tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post6740012616461041739..comments2024-03-28T15:25:05.152-07:00Comments on CONTRARY BRIN: Science fictional scenarios - From recent news to GATTACA and much more!David Brinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14465315130418506525noreply@blogger.comBlogger64125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-12059679905623683272023-03-08T06:01:50.246-08:002023-03-08T06:01:50.246-08:00A time for reflection and organisation is the end ...A time for reflection and organisation is the end of the year. I've settled into a newly painted and much prettier small nook of Castle Tacitus. Large-scale book rearrangement is a step in the process. A lot of people have gone elsewhere. There is a top shelf of "darn it all, read these" looking at me. The Favorites are two shelves further down. Two H.G. Wells, five Brin, one each from Scalzi, Tolkien, and W.P. Kinsella. Oh, and there were two turtledoves, which makes us all want to put a partridge on a pear tree<a href="https://pettihome.shop/collections/cuscini-per-le-sedie-shabby-chic" rel="nofollow">.</a><br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-91274979198292257432023-03-08T05:59:20.346-08:002023-03-08T05:59:20.346-08:00I do have to question whether my friend Joe was th...I do have to question whether my friend Joe was the only one to note that Elon Musk made almost all of his money - and was admired - while he lived in California, and that it wasn't until he came to Texas that he began to lose it. Texas billionaires might not have the same perspectives as billionaires in Silicon Valley, who typically recognise their place in a larger ecosystem<a href="https://pettihome.shop/collections/cuscini-per-le-sedie-shabby-chic" rel="nofollow">.</a><br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-2877851738156305302023-01-18T10:17:43.755-08:002023-01-18T10:17:43.755-08:00I have to wonder if my friend Joe was the only one...I have to wonder if my friend Joe was the only one to observe that Elon Musk made almost all of his money - and was admired - while he lived in California, and that it wasn't until he came to Texas that he began to lose it. Texas billionaires might not have the same perspectives as billionaires in Silicon Valley, who typically recognise their place in a larger ecosystem <a href="https://bestweedandfeed.com/grow-lemon-grass-from-seed/" rel="nofollow">.</a>Madah hussainhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04808707484964851575noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-43598876785173866322022-12-30T16:42:41.747-08:002022-12-30T16:42:41.747-08:00onward
onwardonward<br /><br />onwardDavid Brinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14465315130418506525noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-63122550672975075222022-12-30T16:08:52.689-08:002022-12-30T16:08:52.689-08:00I do have to wonder if my pal Joe was the only per...I do have to wonder if my pal Joe was the only person to notice that Elon Musk made nearly all of his money - and was admired - while living in California, and only after he moved to Texas did he started losing it. Texas billionaires may not think like Silicon Valley billionaires, who mostly understand that they are part of a larger ecology.David Brinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14465315130418506525noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-57166981052797921312022-12-30T16:05:25.052-08:002022-12-30T16:05:25.052-08:00Bah. matthew's a twit, of course, but who care...Bah. matthew's a twit, of course, but who cares? <br /><br />I assume he's talking about the mad ravings that (1) Glass Onlion was all about Musk and (2) accurate and (3) that matters more than the utter lack of even a single visible motive for any of the characters do do any of the things that they do.<br /><br />(1) as far as life histories go, Norton's character far more resembles Zuckerberg. "Alpha" was clearly a riff off of "Apple" and "Alphabet" (Google). But whatever.<br /><br />(2) The 'stupid' part of Norton's character makes no sense. ERM is very smartand works closely with top engineers. If you wanted to satirize ERM you might start with his vast number (growing) of offspring and bring that into the plot/satire. There are a dozen other traits and idiosyncracies that coulda made it actual satire of an actual person, rather than an armwave toward Apple/Google. <br /><br />(3) again, there are almost no elements in Glass Onion that make a credible murder mystery. No believable motives - for ANY of the characters to risk prison for! Not even one of them.<br /><br />Had Janelle's character turned out to be alinve, having no twin, after all... THAT woulda been cool. Having none of her 30 year friends knowing she had a twin? Pricelessly dumb.<br /><br />And so we come full circle back to my first sentence, above.<br /><br />David Brinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14465315130418506525noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-40155292145005846122022-12-30T15:43:08.272-08:002022-12-30T15:43:08.272-08:00A New Year, or close enough. Thought I'd bett...A New Year, or close enough. Thought I'd better swing by and wish all well. 2022 was a crazy year indeed. It seems likely that 2023 will be similar.<br /><br />Year end is a time for taking stock and tidying up. I'm ensconced in a repainted and considerably nicer little corner of Castle Tacitus. Part of the process is massive book rearranging. Many have moved on to Other Places. A top shelf of "darn it all, read these" is staring at me. Two shelves down are the Favorites. Five Brin, two H.G. Wells, one each from Scalzi, Tolkien and W.P. Kinsella. Oh and two Turtledoves which makes us all want to add a Partridge in a Pear Tree.<br /><br />Be well and happy<br /><br />TacitusTacitushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17007086196578740689noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-63809321169006504792022-12-30T15:35:08.820-08:002022-12-30T15:35:08.820-08:00The prols are the petite bourgeoisie. Our differen...The prols are the petite bourgeoisie. Our different clades tussling with each other is mostly healthy.<br /><br />Not so much when the oligarchs convince one clade to pull out knives.Alfred Differhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01170159981105973192noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-77867492235655405502022-12-30T11:36:17.022-08:002022-12-30T11:36:17.022-08:00matthew:
Glass Onion... It is a farce dressed up ...matthew:<br /><i><br />Glass Onion... It is a farce dressed up as a murder mystery.<br /></i><br /><br />That's what the trailer looked like to me.Larry Harthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01058877428309776731noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-86774860108778195872022-12-30T11:35:14.556-08:002022-12-30T11:35:14.556-08:00Paradoctor:
Beware: there are false revolutionari...Paradoctor:<br /><i><br />Beware: there are false revolutionaries, who preach superpower-to-the-people but have their own domination schemes.<br /></i><br /><br />Sylvester McMonkey McBean gave stars to all the Sneetches, but look how that worked out.Larry Harthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01058877428309776731noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-56834700660584532032022-12-30T10:52:39.116-08:002022-12-30T10:52:39.116-08:00I see that my talk of democratizing magic has prov...I see that my talk of democratizing magic has provoked rumblings of revolution on this site. Please note that the revolution I propose starts with a technological revolution. The spell heard around the world happens after the mages learn how to cast such spells. <br /><br />Hermione would make a good revolutionary in Rowling's world; she knows both magic and science and she knows that the latter is better organized. In the Star Wars world, the revolution involves cultivating and selling midichlorions. <br /><br />Beware: there are false revolutionaries, who preach superpower-to-the-people but have their own domination schemes. For instance, Syndrome. Sauron 'gave away' magic-enhancing rings, but they had a back-door.Paradoctorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04821968120388981470noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-69693938588148840382022-12-30T10:51:07.733-08:002022-12-30T10:51:07.733-08:00Glass Onion makes sense as a critique of the billi...Glass Onion makes sense as a critique of the billionaire oligarch tech caste, and one of them in particular. It is a farce dressed up as a murder mystery. <br /><br />I'm not surprised OGH did not like or understand it as it throws a lot of stones at his own sacred cows. <br /><br />I found it quite funny and lightweight. <br /><br />"Embreathement." LOLmatthewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17757867868731829206noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-61187270642360478682022-12-30T08:19:09.421-08:002022-12-30T08:19:09.421-08:00LH, the one referred to as "Dances With Smurp... LH, the one referred to as "Dances With Smurphs"?Tim H.https://www.blogger.com/profile/12380916635831994159noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-78683959634626692202022-12-30T06:12:30.175-08:002022-12-30T06:12:30.175-08:00Dr Brin:
The first was GLASS ONLION. The other? W...Dr Brin:<br /><i><br />The first was GLASS ONLION. The other? Well, I have a world of respect for the writer/producer/director! But did his latest have even moments that made any sense?<br /></i><br /><br />I've been interested in seeing <i>Glass Onion</i>, but I do think the previews make it look kind of like a comedy, in the fashion of <i>Murder By Death</i> or <i>Who is Killing the Great Chefs of Europe?</i><br /><br />You're being intentionally coy about your second movie, but I'm guessing it's a newly-released sequel to a decade-old blockbuster?Larry Harthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01058877428309776731noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-70627070761206647952022-12-30T02:27:16.613-08:002022-12-30T02:27:16.613-08:00A Lexington-and-Concord scenario? The spell heard ...<i>A Lexington-and-Concord scenario? The spell heard 'round the world.</i><br /><br />Or the Proletariats seizing the means of sorcery from the Arcane Bourgeoisie. Ogerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12821068416792203568noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-45217602454652704732022-12-30T02:12:34.723-08:002022-12-30T02:12:34.723-08:00Alan Brooks
These are complete bollocks
