Science

Roundtable 

Sharman Apt Russell Guest Post–“BFF: Science Fiction and the Environmental Movement”

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In 1864, a hundred years after the start of the Industrial Revolution, the American scholar George Perkins Marsh wrote about the impact of a society rapidly cutting down its forests, destroying its topsoil, and polluting its water. Marsh thundered, “The ravages committed by man subvert the relations and destroy the balance which nature has established, and she avenges herself upon the intruder by letting loose her destructive energies.” He predicted ...Read More

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Roundtable 

Three Recent Associational Items

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While the print and online versions of this magazine do an excellent job of monitoring and reviewing new SF/F/H texts, and non-fiction books closely tied to SF/F/H, it occurs to me that at times there might be other “associational” books that are worth bringing to the attention of readers. This is one of those items.

First, a book related to Christopher Nolan’s latest movie, Interstellar (2014), reviewed here by Gary ...Read More

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Roundtable 

It’s Language–and SCIENCE!

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Is there anything about Google’s new Ngram Viewer that isn’t addictively cool? You can debate the merits of the Google Books project vis a vis their “Don’t Be Evil” slogan, but this byproduct of the project appeals to the lit/sci wonk in all of us (or at least, in all of me). Presented for your amusement:

Fantasy vs. Science Fiction

Cyberpunk vs. Steampunk

Reader vs. Critic

Scientist vs. Engineer

Actually, ...Read More

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Roundtable 

Counting heads

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Mathematical sf isn’t very common, but it can be very good indeed – as I was reminded when I recently read Vandana Singh’s “Infinities” in the Hartwell/Cramer Year’s Best SF 15. There are a couple of theme anthologies on the subject – Rudy Rucker’s Mathenauts (1987) and Clifton Fadiman’s Fantasia Mathematica (1958) and The Mathematical Magpie (1962). Since the Rucker book, several writers have emerged who write around mathematical themes ...Read More

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