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

19 December 2009

[14:00] Jago Constantine: Hey, Melch
[14:00] Melch Savon: Hey Jago, Eddi, Claire
[14:00] Eddi Haskell: hiya melch and claire
[14:00] Melch Savon: Don't mind me -- I'm in rezz
[14:00] Eddi Haskell: me too
[14:00] Jago Constantine: Claire / ?
[14:01] Eddi Haskell: dunno / i went along with it
[14:01] Melch Savon: She's on my HUD ... / Oh, 60m away. Sorry
[14:01] Garym Gartner: Hello.
[14:01] Jago Constantine: Hey Gary, welcome to Science Fiction Saturday :)
[14:01] Eddi Haskell: hi GG
[14:02] Jago Constantine: You're a filk fan, that's cool
[14:02] Garym Gartner: Jago, are you associated with Aussiecon?
[14:03] Jago Constantine: No, I'm not
[14:03] Melch Savon: Hello garym
[14:04] Garym Gartner: Ah, well. I was asked if I could recommend anyone to run filk for them ... no luck so far anyway.
[14:04] Jago Constantine: Ok, well maybe its just the four of us today / This is the last meeting for the year ... I'm away over Christmas / Anyway, Gary, being new, I'll explain the meeting format / Basically we usually go around the group, and each talk about what we've been reading since the last meeting / Although recently I've made every second meeting a podcast one, where we listen to a sci fi story as a group
[14:06] Garym Gartner: One moment ... need to get oven
[14:06] Jago Constantine: Sure / Hi, McDaniel!
[14:07] McDaniel Sixpence: hi Jago
[14:07] Jago Constantine: Cool avatar
[14:07] McDaniel Sixpence: ty
[14:07] Eddi Haskell: if you have lag reduce your particles to 0 in graphics
[14:07] Melch Savon: Sorry, I am in a crash cycle. If I crash again I won't bother coming back
[14:07] Jago Constantine: Sure its ok :)
[14:08] Eddi Haskell: melch cut your particles to 0
[14:08] Garym Gartner: I'm back
[14:08] Eddi Haskell: that is why you crash
[14:08] Melch Savon: Will give it a try
[14:08] Jago Constantine: Anyway since the last meeting I read an alternate history - 1632 by Eric Flint
[14:08] Garym Gartner: I've read that.
[14:09] Jago Constantine: It's an alternate history crossed with time travel I suppose
[14:09] Melch Savon: Ring of Fire, right?
[14:09] Jago Constantine: yes, that's it / an average american town is transplanted into the middle of the thirty years' war
[14:10] Eddi Haskell: they prolly bitch about the lack of deoderants
[14:10] Jago Constantine: it reminded me a lot of A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court
[14:10] Garym Gartner: But they had more long-term success than the Yankee.
[14:10] Jago Constantine: Yes, well the author is probably less cynical than Mark Twain :) / I liked it, although it probably isn't the most plausible outcome for such a temporal displacement / they do manage to survive and thrive through the novel
[14:11] Garym Gartner: It does deal with the problems realistically, at least.
[14:12] Jago Constantine: yes, but it was lucky they were a town with their own power plant and coal mine :P
[14:13] Jago Constantine: Hi, Gaspar :)
[14:13] gaspar Violet: hello
[14:13] Eddi Haskell: i made candles im giving to everyone
[14:13] gaspar Violet: sorry
[14:13] Garym Gartner: Thanks, Eddi
[14:13] gaspar Violet: i'm french, and new
[14:13] Garym Gartner: I'm new here too, gaspar
[14:13] McDaniel Sixpence: ty eddie
[14:14] Eddi Haskell: well welcome ya'all
[14:14] Jago Constantine: Welcome to second life, gaspar
[14:14] gaspar Violet: thank you
[14:14] Jago Constantine: this is a science fiction discussion group, feel free to take a seat :)
[14:14] Garym Gartner: There's an authorized fanfic zine for the 1632 world. A friend of mine writes for it.
[14:14] Jago Constantine: oh that's cool
[14:15] Garym Gartner: The Grantville Gazette, I think it's called.
[14:15] gaspar Violet: you talk with voice ?
