We are at the very beginning of time for the human race. It is not unreasonable that we grapple with problems. But there are tens of thousands of years in the future. Our responsibility is to do what we can, learn what we can, improve the solutions, and pass them on.
— Richard P. Feynman
Posts Tagged ‘science’
Pass It On
Posted in Likes, tagged creativity, Feynman, future, inspiration, Motivation, quotes, science, Thoughts, work, yay on January 8, 2014| 2 Comments »
More on Why Science Needs Fiction
Posted in Likes, Science!, Writing, tagged astronauts, awesome, Becky Chambers, creativity, inspiration, kids, Motivation, science, science fiction, sff, space, space exploration, writing on October 17, 2013| Leave a Comment »
As a followup to my last post on Reading for Generation Mars, I’d like to reference this piece by Becky Chambers at the Tor.com blog. She wrote it after meeting a (real! live!) astronaut and realizing that what she does is important to science and progress too, and not in an abstract way.
The fact is that if space exploration—in whatever form—is going to continue onward, it needs all the support we can muster. We need public outreach, like what the astronaut was doing, to be aware of the work that’s already being done, and to spark the next generation to follow in their footsteps. We need quality education, and a larger emphasis on scientific literacy, both in the classroom and beyond.
And we need science fiction. Now, more than ever.
We need to consider which futures are worth pursuing, which ideas we’ve outgrown, and what dangers (both practical and ethical) could be lurking along the way. Science fiction is the great thought experiment that addresses all of these things, and there is no branch of it that is not hugely relevant today. We need stories based around existing technologies, to help us determine our immediate actions. We need near-future stories that explore where our efforts might lead us in our lifetime. We need stories that take the long view, encouraging us to invest in better futures for distant generations. We need space operas, to remind us to be daring. We need apocalypses, to remind us to be cautious. We need realistic stories, and ridiculous stories, and everything in between, because all of these encourage us to dream (perhaps the ridiculous ones most especially). We need all of it.
I found this to be a really nice summary of so many of the reasons why fiction, and science fiction in particular, is important. Sure, it’s just one element in a matrix of education, outreach and exploration, but it’s in there.
Now I’m going to go write something:)
Reading for Generation Mars
Posted in Likes, Other, Science!, tagged books, creativity, education, Fiction, Generation Mars, kids, Mars, Motivation, non-fiction, Pascal Lee, reading, reading list, science, science fiction, SETI, STEM on October 15, 2013| 1 Comment »
This article by scientist Pascal Lee has a great point: reading helps kids turn dreams into reality. I just have one tiny bone to pick, and that has to do with the non/fiction divide:
“Let’s get ready for Mission: Mars and take our kids with us. Let’s start them on this journey with a non-fiction STEM book.”
I absolutely agree that Science, Technology, Engineering and Math learning and advancement requires books of the non-fiction variety. That’s right, actual facts are actually important. No question. I would add, though, that not only is it not bad if Generation Mars includes fiction on its reading list, doing so will help them with that first bit: having dreams. It’s also important to remember that much of the best science fiction is based on extrapolated science fact.*
“The best way to predict the future is to create it yourself.”
— Peter Diamandis
As Lee points out, Scholastic’s “Read Every Day. Lead a Better Life” motto is right on target, but why limit that reading? Non-fiction shows you how to build the path, fiction helps you decide where you want to go and imagine what it will be like when you get there.
I can’t wait to see where Generation Mars takes us.
* While “top X” lists are always arguable, they can be a great place to start. Check out this list of The Best Hard Science Fiction Books of all Time: Ten titles that inspired Technology Review to publish TRSF, its own collection of sci-fi stories.
Why I Love My Alma Mater…
Posted in Likes, Science!, tagged awesome, finishing, Harvard, lightsaber, MIT, science, star wars, yay on September 27, 2013| Leave a Comment »
From Phys.org via the good folks at Tor.com:
MIT and Harvard Just Made a Real Lightsaber. So That’s Done.
Cross another dream off the bucket list, because the Harvard-MIT Center for Ultracold Atoms just created a new form of matter that could potentially be used to create real lightsabers.
