tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post2488866878018766629..comments2024-03-29T00:39:31.629-07:00Comments on CONTRARY BRIN: Science-Fictional News -- some dark and some hopefulDavid Brinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14465315130418506525noreply@blogger.comBlogger49125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-63210328481779173372013-04-26T16:35:15.544-07:002013-04-26T16:35:15.544-07:00Locum,
Yes, language is tricky. But, are you real...Locum,<br />Yes, language is tricky. But, are you really suggesting that you, or most readers dont understand (or arent likely to understand) what Dr Brin means by "reciprocal accountability"? Really?Mike Winterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16395319538645972314noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-70718051436405181082013-04-26T11:35:55.373-07:002013-04-26T11:35:55.373-07:00So -- replicators at work eating a dust cloud?
h...So -- replicators at work eating a dust cloud? <br />http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/WISE/news/wise20120705.htmlHank Robertshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07521410755553979665noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-53849742619081707612013-04-26T10:17:51.615-07:002013-04-26T10:17:51.615-07:00The point I was trying to make about the term &quo...The point I was trying to make about the term "reciprocal accountability" is that the conjugation of the word "reciprocal" with "accountability" is relatively meaningless because many words (including the word "reciprocal") mean more than you think they mean. <br /><br />In addition to "mutual", the word "reciprocal" is also used to express the concepts of "corresponding, matching, equivalent, proportional, complementary, inversely related and opposite". <br /><br />Of course, if this is what you really mean when you say "reciprocal accountability", then I'm ready to trade irresponsibilities with you in a Sharia-like fashion: An eye for an eye, an ill for an ill, a rape for a rape, an ill for a good, a hand for a theft or maybe even a good for a good when it tickles my fancy. Just don't cut me off in traffic or you may find out what the term "accountable" really means.<br /><br />The cynical and "unenlightened" views expressed in some of my posts are not necessarily my own. Many are the product of Voltaire, one of the greatest thinkers of 'The Enlightenment', author of "Candide, ou l'Optimisme", so please feel free to call him "unenlightened" if it floats you boat. <br /><br />@Randy: What was Chad Mulligan's final statement in 'Stand on Zanzibar' and how does it reflect certain Enlightenment ideals?<br /><br />Bestlocumranchnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-39975553510197004502013-04-26T08:08:38.623-07:002013-04-26T08:08:38.623-07:00Yes Rob, you're formally correct; but (especia...Yes Rob, you're formally correct; but (especially in light of Shalmaneezer's final line), the question is <i>who</i> is confusing those things: me? the author? the person reading this story we are in?<br /><br />There's *so* much in that book; I have no idea whether Brunner did it on purpose, or whether it's just that when you mix enough chemicals together you get an explosion.rewinnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14008105385364113371noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-45585124943338016212013-04-26T06:14:05.982-07:002013-04-26T06:14:05.982-07:00You're confusing the last line of the book wit...You're confusing the last line of the book with the last line of the story. There is a difference. ;)<br /><br />Rob H.Acacia H.https://www.blogger.com/profile/07678539067303911329noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-4624259049086619902013-04-26T03:43:13.127-07:002013-04-26T03:43:13.127-07:00Cordwainer Smith:
Reading his shorts as a teenage...Cordwainer Smith: <br />Reading his shorts as a teenager, I didn't really follow what Smith was getting at, but I took away a great many memorable scenes. I think it was in "The Ballad of the Lost C'Mell" where lovers receive their fortunes from a predictor who is never wrong:<br />She: "He will love you for the rest of your life".<br />He: "You will love her for the next eight minutes".<br /><br />The point of the story was (I think...) something else entirely, but wasn't that detail masterful? <br /><br />Stand On Zanzibar:<br />1. The very last of the many, many pleasures of the book is figuring out its last line. In an "ordinary" novel, the last line would be (from memory, probably not quite right) <i> "What an imagination I have!"</i> but considering the work as a whole, the actual last line of the book would be on the next page ... something like <i> "This book was typed on a Smith-Corolla and typeset in Times New Roman."</i> It's a puzzle that has amused me for decades.<br /><br />2. What an awesome, Blade-Runner style Mini-series SOZ might make!