07-31-2009, 08:37 AM | #91 | |
Reborn Paper User
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07-31-2009, 08:48 AM | #92 |
Opinionated [but right]
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07-31-2009, 09:02 AM | #93 |
Wizard
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07-31-2009, 09:39 AM | #94 | |
Hi There!
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07-31-2009, 09:56 AM | #95 | |
the snarky blue one
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In the Llounge EVERYTHING IS POSSIBLE, and VERY PROBABLE as well . . . . a strange but factual truth. |
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08-04-2009, 01:55 AM | #96 | |
Book hoarder
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An episode titled "Will the Real Martian Please Stand Up" comes to mind: A couple of state troopers are investigating reports of a flying saucer crash in a relatively unpopulated area, while in that same area, a bus driver and his passengers wait out some bad weather in a diner. They soon realize that there's one more among them than were on the bus, and the immediate supposition is that one of them is actually a Martian. I actually rather liked that they didn't try to explain anything at all about the flying saucer crash, that the level of panic fell far short of what one would expect should a flying saucer crash land on Earth, or even the assumption that a Martian would be indistinguishable from a human. You just accept the basic premise and enjoy what follows. Of course, an episode of an anthology show and a novel are two completely different things, but in my opinion a good writer can ask a whole lot from you up front so long as he/she delivers a well-crafted story from that point forward. |
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08-04-2009, 04:25 AM | #97 |
Wizard
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Just remembered something that really irritated me: In George R. R. Martin's "Song of Fire and Ice" there's these flint mountains, and AFAIK it's a geological impossibility. It just kept taking me out of the story and I never got futher than the first book.
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08-04-2009, 05:35 AM | #98 | |
The Grand Mouse 高貴的老鼠
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There's a neolithic flint mine near me - great site - one of the mines has been excavated, and you can go down the main shaft. http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/s...hosenImageId/2 |
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08-04-2009, 07:23 AM | #99 | |
Wizard
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The flint mine was interesting. I've read about it long ago, and I htink they also exported flint out of the country. I tracked down a photo from a Danish flint mine (Google books link) |
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08-04-2009, 08:09 AM | #100 | |
Final Five n°42
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Well, if a book contains stupid things about computer science, I'm much more likely to remark them. It might not lead me to stop reading the book, though, because I'm used to it (to be frank, it would depend on the scale of the error). Ea, it's too bad that this prevented you from enjoying the story, as Martin has created a very interesting setting. I feel that it depends on the goal and advertised genre of the book. If a book is hard sci-fi, it HAS to be solid and scientifically credible. There shouldn't be much suspension of disbelief at play, in fact, it should mostly consist in accepting the author's hypothesis about scientific progress. If a book is *simple* science-fiction without claims of scientific accuracy, then I am much more flexible. I think I'm even more permissive with fantasy, especially for magic-based stories. In the end, for me it's more about internal consistency than about compliance with an external set of rules. The author might have to explain important discrepancies, though, either in the foreword, a footnote or integrating it within the story. This makes me think about the "a long time ago in a galaxy far far away" intro to Star Wars, it's an easy way (a bit too easy maybe) to give oneself a great leeway for inventing /modifying stuff. |
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08-04-2009, 09:04 AM | #101 | |
frumious Bandersnatch
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[*] Mercury and thin waning/waxing moons are always close to the sun, they cannot be high up when the sun is "low down". And it's fun when you see these thin crescents in movies with stars inside the obscured portion |
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08-04-2009, 09:10 AM | #102 | |
Addict
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Watching TRON was impossible for me, because of all the honestly too stupid ideas about the cyberspace. And I get thrown off by every single movie or book about hackers and how they supposedly hack into other networks or computers. "Aha, there are three layers of security... Oh my god, they discovered me! They are tracking me! Thirtyfive seconds and they will get my address!" ...seriously, this makes my nuts roll on the floor (and Italian way of saying "good chap! this is nonsense!") |
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08-04-2009, 09:13 AM | #103 | |
Sir Penguin of Edinburgh
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08-04-2009, 09:17 AM | #104 | |
zeldinha zippy zeldissima
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Lo Zeno, how do you say this expression in italian ? |
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08-04-2009, 09:26 AM | #105 | |
Addict
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"Mi fa rotolare le palle sul pavimento" Alternatively, "mi fa rimbalzare le palle sul pavimento" which is more like "this makes my nuts BOUNCE on the floor" |
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