Spoiler Alert:
Snape killed Dumbledore.
I'm interested.
Both of the other two books have examples of societies built around a firm shared belief which can't be challenged by members, and in which an effective challenge destroys each society.
It's a nice fiction, but I think has more relevance for wacky cults which abuse their members than for nations. Maybe North Korea or the white parts of the rural south in the US are partial counterexamples. I don't think there were many true believers in communism in the USSR after say 1960, or that there are many people invested in ideology in say Chechnya now.
I'm interested in Banks's treatment of hierarchy (spoiler: generally against it) because I think it's a cool ideal to depict, but is pretty deeply different from any effective human organization I know about. Fleshing out why and how will take some thinking and writing, I hope I'll manage. Also I am interested in how he imagines artificial intelligences.
Which of the Culture's enemies/unassimilated societies made this?
Well, I more or less have to contribute! I'll do one on "defending utopias" to start it off. I'll email it to heebie if that's ok? Should be done by 10th. But we should wait till several are in the can before starting to publish them I guess.
On another topic, I've been playtesting the Machiavelli game with various friends and their kids.. a few adjustments but it generally seems to work.
I read all three of them last month, for the first time since, I dunno, over a decade ago? (I was actually kind of surprised I owned copies.)
So I should write something, but I don't know if it'll be coherent -- at this point my thoughts are my usual frenzy of nitpicking, and I'm not sure if they're going to coalesce around anything.
I also have thoughts on the healing of leg injuries in Consider Phlebas. Why would anyone hope for a future where that wasn't even easier than this apparently is? And then I had ankle surgery and druggedly spilled water all over Use of Weapons, which explains some of the delay there.
I'll email it to heebie if that's ok?
Sure.
Note that Neb is actually the OP on this, but I don't actually mind. Is this about his nested indentations?
Note that Neb is actually the OP on this, but I don't actually mind. Is this about his nested indentations?
What is "this"?
That would have been better from "Opinionated Existentialist Bobby."
"When I hear the word culture, I reach for my thingy."
I'll do (tentatively) "the Culture as the modern". I can maybe finish by 1/10, definitely by 1/17.
Also I suggest Banks's "A Few Notes on the Culture" be added to the reading list (it's short). I at least will be citing it quite often.
I will try to send something in. Possibly on the Minds and their role in / comprisal of the Culture.
Alright, I just checked Consider Phlebas out of the library. The library has Played of Games but not Use of Weapons but I put in a request to order it. I should have just ordered all three in early December (Amazon indicated they would take 3-4 weeks to get here when I checked earlier today.)
Firstly, and most importantly: the Culture doesn't really exist. It's only a story. It only exists in my mind and the minds of the people who've read about it.
Then, why are we wasting our time on it????
Seriously, it's interesting that he felt it necessary to start with that.
It would be so nice to believe he was an SC plant, warming us up for contact.
being crazy, I look forward to being shuffled into Special Circumstances. speaking of teh crazy, I'm very sad I can't get ready in time to participate. I have been put on a drug that lowers your metabolism brutally, by lowering your blood pressure radically (woo 86/60), and so have spent days and days asleep. partly the reasoning was that if you are asleep you can't hurt yourself, I think. it has also reduced the urges to do so. I have phased out the instant release pills without incident, so that's good, and am just taking extended release. now I can read fine, but a bit too late. on the bright side we've had 11 accident-free days in the alameida workplace. still have some ugly bruises and bumps, but hopefully they'll be gone by the time I need to dress for narnian weather. additionally on the bright side, it's great to read these awesome novels again. thanks ajay!
Hooray for better meds. That's some really low blood pressure. I think some of those Buddhist monks could consider that medicine if the need a shortcut to inner peace.
What Moby said. Glad you've seen impertinent. That's some low blood pressure! (I've had lower blood pressure, but I was having a heart attack. Not recommended.)
Impertinent autocorrect!
impertinent s/b improvement
Medical science is always changing its mind about whether or not heart attacks are good for you. Or was that eating eggs?
2nd 20, and 19 last.
To OP, it's unlikely I'll have a post by 1/11.
I'm under the weather and not sure how I'll do on the deadline. Ajay, extend a week or have people get things in as they can or what?
Good idea, I'm behind on my reading.
I am behind on everything except blowing my nose, which is nowhere near an alameida-level complaint but still is getting in the way of everything else.
I haven't finished mine either so let's extend a week.
Cool. I might be in, or I might just carp unhelpfully on other people's posts.
32 is clearly the name of a GSV.
Postponing, hooray! Maybe now I'll finish the damn book. I'm enjoying it, just not doing anything about it.
I'm enjoying it, just not doing anything about it.
Definitely a GCU.
