NP - Childhood's End

Wed Sep 9 20:49:19 CDT 2015

Everything is immensely complex, really. Simple answers delude by
exclusion. A Humanist? Maybe, maybe not. I do not think humans are the best
of all possible species, for instance, because the realm of possibilities
is infinite. There might be a great deal out there infinitely more sublime
than humans. We may be inadequate even to consider the range of potential
for evolution, much less--hm--can I get away with calling it post-evolution?

On Wed, Sep 9, 2015 at 6:15 PM, Mark Thibodeau <jerkyleboeuf at gmail.com>
wrote:

> On the other hand, it might not be the sf itself, but the type of person
> drawn to it, that is the problem, in these cases. Maybe people who feel
> superior or "other" seek out a literature that reinforces said beliefs. I
> really don't know.
>
> J
>
> 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>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>
>>
>
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