10% of ...Alan Brooks <br /><br />These are complete bollocks<br /><br />10% of reading glasses will be connected to the internet. Link<br />80% of people on earth will have a digital presence online. Link<br />90% of the global population will have a supercomputer in their pocket. Link<br />Acoustic earthquake shield developed to protect cities from earthquakes begin seeing initial use Link<br />Modifying genes to renew all body issues to youthful versions becomes possible<br /><br />These are also bollocks<br />The COVID-19 pandemic ends. Link<br />General Motors sells 20 all-electric car models, combining battery-electric and fuel-cell-electric vehicles<br /><br />No mention of the actual big changes that we will probably see next year<br />Starship<br />Full self driving<br />Tesla Energy supplying GigaWatt hours of batteries<br /><br />The new nMRA technology will start to make some massive changes<br /><br />The DeepMind protein folding database will start making huge differences to our understanding of biology duncan cairncrosshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14153725128216947145noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-4526944102255293332022-12-30T00:12:01.518-08:002022-12-30T00:12:01.518-08:00Any comments on the other predictions in the piece...Any comments on the other predictions in the piece?Alan Brookshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17996922923136240709noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-22052807766439745202022-12-30T00:00:13.662-08:002022-12-30T00:00:13.662-08:00Hi Alan
I'm in NZ - we have LOOONG supply chai...Hi Alan<br />I'm in NZ - we have LOOONG supply chains and high prices - and it was less than $1 NZ - about 60 cents US<br /><br />AND that was what I paid for one house worth! - the "Cost" should be the cost for buying commercially <br /><br />I have found this in all sorts of "papers" about things like solar panels and batteries - the journalists all seem to be YEARS behind the times talking about moving towards costs that were achieved years ago duncan cairncrosshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14153725128216947145noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-32243260855749237262022-12-29T22:42:04.933-08:002022-12-29T22:42:04.933-08:00Was the price $1 per watt ‘everywhere’ in 2016, or...Was the price $1 per watt ‘everywhere’ in 2016, or in certain locations? The prediction in the link may be referring to the cost around the world.Alan Brookshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17996922923136240709noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-23366308487870332132022-12-29T21:59:00.020-08:002022-12-29T21:59:00.020-08:00Alan Brooks
"Cost of solar panels equals $1 ...Alan Brooks<br /><br />"Cost of solar panels equals $1 per watt"<br />The cost of solar panels was less than that SIX years ago when I bought mineduncan cairncrosshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14153725128216947145noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-67098642176414579952022-12-29T21:48:10.523-08:002022-12-29T21:48:10.523-08:00Btw, which of these prediction make sense:
https:/...Btw, which of these prediction make sense:<br />https://www.quantumrun.com/future-timeline/2023Alan Brookshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17996922923136240709noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-57550331979029423072022-12-29T21:21:40.225-08:002022-12-29T21:21:40.225-08:00Just watched a 2nd highly rated and popular film t...Just watched a 2nd highly rated and popular film that seemed (to us) utterly illogical, with characters who had absurd motives and bizarre logic. The first was GLASS ONLION. The other? Well, I have a world of respect for the writer/producer/director! But did his latest have even moments that made any sense?<br /><br />Nope.David Brinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14465315130418506525noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-209940291811822862022-12-29T19:00:21.231-08:002022-12-29T19:00:21.231-08:00The democratization of magic has already occurred....The democratization of magic has already occurred. Type away at your keyboard and see what consequences your actions weave.<br /><br />Seriously. Watch the last episode of James Burke’s Connections and tell me we haven’t had a say… and still can.Alfred Differhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01170159981105973192noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-51839934347204867732022-12-29T18:46:24.623-08:002022-12-29T18:46:24.623-08:00Der Oger:
Guys, all this talk about "democra...Der Oger:<br /><i><br />Guys, all this talk about "democratization of powers" made me think of a American, French and even October revolution fantasy scenario in which the ruling elites loose control over magic to the proletariate ...<br /></i><br /><br />A Lexington-and-Concord scenario? The spell heard 'round the world.Larry Harthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01058877428309776731noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-24863043110856396812022-12-29T16:24:55.337-08:002022-12-29T16:24:55.337-08:00Perestriker,
Pushkin and Shovekin...Perestriker, <br />Pushkin and Shovekin...Alan Brookshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17996922923136240709noreply@blogger.com