Tag Archives: science fiction

Who Owns the Future?

Posted on October 27, 2014 by thevenerablecorvex

I attended my friend’s wedding in Toronto this weekend, which means that I have spent a significantly larger percentage of the last three days sitting in various airports than I would care to admit. And if you have been through … Continue reading →

Posted in Fiction, Personal Stuff, Science | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Some Thoughts on Fantasy

Posted on October 5, 2014 by thevenerablecorvex

So, as part of the discussion on my previous post, n8chz has directed my attention towards a discussion going on the blog the Hipcrime Vocab . This post (which is well worth the read) asks the question: given all of the problems … Continue reading →

Posted in Fiction, Politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

An Heretical Question

Posted on October 3, 2014 by thevenerablecorvex

For the last several weeks I’ve been thinking about a question which I’m almost afraid to ask, because if taken too literally, it could sound like I’m advocating restrictions on freedom of inquiry. Nevertheless, I think it’s an interesting question, … Continue reading →

Posted in Science | Tagged , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Losing the Faith

Posted on May 24, 2014 by thevenerablecorvex

Let us suppose that there exists a field of study in which people take established facts about the world and extrapolate upon them wildly; where bizarre–though interesting–ideas are routinely advanced with no more basis than the fact that they could conceivably … Continue reading →

Posted in Fiction, Physics, Science | Tagged , , , , , , | 10 Comments

2312

Posted on March 15, 2014 by thevenerablecorvex

Kim Stanley Robinson’s novel 2312 has inspired in me an interesting and potent mixture of reactions. On the one hand, I love the concept for this book: a scientifically plausible and ultimately optimistic look at a possible future world which addresses such … Continue reading →

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Am I Being Stupid?

Posted on July 13, 2013 by thevenerablecorvex

One of the things that first attracted me to the Space Studies Program was its inter-disciplinarity. I liked the idea on paper, but in practice I figured that it would be lip-service and that the bulk of the program would … Continue reading →

Posted in Academics | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Some Thoughts on Star Trek

Posted on May 18, 2013 by thevenerablecorvex

[Some Spoilers Follow] I have a confession to make, dear readers: I am a theoretical physicist today pretty much exclusively because I grew-up watching Star Trek: The Next Generation. The overwhelming likelihood is that the show probably also exerted a … Continue reading →

Posted in Fiction | Tagged , , , , , , | 7 Comments

The Doctor to the Rescue?

Posted on September 16, 2012 by thevenerablecorvex

It will likely come as little surprise to any of my regular readers that I am a great fan of the Doctor Who franchise (I watched the old Tom Baker episodes in reruns when I was a child; I recall being … Continue reading →

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Why Scientists Should Read Science Fiction

Posted on July 28, 2012 by thevenerablecorvex

Every so often, one of my (older) colleagues will find me reading a science fiction novel. “Ah, science fiction,” they will say. “I used to read quite a bit of that. Of course, I can’t really get in to it … Continue reading →

Posted in Fiction, Physics, Science | Tagged , , , , , | 6 Comments

Cultural Backwash

Posted on July 7, 2012 by thevenerablecorvex

Sometimes I think that the public’s reaction to a scientific theory or discovery is more interesting that the science itself. It’s around these times that I start to wonder whether I ought to be getting a degree in studying that … Continue reading →

Posted in Fiction, Physics, Politics, Science, Skepticism | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments