Putting More Hippy Bullshit to Rest: "All is Maya".

[Dildo Argentino]

I posted a long, dreary response to this thread on the walls of my cave. Feel free to skip.

[Pergamos]

Hippies should be leaving the Sanskrit alone.

Maya is the term used in Hindu and Buddhist schools of thought to describe 'the illusion of permanence' not that 'nothing exists'.

Yeah, just look what they did to the "singularity" concept.  It went from "the point in the future about which and after which you can no longer make accurate predictions", to "AI Jesus".

The 'illusion' is that the physical world appears on the surface (to our very limited physical perceptions) to appear one way. However, we know from SCIENCE that, indeed, there's lots of shit going on that is very different to how it seems. 

Never listen to physicists.  They're just making that shit up.  Fucking cat is DEAD, do you hear me?

Is that Hippies?  I thought it was Sci Fi writers. (the singularity that is)

[The Good Reverend Roger]

Hippies should be leaving the Sanskrit alone.

Maya is the term used in Hindu and Buddhist schools of thought to describe 'the illusion of permanence' not that 'nothing exists'.

Yeah, just look what they did to the "singularity" concept.  It went from "the point in the future about which and after which you can no longer make accurate predictions", to "AI Jesus".

The 'illusion' is that the physical world appears on the surface (to our very limited physical perceptions) to appear one way. However, we know from SCIENCE that, indeed, there's lots of shit going on that is very different to how it seems. 

Never listen to physicists.  They're just making that shit up.  Fucking cat is DEAD, do you hear me?

Is that Hippies?  I thought it was Sci Fi writers. (the singularity that is)

99% of "sci fi" writers these days are in fact hippies.

[MMIX]

Hippies should be leaving the Sanskrit alone.

Maya is the term used in Hindu and Buddhist schools of thought to describe 'the illusion of permanence' not that 'nothing exists'.

Yeah, just look what they did to the "singularity" concept.  It went from "the point in the future about which and after which you can no longer make accurate predictions", to "AI Jesus".

The 'illusion' is that the physical world appears on the surface (to our very limited physical perceptions) to appear one way. However, we know from SCIENCE that, indeed, there's lots of shit going on that is very different to how it seems. 

Never listen to physicists.  They're just making that shit up.  Fucking cat is DEAD, do you hear me?

Is that Hippies?  I thought it was Sci Fi writers. (the singularity that is)

99% of "sci fi" writers these days are in fact hippies.

How do you define "hippies"?

[The Good Reverend Roger]

Hippies should be leaving the Sanskrit alone.

Maya is the term used in Hindu and Buddhist schools of thought to describe 'the illusion of permanence' not that 'nothing exists'.

Yeah, just look what they did to the "singularity" concept.  It went from "the point in the future about which and after which you can no longer make accurate predictions", to "AI Jesus".

The 'illusion' is that the physical world appears on the surface (to our very limited physical perceptions) to appear one way. However, we know from SCIENCE that, indeed, there's lots of shit going on that is very different to how it seems. 

Never listen to physicists.  They're just making that shit up.  Fucking cat is DEAD, do you hear me?

Is that Hippies?  I thought it was Sci Fi writers. (the singularity that is)

99% of "sci fi" writers these days are in fact hippies.

How do you define "hippies"?

New-age bullshit > Science.

Fact is, there hasn't been a lot of actual science fiction in at least 15 years.

[MMIX]

Hippies should be leaving the Sanskrit alone.

Maya is the term used in Hindu and Buddhist schools of thought to describe 'the illusion of permanence' not that 'nothing exists'.

Yeah, just look what they did to the "singularity" concept.  It went from "the point in the future about which and after which you can no longer make accurate predictions", to "AI Jesus".

The 'illusion' is that the physical world appears on the surface (to our very limited physical perceptions) to appear one way. However, we know from SCIENCE that, indeed, there's lots of shit going on that is very different to how it seems. 

Never listen to physicists.  They're just making that shit up.  Fucking cat is DEAD, do you hear me?

Is that Hippies?  I thought it was Sci Fi writers. (the singularity that is)

99% of "sci fi" writers these days are in fact hippies.

How do you define "hippies"?

New-age bullshit > Science.

Fact is, there hasn't been a lot of actual science fiction in at least 15 years.

Hmmm, you could be right about that. I suspect that it tells us more about the current state of science than about the current state of literature though.

