The New Hobbit Hole

[HairOfTheDog]

Good morning!... I am FReeping around... working in building up the ambition I had last night. More coffee is needed.

[Overtaxed]

Good Morning!

I'm in for lunch. Finally getting something done around the old hobbit hole today. Transplanted stuff, disturbed a few ant hills, got the old pile half turned (it's heating up nicely.)

[JenB]

Hello! Back from frantic cleaning and running errands. It's a nasty gray day - I wish I were in Rivendell!

[Sam Cree]

exploring the universe and meeting new species

Although I think man ought to follow his dreams, sometimes I think we ought to be careful exploring space. What if we find a species that removes us from (our perch at) the top of the food chain?

I love Sci Fi too, but find much of it pretty juvenile these days. I was easier to please 25 years ago. Somewhere in FR, I think there's a thread posted that recommends authors, does anyone know where?

[2Jedismom]

Penny, Wow! That is really observant of you that you picked up on those lights in Galadriel's eyes! I swear I never noticed them, but I have been itching to go see the movie again, so I'll have to look if I go again.

I just got back from taking Matthew to an audition for "The King and I". He didn't get called back, which could or could not mean he didn't get a part. Either way, it was a fun experience and we should hear something by next weekend. I'll not be online as much this week, because they'll be calling to let us know and I only have the one phone line.

[Overtaxed]

What if we find a species that removes us from (our perch at) the top of the food chain?

Uhmmm....I supposed we'd be in a world of hurt.

But if they are more advanced technologically (as far as space travel is concerned) than we are, they should be able to get to us first anyway. It should be easy to find Earth with all the radio emissions we've been putting out. If we find them through our own efforts and they can't get off their own planet (or out of their own system), all we have to do is avoid them. If we are evenly matched....we'll just see who eats whom for breakfast!

I'm not familiar at all with the SF threads here at FR.

[Overtaxed]

Looks like it's getting ready to rain here so I'm indoors watching the wreck - I mean- race. :)

[JenB]

Want to chat while watching your wreck?

[don-o]

Forgive me, but is the screenplay available on line?

[Sam Cree]

"the radio emissions we've been putting out"

Thanks Overtaxed, I was forgetting about all that....You'd think by now someone probably already knows about us...

[Overtaxed]

Unless they don't "have their ears on." Space Truckers?

[JenB]

Interesting way to put it. I've noticed a few books lately with the theme of "most races who become star travellers are pacifists, except this one nasty race that eats everyone else for breakfast, so the advanced pacifists want to use Humans as soldiers." It's a cool idea and makes for some great stories but will be too cliched in about, oh, three more series.

[HairOfTheDog]

Here is a script... it is a fan site, but nicely done...

[Sam Cree]

I guess either they're pacifists or they don't care...

I like the fact that, like Tolkien, many sci fi writers, Niven and Heinlein come to mind, have been on our side of the fence regarding political philosophy.

[JenB]

Heinlein probably helped influence me politically without me realizing it. Here were characters who had the same values my parents were trying to teach me, but doing really cool things! Niven... I think it's more his cowriter, Jerry Pournelle, who's the conservative. I know that the Pournelle single novels I've read have been conservative leaning, while Niven's have been more libertarian or liberal.

Other similar authors: James Hogan, who writes mostly hard sci-fi, has developed libertarian/conservative leanings. Asimov seemed to me to be a borderline case: his books had some very liberal leanings, and at other times were quite conservative... I just read John Ringo's alien invasion books a couple weeks ago and he seems pretty conservative - at least there was none of this qimpy "let's negotiate with the man-eating things" nonsense.

So I guess there's some hope yet in sci-fi. I haven't stopped reading it yet, anyway.

[Sam Cree]

I enjoyed reading Heinlein's stuff years ago, when I was an undergraduate. I too was pretty oblivious to political philosophy when I read them, but my parents had also done their best to instill the right values, which came to the surface eventually.

I've tried to teach my kids, who are grown, the same values, that seems to have worked.

[Overtaxed]

so the advanced pacifists want to use Humans as soldiers

That would make them liberal or moderate pacificst...only pacifists if they don't have to fight! :))

[JenB]

Heeheee, yes, I agree.... I think usually those stories end with some sort of "and then within two hundred years the humans ruled the Galaxy and the aliens were pathetic outcasts laughed at by children", so you could say they get what they deserve.

[Overtaxed]

Yeah....the humans come back and kick some pathetic pacifist butt! So the moral is...fight your own battles!!

[JenB]

Yes, but the pacifists usually say something like, "the vicious maneating aliens are gonna eat you next! Help us and we'll give you big guns (funny how they never have problems providing humans with weapons; some pacifists!) and otherwise we'll run away and let the bad guys eat you". I love nice happy stories...