01/02 - National Science Fiction Day
~~ Sci-Fi
National Science Fiction Day celebrates, what else, Science Fiction, aka SF. It has also been called sci-fi, but many authors seem to object to that. It is also, it seems, hard to define and it is harder yet to establish the first work that could qualify for the name. Wikipedia, which itself seems to veer off into fiction now and then, discusses the subject at some length, and, in passing notes that some consider Lucian's second century CE work A True Story to be the first science fiction novel, and notes that it does possess many themes and tropes characteristic of modern science fiction. The article ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Science_fiction ) also notes that;
Some scholars assert that science fiction had its beginnings in ancient times, when the line between myth and fact was blurred.
I think that I'll just leave it at that before I go and start offending people, since that was really Zappa's vocation anyway.
It's also National Buffet Day, National Creampuff Day, Swiss Cheese Day, and National Weigh-In Day. What exactly is the point of that last one? Go thou and gorge yourself and then check your weight? Whuffo?
Lastly, it is World Introvert Day. Would all you introverts kindly stand up and tell us all about yourselves. Thanks.
On this day in history:
0366 -- The Alemanni invaded the Roman Empire.
0533 -- Mercurius became "Pope John II", the first pope to use an alias
1492 -- The Emirate of Granada surrendered, note the year.
1900 – John Hay announced the Open Door Policy to give latecomer US a piece of the action in the exploitation of China.
1920 -- The 2nd Palmer Raid saw 6,000 lefties arrested without cause and held without trial.
1921 – The world premiere of R.U.R. by Karel Čapek
1967 -- Ronald Reagan was sworn in as governor of California, alas
1975 – The Federal Rules of Evidence were approved by the US Congress
2016 -- Shia cleric Nimr al-Nimr & 46 others were executed by the Saudis for demanding rights for Saudi Shias.
Some people who were born on this day:
in intellect there is no sex.
~~ M. Carey Thomas
1822 – Rudolf Clausius, physicist and mathematician
1827 – Pyotr Semyonov-Tyan-Shansky, geographer and statistician
1836 -- Queen Emma of Hawaii
1857 – M. Carey Thomas, educator and activist
1870 – Ernst Barlach, sculptor and playwright
1878 – Mannathu Padmanabha Pillai, social reformer and freedom fighter
1891 – Giovanni Michelucci, architect and urban planner
1900 – Una Ledingham, physician and researcher
1901 -- Bob Marshall, co-founder of The Wilderness Society
1904 – Walter Heitler, physicist and chemist
1913 – Juanita Jackson Mitchell, lawyer and activist
1914 -- Kenny Clarke, drummer and composer who popularized the ride cymbal for keeping time.
1918 – Willi Graf, physician and activist (White Rose Society)
1919 -- Beatrice Hicks, engineer & co-founder of the Society of Women Engineers
1920 -- Isaac Asimov, chemist, author, and academic
1936 – Roger Miller, singer, songwriter, musician, and actor
1938 -- Lynn Conway, transgender activist, engineer, inventor and computer scientist
1938 -- Dana Ulery, computer scientist
1943 – Janet Akyüz Mattei, astronomer, director of AAVSO
1949 – Iris Marion Young, political scientist and academic
1956 -- Lynda Barry, cartoonist and author
1972 – Shiraz Minwalla, theoretical physicist and string theorist
1986 -- Troy Andrews aka Trombone Shorty, musician & composer
Some people who died on this day:
I get ideas from everything. A big color, the sound of water and wind, or a flash of something cool. Playing is like life. Either you feel it or you don't.
~~ Erroll Garner
1543 – Francesco Canova da Milano, composer
1726 – Domenico Zipoli, organist and composer
1892 -- George Biddell Airy, mathematician and astronomer known for his disks.
1951 – Edith New, militant suffragette
1974 – Tex Ritter, country singer and actor
1977 – Erroll Garner, pianist and composer
2005 – Maclyn McCarty, geneticist and physician
2012 -- Larry Reinhardt, guitarist
2016 -- Nimr al-Nimr, Saudi Arabian Shia Cleric
2019 – Daryl Dragon, musician (Captain)
Some Holidays, Holy Days, Festivals, Feast Days, Days of Recognition, and such:
National Science Fiction Day (US)
National Creampuff Day (US)
National Buffet Day (US)
Swiss Cheese Day
World Introvert Day
National Weigh-In Day
Today's Tunes
National Buffet Day
br>
Karel Čapek's R.U.R.
Kenny Clarke
Roger Miller
Trombone Shorty
Francesco Canova da Milano
Domenico Zipoli
Tex Ritter
Errol Garner
Larry Reinhardt
Daryl Dragon
Ok, it's an open thread, so it's up to you folks now. So what's on your mind?
Cross posted from http://caucus99percent.com
Comments
Sounds like we should go to the buffet
and weigh ourselves after gorging. That'll encourage you to fast for a day or two.
Living in the boonies, there are no buffets so I'll have to pass...but there's always Jimmy Buffet
That is if you like cheese burgers...