[14:15] Jago Constantine: no, we do the meeting in local chat
[14:15] gaspar Violet: ok
[14:16] Jago Constantine: I thought it was alright as an alternate history, but I'm not going to rush to read the sequel
[14:16] Jago Constantine: Hi, Rhiannon :)
[14:16] Rhiannon Dragoone: hi, jago! / Sorry i'm late
[14:16] Jago Constantine: For anyone new who's waiting for Rhiannon's clothes to rez, she's a nudist lol
[14:16] Garym Gartner: Nice outfit. :)
[14:16] Rhiannon Dragoone smiles at Jago
[14:16] Melch Savon: Eric Flint is a McDonalds writer -- filling, but not gourmet. He always satisfies but I don't know if he's ever blown me away
[14:16] Rhiannon Dragoone: Garym, thank you!
[14:17] Melch Savon: Proflific as all get out though
[14:17] Jago Constantine: This was the first Eric Flint novel I've read
[14:17] Rhiannon Dragoone: Jago, which one was it?
[14:17] Jago Constantine: 1632, about an american town transported to the 30 years' war
[14:18] Rhiannon Dragoone: oh, wow, i've been meaning to read that.
[14:18] Jago Constantine: it's available for free online at the Baen Free Library
[14:18] Rhiannon Dragoone: i'll jot that down. ty
[14:19] Jago Constantine: http://www.baen.com/library/
[14:19] Jago Constantine: Ok - Eddi, did you read any sci fi since the last meeting?
[14:19] Eddi Haskell: i read a book called the year million / or most of it / that you turned me on to
[14:20] Jago Constantine: How did you like it?
[14:20] Eddi Haskell: it is an academic treatice
[14:20] Eddi Haskell: i liked it but some of the equations were hard for me
[14:20] Garym Gartner: Who's it by?
[14:20] Eddi Haskell: all these authors
[14:20] Eddi Haskell: like each one has a section
[14:20] Jago Constantine: Edited by Damien Broderick
[14:20] Eddi Haskell: i was particulary interested in one thing / since the universe is now expanding / rather, then as einstein thought / contraacting after a big bang
[14:21] Garym Gartner: Are you sure that's what Einstein thought?
[14:21] Eddi Haskell: what does that mean for potentional time travel? / mmmmmmm / no / i think he thought that but im not sure / but
[14:22] Rhiannon Dragoone: Eddi, a time traveller would experience the universe's expansion in reverse
[14:22] Eddi Haskell: mmmmmmmm / yeah thats right / so
[14:22] Rhiannon Dragoone: The big crunch
[14:22] Eddi Haskell: very good / so if time is essentially a matter of a point of view / depending on which spectrum you take as your past and wich as your forward / the universe to you would be contracting / now one thing about this book / well lots of things were interesting / the relevance of finding the matermatical formula to predict primes
[14:23] Jago Constantine: actually, einstein did introduce his "cosmological constant" to achieve a static universe ... in order to prevent it from contracting
[14:23] Eddi Haskell: what is that jago
[14:24] Garym Gartner: Fancy language for "fudge factor" :)
[14:24] Jago Constantine: oh its a famous fudge factor
[14:24] Jago Constantine: exactly
[14:24] Jago Constantine: he made up this thing to get the result he wanted
[14:24] Eddi Haskell: so how does it fudge / mmmm
[14:24] Jago Constantine: and called it the cosmological constant, or that's what its known as
[14:25] Garym Gartner: It has to do with how strongly the universe holds itself together, I think.
[14:25] Eddi Haskell: mmmm
[14:25] Rhiannon Dragoone: Jago, but that was a hypothetical
[14:25] Jago Constantine: because he was perhaps philosophically opposed to the idea of a contracting universe
[14:25] Jago Constantine: or maybe a dynamic universe - one that expands or contracts
[14:25] Eddi Haskell: mmmm why does the universe have to expand to infinity just because it is expanding now?
[14:25] Garym Gartner: More that the universe was observed to be expanding, but shouldn't have been by his theory.
[14:26] Eddi Haskell: yes
[14:26] Rhiannon Dragoone: Garym, that's right and with gravity a tenth of what is necessry to hold the universe together...
[14:26] Jago Constantine: yes, observation proved him wrong and he greatly regretted it
[14:26] Eddi Haskell: does that mean gravity can or cannot hold it together
[14:26] Rhiannon Dragoone: Eddi, it means we have a descrepency we have to explain
[14:26] Eddi Haskell: or the strong force which we assume / but
[14:26] Garym Gartner: Eddi: That's the key question, whether the universe wi ll expand forever or start contracting
[14:26] Rhiannon Dragoone: String theory does it by saying gravity's force leaches in other dimensions.
