Turn On, Tune In, Veg Out (2005, Neal Stephenson)
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Re: Turn On, Tune In, Veg Out (2005, Neal Stephenson)
#2Scientists and technologists have the same uneasy status in our society as the Jedi in the Galactic Republic. They are scorned by the cultural left and the cultural right, and young people avoid science and math classes in hordes.
This theme is explored in depth with Stephenson's (fictional) account of the Ita, from his (fascinating) 2008 novel, Anathem.
Re: Turn On, Tune In, Veg Out (2005, Neal Stephenson)
#3Very incisive take on the prequels and Episode 3 in particular. I think clearly that Episodes 1-3 are exactly the movies that Lucas wanted to make originally, but since they had limited budget and effects technology for Episodes 4-6, they had to actually flesh out the story in order to make a complete film. A textbook example of how constraints contribute to the quality of art.
Re: Turn On, Tune In, Veg Out (2005, Neal Stephenson)
#4Scientists and technologists have the same uneasy status in our society as the Jedi in the Galactic Republic. They are scorned by the cultural left and the cultural right, and young people avoid science and math classes in hordes. This theme is explored in depth with Stephenson's (fictional) account of the Ita, from his (fascinating) 2008 novel, Anathem .
A great book! I devoured it. I sometimes feel that future is here now, which I guess is what makes it such a good read.
Re: Turn On, Tune In, Veg Out (2005, Neal Stephenson)
#5Scientists and technologists have the same uneasy status in our society as the Jedi in the Galactic Republic. They are scorned by the cultural left and the cultural right, and young people avoid science and math classes in hordes. This theme is explored in depth with Stephenson's (fictional) account of the Ita, from his (fascinating) 2008 novel, Anathem .
A great book! I devoured it. I sometimes feel that future is here now, which I guess is what makes it such a good read.
The future has already arrived. It's just not evenly distributed yet. ~ William Gibson
Re: Turn On, Tune In, Veg Out (2005, Neal Stephenson)
#6Very incisive take on the prequels and Episode 3 in particular. I think clearly that Episodes 1-3 are exactly the movies that Lucas wanted to make originally, but since they had limited budget and effects technology for Episodes 4-6, they had to actually flesh out the story in order to make a complete film. A textbook example of how constraints contribute to the quality of art.
yup, the prequels are like the ultimate example of the second-system effect :)
Re: Turn On, Tune In, Veg Out (2005, Neal Stephenson)
#7Woah, Avatar makes way more sense now.
Re: Turn On, Tune In, Veg Out (2005, Neal Stephenson)
#8Anyone else feel like Stephenson can only produce "nerd-bait"? Most of his literary work doesn't have strong characterization or meaningful plots, and everything he writes has this tired, "The geek shall inherit the Earth," undercurrent.
Re: Turn On, Tune In, Veg Out (2005, Neal Stephenson)
#9Anyone else feel like Stephenson can only produce "nerd-bait"? Most of his literary work doesn't have strong characterization or meaningful plots, and everything he writes has this tired, "The geek shall inherit the Earth," undercurrent.
There's a name for that: "science fiction."
Re: Turn On, Tune In, Veg Out (2005, Neal Stephenson)
#10Woah, Avatar makes way more sense now.
Yeah -- that's why I cited Stephenson in the essay I wrote about Avatar: http://jseliger.com/2009/12/27/thoughts-on-james-camerons-av... , which got upvoted on HN yesterday. I assume whoever submitted this link thought, "Stephenson ought to get a place of his own here."