IO9 asks its readers which classic #scifi novel still holds up today? It helps if we can agree on what classic means. http://t.co/9cjU8bfg3Y
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Capt. Xerox
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Capt. Xerox
Sad to hear that the vastly underrated #scifi author Jack Vance has died. He leaves behind an amazing body of work. http://t.co/rwNFtaLzRr
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Capt. Xerox
I’m not normally a big comics fan, but this collection of Simon and Kirby #scifi stories looks like a keeper. http://t.co/QcQTLXz5pI
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Capt. Xerox
Soldier may have been a B-movie, but the A.V. Club gives you some reasons why this 1998 film is worth watching. http://t.co/a22cHhUeFC
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Capt. Xerox
Project Icarus’ goal is to achieve interstellar flight by 2100. Meanwhile, we haven’t left Earth orbit in 41 years. http://t.co/gAxkLJYUUN
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Lazarus
Just to be clear, the Icarus project is for non-manned interstellar flight.. We haven’t left orbit for manned missions in the last 41 years, but we’ve certainly launch a few long range craft. The Icarus site you linked has a number of ongoing projects, (the Icarus project proper being one) some manned, some not. I also found it interesting the Icarus project itself was started in 2009 and was supposed to be a 5 year project, so if they are on track, they would be winding down by now. But the link asking for volunteers is still up so I suspect they are falling a bit behind on that schedule. And the last bit of interesting tidbit was that one of the groups that founded the project was the “Tau Zero Foundation”. I initially assumed they are familiar with Poul Anderson’s great novel “Tau Zero”, but now I’m wondering if the Tau constant with regards to interplanetary flight speed was something that predated the novel. (I’m well aware that the Tau constant was certainly around long before that. I still remember the capacitor dis/charging formula.)
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Capt. Xerox
Is #scifi enjoying a new New New Wave? It seems every generation wants a wave to call its own. http://t.co/TDNQ85Emi9
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Capt. Xerox
I was in Squamish, B.C. the other day and word on the street is the new Planet of the Apes flick is filming there next month. #POTA
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Lazarus
If by ‘the last two” you mean the Burton movie and Rise of the PotA, you may want to skip Burton’s. It’s nice visually and does have some cool stuff in it (and you should watch it someday for that stuff), but leave your brain at the door as you won’t need it to watch the movie.
As for Dawn, just to be clear, while they are filming in New Orleans, the movie is still set in San Francisco and environs. Think of an “I am Legend” look and feel. A friend of mine in NO just got a casting call yesterday for extras needed next week as ‘dishelved humans’. (Unfortunately, he can’t go.) -
Lazarus
They’ve been filming for some time already around New Orleans. They recently announced the scheduled release date for memorial weekend 2014, which is exactly one year away. Of course these release dates change as all the Hollywood studious fight for supremacy for a given weekend for any particular film. I’ve been staying away from the interviews, gossip, and what few productions stills have been released. Even so, it seems clear that this will be a very different movie from the first with a radical change of global events over the first movie. I am looking forward to it.
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Capt. Xerox
I was staying at the hotel where the Twilight crew and cast stayed during the filming of those movies in Squamish. The same place will be overrun by apes next month so I am guessing they need some rainy forests and mountains for scenes in the next film.
I am also looking forward to the next movie, although I really should see the last two first! I am so behind the times, it’s not funny.
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Capt. Xerox
I’m looking forward to the #scifi movie Europa Report. Here’s a new trailer. http://t.co/7u6slW37vd
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Capt. Xerox
How *does* copyright work in space? The Economist explains. http://t.co/YU165sjaZy
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Capt. Xerox
Publishers Weekly didn’t think much of Wool, but the author’s already made millions selling it online. http://t.co/t88eSXYucz
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Capt. Xerox
Kim Stanley Robinson’s 2312 has won the Nebula. I’m actually reading it right now. I’m waiting for it to get better. http://t.co/OW4Gu6u2yE
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Capt. Xerox
Alejandro Jodorowsky’s Dune never happened, but there’s a new documentary that tells us what we missed. tp://ow.ly/ldQ7s
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Capt. Xerox
36 km may not sound like much, but it’s the extraterrestrial driving record and it’s now owned by Opportunity on Mars http://t.co/LndmI9uCkO
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Capt. Xerox
There’s an online campaign to bring back Enterprise for a 5th season. Why not just campaign for a new Trek series? http://t.co/H7inphIaKi
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Capt. Xerox
Star Trek Into Darkness was built on the back of the past #startrek shows and series. Here’s why they were so great. http://t.co/wPYDGV6mxL
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Capt. Xerox
Why does this brawl between rival Star Wars and Doctor Who fan clubs sound like a scene from Fanboys? http://t.co/YecFnnhdpl
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Capt. Xerox
I can’t wait for someone to release all of the pages of the writers’ guide for the original Star Trek series. http://t.co/HgogGH3hhG
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Capt. Xerox
If you can’t find enough #startrek content on Wikipedia, perhaps you’ll have better luck with Wikia’s latest project. http://t.co/Jb5MguVSK1
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Capt. Xerox
Did you ever notice the particular way in which Riker sits down in #startrek? Check out this video. http://t.co/FNYeAy5f0v
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Capt. Xerox
Settling a colony on a distant star would cost more than all of Earth’s GDP for the life of the universe. Sigh. http://t.co/9yYYNeMjvK
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Capt. Xerox
This 1968-era Howard Johnson’s children’s menu promoting 2001: A Space Odyssey is a blast from the past. http://t.co/sbMcDFYXHR
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Capt. Xerox
Is time travel even possible? Perhaps theoretically, but the engineering to make it happen seems impossible. http://t.co/Wmo2l6uzaQ
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Capt. Xerox
The Arthur C. Clarke Center for Human Imagination is set to open. Wouldn’t Clarke have spelled it Centre? http://t.co/DQ0RsmkcCV
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Capt. Xerox
Is #doctorwho the greatest Jewish character in the history of television? http://t.co/W2BTKwPyq4
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Capt. Xerox
This list of science fiction novels for economists also serves as a good list of science fiction for anyone. http://t.co/5m62Qo9PUy
Capt. Xerox, and 
Lazarus 2:10 pm on May 31, 2013 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Even though some of his book covers are vividly engrained in my brain, I never owned a Jack Vance book nor have I ever read one. For whatever reason, I just never picked up any of his stuff. He did live to a ripe old age so he got to satisfy his fans for a long time.
Capt. Xerox 9:15 pm on May 31, 2013 Permalink | Log in to Reply
He’s one of those authors who I ignored for a long time. I’d see all sorts of his books when perusing the shelves at my favourite used book stores, but nothing ever caught my eye. I was vaguely aware of his most famous book, The Dying Earth, but everything else was a blur.
The more critical essays I read about him and the more I encountered his fervent fans, I figured there must be something I’m missing so I decided to read some of his books. I read some fantasy and some straight science fiction and thought they were wonderful.
He was pretty prolific and he has a multitude of series and one-offs so I think the biggest problem for a first-time reader is figuring out where to start. I guess The Dying Earth is the obvious selection, but you may find other entry points.
Check out this essay about rereading The Dying Earth: http://www.asimovs.com/_issue_0702/ref.shtml. If it resonates with you, then you may be interested in picking up a copy.