Birthdays
Vera Farmiga b. 1973 (Source Code, The Conjuring)
Paolo Bacigalupi b. 1972 (won 2010 Hugo and Nebula for The Windup Girl)
M Night Shyamalan b. 1970 (The Sixth Sense, Signs, The Village, Unbreakable, etc.)
Catherine Hicks b. 1951 (Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home)
Using the Cute Girl = Picture Slot formula again today, though both Ms. Farmiga and Ms. Hicks have successful careers that are better known for their work outside of sci-fi and fantasy. I chose Ms. Hicks over Ms. Farmiga because Star Trek IV is my favorite film in the series.
Many happy returns of the day to all concerned.
Prediction: First orbital passenger vessel is launched in 2011
Predictor: World of Ptavvs, Larry Niven, published 1966
Reality: Yet again, a prediction about the future of space travel from the era just before the first moon landing, the most optimistic time for sci-fi writers keen on manned missions.
Space tourism is still a long time off. If you've read about life in the space station, months without gravity is not the happy romp we all had hoped for. Several sci-fi writers realized zero gravity toilets would be a serious difficulty and likewise vomiting when in a space suit, but I can't recall any who thought about how bad dead skin cells would be.
Blogger's note: This is the last Larry Niven for a while. I had done some research in his works for dates within the scope of this blog and found a few, but his gleeful prediction about the destruction of Mecca before 2025 has put him firmly in the "scumbag" category and I'd rather not see his face anymore. There are still a bunch of Heinlein predictions and he'll be back next Tuesday.
Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!
We hear for the second time from our new Turn of the Century guy (19th to 20th, that is), T. Baron Russell.
Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!
well, that's good. Because goofy as Niven looks, even serious Bob looks goofier.
ReplyDeleteI have, however, enjoyed several of Niven's stories, especially the ones he did with Pournelle. Yes, even Lucifer's Hammer. (Imma zombie. End of the world stories are kind of in my wheelhouse.)
Back in the day, I really enjoyed his Ringworld stories but picked up the book the other day and feel that it hasn't held up. I didn't know about his prediction of the destruction of Mecca. Every body has a date for the destruction of life on the planet or their least favorite culture/region/ religion. Who knows - one of these days somebody will get it right.
ReplyDelete