[The Good Reverend Roger]

Hippies should be leaving the Sanskrit alone.

Maya is the term used in Hindu and Buddhist schools of thought to describe 'the illusion of permanence' not that 'nothing exists'.

Yeah, just look what they did to the "singularity" concept.  It went from "the point in the future about which and after which you can no longer make accurate predictions", to "AI Jesus".

The 'illusion' is that the physical world appears on the surface (to our very limited physical perceptions) to appear one way. However, we know from SCIENCE that, indeed, there's lots of shit going on that is very different to how it seems. 

Never listen to physicists.  They're just making that shit up.  Fucking cat is DEAD, do you hear me?

Is that Hippies?  I thought it was Sci Fi writers. (the singularity that is)

99% of "sci fi" writers these days are in fact hippies.

How do you define "hippies"?

New-age bullshit > Science.

Fact is, there hasn't been a lot of actual science fiction in at least 15 years.

Hmmm, you could be right about that. I suspect that it tells us more about the current state of science than about the current state of literature though.

Science is doing just fine.  Popular science, not so much.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

Hippies should be leaving the Sanskrit alone.

Maya is the term used in Hindu and Buddhist schools of thought to describe 'the illusion of permanence' not that 'nothing exists'.

Yeah, just look what they did to the "singularity" concept.  It went from "the point in the future about which and after which you can no longer make accurate predictions", to "AI Jesus".

The 'illusion' is that the physical world appears on the surface (to our very limited physical perceptions) to appear one way. However, we know from SCIENCE that, indeed, there's lots of shit going on that is very different to how it seems. 

Never listen to physicists.  They're just making that shit up.  Fucking cat is DEAD, do you hear me?

Is that Hippies?  I thought it was Sci Fi writers. (the singularity that is)

99% of "sci fi" writers these days are in fact hippies.

How do you define "hippies"?

New-age bullshit > Science.

Fact is, there hasn't been a lot of actual science fiction in at least 15 years.

Hmmm, you could be right about that. I suspect that it tells us more about the current state of science than about the current state of literature though.

No, it really doesn't. Science is proceeding apace.

[Reginald Ret]

Not a lot of Science Fiction? Surely you jest.

Jennifer Pelland - Machine      Discusses androids, society's response to them, what rights they should have and what the emotional impact would be of having your conscience put in one, even if it is only temporary. The least of the list, but still an interesting read.

T.C. McCarthy - Exogene        What really happens when you create supersoldiers.

Dani Kollin and Eytan Kollin - The Unincorporated Man/War/Woman Trilogy    Where people are corporations and everybody owns shares of everybody around them. Only those that manage to buy up enough of their own shares get to decide for themselves what they do with their lives, the rest needs to answer to their shareholders. Creepy and well worked out.

Daniel Suarez - Daemon/Freedom   OK, not technically Sci Fi because most of it can be done with current technology. A very rich man with a lot of time on his hands uses thousands upon thousands of little if>then programs to change the face of society. After he died. These are sticky books, you mean to only read a chapter and end of forgoing sleep altogether that night.

Terry Pratchett & Stephen Baxter - The Long Earth    What easy access to parallel Earths very similar to our own except without people would do to the economy.

Eric Brown - Helix       About a crashlanding on something i would describe as a Dyson Helix. Fun if you like adventures on alternative world-types.

Charless Stross - Accelerando    About three generations living through the singularity, and some encounters with truly alien yet frighteningly familiar aliens. This one actually does justice to the singularity concept. I recommend it highly.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

Not a lot of Science Fiction? Surely you jest.

Jennifer Pelland - Machine      Discusses androids, society's response to them, what rights they should have and what the emotional impact would be of having your conscience put in one, even if it is only temporary. The least of the list, but still an interesting read.

T.C. McCarthy - Exogene        What really happens when you create supersoldiers.

Dani Kollin and Eytan Kollin - The Unincorporated Man/War/Woman Trilogy    Where people are corporations and everybody owns shares of everybody around them. Only those that manage to buy up enough of their own shares get to decide for themselves what they do with their lives, the rest needs to answer to their shareholders. Creepy and well worked out.

Daniel Suarez - Daemon/Freedom   OK, not technically Sci Fi because most of it can be done with current technology. A very rich man with a lot of time on his hands uses thousands upon thousands of little if>then programs to change the face of society. After he died. These are sticky books, you mean to only read a chapter and end of forgoing sleep altogether that night.