[14:26] Rhiannon Dragoone: Then there is dark matter
[14:27] Eddi Haskell: mmmm / i thight string theory was all about proving the relationship between difference obeservable forces / and unobservable but theoretic ones
[14:27] Rhiannon Dragoone: Eddi, its all about unification--of relativity and quantum mechanics
[14:28] Eddi Haskell: yes
[14:28] Rhiannon Dragoone: its the Unified Field Theory than Einstein dreamed of
[14:28] Eddi Haskell: yes
[14:28] Jago Constantine: I thought it was pretty clear that the universe will expand forever
[14:28] Rhiannon Dragoone: Jago, not if gravity is ten times greater
[14:28] Garym Gartner: I think that's the consensus view right now.
[14:28] Rhiannon Dragoone: or there is ten times the matter
[14:28] Eddi Haskell: mmmm but how can you prove that with an equation
[14:28] Rhiannon Dragoone: then it could contract, like a yo-yo
[14:29] Garym Gartner: In fact, wasn't it recently shown that the expansion of the universe is accelerating?
[14:29] Eddi Haskell: yes in the past 10 years / it is shown
[14:29] Rhiannon Dragoone: Garym, no ur thinking of my carberator.
[14:29] Eddi Haskell: that is what this chapter is about
[14:29] Jago Constantine: The Universe will expand for ever, at an ever-increasing rate, Nasa scientists have announced.
They base their conclusion on new data obtained by the Microwave Anisotropy Probe (Map) satellite, which has been orbiting the Sun beyond the Moon since shortly after its launch in 2001.
[14:29] Jago Constantine: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/2748653.stm
[14:29] Rhiannon Dragoone: Jago, i've read that
[14:29] Eddi Haskell: mmmm today they think that
[14:29] Rhiannon Dragoone: it depends on whether string theory is true or dark matter
[14:30] Garym Gartner: Which leaves the question, what's pushing it apart?
[14:30] Rhiannon Dragoone: so all that can change
[14:30] Jago Constantine: the cosmological constant ;)
[14:30] Garym Gartner: Bingo.
[14:30] Rhiannon Dragoone: jago LOL
[14:31] Eddi Haskell: and i have also been reading about the fall of the whitlam government in australia in 1975 which is more unbelivable then time travel
[14:31] Eddi Haskell: but it happened
[14:31] Jago Constantine: lol Eddi
[14:31] Eddi Haskell: lol
[14:31] Rhiannon Dragoone: Eddi, no clue wht ur talking about / i'm just a dumb blond from no. america
[14:31] Jago Constantine: I'm Australian ... / The elected govermnent in 1975 was dismissed by the Governor General, the Queen's representative
[14:32] Rhiannon Dragoone: Sorry, really to be so ignorant, Jago, and Eddi
[14:32] Jago Constantine: It was Australia's major constitutional crisis
[14:32] Rhiannon Dragoone: Oh, is that the one where the Governor General overruled the people's vote?
[14:32] Eddi Haskell: yeah
[14:32] Jago Constantine: Yes, kind of
[14:32] Rhiannon Dragoone: okay, don't feel so stupid now
[14:33] Jago Constantine: There was a huge outcry, and then the population went ahead and voted for the guy the GG appointed anyway lol
[14:33] Rhiannon Dragoone: yeah, i heard that.
[14:33] Eddi Haskell: oh and yesterday desmond shang gave me a tour of caledon in blue mars
[14:33] Rhiannon Dragoone: i think a GG is a good idea but shouldn't it be elected? / i mean, there is the history of the monarchy, etc. / For sure
[14:33] Eddi Haskell: noah cause it will hav pwer then / its a ceremonial post
[14:33] Melch Savon: Oh, how was Blue Mars? No mac or linux client, and I haven't booted up windows to see it yet
[14:34] Eddi Haskell: well
[14:34] Eddi Haskell: you can use mac, bootcamp
[14:34] Jago Constantine: Hi, Ugene, Fuschia, welcome to science fiction saturday
[14:34] Eddi Haskell: im gonna have a gallery there, ive done four movies / its amazing
[14:34] Ugene Ogrimund: what's going on here?
[14:34] Fuschia Nightfire: hi jago
[14:34] Jago Constantine: we're just discussing blue mars
[14:34] Eddi Haskell: you just walk around and look at cool builsings
[14:34] Jago Constantine: not the novel - the virtual world
[14:34] Eddi Haskell: i have posters i made ill rez if you want them
[14:34] Garym Gartner: Ah, thanks, I was confused on that.
