——–Jane’s Groundties books have a lot to say about that.
Stephen Hawking’s last paper
by CJ | Mar 18, 2018 | Journal | 4 comments
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Hawking’s works are an amazing extension of discussions that have been going on within the science fiction community for many, many years. It’s exciting to think that literary devices like teleportation, faster-than-light travel, psychic abilities/experiences, and multiverses are being given serious thought by theoretical physicists.
Meanwhile, I’m greatly enjoying the “fleshing out” of these devices into stories by science fiction authors who have been discussing and evolving these ideas over the last century or so.
If, for example, the Alcubierre drive (or Alcubierre-White) can be refined to something that could work, that would be amazing. It’s strange to think that we have a theoretical concept like that before we have anything that can get us around within our own star system (interplanetary speeds) with any reasonable amount of time (less than the years it now takes us to reach Mars or the outer planets).
Teleportation — I wonder if that will ever be feasible. One spooky question is, if you try to send a lifeform through, do you still get a living being on the destination side? No wonder Dr. McCoy didn’t like them! And yet, it is a near-magical idea.
Wormholes or other shortcuts or portals — I wonder where those would go and what’s in the middle, inside them. If, that is, we find such things, which seems plausible. I’m not prepared to think it’s possible to thread the eye of the needle of a black hole and make it through, though. The seems too likely to go wrong (and long and messy). That, despite that I liked the 80’s movie. Wormholes or some such, though, might be doable, I suppose.
Psychic stuff — The idea that “parallel or alternate or higher dimensions of reality” could mean that we are “right next door” to other states of being or alternate realities, is really something. When it occurred to me that that might account for what most people throughout history would describe as ghost stories, concepts of heaven, or faerie realms, or who-knows-what, an afterlife, maybe, other realities (that supernatural veil idea)…. I don’t really know what to make of it, except that if there’s some scientific basis that would explain or prove that some (or many?) versions of what has confused and fascinated human religious and mythical beliefs for thousands of years, sure would be something to know about. (However, I would think that we all misunderstand those things, whatever they might truly be. Or possibly if one plane or dimension exists and intersects occasionally, then maybe many do, and that could account for a lot of the confusion and differing ideas too. Aside from basic human contrariness and imaginational inventiveness.) So in other words, I have no idea, but it is very interesting, even so. Also saying: I don’t know if my own upbringing and beliefs on those sorts of things are any more true than anyone else’s. Life has thrown me enough curves and doubts that I have way more questions than answers, plus some pretty strong doubts and confusion and anger about the apparent discrepancies. So…I don’t know, but it would be nice if there’s some better other life we go to after this one.
Dr. Stephen Hawking was really something. He was brilliant and tenacious to live so long the way he had to. He was also “just a guy,” a person like any of us, caught by life’s circusmstances. He had human flaws like any of us. And yet, look how much he could contribute, even with such awful limitations and the frustrations and anger and sadness he must have lived with because of those limits on his physical body. That he could be so brilliant and witty and funny, and sometimes ribald and so on? Well, good for him, and good for humanity, that we can overcome it in spite of things like that.
Side Note: — There is a typeface that was released a year or two ago called Hawking. I am not sure if it was named in his honor, but it’s a very nice font-family, useful and handsome. (When it was on sale for an intro. discount, I was able to get it. Type font vendors occasionally run special sales on professional fonts, so sometimes, you can pick up a real bargain, if you’re into fonts and graphic design.) I’d assumed the Hawking font-family was named in honor of him, but I haven’t seen something to say so definitely. Still, it’s worth noting.
I just googled the Hawking font, and I agree that it’s very accessible. Because I work with dyslexic students, font choice is important for me. Unfortunately, it’s not an issue with most learning management systems!
Cherryhs à la mode, au rive gauche (ou droit) —
I ordered a used copy of Hestia, as my books are still mostly in storage. So I was surprised to find with it an extra copy of The Pride of Chanur, in a pb edition I don’t recall. So I now have a spare copy to give to some prospective reader.
I suspect the bookseller may be a fan, or at least put in a copy of other feline SF from the same author. Or perhaps someone was over-zealous with an already tiny profit margin. Any of these suggest a clerk or owner who wants to spread the love of reading good books.
So, my thanks to the unnamed clerk or owner. How cool is that? 😀
(Both books are the same printing vintage: The placement of the author name, title, and other pb cover design details match. The two cover paintings are the usual ones for the US editions. The font is Futura Display. These must be after the initial runs of The Pride with its gold display lettering that were carried through to the other, later novels. So I think the Hestia edition is later than the one I had originally, or is still in storage to be found and rescued.