Terry Pratchett & Stephen Baxter - The Long Earth    What easy access to parallel Earths very similar to our own except without people would do to the economy.

Eric Brown - Helix       About a crashlanding on something i would describe as a Dyson Helix. Fun if you like adventures on alternative world-types.

Charless Stross - Accelerando    About three generations living through the singularity, and some encounters with truly alien yet frighteningly familiar aliens. This one actually does justice to the singularity concept. I recommend it highly.

So, you've got eight books for 15 years. I think that qualifies as "not a lot". I think that even if you upped it to 30, 2 books a year wouldn't qualify as "a lot" given the volume of books published as sci-fi/fantasy in a given year.

I can add a few more because David Marusek is awesome and definitely science fiction.

However, I found this interesting: http://rosieoliver.wordpress.com/2012/10/29/science-fiction-trick-or-treat/

[MMIX]

Hippies should be leaving the Sanskrit alone.

Maya is the term used in Hindu and Buddhist schools of thought to describe 'the illusion of permanence' not that 'nothing exists'.

Yeah, just look what they did to the "singularity" concept.  It went from "the point in the future about which and after which you can no longer make accurate predictions", to "AI Jesus".

The 'illusion' is that the physical world appears on the surface (to our very limited physical perceptions) to appear one way. However, we know from SCIENCE that, indeed, there's lots of shit going on that is very different to how it seems. 

Never listen to physicists.  They're just making that shit up.  Fucking cat is DEAD, do you hear me?

Is that Hippies?  I thought it was Sci Fi writers. (the singularity that is)

99% of "sci fi" writers these days are in fact hippies.

How do you define "hippies"?

New-age bullshit > Science.

Fact is, there hasn't been a lot of actual science fiction in at least 15 years.

Hmmm, you could be right about that. I suspect that it tells us more about the current state of science than about the current state of literature though.

No, it really doesn't. Science is proceeding apace.

I'm suggesting that it has nothing to do with Science per se and more to do with the public understanding of science. You know, the thing that people like Prof Dawkins are supposed to mediate. And this is, after all, a time when there can still be serious debate about the validity of Intelligent Design as a suitable thing to be taught in school SCIENCE classes.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

Hippies should be leaving the Sanskrit alone.

Maya is the term used in Hindu and Buddhist schools of thought to describe 'the illusion of permanence' not that 'nothing exists'.

Yeah, just look what they did to the "singularity" concept.  It went from "the point in the future about which and after which you can no longer make accurate predictions", to "AI Jesus".

The 'illusion' is that the physical world appears on the surface (to our very limited physical perceptions) to appear one way. However, we know from SCIENCE that, indeed, there's lots of shit going on that is very different to how it seems. 

Never listen to physicists.  They're just making that shit up.  Fucking cat is DEAD, do you hear me?

Is that Hippies?  I thought it was Sci Fi writers. (the singularity that is)

99% of "sci fi" writers these days are in fact hippies.

How do you define "hippies"?

New-age bullshit > Science.

Fact is, there hasn't been a lot of actual science fiction in at least 15 years.

Hmmm, you could be right about that. I suspect that it tells us more about the current state of science than about the current state of literature though.

No, it really doesn't. Science is proceeding apace.

I'm suggesting that it has nothing to do with Science per se and more to do with the public understanding of science. You know, the thing that people like Prof Dawkins are supposed to mediate. And this is, after all, a time when there can still be serious debate about the validity of Intelligent Design as a suitable thing to be taught in school SCIENCE classes.

OK. That's a different thing from the current state of science though.

[MMIX]

Yeah, sorry,  I was working off Roger's Science / Fiction dyad and I should have made my meaning clearer. Actually though I think the current state of science would make a great thread - though possibly not here, we have enough hot button topics to play with already 

[Reginald Ret]

Not a lot of Science Fiction? Surely you jest.

Jennifer Pelland - Machine      Discusses androids, society's response to them, what rights they should have and what the emotional impact would be of having your conscience put in one, even if it is only temporary. The least of the list, but still an interesting read.

T.C. McCarthy - Exogene        What really happens when you create supersoldiers.

