yes probably.
[14:21] Jago Constantine: of course
[14:21] Camilla Delvalle: Anyway, Utena is a fantasy series.
[14:21] Jago Constantine: ok I haven't seen that one
[14:21] Camilla Delvalle: It is like Neon Genesis Evangelion for girls
[14:22] Camilla Delvalle: And some of the same people were involved
[14:22] Camilla Delvalle: It is about the girl Utena that dress like a boy and is in a school
[14:22] Camilla Delvalle: And she is like a gentleman
[14:22] Jago Constantine: Hi, Born, welcome to Science Fiction Saturday
[14:22] Camilla Delvalle: One day her friend is slighted by a boy and she takes him to a duel
[14:23] Camilla Delvalle: But he is in the student council, and they want to "revolutionize the world"!!!
[14:23] Camilla Delvalle: And she is drawn into the plot without wanting it
[14:24] Camilla Delvalle: And when she wins the duel she gets "engaged" to another girl called Anthy
[14:24] Camilla Delvalle: And they all fight over Anthy
[14:24] Jago Constantine: ok so sounds like a standard anime plot :P
[14:24] Camilla Delvalle: Have you seen Evangelion?
[14:24] Jago Constantine: yes, its one of my favourite science fiction anime
[14:24] Camilla Delvalle: Yes it is mostly a duel every second episodes
[14:24] Jago Constantine: my favourite is probably Planetes
[14:25] Camilla Delvalle: I loved Utena but I'm not sure if anyone else would because I have a strange taste.
[14:25] Jago Constantine: which is a hard SF series
[14:25] Camilla Delvalle: it is very strange and bizarre
[14:25] Jago Constantine: ok cool thanks Camilla
[14:25] Jago Constantine: Eddi - have you read any sci fi over the break?
[14:26] Eddi Haskell: close
[14:26] Eddi Haskell: i finished the year three million book
[14:26] Camilla Delvalle: And I read some analysis afterwards, it is possible to do a lot of analyzis of it
[14:26] Drennen Piers: nothing wrong with strange and bizarre
[14:26] Eddi Haskell: you want to continue drennen or camilla?
[14:26] Camilla Delvalle: Maybe the quality is not good in every episode, no I'm finished now
[14:26] Eddi Haskell: ok
[14:26] Drennen Piers: same...go ahead eddi
[14:27] Eddi Haskell: there are two things that intrigued me.
[14:27] Jago Constantine: ok this is the book Year Million that I read too, right :)
[14:27] Eddi Haskell: first, the idea that we can travel intergallcally by fax
[14:27] Jago Constantine: non-fiction
[14:27] Eddi Haskell: well for me its fiction
[14:27] Eddi Haskell: since it is not proven it can be done
[14:27] Jago Constantine: sure
[14:27] Eddi Haskell: but yes in the non fiction genre
[14:28] Eddi Haskell: bizarrely
[14:28] Eddi Haskell: i was reading a section
[14:28] Jago Constantine: I think faxing is more plausible than FTL travel :)
[14:28] Eddi Haskell: and sure enough it mentioned second life
[14:28] Eddi Haskell: in the second paragraph
[14:28] Eddi Haskell: the analogy being is this
[14:28] Eddi Haskell: since 99% of us here
[14:28] Eddi Haskell: what we do
[14:28] Eddi Haskell: how we are constructed
[14:29] Eddi Haskell: much like dna
[14:29] Eddi Haskell: our interactions
[14:29] Eddi Haskell: are similar
[14:29] Eddi Haskell: it would be easy to put into place something that transforms matter
[14:29] Eddi Haskell: or emergy that can be converted into matter
[14:29] Eddi Haskell: and then reproduce us with "fax transmissions"
[14:30] Eddi Haskell: now i do not believe in the einstein theorum
[14:30] Jago Constantine: which one?
[14:30] Eddi Haskell: that nothing can travel faster then the speedo of light
[14:30] Eddi Haskell: not speedo light
[14:30] Eddi Haskell: that is what you wear jago
[14:30] Jago Constantine: lol
[14:30] Eddi Haskell: speedo of light
[14:30] Hiroya Chrome: no one can swim that fast?
[14:30] Eddi Haskell: so this is intriguing
[14:30] Drennen Piers: lol
[14:30] Eddi Haskell: lol
[14:31] Eddi Haskell: even
[14:31] Camilla Delvalle: Its a fun idea to travel by fax.