[14:35] Melch Savon: Naw, I'll check it out myself when I have time. Just wanted you to say ts worth my time is all.
[14:35] Jago Constantine: I plan to check it out next year / Anyway, Melch - have you read any novels lately? / or any sci fi
[14:36] Eddi Haskell: let me know if you want them i made three posters
[14:36] Melch Savon: Since I last came I think I have rediscovered all of the Vorkosigan books by Bujold
[14:37] Jago Constantine: Hmm ... I never got into those
[14:37] Melch Savon: Nice read. Everyone likes the underdog
[14:37] Jago Constantine: or anything by bujold actually
[14:37] Garym Gartner: I've read some of hers. Pleasant, but didn't make me wildly enthusiastic the way it does for many people.
[14:37] Melch Savon: They were up my ally. No need to strain my brain (I have work for that) but interesting enough to be engaging
[14:38] Jago Constantine: ok, so how many books are there?
[14:38] Rhiannon Dragoone: Melch tell us a little about these books. I'm always interested in a new series
[14:38] Melch Savon: 6? 7?
[14:38] Garym Gartner: More than that.
[14:38] Jago Constantine: wow lol
[14:38] Melch Savon: It all revolves around Miles Vorkosigan. Its a space adventure, and hes from a slightly backwards planet where all mutations are killed at birth.
[14:39] Melch Savon: Well, there carriers are
[14:39] Rhiannon Dragoone: oh, ho, i love a good space opera
[14:39] Melch Savon: He looks like a dwarf mutant due to some post-birth trauma, so everyone on his planet finds him disgusting. Most do at least
[14:39] Jago Constantine: so they're basically spartans?
[14:39] Melch Savon: Yet because his father is regent he works his way into intelligence, and becomes admirals of a mercenary fleet / They would be if Bujold went to the extreme, yes / It's all about Miles struggle to be accepted at home while leading a secret life where he is a crippled James Bond in space / Not a horribly boring concept really. The secondary characters tend to be well done as well
[14:41] Ugene Ogrimund: ahhhhhhhhhhh. how the fuck do i get out of here????
[14:41] Avatar ejected.
[14:41] Jago Constantine: I eject you that's how :P
[14:41] Garym Gartner: Whatever works. :)
[14:41] Jago Constantine: nudity is ok ... erections aren't
[14:41] Rhiannon Dragoone: Melch, it sunds like a good read
[14:42] Melch Savon: It is. Not too deep, but enough to keep your interest
[14:42] Rhiannon Dragoone: no, erections are sexual behavior. / Did you eject him?
[14:42] Melch Savon: The Kindle has been very expensive for me. Every book I finished, I had the next in 3 minutes. Read the series straight through
[14:42] Rhiannon Dragoone: I hope
[14:42] Jago Constantine: haha
[14:42] Rhiannon Dragoone: Didn't see him, thank god!
[14:42] Jago Constantine: its like me with itunes / with tv episodes
[14:43] Melch Savon: Jago ... I have that problem too, though not as bad there
[14:43] Jago Constantine: I have just been watching Glee and loving it :)
[14:43] Jago Constantine: Anyway thanks Melch - Rhiannon, have you read any sci fi?
[14:45] Rhiannon Dragoone: Well, no Jago. i'm still thinking though of the Ipod broadcast. / The idea of looking at plant intelligence or clone intelligence
[14:45] Jago Constantine: ok ... last week we listened to a podcast about an intelligent plant and a clone :)
[14:45] Rhiannon Dragoone: And i'm still reminded of Oscar, the intelligent plant, from, i think the STanly Weinbaum story--from the golden age
[14:46] Jago Constantine: Little Shop of Horrors
[14:46] Jago Constantine: :P
[14:46] Jago Constantine: Oh that was Audrey
[14:46] Garym Gartner: Was that the Martian Odyssey or something like that?
[14:46] Rhiannon Dragoone: not that was Bradburry / But Audrey is typical, the story i'm thinking of was unique / in that the plant really was a plant. / Took in oxygen, spewed out carbon dioxide, absorbed minearls, the whole bit / So how would such a creature think? / that's what the story was all about
[14:49] Jago Constantine: The Lotus Eaters / was that the story? / I just googled it / the plant creatures have no survival instinct
[14:50] Rhiannon Dragoone: Yes, I think it was
[14:50] Rhiannon Dragoone: that's right, they just exist.
