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Re: OT: Best Ever Sci-Fi short stories

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On 3/28/2017 3:40 PM, Tom Gardner wrote:
> On 28/03/17 21:49, John Larkin wrote:
>> On Tue, 28 Mar 2017 21:20:12 +0100, "Kevin Aylward"
>> <kevinRemovAT@kevinaylward.co.uk> wrote:
>>
>>>> "Cursitor Doom"  wrote in message news:obe5hk$ak$1@dont-email.me...
>>>
>>>> Screw electronics for a minute. What is the best ever sci-fi short story
>>>> you have ever ever ever read? I'll kick off by nominating 'Time's Arrow'
>>>> by AC Clarke.
>>>
>>>
>>> I used to read a mass of sci-fi when I was about 8 or 9, by all the usual's
>>> like, J. Blish, T. Sturgeon, R. Heinlein, I. Asimov, A. Clarke, R. Bradbury,
>>> A. Norton, F. Herbert, P. Anderson...
>>>
>>> However, as I am now 58, I am unable to answer your question.
>>
>> Yeah, SF is seldom great literature. Or never.
>
> Indeed. But who cares?
>
> That isn't the reason for reading it. Personally I like
> stories (and other things) that give my preconceptions
> a kick up the arse - i.e. that make me /think/.

Exactly.

And, the "thinking" doesn't have to be with regard to some
clever/novel idea.

E.g., one of my favorite moments (best illustrated in movie instead
of novel) is the Jurassic Park scene where the paleontologists
*first* encounter living dinosaurs on the island (not realizing that
this is, in fact, what their visit is about).

The "thinking" goes along this line:
- imagine taking up a profession where you KNOW (with *complete*
certainty) that you will always be GUESSING about the creatures
you are studying from fossil records; that you will never be 100%
sure of any of your deductions
- then, *seeing* one of those creatures before your eyes

Now, as the reader (or, watcher, in the case of the movie), imagine
what that mental state would be like -- if *you* were that person!

Clarke has a short story (name escapes me) where you stumble upon
a guy showing very realistic, but amateurish *movies* in some
abandon storefront for pocket change.  You quickly learn that the
guy has invented a time machine that lets him only *view* past
events (not interact with them).

So, filming those events and presenting them to the public (without even
the claim that they are true historical accounts) is about all he can
do to "gain" (financially) from his invention.  The "thinking" here
is to imagine how you'd be affected to KNOW (with *certainty*) ALL of
the details of ANY historical event.  Then, extrapolate that to
thinking about how society would be affected by that sort of knowledge.

(i.e., you can convince even the biggest skeptic by simply revisiting
ANY/EVERY part of *his* personal past to convince him that your "device"
does, in fact, accurately show the past.  So, why would it NOT show
the past of OTHER events?)