[14:31] Eddi Haskell: yeah
[14:31] Eddi Haskell: but
[14:31] Eddi Haskell: what is interesting this is not part of my discussion
[14:31] Eddi Haskell: is when so we stop being human and start being a series of compuatiatonal equations but that is another discussion
[14:31] Eddi Haskell: the second hyptheisis is that
[14:32] Hiroya Chrome: A FAX would make multiple copies possible... ala Star Tretk teleporter
[14:32] Eddi Haskell: ya know
[14:32] Eddi Haskell: my mom said that
[14:32] Eddi Haskell: she studied physics in college
[14:32] Eddi Haskell: we talked about it
[14:32] Eddi Haskell: now the second interesting point
[14:32] Eddi Haskell: is that over time
[14:32] Jago Constantine: hey simeon :)
[14:32] Eddi Haskell: as colonies of humans or whatever we are
[14:33] Eddi Haskell: become farrther apart
[14:33] Simeon Bookmite: Hi
[14:33] Eddi Haskell: hi simon
[14:33] Eddi Haskell: this will impact
[14:33] Eddi Haskell: different evolutions
[14:33] Camilla Delvalle: yes it will
[14:33] Jago Constantine: that makes sence
[14:33] Eddi Haskell: this could fragment our perception of humans as entity
[14:33] Jago Constantine: sense
[14:33] Eddi Haskell: i think everyone should read this book
[14:34] Eddi Haskell: jago told me about it
[14:34] Eddi Haskell: they are expensive but
[14:34] Pillow 27 whispers: Simeon Bookmite, use shift + left/right arrow keys to change pose
[14:34] Drennen Piers: wow! very interesting point
[14:34] Eddi Haskell: i found one for four bucks on egay
[14:34] Jago Constantine: Year Million, ed. Damien Broderick
[14:34] Eddi Haskell: ebay
[14:34] Jago Constantine: lol eddi
[14:34] Jago Constantine: egay and speedos
[14:34] Eddi Haskell: lol
[14:34] Camilla Delvalle: Is it very different from today in the book?
[14:34] Eddi Haskell: speedolight
[14:34] Jago Constantine: well the book is about the year million
[14:34] Eddi Haskell: oh yeah it goes to the year million
[14:34] Jago Constantine: so yes :)
[14:34] Hiroya Chrome: what is the speed of dark?
[14:35] Drennen Piers: nada
[14:35] Eddi Haskell: funny you say that
[14:35] Eddi Haskell: cause one of the theories is that we will find a way to digitiza dark space
[14:35] Jago Constantine: it is an anthology of different authors talking about their predictions: Greg Benford, Wil McCarthy, Rudy Rucker, George Zebrowski
[14:35] Drennen Piers: i'm intrigued for sure
[14:36] Simeon Bookmite: what does Digitiz dark space mean
[14:36] Drennen Piers: digitize lol
[14:36] Camilla Delvalle: The speed of a shadow can be faster than the speedolight I think.
[14:36] Eddi Haskell: how come
[14:36] Drennen Piers: then why is mine always behind me
[14:36] Camilla Delvalle: It is not physical to begin with.
[14:37] Hiroya Chrome: even a vacuum has energy
[14:37] Eddi Haskell: well one of the theories is this
[14:37] Fat SecretSpy: hey guys
[14:37] Eddi Haskell: as the universe explands
[14:37] Jago Constantine: Hi Fat
[14:37] Eddi Haskell: lag
[14:37] Fat SecretSpy: are you calling me fat!
[14:37] Eddi Haskell: through the next severla millionyears
[14:38] Camilla Delvalle: If you have a lighthouse, and look on a long distance (a lightyear), the point of light or shadow from the lighthouse will move very fast around in a circle.
[14:38] Jago Constantine: Yes lol
[14:38] Fat SecretSpy: good, cos thats my name
[14:39] Fat SecretSpy: so whats the topic?
[14:39] Hiroya Chrome: Still hanging on for the end of Eddi's sentence. ;-)
[14:39] Camilla Delvalle: The speed of darkness.
[14:39] Jago Constantine: science fiction - eddi is just talking about the book Year Million
[14:39] Eddi Haskell: now this author says
[14:39] Jago Constantine: which is non-fiction, but speculative
[14:39] Eddi Haskell: of course this universe dies
[14:39] Eddi Haskell: ultimately
[14:39] Jago Constantine: of course
[14:39] Eddi Haskell: since there is no big bang
[14:39] Fat SecretSpy: omg i saw this great fantasy book called the bible its full of whores and awesome magic powers
[14:39] Avatar ejected.
[14:40] Jago Constantine: booted
[14:40] Eddi Haskell: thak you what a putz
[14:40] Eddi Haskell: this intrigued me
[14:40] Simeon Bookmite: well done
[14:40] Eddi Haskell: we can store our codes for everything here
[14:40] Eddi Haskell: in this universe
[14:40] Eddi Haskell: in binary
[14:40] Eddi Haskell: in space dust and the areas areound it
[14:41] Eddi Haskell: i just dont think the universe is going to expand infinitely despite the physical obeservation now but that was interesting
[14:41] Eddi Haskell: this book had me thiking for a long time
[14:41] Jago Constantine: me too :)
[14:42] Eddi Haskell: other than that i got a book from Australia about the coup in 1975 but that is not science fiction just stupidity
[14:42] Eddi Haskell: and finished it
[14:42] Eddi Haskell: and i finished shawcrosses queen mum bio
[14:42] Jago Constantine: actually I don't think faxing is really how space travel will be achieved - I think the only plausible method is uploading people to machines and sending the machines
[14:42] Simeon Bookmite: what coupe in 1975?
[14:42] Eddi Haskell: but how fast can they go?
[14:43] Jago Constantine: lol not a coup
[14:43] Eddi Haskell: when they got rid of whitlam
[14:43] Hiroya Chrome: way too early in the day for any "only" statement. ;-)
[14:43] Jago Constantine: well it doesn't matter how fast a machine full of uploads goes
[14:43] Jago Constantine: because they can either be turned off or slow their perception of time
[14:43] Camilla Delvalle: People are machines.
[14:43] Drennen Piers: yes...i'm not alone
[14:44] Jago Constantine: lol simeon
[14:44] Jago Constantine: anyway thanks eddi
[14:44] Eddi Haskell: hey my one meeting where i am not like Bart simpson
[14:44] Jago Constantine: TienMu - did you want to talk about a science fiction book you read recently?
[14:44] Hiroya Chrome: group pressure spelling / vocabulary lessons.. :-)
[14:45] Simeon Bookmite: ah when the governor genral decided to cut the gordian Knot and upset everyone in australia
[14:45] Camilla Delvalle: But Jago, if you travel at high speed the travel will not seem to take very long anyway.
[14:45] TienMu Xuanzang: I've been re-reading lots of Heinlein. :-)
[14:45] TienMu's Google Translator: Re-I've been reading lots of Heinlein. :-)
[14:46] Jago Constantine: I don't think speeds will be achieved that will make interstellar travel seem fast to a human
[14:46] Camilla Delvalle: ok
[14:46] Camilla Delvalle: What Heinlein books?
[14:46] TienMu Xuanzang: Starship Troopers (ran across the movie trailer and got frustrated)
[14:46] Eddi Haskell: oh i love that movie
[14:47] Eddi Haskell: the original one
[14:47] Eddi Haskell: i like the shower scene
[14:47] Jago Constantine: lol
[14:47] Drennen Piers: book is by far better
[14:47] Camilla Delvalle: I also like the movie. (Dont know if it is original movie)
[14:47] TienMu Xuanzang: I liked the book better, too.
[14:47] TienMu Xuanzang: Are there two versions of it in movie form?
[14:47] Drennen Piers: but that's usually the case
[14:47] Camilla Delvalle: The movie is more like a comedy?
[14:47] Jago Constantine: there are sequels
[14:47] Eddi Haskell: im into uniform so i loved the movie
[14:48] Jago Constantine: I like both the movie and the book, but it would be more enjoyable for a heinlein fan to view any similarities as coincidental maybe :P
[14:48] Camilla Delvalle: Is the book more serious than the movie?
[14:48] TienMu Xuanzang: LOL
[14:49] Drennen Piers: depends on your definition of serious...when it comes to Heinlein lol
[14:49] TienMu Xuanzang: The book is very different. The bugs may be the only things that were kept for the movie.
[14:49] Drennen Piers: lol
[14:49] Camilla Delvalle: I have read a couple of books from Heinlein and I think they were serious.
[14:50] TienMu Xuanzang: Hard to say with Heinlein, but I believe he meant this one to be serious.
[14:50] Drennen Piers: yes he did
[14:50] TienMu Xuanzang: The idea of what should be required for a person to be considered a full citizen is interesting.
[14:50] Camilla Delvalle: What is required?
[14:51] TienMu Xuanzang: In the book, everyone who wants to be a citizen is required to serve a period of time in governement service.
[14:51] TienMu Xuanzang: This can be military, research, scrubbing floors, whatever.
[14:52] Simeon Bookmite: community service/ but military service in the context of the book.
