Originally shared by Singularity Hub
“Genetic engineering is introducing a gene from species A to species B. That’s the equivalent of replacing a red light bulb with a green light bulb. Synthetic biology is focused on designing the underlying circuitry expressing that red or green light bulb.”
Brin, somewhat less ranty than usual (yes, this is him being less ranty), makes a good point here about different kinds of stories: the Solitary Chosen Hero or the ensemble cast of ordinary people, representing a whole functioning civilization.
Originally shared by David Brin
For the weekend: my own impudent, off-axis take on the 50th anniversary of Star Trek! How diametrically opposite Trek is, from Star Wars, in every moral sense. And you can see this in one trait – the size of the ship. Size does matter! Come find out why.
The headline is actually less exaggerated than I initially expected. In early trials, but we don’t let that stop us from writing stories about it, do we?
Originally shared by CM Stewart
From fiction to fact, Charles Barouch !
#invasion
People in SF are often as rational as the writers, unless it’s satirical SF like Robert Sheckley. But people in real life believe all kinds of bizarre things. How might you realistically and convincingly incorporate a belief like this into your story?
Originally shared by Yonatan Zunger
There is a new theory making the rounds in Flat Earth circles. (Squares?) The forests you see are not real forests; the true forests are long dead, and the things which we think are mountains are actually their ruins.
There’s a marvelous article here about how such a theory spreads, and its curious and somewhat mad beauty. (OK, strike “somewhat”) It’s a fascinating way to start your day.
h/t Steven Flaeck
http://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2016/09/flat-earth-truthers/499322/
Originally shared by NASA
In celebration of the 50th Anniversary of Star Trek, NASA Administrator Charles Bolden introduces us to the real world impact of fictional characters Nyota Uhura and Hikaru Sulu. https://youtu.be/FticpVEmE1s #StarTrek50
Via Charles Barouch.
Originally shared by Andrew Brown (drusepth)
Both awesome and terrifying (but mostly awesome) that technology like this is available now.
https://www.wired.com/2016/09/googles-clever-plan-stop-aspiring-isis-recruits/
Via Winchell Chung.
Originally shared by Gadgetify
PD6B-AW-ARM Large Drone with Dual Robotic Arms
We’re coming up to the 200th anniversary of the book which defined the modern literary vampire – charismatic, aristocratic, consuming and destroying everyone who comes near. There’s a terrible ironic twist near the end of the tale.
Originally shared by The Public Domain Review
Happy birthday to John Polidori — Lord Byron’s long-suffering physician and creator of the modern vampire with his novella The Vampyre (which sees it 200th anniversary this year!). Andrew McConnell Stott explores how a fractious relationship between Polidori and his poet employer lies behind the tale, with Byron himself providing a model for the blood-sucking aristocratic figure of the legend we are familiar with today: http://buff.ly/2c6M2av
tl;dr: The biggest difference is that Democrats are more likely to see difference just as difference, not better or worse, while Republicans (and Trump Republicans especially) are more likely to see difference in terms of one thing being better than the other.
This whole approach of “primals” (fundamental beliefs about the world), though, is very interesting and thought-provoking, which is why I’m posting this in SFF Thought Starters.
Originally shared by Kimberly Chapman
This is a very interesting way to examine Trump support: https://jerclifton.com/2016/08/17/what-reality-are-trump-people-living-in/
And it could be useful in crafting better messages to potentially change minds.
https://jerclifton.com/2016/08/17/what-reality-are-trump-people-living-in
Marketing, as well as R&D, will be involved in any transition to non-animal-sourced proteins.
Originally shared by Winchell Chung
Growing meat in a petri dish is sustainable, more ecological, and harvesting does not require actually killing an animal. But nobody wants to eat food described as “cultured” or “lab-grown”
So the power of marketing and branding is pushing the label Clean Food
The Atomic Rocket interest is for spacecraft closed ecological life support systems. Since it is impractical to raise and slaughter cattle on your spacecraft.