We have lots of left over holiday food to move through this week so I guess we could have our own buffet.
I think the first sci fi in my experience was Jules Verne. I read most of his books as a kid. Azimov was also a favorite as was Heinlein, Le Guin, and many more. So happy sci fi day!
Thanks for the OT!
For a good laugh at all the absurdity, Alex has a best of the 2022 clown worlds clip...
“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”
Good morning LO, thanks for reading.
A cheeseburger is, after all, something of a buffet on a bun, beef, bacon, cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, pickle and condiments. Thanks for the tune and for the humor from Alex. Happy New Year to ya.
be well and have a good one
That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --
Sci Fi
SciFi was one of my favorite genres some years ago.I read a lot of it before I transitioned to mysteries.
When I read current events today, I flash on parts of Dune, Dahlgren, and works of Philip K Dick and Stanislaw Len, among others.
Guess I think a lot of sci-fi has become nonfiction
Mostly the dystopian stuff, or so it seems -
still no widespread use of flying cars, but prisons spy cams and gulags like you wouldn't believe
be well and have a good one
That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --
If you liked Alex clip above...
You'll get a kick out of this compilation of all his imitated conversation between Trudeau and Scholz.
[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NBpR3A-f3nA]
Scholz and Trudeau; Nord Stream Gas Turbine Story, 2022
Reality is satire these days.
“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”
These lists of notable people and notable dates
...are always so delightfully eclectic. I always wonder when I stare at them if I will spot a pattern emerging — like a numerological, or a seasonal, or an astrological pattern — that will predict what kinds of people with what kinds of talents are born during which kind of cycles.
Do you suppose if we kept careful records about people and their special talents for the next 5,000 years, we would have a large enough sample to show patterns that informed us of predictable trends? By then, we would have experienced a continuous civilization that is almost as old as the civilization that the Chinese experience today.
Who else was a science fiction freak at some point in their lives? Or is it just me? (And those who have already confessed in the comments above?)
I live so much in my head, I should wear a hat to hold my brains together.
Dunno if I confessed anywhere above but I definitely
read tons of it at one time, and still do now and then.
be well and have a good one
That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --
Total SF fan
for my whole life. My dad was as well, and had a magnificent collection of the classics- and I read ‘em all, especially space opera/hard SF like E.E. “Doc” Smith (who I still quote all the time). My biggest early influence was Ray Bradbury, but anyone who wrote for John W. Campbell or Theodore Sturgeon was fine by me. When I got to college, I joined the Lecture Series Committee and got to meet a bunch of the then-contemporary authors when we booked them to come speak. I did writing as my humanities focus, and have written some SF, but never really published. I write short-shorts (no surprise there!), but songs sit better since I get to beat the drums. Most of my songs are at least somewhat SF-oriented, if they aren’t protest tunes.
I’m starting to get back into it again with the new crop of writers, but all my favorites are still dead, seems like… Main favorite now is, and will always be, John Brunner. Yay, words!
Twice bitten, permanently shy.
Good morning UFS - thanks for reading
So, did the classics collection include stuff like Doc Savage, and if so, did it spread out to also include Fu Manchu?
be well and have a good one
That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --
Doc Savage,
yes, at least a little bit. It was nowhere close to a complete collection. Fu Manchu, no. Don't know why, unless he wanted to restrict his intake of fantasy to Ayn Rand. Didn't stray far from the canonical hard-SF track. And he wasn't really into the whole superhero thing.
I remember the look of disdain he gave me when I told him I was reading Tolkien back in grade school. Fantasy wasn't his jam, and I don't mean maybe...
Twice bitten, permanently shy.
sci-fi
is a balm for my brain, at least in the imagination module
Just finished the novel Wayward by Chuck Wendig
it is a sequel to Wanderers written before the recent
pandemic. Deals a lot with population thinning, zombies and social
issues. The successor novel was written during the pandemic. Gets
into a lot of AI, Trumpism, post pandemic social structures and the like.
A people versus computer takeover type of theme. Pretty believable for
the most part.
thanks for the OT!
good morning QMS- thanks for reading,
be well and have a good one
That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --
I completely skipped comic books
at 8 years old and went straight to Amazing Stories and sci-fi paperbacks.
A.C. Clark, Andre Norton, Heinlein, Bradbury, Asimov, all the great ones. Couldn't get enough.
At nine I was collecting books from friends, family, dumpsters, anywhere, and trading them at a local used bookstore on a two for one basis.
Was a noted bookworm at ten.
Was a latch-key kid so had a lot of alone time but come out normal but come out normal.,
Thanks for the OT, EL.
Neither Russia nor China is our enemy.
Neither Iran nor Venezuela are threatening America.
Cuba is a dead horse, stop beating it.
Good morning earthling1 - thanks for reading.
Your list of Amazing authors omits Larry Niven, tsk, tsk, unless he was IF or Fantasy-Galaxy only.
be well and have a good one
That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --