Do these guys on Ancient Aliens actually believe what they're saying?
Wikipedia tells me that Giorgio Tsoukalos is a former professional fight promoter. That sort of explains the hair too—a la Don King? Makes me think it's all just entertainment for ratings.
Either way… I love the absurdity of it all. It's not really hate watching, but I don't quite have another word for it. It's one of my favorite genres of fiction. 🤪
An AGI in a human-like body believes it is human. It is under the impression it is human. It has no discernible difference from what would be expected of being human, and knowledge of the limits of humans (that we learn through life, school etc.). Maybe it's powered by a superconductive battery or something fictional like that.
This AGI, in a moment of human-like forgetfulness, steps out of the moon-base airlock without his space helmet. It wouldn't die, it doesn't need air. I wonder how it would react? Is there a science-fiction story that explores this? #scifi#fiction
@nyrath@iamgerardthomas I know! They were $6 each individually but the bookshop owner knocked it down to $35 for the whole set if I wanted them all, so I wasn't going to say no to that! 😀
Why do sci-fi artists design aerodynamic spaceships like mother ships that are never going to land? Aerodynamics really doesn't matter a whole lot in space.
Also, why would these ships need a discernable top and bottom? There is no real up or down for most of your interstellar travel.
@JeremyMallin@nyrath one of the things I hope The Expanse inspires is more ships that use thrust as the direction of "down" and more consideration of where plating is actually needed.
Theory: aerodynamic-appearing is strongly correlated with "visually attractive".
It's visual language for "we can spend money on excitingly curved hull plates and unnecessary fairings, etc., just so we don't have to look at a starship that looks like a boiler factory had a terrible accident when attempting to mate with a steamroller".
(Which in turn is symbolic language for "we are rich and have a high culture, unlike you primitive savages from beyond the Marches".)
There are many examples of European publishers cribbing entire American SF covers. Here's a great German example.
L, John Berkey's 1972 canvas for Frederik Pohl and C. M. Kornbluth's The Space Merchants (1952); R, Eddie Jones' 1st ed. cover for Kurt Mahr's 2 x Mister Beeches? (1977) #scifi#art#sciencefiction#artist
Treated myself to Clifford D. Simak books. I am familiar with the Hugo Award and a Nebula Award winning author, but I can't remember if I have read him before. I know I have Way Station in paperback waiting to be read.
I got The Trouble with Tycho and Cosmic Engineers two-parter in eBook format. I think I read something about these books before. Pretty sure. More to add to my overwhelming To-Read list.