… and fine, that place up the street isn’t so bad either:)
And yes, I finished those projects I was working on, thanks for asking.
Learning@Lunch
Posted in Food and..., Science!, tagged books, fascinating, food, learning@lunch, nonfiction, processed food, science on August 22, 2013| Leave a Comment »
I read with lunch. Sometimes speculative fiction, of course, but often other types of writing as well, including nonfiction. Right now I’m reading Pandora’s Lunchbox: How Processed Food Took Over the American Meal by Melanie Warner.
Appropriate lunchtime fare, wouldn’t you say? Allow me to share with you two fascinating excerpts:
You probably don’t think of your lunch as being constructed from powders, but consider the ingredients of a Subway Sweet Onion Teriyaki sandwich. Of the 105 ingredients, 55 are dry, dusty substances that were added to the sandwich for a whole variety of reasons. The chicken contains thirteen…. The teriyaki glaze has twelve…. In the fat-free sweet onion sauce, you get another eight…. And finally, the Italian white bread has twenty two….
— p.11
Yum. And lest you think that a salad at home is necessarily pitfall free:
… using fat-free dressing on a salad can prevent you from absorbing many of the vegetables’ healthy (fat-soluble) phytochemicals.
— p. 18
This has been Learning@Lunch. Enjoy:)
Everyone You Know…
Posted in Likes, Science!, tagged carl sagan, home, inspiration, pale blue dot, photography, science, space, Thoughts on June 28, 2013| 1 Comment »
From an NPR article on a global “self-portrait” scheduled for July 19th. Thank you, Carl, for putting us all in perspective.
Another Thought After Iain Banks, or, Origins and Destiny
Posted in Other, Science!, tagged atoms, awesome, human body, iain banks, illness, Motivation, neil degrasse tyson, physics, science, stars, Thoughts on June 10, 2013| Leave a Comment »
Now might be a good time to spend a little time with everyone’s favorite physicist, Neil deGrasse Tyson, as he revisits the origins of the atoms that make up the human body.
From stars we came and to the stars we must return.
Neil deGrasse Tyson Explains Where Our Atoms Came From
Passport to Galactic Citizenship
Posted in Other, Writing, tagged arts, awesome, creativity, genre fiction, inspiration, literature, Motivation, science, sff, Thoughts, Writers, writing on June 4, 2013| 2 Comments »
In a broader sense, all science fiction prepares young people to live and survive in a world of ever-continuing change by teaching them early that the world does change.… In a more specific sense, science fiction preaches the need for freedom of the mind and the desirability of knowledge; it teaches that prizes go to those who study, who learn, who soak up the difficult fields of knowledge such as mathematics and engineering and biology. And so they do! The prizes of this universe go only to those able and equipped to reach out for them. In short, science fiction is preparing our youngsters to be mature citizens of the galaxy… as indeed they will have to be.
— Robert A. Heinlein (in “Turning Points: Essays on the Art of Science Fiction” by Damon Knight, ed., pp. 26-27)
Love The One You’re With
Posted in Science!, tagged aliens, awesome, dna, evolution, history, inspiration, science on March 8, 2013| Leave a Comment »
Since I’m on an NPR science kick… this article provides a fascinating glimpse of our dual genetic past… and perhaps future?
What Happened When Humans Met An Alien Intelligence? Sex Happened : Krulwich Wonders… : NPR
… most humans on Earth, especially if they descend from Europe and most of Asia, carry about 1 to 4 percent Neanderthal DNA in their cells. Proportions will vary. British comedian Eddie Izzard, discovered he’s 2.8 percent Neanderthal. You don’t carry Neanderthal DNA unless someone up your family tree coupled with one.
So that’s our proof: that our first encounter with an intelligent alien led to … umm, well … more.
Meet Your New Overlords
Posted in Funny, Science!, tagged facepalm, inspiration, NPR, science, Thoughts on March 8, 2013| Leave a Comment »
To Make Mice Smarter, Add A Few Human Brain Cells
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