I dunno, chrisb...dreams and 'far-fetched' stuff seems to be seeing daylight a lot, even within our lifetimes. PapaZBill's byline is an apt comment...'practical magic' is becoming common. 'Puters used to fill rooms, now you have one in your back pocket that makes them idiot savants, one trick ponies...3D printing, CAD/CAM, and rockets that land on their tails. (Thanks, Elon. That's one dream made real.)
MHO, we'll go to Mars. As JFK spoke, to do the thing because it's hard...and because we're a bull-headed species that doesn't like being told 'no' or 'it can't be done'. My only hope is that we go As a Species rather than a nationality. Lets go together...company's nice, and we could do so much better and more that way.
Many hands make work lighter, as a general rule. And I'd prefer to be an optimist about 'us', although we backstep too much for my taste. But I'm just some sort of odd gadfly when considering such....
MHO, we'll go to Mars. As JFK spoke, to do the thing because it's hard...and because we're a bull-headed species that doesn't like being told 'no' or 'it can't be done'. My only hope is that we go As a Species rather than a nationality. Lets go together...company's nice, and we could do so much better and more that way.
Many hands make work lighter, as a general rule. And I'd prefer to be an optimist about 'us', although we backstep too much for my taste. But I'm just some sort of odd gadfly when considering such....
I can see it now, already....
"Oh, frunk. The Humans have arrived. Who invited them?"
"No one, they just show up. They're either insanely serious or they party like they'll live forever. Useful though...they don't seem to know when to quit. Give 'em a problem and they'll gnaw on it until they come up with Something...."
"True...but, they're so ugly."
"They don't find us cute, either. But they're fine...at least they've stopped pulling out weapons when approached. That's an improvement...."
"Oh, frunk. The Humans have arrived. Who invited them?"
"No one, they just show up. They're either insanely serious or they party like they'll live forever. Useful though...they don't seem to know when to quit. Give 'em a problem and they'll gnaw on it until they come up with Something...."
"True...but, they're so ugly."
"They don't find us cute, either. But they're fine...at least they've stopped pulling out weapons when approached. That's an improvement...."
We'll get there, Papa. If we can avoid trashing the planet and/or each other, we will. If it wasn't for this clash of belief systems and conflicting goals, we'd be absolutely unstoppable. A force of our natures.
I read a SF novelette decades ago, aliens bemoaning that they'd lost the motive force that drove their starship. They recruited a human who, after calming down and paying attention to the proposition posed, accepted the post.
The ship required a biomechanism to 'make it work' and the Drive to do it. Seems like we were just the Perfect choice for the purpose....
They were lucky not to snag a GenX'er, though....(Oh, that's So Snide. *L* Pardon me....)
I read a SF novelette decades ago, aliens bemoaning that they'd lost the motive force that drove their starship. They recruited a human who, after calming down and paying attention to the proposition posed, accepted the post.
The ship required a biomechanism to 'make it work' and the Drive to do it. Seems like we were just the Perfect choice for the purpose....
They were lucky not to snag a GenX'er, though....(Oh, that's So Snide. *L* Pardon me.
...)
That's my hope jerryrigged.I grew up watching Star Trek and reading classic science fiction, which much of was then fiction became a reality. I have much hope for humanity but until we can learn to get alone,we will not achieve what surely is our destiny,but all will suffer the consequence of what may be our doom!
The story you describe is a great metaphor. If you can recall the title pass it on!!
Well, a GenX'er may save your life one day,not sure you can say that about Millenials!! :0)
The story you describe is a great metaphor. If you can recall the title pass it on!!
Well, a GenX'er may save your life one day,not sure you can say that about Millenials!! :0)
The book itself is in storage here, but here's the synopsis:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Specialist_(short_story)
....as in Childhood's End, our future might be quite different than we can ever imagine. But there's only one way to find that out....
Survive.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Specialist_(short_story)
....as in Childhood's End, our future might be quite different than we can ever imagine. But there's only one way to find that out....
Survive.
I am enjoying Vikings on History and Taboo on FX right now. Some epic beards too which have inspired me to grow mine, though beards can be a pain without beard balm and a good straight razor.
If you like Vikings and Frisians, you will love this book:
https://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/07/books/review/the-edge-of-the-world-by-michael-pye.html
Oliver Stone's "The Untold History of the United States" on Netflix. Whether you agree or disagree I wish this was mandatory curriculum for gaining some perspective of our history and understanding the wider world history around us. I thought of myself as well educated but I learned so much. It also helped my understand so much more about my father as a career military man and why at the end he was so disillusioned with so called "patriotic" rhetoric in the rush to war. As a child whenever we would take a drive across country he always stopped by the military bases to give a "lift" to some soldier or sailor. As a little kid I found it awkward to have these strangers, as often as not missing an arm or a leg, in the car. These 12 episodes are not easy to watch. Like those men my father picked up they might make you a little uneasy. But looking reality square in the face is something we all should do. I wish our political leaders would do it more often.
Just bought the box set,love this show!
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Amazing performance,or should I say performances!
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For those of us who came of age during the period involved - even though on the other side of the border - I thought they captured the pulse and tone of the era palpably.
Whatever artistic license was taken with real-life and/or composite characters I thought propelled to narrative beautifully.
In addition to Life Magazine - world class photo journalism I thought at the time - my mom had a couple of monthly magazine subscriptions in the "science for kids" genre, one of which I can remember came with a thin plastic 45 of the John Glenn launch.
On a side note, later that evening, I caught the tail end of another of my favorite bio-pics of the past 10yrs on TV - "Theory of Everything". Eddie Redmayne's physical transformation was nothing short of gob-smacking, and Jane's character as portrayed by Felicity Jones was an absolute saint.
Whatever artistic license was taken with real-life and/or composite characters I thought propelled to narrative beautifully.
In addition to Life Magazine - world class photo journalism I thought at the time - my mom had a couple of monthly magazine subscriptions in the "science for kids" genre, one of which I can remember came with a thin plastic 45 of the John Glenn launch.
On a side note, later that evening, I caught the tail end of another of my favorite bio-pics of the past 10yrs on TV - "Theory of Everything". Eddie Redmayne's physical transformation was nothing short of gob-smacking, and Jane's character as portrayed by Felicity Jones was an absolute saint.