What's your favorite reviews of "Three body problem"? Especially ones that focus on discussing the physics - both in terms of depiction of physics and physicists and in terms of how correct the books are?
Preferably of the Netflix series, but I'll also accept those for the books if especially good on discussing the physics.
@vicgrinberg I don’t know if you have read the book (I guess so), but ti ne the book is a really different story. So basically when watching the movie I keep mapping the story onto the story ;-).
Yes, the physics would be interesting, and I would love to know what a particle physicist thinks about sophons. Overall that part does not kill me that much, because this can be mapped to: We just don’t know it, yet… blah blah.
So count me as an interested reader of the answers here.
@vicgrinberg The reviews I saw were mainly centered around the truth to the original work, and that/if internationalizing the book (replacing Chinese protagonists by people from other nations) is detrimental.
@muellerwhh yeah, that's also the kind of discussion I've seen. Which is why I'm interested in the physics part :) Not just in terms of actual science but also the depiction of physics and physicists.
@muellerwhh I'd love to read some well-thought out opinions - interested less in press reactions and more in in depth discussion of everything related to physics & physicists. So your thoughts yes :)
As a warning: I have a professional interest in this since I've been asked to comment and would love to hear what others think, too.
@muellerwhh I did read the book & did not especially like it - less for the physics and more for the storytelling (the historical parts were funnily the only ones that really worked for me!).
I've only seen the first episode yet. They seems to have mixed a particle accelerator & a neutrino detector or similar into one machine? Also the "lab assistant role" is strange. Do they mean PhD students? Or something else? But also not my field Anyway, would like to see other ppl's opinions.
@vicgrinberg@muellerwhh did you read the later books? I found each a slog (and the sexism in book 2 in particular is 🤢), but the core idea of book 2 is (I think) genius and original, and book 3 is just chock full of outstanding ideas that changed the way I look at the sky. My physics is only from popular physics books but I think I have the basics. (I also 🙄 at the quantum entanglement comms.)
If the assumed hostile aliens existed; they would already know we were here.
And, per the problems with depictions of physicists:
I, a radio and radar astronomer, saw the mutually assured destruction final plot twist in "Dark Forest" coming within 5 minutes. There was no need for any character in the book to tolerate or enable Luo Ji to figure that out.
@muellerwhh@jni@vicgrinberg Among the problems with "Three Body" and "Dark Forest"; Liu Cixin did not inform himself that well about how people do radar astronomy and radio astronomy or about how people have imagined SETI over the past 60 years now.
In the scenario he set up; any of a long list of current radio telescopes (military as well as civilian) could be set to track the galactic plane at any time and run hot, ready to transmit within seconds - and some of them would be.
@michael_w_busch cool thanks - that's the kind of comments I was looking for! Thanks! As an X-ray astronomer who very mich not working on radars, would love to know more of your perspective 😊 I haven't read the later books but don't mind spoilers!
@vicgrinberg personally enjoyed watching, but sometimes rather cringe on the physics. Serious doubt about the nuclear propulsion with a sail (?), but the biggest no go is that quantum entanglement allows faster-than-light communications. It definitely doesn’t.
@MichelvanBaal will do! I've been asked to possibly provide one and would love to also hear what others had to say since it's not quiet my area of course and since I did not especially like the book so I go into the series somewhat biased.
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