tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36070744.post1124470174053755638..comments2023-10-20T10:08:03.133+01:00Comments on SomeBeans: Bug-eyed monsters from the planet ThargSomeBeanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11076372969807940310noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36070744.post-45334944220938024452010-04-02T16:13:40.265+01:002010-04-02T16:13:40.265+01:00You might be interested in this long comments thre...You might be interested in <a href="http://blogs.nature.com/agilbert/2010/01/26/delving-into-sci-fi" rel="nofollow">this long comments thread</a> on <i>Nature Network</i> where various sci-fi readers offered their favourites. We also touched briefly on sci-fi films <a href="http://blogs.nature.com/austinelliott/2009/12/18/rip-dan-obannon" rel="nofollow">here</a>.Austin Elliotthttp://network.nature.com/people/austinelliott/blognoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36070744.post-37360277436446064042010-03-31T10:32:34.175+01:002010-03-31T10:32:34.175+01:00@Ian I'll have to check out your list of new r...@Ian I'll have to check out your list of new reading - I hadn't heard of any of them.<br /><br />On the question of defining a scientist. For me it's very obvious, I did a science degree, I work in a clearly scientific job. Mrs SomeBeans (Sharon) did a scientific degree and works as a teacher but doesn't consider herself to be a scientist now (but I do). And the skeptics I meet on twitter I'd consider to be scientists for practical purposes. At this point I'm probably extending the definition of scientist beyond what is practically useful.<br /><br />I guess for computery people the question is more vexed since you do a "computer science" degree then go on to work as a "software engineers".SomeBeanshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11076372969807940310noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36070744.post-80186915850942780782010-03-31T09:47:25.631+01:002010-03-31T09:47:25.631+01:00There's also a small but quite interesting amo...There's also a small but quite interesting amount of fiction about/including science which as a household of readers of a scientific bent we both enjoy - Richard Powers and As She Climbed Across the Table are a couple that immediately spring to mind. Dark Matter by Juli Zeh is next on the list.<br /><br />This also sparks the thought as to what defines a scientist?Ian Wrighthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07504708396366339284noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36070744.post-49340170512312266722010-03-28T19:01:44.043+01:002010-03-28T19:01:44.043+01:00@Alice - yes, I skimmed over the nightmares bit, i...@Alice - yes, I skimmed over the nightmares bit, it's an important part of the genre. It'll be interesting to see how the scientist / filmmaker interaction goes. I didn't mention film but I had a lot them on my mind when I was writing the post. (Bladerunner, The Matrix, Equilibrium, Gattacca...)<br /><br />@Jim - we're out and we're proud, science fiction readers!<br /><br />@Nora_Lumiere thank you, perhaps we should make science students blog to hone their writing skills! I should have credited the image, I found it here: http://bit.ly/9RHPx5 but it's clearly not the original source.SomeBeanshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11076372969807940310noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36070744.post-87439899178282729212010-03-28T18:56:47.741+01:002010-03-28T18:56:47.741+01:00Nobody can accuse you of being an illiterate scien...Nobody can accuse you of being an illiterate scientist. Beautifully written; just enough science and just enough feeling.<br />And, as always, a terrific, eye-catching illustration.N.L. Lumierehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02896097973227483745noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36070744.post-41813268256830428192010-03-28T18:36:59.099+01:002010-03-28T18:36:59.099+01:00Hear, hear.
From Iain M. Banks' Culture to th...Hear, hear.<br /><br />From Iain M. Banks' Culture to the Rama series and Songs from distant Earth by Clarke. I couldn't really attempt to list the sci-fi I've read.<br /><br />Very easy to stereotype those who read it though, and often (in my day) went hand in hand with lovers of the original Red Dwarf series (and all of us doing A-level physics), but hey, I'd recommend to anyone.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36070744.post-17682188997729452292010-03-28T17:12:30.196+01:002010-03-28T17:12:30.196+01:00I'm with you on the science fiction as "d...I'm with you on the science fiction as "dreams of where we're heading". Nightmares too maybe (and that's important too?). <br /><br />I used to teach a course on science and fiction, and had to read a load about it for my PhD. One of my favourite scholars on the topic is David Kirby, who interviews scientists who have been consultants on science fiction films (he's done some work with Brian Cox). It's fascinating stuff, a brilliant way of thinking through the issue - really varied as to how much scientists are listened to and for what reasons.<br /><br />One of the things he says is, yeah, there are a few examples of where science fiction has inspired technologies or at least the look of them (e.g. clam shell phones and Star Trek) but what's really interesting is the ways in which scientists have used their involvement in films to think through their ideas. He has this great example of scientists working on Jurassic Park, getting to work through their scientific ideas via Hollywood's CGI tech.<br /><br />David's got a book out on the topic this summer I think. Worth looking out for.Alicehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12498653879153240121noreply@blogger.com