NSFM
February 24th, 2011
You’ve probably seen this already, but just in case…
(Hi Mom. This is probably one of those links you don’t really need to click on. Sorry!)
In other news, yeah, I was thinking a while back that I could kinda-sorta take credit for envisioning an iPad-like device in 2000. Guess I wasn’t the only one who noticed.
And finally, here’s a kickstarter for a cool-looking graphic novel project from Jesse Ian Rubenfeld. Give it a look!
March 3, 2021
Whaa? I remember seeing this in Reinventing Comics but I never made the connection. You talked about this kind of thing in your TED presentation as well- the artist having an “antennae” into the future. I’m naturally a skeptical and scientifically minded person (bio major) but there’s definitely something going on here. The books “Art and Physics” and “Proust was a Neuroscientist” cover this strange, “fringe” phenomenon pretty well. I believe this sort of thing has also happened to some science fiction writers(?). So cool!
I assume that many if not most science fiction writers genuinely hope to tap into that phenomenon. Some of course, whether by sheer luck or deduction, do. (Some like Clarke even get themselves a patent!)
Personally, I’m betting it’ll be a fun century for Neal Stephenson.
Haha, yeah Stephenson would be a likely candidate for this sort of thing. And people like Greg Egan or Rudy Rucker… potentially… but it would be quite horrifying.
Wow, between you inventing the iPad, and Stephen Fry inventing the iPhone 10 years ago, it makes me wonder what would happen if you and he worked together on something….
Thanks for the plug Scott! I hope I earn enough so I can make you proud.
Scott- Not sure if it would be funnier, but the punchline, “Christ, what an asshole” would definitely change the tone of “Why I’m not Neil Gaiman.”
I’ve long contemplated making a 5-Card Nancy deck and the recent link you posted to this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fhsZH3YhcAA solidified my resolve (though for personal reasons of nostalgia I think I’m going to go with 5-Card Peanuts or maybe Garfield). This new “Christ. what an asshole.” epiphany has made me decide a few wild cards of various characters saying or thinking, “Christ, what an asshole.” should be added.
Sorry Scott, but I think Arthur C. Clarke beat you. In “2001 a space odyssey” (which was published in 1968) there is a device that sounds very similar to a kindle. Although predicting the iPad is still pretty impressive.
I think Arthur C. Clarke was ahead of just about everybody.
I’ve heard of a similar idea that all “Family Circus” punchlines can be replaced with “I just $h!t my pants” without losing any of the comedic value. In fact, many of them become much funnier.
Meh, it’s hard for anything to not be funny with the phrase “Christ, what an asshole” thrown in the mix. Though I have to admit, it’s especially hilarious when juxtaposed with the starkness of the two Far Sides on Sinclair’s site.
I know the feeling. My graphic novel Uncle Silas has computer fungi hard drives and compost monsters that can be computer controlled so I got a kick when I read it’s not just fiction anymore…
http://news.discovery.com/tech/slime-mold-computer.html
http://news.discovery.com/tech/bacteria-work-as-hard-drives-110110.html