[14:52] Eddi Haskell: i like it
[14:52] Eddi Haskell: then we have Sarah Palin as president in no time!
[14:52] TienMu Xuanzang: No one can be denied the chance, but if you don't finish your term of service, you will never be able to vote.
[14:53] TienMu Xuanzang: AIGUH! She can't even finish her term as governor. :-D
[14:53] Jago Constantine: hehe it reminds me of an idea I had once
[14:53] Jago Constantine: based on the slogan "no taxation without representation"
[14:53] Eddi Haskell: that was sarcastic on my part but my dog liked her at one point, until he got thrown out as a blogger and I am not amking this up.
[14:53] Jago Constantine: people get to choose: no tax and no vote, or tax and a vote
[14:54] Eddi Haskell: well that was the situraton in the uk for most of the 1800s
[14:54] TienMu Xuanzang: Hmmm. How high a tax?
[14:54] Eddi Haskell: and the south too , called a poll tax
[14:54] Simeon Bookmite: not really it was similar to the us at that time
[14:54] Jago Constantine: lol I didn't go that far into it
[14:54] Simeon Bookmite: no vote without land ownership
[14:55] Jago Constantine: I always like reading about weird taxes like window tax or beard tax
[14:55] Eddi Haskell: the movie startship troppers actually predicted many of the mechanisms of today
[14:55] Simeon Bookmite: american seem to have no troube taxing none citizens
[14:55] Eddi Haskell: in a way it was as well known as bladerunner for being predictive and visionary
[14:56] Eddi Haskell: even those reality shows were in starship troopers
[14:56] Jago Constantine: I think starship troopers has stood up well since it was released
[14:56] Simeon Bookmite: one of the ancient greek city state taxed people who's door opened Outwar on to the city streets
[14:56] Jago Constantine: hehe cool
[14:56] Yomatto Torres: 1st 1 was good but 2nd, not so much
[14:57] Yomatto Torres: Yo People
[14:57] Jago Constantine: Yo, Yo
[14:57] Ugene Ogrimund: Hey!
[14:57] Simeon Bookmite: lol
[14:57] Jago Constantine: We're just winding up this week's meeting I'm afraid
[14:57] Jago Constantine: Hi, Ugene
[14:57] Jago Constantine: Would anyone like a group invite?
[14:59] Jago Constantine: Ok so the next meeting is next saturday at 2pm
[14:59] Simeon Bookmite: i listened to the Podcast of Fledging this week
[14:59] Jago Constantine: never heard of it :P
[14:59] Yomatto Torres: plenty time to save Vvardenfell then
[14:59] Eddi Haskell: ya know what is cool
[14:59] Eddi Haskell: next saturday is the new babbage air race
[14:59] Eddi Haskell: steampunk
[15:00] Simeon Bookmite: In the Lieden Universe series
[15:00] Jago Constantine: too bad no one here can go because of this meeting
[15:00] Jago Constantine: heh
[15:00] Camilla Delvalle: There are a couple of elevator songs from Utena on youtube.
[15:00] Camilla Delvalle: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3e2GwpZ7ug
[15:00] Camilla Delvalle: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gW4q5bMJVA8
[15:00] Simeon Bookmite: we are interving the authors for our pod cast next week
[15:01] Simeon Bookmite: they are published by Baen
[15:01] Camilla Delvalle: The second is about Greek philosophy! Have you ever heard a song about philosophy?
[15:01] Jago Constantine: monty python did one
[15:01] Camilla Delvalle: Yes you are right.
[15:01] Yomatto Torres: LOL
[15:02] Simeon Bookmite: any how tiome to wrap up
[15:02] Jago Constantine: yes I have to go for breakfast
[15:02] Hiroya Chrome: Wandering on for now. Nice to meet all of you.
[15:02] Eddi Haskell: bye hiroya!
[15:02] Simeon Bookmite: bye folks
[15:02] Jago Constantine: thanks for coming folks - see you next week
[15:02] Eddi Haskell: see ya folks1
[15:02] Yomatto Torres: )
[15:02] TienMu Xuanzang: Bye. :-)
[15:02] Eddi Haskell: if anyone wants a kiosk to put out for haiti ask me
[15:03] Jago Constantine: Sorry Edward - we're winding up
[15:03] Edward Aelberts: It's okay. I had a feeling I was too late. ^^;
[15:03] Drennen Piers: thanks for the get book tips...i'm going to pick me up a copy of year million today
[15:03] Jago Constantine: good to hear :)
[15:03] Jago Constantine: cya all