Poop! Archy, did I miss your landing a new job? I know the oilland one fell through....
On Sep 24, 3:04 pm, archytas <[email protected]> wrote: > I'm probably better built for catching bad guys than teaching Jim. > I'm on part-time hours to start with, though my blood test results > today were great - I'm more or less back to normal, at least for a > madman like me! The advice is appreciated mate and I'll take it up. > > On 24 Sep, 22:39, retiredjim34 <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > Arch - a world where all written material is free! Hmmm. Well, England > > led us all into the law of copyright, so I guess they might as well > > lead us out. There are some groups here in the US that would strongly > > support that idea. > > About your sci fi plot, what makes all fiction interesting is > > conflict, of course. And particularly conflict between a person (or > > something with person-like attributes) and someone or something else. > > So weave that into your story idea and write your free book. > > As an observation, I love your asides - sobriety is an illusion > > caused by a deficiency of alcohol; moral bleating, and bullshit coach > > for example. And the story about your BS MA thesis seems like a good > > one - maybe a short story? Jim > > PS - congratulations on the new job. > > > On Sep 24, 2:23 am, archytas <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > Two colleagues once wondered what it might be like to write other than > > > as a functionary. The problem is related to Lee's pondering on music > > > rights and illegal downloading. The problem of not being a > > > functionary is that there is no 'money' in it. Even writing something > > > for Stanford Encyclopaedia of Philosophy online (free to users) could > > > be regarded as 'money connected' - there would be certain 'credits' > > > for an academic career. > > > > I find myself wondering how we might establish something free of our > > > early twenty-first century plight. I see some answers in future > > > memories, perhaps ones in which we write from the perspective of the > > > current plight having destroyed itself. I catch glimpses of a world > > > where much we now take seriously is so old hat it could only be part > > > of a ridiculous history (like Blackadder). One of these worlds has us > > > genuinely trying to leave Earth with the technology to do so. I > > > posted recently on what I believe the case for space-time travel is. > > > Essentially, the equations (sadly based on currently inadequate data > > > on exotic substances like 'dark energy') tell us that travelling at > > > acceleration acceptable to our bodies, we could reach the 'expansion > > > horizon' (edge of the universe) in what we would experience as 30 > > > years in 'planet of the apes time'. We could not come back, in the > > > sense that all we left behind would be gone, except a bleak, dark > > > place - as 'here' would have experienced eons of 'time'. > > > > In some sense, my questions are about the 'freedom' such a trip > > > involves. We get the freedom to roam space-time vastness, but > > > presumably need to arrive somewhere in which we can enjoy something > > > similar to Earth that has not undergone 'eon decay'. If possible, > > > great questions about what we are leaving behind arise, as well as > > > what we would be seeking to do. A myriad of 'Mayflowers' becomes a > > > possibility. No doubt some sect of 'believers' might well stay behind > > > for the 'second coming' at the time of the heat death of the sun. > > > > Much that we value, like family, friendship, neighbourliness and so is > > > challenged in this experiment, as well as much of the moral circling > > > we do. In my science fiction, I'm concerned with what such a future > > > does to philosophy (I take this from Popper). What would a woman in > > > such times regard childbirth as? What would we consider 'natural'. > > > In another post, Chris and I are wandering back from Europa, already > > > substantially changed by genetic splicing (he, in fact, is a 'built > > > man' not born of woman - so no change there mate as I plagiarise > > > MacBeth!), unaware in early chapters a new lifeform has entered > > > symbiosis with us from Europa's underground ocean). We made the > > > mistake of running out of whiskey and cactus juice and drank the > > > water. Earth is recovering from war and asteroid catastrophe and > > > survivors are focusing on relativity travel (there are new worlds out > > > there to royally screw-up!). Would 'morality' at such a time be to > > > sabotage the space-time travel to save the universe from humanity? > > > > I've been on the fringes of a few physics symposia ('pose' being the > > > key term) at which such stuff is trolled out over too much beer and > > > too little female company (sort of Mind's Eye plus beer?). My own > > > science isn't good enough to know who is talking rot or not really. > > > What I'm on about, should anyone have survived this far, is changing > > > the 'black boxes' of philosophy to see if we can open up free space. > > > One could imagine in the novel, that when Chris attacks me with a > > > knife, he understands I had always really accepted his view of gun- > > > control as he looks down the barrel of the cocked .38 Magnum I've just > > > raised from under the table. Or one could wonder, accepting that the > > > science works, just how daft our current values are, being little more > > > than the good intentions that lined the path to Hell (two more world > > > wars precede the time of the novel). My plan is a genre of > > > deconstruction-reconstruction (of mice and men). Those in the know > > > may suspect I am somewhat shackled by 'strategic scenario building' > > > here, but I hope there is no return of managerial desire and I'm more > > > concerned with the impact on knowledge of where is knows it 'has' to > > > go, and that we can cut through that straitjacket. Relativity travel > > > can remain a fantasy and still provide some direction on how we might > > > better await future generations pass into entropy. Those who think > > > religion has no part to play might reflect that such a future moment > > > might well be the triumph of the Cathars (the return to nothingness > > > and final defeat of the material devil).- Hide quoted text - > > - Show quoted text - --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups ""Minds Eye"" group. 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