<br /><br />3. @Dr. Brin what would you characterize as its flaws?rewinnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14008105385364113371noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-44394754850861010992013-04-25T13:34:49.259-07:002013-04-25T13:34:49.259-07:00locum: "Panglossian terms like "reciproc...locum: "Panglossian terms like "reciprocal accountability" have no place in intelligent conversation because they presuppose a mutuality or "reciprocity" which would then make the concept of "accountability" both unnecessary and redundant."<br /><br />What a grand declaration! Of course, it flies in the face of everything we have learned in 200 years about the difficult, imperfect task of running democracy or markets or science… <br /><br />…especially science, where it works spectacularly well. But it's already established that locum knows nothing about the processes of science.<br /><br />Indeed, we are all delusional, but can often notice each OTHERS' delusions, in which we are not emotionally vested. Given that we try to evade criticism and accountability from others, I find it hard to grasp what you find so hard to understand about enlightenment systems that make it DIFFICULT for the deluded to writhe away from accountability.<br /><br />But I haven't time to try hard, in this case.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18346746681082416283noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-24379723724611623982013-04-25T09:13:46.235-07:002013-04-25T09:13:46.235-07:00want science fiction? How about real history: ht...want science fiction? How about real history: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d4jq7oRxw-g<br /> -- around the 1-hour mark:<br />Graf Zeppelin, leaving Japan while crossing the Pacific, unable to turn back, battered in a typhoon, blown off course, lost, comes down in an island lagoon for the crew to do repairs -- and makes its way to Point Sur eventually.<br />Hank Robertshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07521410755553979665noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-26654958347115272892013-04-25T07:59:11.404-07:002013-04-25T07:59:11.404-07:00For the dark side list:
http://www.declineoftheemp...For the dark side list:<br />http://www.declineoftheempire.com/2011/06/the-truth-about-the-middle-class.html<br />Hank Robertshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07521410755553979665noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-77415236172259745892013-04-25T07:01:33.396-07:002013-04-25T07:01:33.396-07:00And now for a brief moment of science.
Here's...And now for a brief moment of science.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2013-04/16/f-1-moon-rocket" rel="nofollow">Here's an absolutely awesome article on NASA engineers taking apart the F-1 rocket engine used on the Saturn V rocket... to learn how it ticks</a>. These engines may very well be used in the Heavy Lift rocket NASA is building. Even if they're not... I could see SpaceX or some other private company licensing the technology for their own rockets. <br /><br />The article is totally awesome. :)<br /><br />Rob H.Acacia H.https://www.blogger.com/profile/07678539067303911329noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-84446541933616075982013-04-24T22:33:29.382-07:002013-04-24T22:33:29.382-07:00locumranch:
Your analysis of 'reciprocal acco...locumranch:<br /><br />Your analysis of 'reciprocal accountability' suggests to me you miss the point. There is nothing redundant in it, though I agree that one must consent to being responsible.<br /><br />Without getting too deep into the linguistics, accountability implies an expectation of a behavior that can be symmetric or asymmetric. The 'reciprocal' qualifier is a game theory hint that negotiation is expected between game iterations and that punishments/rewards are influential at each step. If the results of a game step ever fail to be relevant later on, it is quite possible the players will fail to shoulder the required burdens. The same is true if the game's symmetry changes. 'Reciprocal Accountability' hints at all of that.<br /><br />The games we play can be complex, but many of them are reducible to simple ones if one doesn't mind some loss of precision and accuracy. The Prisoner's Dilemma game is the first many of us learn and it shows very clearly how much negotiation between iterations matter and how much more negotiated punishments/rewards matter.Alfred Differhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01170159981105973192noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-63480890449323239722013-04-24T21:35:52.769-07:002013-04-24T21:35:52.769-07:00I should be appropriately chastised, subdued and a...I should be appropriately chastised, subdued and ashamed of my cynicism, but I'm not because I have taken a long hard satirical look at myself only to find myself wanting like everyone else.