Dani Kollin and Eytan Kollin - The Unincorporated Man/War/Woman Trilogy    Where people are corporations and everybody owns shares of everybody around them. Only those that manage to buy up enough of their own shares get to decide for themselves what they do with their lives, the rest needs to answer to their shareholders. Creepy and well worked out.

Daniel Suarez - Daemon/Freedom   OK, not technically Sci Fi because most of it can be done with current technology. A very rich man with a lot of time on his hands uses thousands upon thousands of little if>then programs to change the face of society. After he died. These are sticky books, you mean to only read a chapter and end of forgoing sleep altogether that night.

Terry Pratchett & Stephen Baxter - The Long Earth    What easy access to parallel Earths very similar to our own except without people would do to the economy.

Eric Brown - Helix       About a crashlanding on something i would describe as a Dyson Helix. Fun if you like adventures on alternative world-types.

Charless Stross - Accelerando    About three generations living through the singularity, and some encounters with truly alien yet frighteningly familiar aliens. This one actually does justice to the singularity concept. I recommend it highly.

So, you've got eight books for 15 years. I think that qualifies as "not a lot". I think that even if you upped it to 30, 2 books a year wouldn't qualify as "a lot" given the volume of books published as sci-fi/fantasy in a given year.

I can add a few more because David Marusek is awesome and definitely science fiction.

However, I found this interesting: http://rosieoliver.wordpress.com/2012/10/29/science-fiction-trick-or-treat/

No, i've got eight books within reach. Those are just the ones that i happened to own AND were recent AND i considered them good scifi. I follow no blogs, magazines or other forms of scifi related meta-data. I just go to a bookstore every other month or so and buy 2-5 books.
I should have been clearer on what my sampling technique was.

I will concede that much of what is published as scifi does not explore any form of sci. But that does not make being sad about the lack of good scifi a useful worldview.

I will look up David Marusek, thanks for the tip

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

Not a lot of Science Fiction? Surely you jest.

Jennifer Pelland - Machine      Discusses androids, society's response to them, what rights they should have and what the emotional impact would be of having your conscience put in one, even if it is only temporary. The least of the list, but still an interesting read.

T.C. McCarthy - Exogene        What really happens when you create supersoldiers.

Dani Kollin and Eytan Kollin - The Unincorporated Man/War/Woman Trilogy    Where people are corporations and everybody owns shares of everybody around them. Only those that manage to buy up enough of their own shares get to decide for themselves what they do with their lives, the rest needs to answer to their shareholders. Creepy and well worked out.

Daniel Suarez - Daemon/Freedom   OK, not technically Sci Fi because most of it can be done with current technology. A very rich man with a lot of time on his hands uses thousands upon thousands of little if>then programs to change the face of society. After he died. These are sticky books, you mean to only read a chapter and end of forgoing sleep altogether that night.

Terry Pratchett & Stephen Baxter - The Long Earth    What easy access to parallel Earths very similar to our own except without people would do to the economy.

Eric Brown - Helix       About a crashlanding on something i would describe as a Dyson Helix. Fun if you like adventures on alternative world-types.

Charless Stross - Accelerando    About three generations living through the singularity, and some encounters with truly alien yet frighteningly familiar aliens. This one actually does justice to the singularity concept. I recommend it highly.

So, you've got eight books for 15 years. I think that qualifies as "not a lot". I think that even if you upped it to 30, 2 books a year wouldn't qualify as "a lot" given the volume of books published as sci-fi/fantasy in a given year.

I can add a few more because David Marusek is awesome and definitely science fiction.

However, I found this interesting: http://rosieoliver.wordpress.com/2012/10/29/science-fiction-trick-or-treat/

No, i've got eight books within reach. Those are just the ones that i happened to own AND were recent AND i considered them good scifi. I follow no blogs, magazines or other forms of scifi related meta-data. I just go to a bookstore every other month or so and buy 2-5 books.
I should have been clearer on what my sampling technique was.

I will concede that much of what is published as scifi does not explore any form of sci. But that does not make being sad about the lack of good scifi a useful worldview.

I will look up David Marusek, thanks for the tip

The only point you're proving is that you buy science fiction... I'm not saying that I think Roger's point is necessarily accurate, which is why I posted the link I did (because it actually offers some data, which may or may not be useful) but I am saying that the fact that you buy science fiction is not really any kind of refutation of his point at all. It's a lot like if he said "Most cars are not blue" and I tried to refute it by saying "My car is blue".