Ray Bradbury, Aldous Huxley and Orwell were what we read back then.
Posted on 06/25/2009 10:24:26 PM PDT by Ernest_at_the_Beach
With the loss of Arthur C. Clarke and Michael Crichton last year, the survivors of the elite group of twentieth century science fiction authors has dwindled. Such greats as George Orson Welles, Robert Heinlein, and Isaac Asimov had already passed away. One of the last surviving greats is Ray Bradbury, currently 88. Mr. Bradbury is known for such classics as Fahrenheit 451, The Illustrated Man, and The Martian Chronicles.
Recently Mr. Bradbury has taken his passion for books to new heights, campaigning for the Ventura County Public Libraries. He explains, "Libraries raised me. I don’t believe in colleges and universities. I believe in libraries because most students don’t have any money. When I graduated from high school, it was during the Depression and we had no money. I couldn’t go to college, so I went to the library three days a week for 10 years."
Perhaps out of concern that the internet is displacing printed works, he let loose some colorful comments about the internet and its worth in The New York Times this week. He comments, "The Internet is a big distraction. Yahoo called me eight weeks ago. They wanted to put a book of mine on Yahoo!
(Excerpt) Read more at dailytech.com ...
Nite....and its bedtime for me too....in a bit.
The Simpsons did it first!
Martin Prince: As your president, I would demand a science-fiction library, featuring an ABC of the genre. Asimov, Bester, Clarke.
Student: What about Ray Bradbury?
Martin Prince: I'm aware of his work...
He hasn’t written anything worthwhile in almost 40 years now, plus he’s become a bit of a luddite.
IIRC, he’s never had a driver’s license.
bless her heart...is she doing chemo?
Obviously, the internet is tremendously useful as a source of information. FreeRepublic, for example, is an informational site, and users learn a lot here by reading the articles and comments. Nonetheless, for a typical internet user, most time spent online is, in fact, a total waste. Folks would be better off reading library books than screwing around for hours on sites like Facebook.
For 7 years straight... and still working.
good for her...and God bless
serious chemo ain’t fer sissies
The long-term is starting to catch up though, making her legs fail at the worst times... 3 times in the last 2 weeks, and fractured her skull in 2 places on Monday. But.. is still holding her party on Saturday... and various other things.
Stubborn beyond belief.
That a new technology may interfere with understanding rather than augment it is a very old concern:
Socrates: At the Egyptian city of Naucratis, there was a famous old god, whose name was Theuth; the bird which is called the Ibis is sacred to him, and he was the inventor of many arts, such as arithmetic and calculation and geometry and astronomy and draughts and dice, but his great discovery was the use of letters. Now in those days the god Thamus was the king of the whole country of Egypt; and he dwelt in that great city of Upper Egypt which the Hellenes call Egyptian Thebes, and the god himself is called by them Ammon. To him came Theuth and showed his inventions, desiring that the other Egyptians might be allowed to have the benefit of them; he enumerated them, and Thamus enquired about their several uses, and praised some of them and censured others, as he approved or disapproved of them. It would take a long time to repeat all that Thamus said to Theuth in praise or blame of the various arts. But when they came to letters, This, said Theuth, will make the Egyptians wiser and give them better memories; it is a remedy both for the memory and for the wit. Thamus replied: O most ingenious Theuth, the parent or inventor of an art is not always the best judge of the utility or inutility of his own inventions to the users of them. And in this instance, you who are the father of letters, from a paternal love of your own children have been led to attribute to them a quality which they cannot have; for this discovery of yours will create forgetfulness in the learners' souls, because they will not use their memories; they will trust to the external written characters and not remember of themselves. The remedy which you have discovered is an aid not to memory, but to reminding, and you give your disciples not truth, but only the semblance of truth; they will be hearers of many things and will have learned nothing; they will appear to be omniscient and will generally know nothing; they will be tiresome company, having the show of wisdom without the reality.
From Plato's "Phaedrus", written (using letters) circa 370 BC...
Bradbury is a truly great fiction writer. I’ll blow this off. Doesn’t affect my opinion of the man though I disagree with him.
Funny you should mention these names, as my first thought after reading the article was of Baen Books' stable of authors (which includes most of your list). Baen giving away free e-books on the Internet sells more dead-tree copies. Perhaps Bradbury should pay a little attention before consigning Yahoo to hell . . .
Totally in character for Bradbury, who is in some ways the most “conservative” writer you can name.
Think of his story “The Pedestrian,” where driving everywhere is mandatory for everyone, and walking has become a criminal act. It’s the essence of Bradbury (who has never driven a car in his life BTW).
“Totally in character for Bradbury, who is in some ways the most “conservative” writer you can name.
Think of his story “The Pedestrian,” where driving everywhere is mandatory for everyone, and walking has become a criminal act. It’s the essence of Bradbury (who has never driven a car in his life BTW).”
I don’t think he has ever flown in an aircraft, either. I recall from some time ago, that he takes the train for any long journies.
Great.. a Luddite who writes (sort of ) sci-fi.
I was on the internet, with a PC, in the early-mid 90’s; it took a good amount of money, hard technical skills and sacrificing a goat to get it work
Roger that...i was totally fascinated and aggravated at the same time.
Ray must not have much interest in porn to dismiss the internet so cavalierly.
D*mn, that was tasteful!
Someday when I grow up I wish to be even half as learned as you. (All I can remember are some of the racier parts of Rabelais and Boccacio...)
Consider yourself *HIGHLY* commended, sir.
Cheers!
You...you...SCOUNDREL!
Cheers!
Hmmm, Mr. Bradbury. Who is more distracted: Internet using Earthlings, or telepathic Martians?
I guess he has never heard of “The Interneted Man”
Bradbury has always had an issue with technology.
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