NP - Childhood's End

[Mark Thibodeau]

I think SOME sf can give one a sense of being superior to the common
rabble. Like they're in on some secrets that the Great Unwashed haven't
even begun to dream about. It can be a dangerously intoxicating feeling
(Objectivists and Scientologists and some Trekkies stand as evidence of
that).

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ellen-ladowsky/pedophilia-and-star-trek_b_5857.html

On Wed, Sep 9, 2015 at 9:10 PM, Mark Thibodeau <jerkyleboeuf at gmail.com>
wrote:

> Well now.
>
> From my own personal experiences, some of the kids I grew up with who
> turned out to be among the "scariest" adults I know (one a convicted child
> molester, another a well-to-do convicted rapist, and yet another a
> convicted kiddie porn trafficker) were HUGE sf fans, and part of my
> sf-loving circle of friends.
>
> On the other hand, the kids who grew up watching horror movies (which is
> what I assume you mean by torture porn) and listening to 2LiveCrew and
> such, all - to a man - grew up to be kind and generous family men.
>
> On Wed, Sep 9, 2015 at 8:57 PM, kelber at mindspring.com <
> kelber at mindspring.com> wrote:
>
>> I guess the under 18 crowd should stick to the comforting stuff like
>> first-person shooter games, misogynistic music videos and torture porn.
>>
>> Childhood's End explores in more depth the basic concept behind 2001:A
>> Space Odyssey. Probably best updated with reference to "the Singularity."
>> Scary and/ or exhilarating, depending on your frame of reference ( personal
>> life vs the infinite universe).
>>
>> Laura
>>
>> LK
>>
>>
>> Mark Thibodeau <jerkyleboeuf at gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>> Having read it and found it incredibly chilling on first read (as did
>> Kubrick, by the way... he did NOT see it as optimistic, and told Clarke as
>> much), I have to wonder what all y'all P-Listers "enjoyed" about it? I
>> mean, the finale, set on (SPOILER) a planet covered in unisynchronously
>> mind-melded sleepwalkers, just swaying in place, waiting... what was
>> "enjoyable" about that? Especially considering said evolution was forced
>> upon them (us)?
>>
>> Just curious. I do consider it a sf must-read, but I also think it's
>> probably not right for anyone under 18. It could seriously warp one's sense
>> of self and the worth of one's fellow man, if taken seriously (the way some
>> people take Ayn Rand, for instance). And considering Clarke's own sexual
>> peccadildos...
>>
>> J
>>
>> On Wed, Sep 9, 2015 at 8:30 PM, David Morris <fqmorris at gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>>> I'm not sure it needs anything more than our standard ongoing political
>>> catastrophe. But that's a quibble.
>>>
>>>
>>> On Wednesday, September 9, 2015, Ian Livingston <igrlivingston at gmail.com>
>>> wrote:
>>>
>>>> I personally love that little book and have recommended it steadily to
>>>> all and sundry for decades. Aside from the science, it is a powerful
>>>> statement on the evolution of ideas. I steadily wish someone like the
>>>> Wachowskis would pick up the story and go to town with it. It deserves big
>>>> treatment and it always seemed to me perfect fare for a serious filmmaker.
>>>> I'll watch for comment on this production. If Karellin is boshed, the whole
>>>> thing collapses. It also needs its foundation in imminent geopolitical
>>>> catastrophe, but that part's easy.
>>>>
>>>> On Wed, Sep 9, 2015 at 4:52 PM, David Morris <fqmorris at gmail.com>
>>>> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> I like old school sci-fi. I was given an anthology sci-fi short
>>>>> stories arranged chronologically, starting in the 19th Century, War with
>>>>> the Robots. It was amazingly prescient.
>>>>>
>>>>> http://www.amazon.com/War-With-Robots-Isaac-Asimov/dp/0517065045
>>>>> "28 of the best short stories by the greatest names in 20th Century
>>>>> science fiction, including Isaac Asimov, Arthur C Clarke, Lester Del Rey,
>>>>> Poul Anderson, Philip K Dick, John Brunner and Harry Harrison."
>>>>>
>>>>> My favorite was "A Logic Named Joe" by Murray Leinster.
>>>>>
>>>>> The overall scenario of Childhood's End involves some far-reaching
>>>>> speculation which isn't implausible, IMHO. If the mini-series changes the
>>>>> basic premises, it is doomed.  The logic equation of the novel can't be
>>>>> altered for improvement.
>>>>>
>>>>> Laura, Maybe it was you that recommended it here...
>>>>>
>>>>> David Morris
>>>>>
>>>>> On Wednesday, September 9, 2015, <kelber at mindspring.com> wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>> One of my a favorite sci-fi novels when I was a kid. I recently gave
>>>>>> it to my son to read, and he enjoyed it, but felt it was a little
>>>>>> old-school.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> I've seen the trailer for the upcoming SyFy adaptation, and it looks
>>>>>> pretty bad. But I'll watch it anyway. I think it comes out in December.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> HAs anyone watched The Whispers? The first season just ended. It was
>>>>>> poorly written and acted, but it did have some Childhood's End-like
>>>>>> elements in it.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Laura
>>>>>>
>>>>>> -----Original Message-----
>>>>>>
>>>>>> From: David Morris
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Sent: Sep 9, 2015 5:52 PM
>>>>>>
>>>>>> To: P-list
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Subject: NP - Childhood's End
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> I read this Arthur C. Clark novel on the advice of someone (I
>>>>>> forget), and really liked it.  Now it seems SyFy is about to broadcast its
>>>>>> 3-Episode mini-series.
>>>>>> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Childhood%27s_End
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Syfy's Childhood's End HQ | Trailer 2015
>>>>>> <https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=13&v=i3e7aMCIxjY>
>>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>
>>
>
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://waste.org/pipermail/pynchon-l/attachments/20150909/718b0801/attachment.html>