<br /><br />Panglossian terms like "reciprocal accountability" have no place in intelligent conversation because they presuppose a mutuality or "reciprocity" which would then make the concept of "accountability" both unnecessary and redundant.<br /><br />Responsibility is "unmutual" by definition. It must be shouldered willingly. It is intensely personal in the sense that it cannot be "forced" on to another. And, while you can hold someone "accountable" by force without their consent, you can never force them to be "responsible" without their consent or participation.<br /><br />On a side note, I've noticed some nice parallels between Linebarger's 'Norstrilia' (set in Norstrilia) and Voltaire's 'Candide' (set in Westphalia):<br /><br />Both are bleakly comedic in nature; both feature cloistered privileged bastards who are forced travel and confront irrationality & injustice; both seek love but find it fleeting; both discard naive philosophies as a result of their experience; and both retreat to agrarian sanctuaries.<br /><br />So much for "l'Optimisme". Hold it dear or worship it if you must. Just let me cultivate my garden.<br /><br />Best.locumranchnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-18905869534179434642013-04-24T16:36:28.075-07:002013-04-24T16:36:28.075-07:00That tales of uplift have been historically dour a...That tales of uplift have been historically dour and cautionary is more a product of the writers than their public, who appear to enjoy Brin at least as much as they enjoy Wells or Stapledon.<br /><br />("We want Credeiki!")<br /><br />Interesting to see this 'Otherness' trope coming out in the trailer for that quintessential American Superhero "Man of Steel"Tony Fiskhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14578160528746657971noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-56262604110259068752013-04-24T16:24:43.586-07:002013-04-24T16:24:43.586-07:00btw. Cascio firmly tweeted that the AP tweet wasn&...btw. Cascio firmly tweeted that the AP tweet wasn't him!!<br /><br />In other interesting developments, the Wikileaks v Visa case has been decided in Wikileaks' favour. Visa to lift blockade, or face damages of $200,000... per month. Wikileaks expresses interest as to whether or not Visa will choose/be ordered to continue. Tony Fiskhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14578160528746657971noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-77092169073151605352013-04-24T15:06:07.586-07:002013-04-24T15:06:07.586-07:00Relating to the AP twitter hack, was it a prank or...Relating to the AP twitter hack, was it a prank or an act to make a profit?<br /><br />http://www.openthefuture.com/2012/08/lies_damn_lies_and_twitter_bot.html<br /><br />Algorithmic trading turns the stock market from a way to raise capital into a lottery, with the odds stacked in favour of the 'house' (ie. the big players who can afford light speed links and supercomputers).Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-57493034035332314562013-04-24T15:02:14.890-07:002013-04-24T15:02:14.890-07:00I'm at a loss as to how you could describe Nor...I'm at a loss as to how you could describe Norstilia as a cautionary tale, except, maybe, if you're Australian.<br /><br />("Norstrilia" is a contraction of "Old north Australia" and the planet of that name s a parody of rural Australia circa 1960.)Ianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01739671401151990700noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-20409643980880223482013-04-24T14:56:59.473-07:002013-04-24T14:56:59.473-07:00re: Eric Raymond's "A Political History o...re: Eric Raymond's "A Political History of SF"<br /><br />What a US centric view. All genuflect to Saint Heinlein! <br /><br />The idea that SF's ideas are only enjoyable to readers with a world view compatible with a libertarian streak does not make sense when viewed from the perspective of global SF readers. <br /><br />The reference to Postrel's "The Future and its Enemies" is instructive of Raymond's ideology, but to conflate SF with libertarian ideas (notwithstanding our hosts beliefs) does not bear scrutiny. <br /><br />Alex Tolleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01556422553154817988noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-63245683306432099562013-04-24T13:23:59.169-07:002013-04-24T13:23:59.169-07:00...and some get Sober....and some get Sober.Nebrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05974591864059776528noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-40531768569354280762013-04-24T12:56:27.677-07:002013-04-24T12:56:27.677-07:00A drunk knows he is a drunk. He drunkenly sits in ...A drunk knows he is a drunk. He drunkenly sits in a bar and ponders his alcoholism, and all that it has cost him and those he loves. He ponders long and hard and laments his own nature. Then in his pain, he picks up a glass and drinks some more. He is an alcoholic. It is his nature.