davidbrin

davidbrin, 2 months ago to random

Loathe to rec a link to Joe Rogan, but that might lure your MAGA to watch Penn Jillette dissect Trump. Penn - a libertarian with liberal social codes - says a man should not be a bully, a liar, a traitor or a thief... and ideally not a monster, either.
https://youtu.be/A-UK40_XkWw?si=w3QNhT3bF8d7Xjba

davidbrin, 2 months ago to random

With sadness and deep appreciation I must report the passing of Vernor Vinge, a titan in the literature that explores a limitless range of potential destinies, Vernor gave millions vivid tales of plausible tomorrows. My tribute to him can be found here:

https://davidbrin.blogspot.com/2024/03/vernor-vinge-man-with-lamps-on-his-brows.html

davidbrin, 2 months ago to random

Weekend post is about the plague of downer-trips that threaten our can-do, problem solving abilities. We all know the Earth and democracy and the future etc are in peril. Peril best fought with confidence that we have real tools to solve all that.

https://davidbrin.blogspot.com/2024/03/only-optimism-can-save-us-but-plenty-of.html

davidbrin, 2 months ago to random

Mining helium-3 on the Moon has been talked about forever—now a company will try.
https://arstechnica.com/space/2024/03/mining-helium-3-on-the-moon-has-been-talked-about-forever-now-a-company-will-try/

“Helium Three” is (I'm 90% sure) a scam to justify silly “Artemis,” rushing astronauts to another ritual footprint stunt on a useless plain of poison dust. Prove me wrong.

davidbrin, 2 months ago to random

Now that you've re-evaluated your dark worries about old man Biden, consider a few more revisions? Here are 66 good news stories from 2023 - reasons for optimism. Snap… out… of… the funk. It cripples much-needed action!

https://futurecrunch.com/goodnews2023/

davidbrin, 2 months ago to random

Today only(!) BRIGHTNESS REEF (e-book) is just $2.99 . For less than a pack of chewing gum, you can begin my biggest, most idea-packed uplift adventure. Then decide to go the rest of the way, to the dazzling, pan-galactic conclusion!

https://www.davidbrin.com/brightnessreef.html

davidbrin, 2 months ago to random

Here's a recording of the first public performance of my play “The Escape,” at Caltech. A 'reading' but fully dramatized and directed by Joanne Doyle. recording is of middling quality, but shows great audience reactions. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fy3qPm74XoE

davidbrin, 2 months ago to random

Deeply worrisome... and... Almost exactly my "Probationers" in SUNDIVER! Not a joke or a satire.

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/politics/article-justice-minister-defends-house-arrest-power-for-people-feared-to/

Arrest people feared to commit a hate crime in future. But don't worry! The government won't misuse this power! Trust us!

I wrote Sundiver in 1978.

davidbrin, 3 months ago to random

Deem yourself a pretty good essayist? How about an Essay contest with a $25,000 prize? These folks are the real deal.

https://berggruen.org/essay-competition

davidbrin, 3 months ago to random

Is this the beginning of Mitt Romney showing the guts we need from him?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w4VpVtVsSCo

davidbrin, 3 months ago to random

An online conference about how our stunningly compromised high court and its relentless campaign to empower a return to the kinds of rule-by-oligarchy-and-inheritance-brats that Adam Smith denounced and that the American Founders rebelled against.

https://www.law.northwestern.edu/student-life/events/minow-debates/2024/

davidbrin, 3 months ago to random

Anyone able to source this? Hint: it's by the 1960s Weird Al.
"My Zelda...
"My Zelda...
"My Zelda she took the money and ran to see Taylor!"

Okay, very slightly changed to fit today... 😉

davidbrin, 3 months ago to random

My weekend post starts with T Carlsons obsequious 'interview' with Godfather Vlad - and five questions that an actual journalist might have asked. Questions Antony Blinken might still pose at any point - that would leave VP devastatingly cornered.

https://davidbrin.blogspot.com/2024/02/tuckers-mother-of-all-softball.html

davidbrin, 3 months ago to random

More evidence of Mad Right lunacy? With a teensy House majority +all-out war vs ALL fact professions, from science to the heroes of the FBI/Intel/Military officer corps, their "Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Govt." Sure, KGB guys.
https://judiciary.house.gov/sites/evo-subsites/republicans-judiciary.house.gov/files/evo-media-document/NSF-Staff-Report_Appendix.pdf

davidbrin, 3 months ago to random

This week's blog is about what I deem the worst threat to all our lives – obsession by a large % of aristocrats with doomer-prepperism, to re-create the wretched feudalism of 6000 years. ut we can help enough of these guys snap out if the spell.

https://davidbrin.blogspot.com/2024/02/oh-those-idiotic-cycles-of-history-yet.html

davidbrin, 3 months ago to random

I'm attending Beneficial AGI Summit & Unconference - about what measures might help keep Artificial Intelligence beneficial - in Panama City February 27-March1 (which is World Futures Day.) Likely among the few AI conferences that aren't either just technical or hand-wringing/unhelpful. Expect exceptional ideas... some even extremely useful!

www.bgi24.ai #SingularityNET and #BGI24

davidbrin, 3 months ago to random

Why is Putin’s new palace by the Finnish border? If 1917 recurs, angry RF troops turning to Moscow, he can flee mob justice to Helsinki. No extradition with Russia and even then, they never extradite to a country if capital punishment is on the table.

https://twitter.com/MikeNelson/status/1752277082338730024

davidbrin, 4 months ago to random

From the bright folks at the Institute for the Future:
An Icelandic company, is planning a controlled breach of a volcanic magma chamber. They’ve tried it before; the overwhelming heat (842°F/450ºC) melted their equipment. Good luck!

Walmart reported that folks taking Ozempic, Wegovy, or other GLP-1 drugs bought less food than other customers. Shares of Mondelez International, maker of Oreos and Ritz crackers, fell 7.7%; Hershey and PepsiCo followed suit.

https://iftf.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=49da7011bde2a35c4a5d151f5&id=47918ba03e&e=b7393182b7

davidbrin, 4 months ago to random

Geothermal power + lithium extraction in California's Salton Sea.

https://www.latimes.com/environment/newsletter/2024-01-25/column-the-lithium-revolution-has-arrived-at-californias-salton-sea-boiling-point

davidbrin, 4 months ago to random

My weekend posting is about SPACE! Incredible achievements, discoveries and goings-on, including many you may not yet know about.

https://davidbrin.blogspot.com/2024/01/yet-more-space-news-and-reasons-for-us.html

davidbrin, 4 months ago to random

Anyone eager to fill out vol 3 of the UPLIFT STORM TRILOGY.... Heaven's Reach is on sale today on Amazon (e-book) for $1.99.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B091YQ72YL/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=f0cd4-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B091YQ72YL&linkId=6b38109a369cf36ae212b0d00e3f0820

davidbrin, 4 months ago to random

A chilling video. My dad fought these monsters.

Thank you Lincoln Project... the Willy Brandts of Republicans.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QExM4GdtXDI

davidbrin, 4 months ago to random

Andrew Fraknoi has compiled a pretty good list of sci fi stories and novels that relate good astronomy. My short story "Reality Check" appeared in Nature with an odd solution to the Fermi Paradox. https://www.nature.com/articles/35005182 Andy’s list is available at https://www.fraknoi.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Science-Fiction-with-Good-Astronomy.pdf

davidbrin, 4 months ago to random

Eureka! A great sci fi series you might at least like to see summarized. One of the few (ever) that started and continued in a general attitude of optimism and belief in us.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2pf6_rSIPFA

davidbrin, 4 months ago to random

Prisons banning "fantasy and SF materials" - A new PEN America report shows that the number of books banned in prisons by certain states outpace all other book censorship in school and public libraries.

https://pen.org/report/reading-between-the-bars/