[14:50] Jago Constantine: hmm I'll check it out if I get a chance
[14:50] Rhiannon Dragoone: and our hero, a human, had a hard time comprehending there thinking
[14:50] Rhiannon Dragoone: *their
[14:50] Jago Constantine: I bet / Ok ... Gary - would you like to talk about some sci fi you've read lately?
[14:50] Rhiannon Dragoone: i think i will re-read it. Thanks for finding the cite, Jago
[14:51] Garym Gartner: Well, just today I got a surprise in the mail from a friend...
[14:51] Garym Gartner: Five stories by classic SF authors, translated into German. But I haven't started on that yet.
[14:51] Garym Gartner: Last month I re-read Niven and Pournelle's "Inferno."
[14:51] Rhiannon Dragoone: kewl
[14:52] Garym Gartner: It's a science-fictional version of Dante's Inferno, with Mussolini instead of Virgil as the guide.
[14:52] Jago Constantine: oh cool
[14:52] Rhiannon Dragoone: all right. Now, that's an awesome concept
[14:52] Jago Constantine: hmm is there supposed to be some correspondence between virgil and mussolini?
[14:52] Rhiannon Dragoone: they're both Italians
[14:53] Garym Gartner: Only that they're both Italian, as far as I can see.
[14:53] Garym Gartner: But Mussolini was expiating the bad things he'd done in life by guiding people through Hell.
[14:53] Rhiannon Dragoone: Maybe Mussolini was a frustrated poet.
[14:53] Garym Gartner: The main character is a science fiction author who died stupidly at a con.
[14:53] Jago Constantine: hmm ok ... in the original virgil is a virtuous pagan
[14:54] Rhiannon Dragoone: is there any other way to die at a con but stupidly?
[14:54] Garym Gartner: Unfortuantely, yes.
[14:54] Rhiannon Dragoone: i know. just kidding
[14:55] Garym Gartner: I chaired a con this year where one of the guests died before it.
[14:55] Rhiannon Dragoone: how horrible for you.
[14:55] Rhiannon Dragoone: I retract my joke, then.
[14:55] Garym Gartner: No offense taken.
[14:55] Rhiannon Dragoone smiles
[14:56] Eddi Haskell: its over my head but most stuff like this is.
[14:56] Garym Gartner: ANyway , it's got some nice parallels with Dante. The setup of Hell is mostly the same.
[14:56] Jago Constantine: Cool
[14:56] Jago Constantine: I was reading about another sci fi treatment of hell by ... hmm what's his name
[14:57] Eddi Haskell: dick cheney
[14:57] Garym Gartner: The "Heroes in Hell" series, perhaps?
[14:57] Rhiannon Dragoone: another good book to add to my reading list
[14:57] Jago Constantine: Hal Duncan
[14:57] Rhiannon Dragoone: ROTF
[14:57] Jago Constantine: It's called Escape from Hell
[14:58] Rhiannon Dragoone: thanks, Eddi
[14:58] Jago Constantine: It sounded interesting
[14:58] Eddi Haskell: your welcome!
[14:58] Jago Constantine: It's like escape from new york
[14:58] Jago Constantine: I gather that Hell is like new york in the novel ... except with a statue of Justice instead of Liberty :P
[14:59] Rhiannon Dragoone: Jago, i can't tell the dif between NY and Hell either
[14:59] Jago Constantine: "A hitman, a hooker, a homosexual and a hobo make the ultimate prison break"
[15:01] Jago Constantine: Anyway, it sounded like a fun concept, but perhaps a little forced
[15:01] Jago Constantine: Ok, thanks for coming folks
[15:01] Jago Constantine: I'll send out a group notice for the next meeting, which will be in January
[15:01] Garym Gartner: Thanks for hosting!
[15:01] Rhiannon Dragoone: Great, Jago
[15:01] Rhiannon Dragoone: U did a good job of hosting, as usual
[15:01] Eddi Haskell: merry xmas everyone
[15:02] Garym Gartner: This was good, I'll want to come back again.
[15:02] Rhiannon Dragoone: Merry Christmas everyone!
[15:02] Jago Constantine: Thanks for joining the group, gary - bring friends :)
[15:02] Melch Savon: Bye all -- see you next year
[15:02] Jago Constantine: And best wishes for Christmas and the New Year to you all :)
[15:02] Eddi Haskell: cu mitch !