<br /><br />We criticize ourselves. We gaze deep into the philisophical mirror and see that we are tribal, that we are cruel and ruthless with any person or group that we can other. We are ashamed. And then we will do something tribal and cruel.<br /><br />The alcoholic may think more about his failings than another drunk in the bar, who thinks about little more than his next cup. At the end of the day, both are drunk. We ponder our own tribalism, perhaps (a small perhaps) more than many other civilizations, but we are still tribal apes.sociotardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11697154298087412934noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-52650000936045607872013-04-24T11:16:42.558-07:002013-04-24T11:16:42.558-07:00You guys are great this morning. Jumper thanks fo...You guys are great this morning. Jumper thanks for the Cixin link. I am finishing reading the draft of Cixin's "The Three Body Problem" and you guys are gonna love it.<br /><br />Paul451 I will crib expand your bit about HFT algoirithms, thanks.<br /><br />Locumranch, your bit (above) was cogent and well-written and moving. And correct at one level… and utterly wrongheaded at another. <br /><br />Once again, you fail to look at yourself during your process of cynical criticism, and incorporating the fact THAT guys like you are engaged in self-crit toward humanity's flaws… as did all the authors whom you cite. <br /><br />Given that it is one of the major themes of this site and its host, I think you might want to study and grasp the concept that our enlightenment experiment overcomes many age-old human failings through reciprocal accountability. Imperfectly! And you are welcome to criticize that assertion I just made, from an informed perspective!<br /><br />But to ignore that process WHILE engaged in it strikes me as, well, ironic.<br /><br /><br />=Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18346746681082416283noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-34468493346564441902013-04-24T09:58:04.786-07:002013-04-24T09:58:04.786-07:00I am working, but try Hong Kong U.
http://www.cuhk...I am working, but try Hong Kong U.<br />http://www.cuhk.edu.hk/rct/toc/toc_b7778.htmlJumperhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11794110173836133321noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-70583899284042402502013-04-24T09:00:03.266-07:002013-04-24T09:00:03.266-07:00Since no one is taking it up, I'll repeat my q...Since no one is taking it up, I'll repeat my question. Can someone tell me about the English version availability of Liu Cixin's works in translation? I'm not coming up with anything on my own.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-51519509543350076452013-04-24T08:27:03.768-07:002013-04-24T08:27:03.768-07:00Pardon me: "obsolescing"Pardon me: "obsolescing"locumranchnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-73136350776744911622013-04-24T08:27:02.015-07:002013-04-24T08:27:02.015-07:00Ironic you use that phrase. It was originally coin...Ironic you use that phrase. It was originally coined in an anthropomorphic newspaper comic called Pogo. In short, the enemy mentioned in that phrase? Are intelligent animals. So using it in regards to humanity itself as a means of handwaving our ever uplifting something and not having it bite us is quite possibly ironic.<br /><br />Rob H.Acacia H.https://www.blogger.com/profile/07678539067303911329noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-44946760066178419222013-04-24T08:22:51.356-07:002013-04-24T08:22:51.356-07:00Bruce Sterling is prescient when he waxes poetic a...Bruce Sterling is prescient when he waxes poetic about an obsolescening society & the new killing the old, but when others do it they are party-pooping pessimists.<br /><br />This is the main reason Homo sapians can't share a beer with Australopithecus, also why most "Uplift" stories like Shelley's 'Frankenstein', Well's "Island of Dr. Moreau", Simak's "Time and Again", Smith's 'Norstrilia', Brunner's 'Stand on Zanzibar' and Bear's "Darwin" series tend to be cautionary tales ... not because humans can't trust their competitors or creations, but because humans can't trust themselves. <br /><br />Humans can't trust their own competitive instincts, possessing and being possessed by the overwhelming need to dominate or crush all real or imagined opposition, exterminating all potential adversaries with extreme prejudice, turning lush wilderness into sterile parking lots on the off chance that something deadly could be lurking in the underbrush.<br /><br />This is the ironic takeaway message from most Uplift tales: The monster is not who we think it is. We are hard-wired to quake and cower at the thought of "Stranger-Danger" even though, statistically speaking, we have much more to fear from our immediate families or our closest associates. Or, as Pogo once quipped, "We have met the Enemy and he is Us".<br /><br />We have met the Enemy and he is Us.<br /><br />Best.<br /> locumranchnoreply@blogger.com