Posts filed under ‘WALT’S OBSERVATIONS’
WHAT WAS THE MARTIANS’ MISTAKE? THE ANSWER
The mistake the Martians made was that they did not wear spacesuits, and this led to their demise. Of course, if they had worn spacesuits you would not have seen how hideous they were in the movies.
A picture of the Martians was not a concern in Wells’ book. Although he does provide a detailed description of the Martians and, to me, they would have appeared more frightening than they did in the movie.
The reason the Martians did not wear spacesuits was because bacteria did not exist on Mars. They had no concept of disease caused by bacteria.
There you have it. The reason the Martians lost the war.
HARD AND SOFT SCIENCE FICTION; WHAT ARE THEY
HARD AND SOFT SCIENCE FICTION
I’m sure science fiction addicts are well aware of the difference between hard and soft science fiction. But the occasional science fiction reader may not.
For soft science fiction, think Star Trek. The story line is science fiction but the scientific facts driving the story are not true science facts. The author creates the facts, and once created, must be adhered to them.
Hard science fiction is fiction where the story is created around actual science. The currently popular science fiction novel, The Three Body Problem, is a prime example of a hard science fiction story. Science using scientific facts to tell a story.
Soon I will offer a short story, The Ultimate Experiment, which is a hard science fiction story. As you read the story you will find fiction entwined with science fact.
Another story I wrote, The Universe in Balance, a hard science fiction story which, not long ago, I submitted to a publisher, and it was rejected. I did not mention to the publisher that it was a hard science fiction story. The publisher said that the story contained too much physics.
The story centered arounf the Big Bang which I consider the most mysterious subject in science.
To help explain the Big Bang Peter Higgs predicted the existence of the Higgs boson also known as “the God Particle”. Stephen Hawking proposed that “the God Particle” was the source of all the mass in the universe.
The existence of the Higgs boson was confirmed in 2012. Higgs won the Nobel Prize for his work the following year.
I submitted The Universe in Balance to another publisher explaining that it was a hard science fiction story, and it was accepted for publication by the Corner Bar Magazine. To find the story go to the Corner Bar Magazine website and to the Home page, then to Ostarablot, March 21, volume 9 issue 4. Hope you enjoy the story.
So, there you have it, the difference between hard and soft science fiction.
THE MARTIAN MISTAKE
THE MARTIAN MISTAKE
One of my favorite movies is the 1953 edition of The War of the Worlds.
In both this movie, and the Tom Cruise version, the Martians make a major mistake resulting in their demise.
I will be discussing these movies in a future post.
What was their mistake and why did they make it?
Hint: The source of the Martian’s mistake is explained at the end of H. G. Wells’ book. The basis for both movies.
In seven days, I will share the answer.
CHILDREN AND CELL PHONES
CHILDREN AND CELL PHONES
First a disclaimer. I don’t own a cell phone. My kids are grown so I don’t have one of society’s major problems: Children and the influence of cell phones.
Even with the above disclaimer I am well aware of the problem cell phones are causing with our youth. You would have to live in a cave or under a rock not to be.
We have restrictions on our children to ensure their safety. They can’t drink until they are twenty-one. They cannot, or are not supposed to, drive until they reach an age designated by the state where they dwell. We categorize movies for the protection of our children. Why can’t industry produce cell phones made for children, say for children under the age of fourteen which are limited to only communication? Could it be that less sophisticated phones would cut into profits?
Cell phones are denying children their childhood by gluing them to a screen rather than participating in constructive play. Reducing children the opportunity to make friends.
I don’t think most children under fourteen have the means to purchase cell phones on their own so parents would have complete control over the phones their children can use.
Currently cell phones, right or wrong, are ‘practically’ a necessity. But why can’t there exist cell phones, for children, whose sole purpose is for communication. For children, bring back the cell phone of the past. For the use of moms to contact their children to see what they were up to and that they were alright. With these cell phones exposure to the outside world would be limited.
As children matured the phones could provide increasing access to the outside world and information. And by the time our children reach adulthood they have developed healthy habits in the use of cell phones.
YOU KNOW YOU’RE GETTING OLD WHEN:
You remember when a judge made decisions based on the law and not the source of their appointment.
WALT’S OPINIONS: DIGITAL COUPONS
WALT’S OPINIONS
DIGITAL COUPONS
As far as the current increase in the price of groceries goes I am lucky that my days of supporting a family are over. However, the increase is quite noticeable to me for I still must eat,
The opinion I expressed here will probably cause disagreements because food prices are on a constant rise, due in part to corporate greed. But also, hopefully, will cause some consideration of these thoughts.
Digital coupons are a relatively new phenomenon which have appeared at the same time with the decline in traditional coupons.
Here are the reasons why I will not use digital coupons.
I feel that the people who would benefit most from the savings provided with digital coupons don’t have access or knowledge of them. At the same time the savings associated with traditional coupons are gone. Also use these coupons and I can almost guarantee that will result in receiving endless emails from the associated grocery store and associated manufacturers of the products accepting the digital coupons.
YOU KNOW YOU’RE GETTING OLD WHEN:
You remember presses involved in self-publishing were once called vanity presses.
YOU KNOW YOU’RE GETTING OLD WHEN:
You remember when psychics were once called fortune tellers.
UKRAINE
INSPIRED
With the passing of the bill to provide aid to Ukraine I am inspired to know:
That congress CAN accomplish something.
Some members have finally developed spines.
Putin is shitting his pants.
LESIURE SUITS CAUSE CANCER
LEISURE SUITS CAUSE CANCER
I bet that caught your attention.
This piece goes along with my series of, YOU KNOW YOU’RE GETTING OLD WHEN, because this statement comes from a TV show from a while ago which I found to be hilarious. The show began as Fernwood Tonight and morphed into America Tonight.
The host was played by Martin Mull. His presentation mocks the job of host. The band was Happy Klien and the Mirth Makers. Happy Klien exudes the excitement of a brick.
That’s the atmosphere which made this program so great. It was mocking late night shows by comically presenting a show which appeared to be serious.
In the skit involving the leisure suits, a ‘scientist’, an obvious huckster, said he found that leisure suits caused cancer. He had with him rats dressed in little leisure suits.
They don’t make them like that anymore.
If they did, there would probably be a leisure suit society, if one exists, on the phone to a lawyer.