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OT: Best Ever Sci-Fi short stories Cursitor Doom <curd@notformail.com> - 2017-03-28 17:12 +0000
  Re: OT: Best Ever Sci-Fi short stories George Herold <gherold@teachspin.com> - 2017-03-28 10:46 -0700
    Re: OT: Best Ever Sci-Fi short stories "Dave M" <dgminala@mediacombb.net> - 2017-03-28 14:23 -0500
  Re: OT: Best Ever Sci-Fi short stories John Robertson <spam@flippers.com> - 2017-03-28 10:47 -0700
  Re: OT: Best Ever Sci-Fi short stories George Herold <gherold@teachspin.com> - 2017-03-28 10:53 -0700
    Re: OT: Best Ever Sci-Fi short stories "Paul Hovnanian P.E." <paul@hovnanian.com> - 2017-03-28 19:49 -0700
  Re: OT: Best Ever Sci-Fi short stories John Larkin <jjlarkinxyxy@highlandtechnology.com> - 2017-03-28 10:58 -0700
  Re: OT: Best Ever Sci-Fi short stories Jim Thompson <To-Email-Use-The-Envelope-Icon@On-My-Web-Site.com> - 2017-03-28 11:01 -0700
    Re: OT: Best Ever Sci-Fi short stories "Michael A. Terrell" <mike.terrell@earthlink.net> - 2017-04-02 00:47 -0400
  Re: OT: Best Ever Sci-Fi short stories bitrex <bitrex@de.lete.earthlink.net> - 2017-03-28 14:09 -0400
  Re: OT: Best Ever Sci-Fi short stories Phil Hobbs <pcdhSpamMeSenseless@electrooptical.net> - 2017-03-28 14:39 -0400
  Re: OT: Best Ever Sci-Fi short stories John Devereux <john@devereux.me.uk> - 2017-03-28 19:45 +0100
  Re: OT: Best Ever Sci-Fi short stories Tom Gardner <spamjunk@blueyonder.co.uk> - 2017-03-28 20:11 +0100
  Re: OT: Best Ever Sci-Fi short stories Don Y <blockedofcourse@foo.invalid> - 2017-03-28 12:34 -0700
  Re: OT: Best Ever Sci-Fi short stories "Kevin Aylward" <kevinRemovAT@kevinaylward.co.uk> - 2017-03-28 21:20 +0100
    Re: OT: Best Ever Sci-Fi short stories Don Y <blockedofcourse@foo.invalid> - 2017-03-28 13:30 -0700
      Re: OT: Best Ever Sci-Fi short stories Gunther Heiko Hagen <guntherxxx@quantserve.de> - 2017-03-28 21:36 +0000
        Re: OT: Best Ever Sci-Fi short stories Gunther Heiko Hagen <guntherxxx@quantserve.de> - 2017-03-28 21:53 +0000
        Re: OT: Best Ever Sci-Fi short stories Don Y <blockedofcourse@foo.invalid> - 2017-03-28 17:12 -0700
          Re: OT: Best Ever Sci-Fi short stories George Herold <gherold@teachspin.com> - 2017-03-28 19:39 -0700
            Re: OT: Best Ever Sci-Fi short stories Don Y <blockedofcourse@foo.invalid> - 2017-03-28 21:16 -0700
              Re: OT: Best Ever Sci-Fi short stories George Herold <gherold@teachspin.com> - 2017-03-29 06:23 -0700
                Re: OT: Best Ever Sci-Fi short stories John Devereux <john@devereux.me.uk> - 2017-03-29 15:19 +0100
                Re: OT: Best Ever Sci-Fi short stories Don Y <blockedofcourse@foo.invalid> - 2017-03-29 10:28 -0700
                Re: OT: Best Ever Sci-Fi short stories George Herold <gherold@teachspin.com> - 2017-03-29 17:24 -0700
                Re: OT: Best Ever Sci-Fi short stories Don Y <blockedofcourse@foo.invalid> - 2017-03-29 19:07 -0700
                Re: OT: Best Ever Sci-Fi short stories Don Y <blockedofcourse@foo.invalid> - 2017-03-29 10:23 -0700
                Re: OT: Best Ever Sci-Fi short stories Tom Gardner <spamjunk@blueyonder.co.uk> - 2017-03-29 19:01 +0100
                Re: OT: Best Ever Sci-Fi short stories Don Y <blockedofcourse@foo.invalid> - 2017-03-29 11:15 -0700
                Re: OT: Best Ever Sci-Fi short stories Tom Gardner <spamjunk@blueyonder.co.uk> - 2017-03-29 19:58 +0100
                Re: OT: Best Ever Sci-Fi short stories Don Y <blockedofcourse@foo.invalid> - 2017-03-29 12:23 -0700
                Re: OT: Best Ever Sci-Fi short stories whit3rd <whit3rd@gmail.com> - 2017-03-29 17:05 -0700
                Re: OT: Best Ever Sci-Fi short stories Don Y <blockedofcourse@foo.invalid> - 2017-03-29 19:02 -0700
                Re: OT: Best Ever Sci-Fi short stories Jeff Liebermann <jeffl@cruzio.com> - 2017-03-29 22:06 -0700
                Re: OT: Best Ever Sci-Fi short stories whit3rd <whit3rd@gmail.com> - 2017-03-30 21:18 -0700
                Re: OT: Best Ever Sci-Fi short stories Jeff Liebermann <jeffl@cruzio.com> - 2017-03-31 08:59 -0700
                Re: OT: Best Ever Sci-Fi short stories Don Y <blockedofcourse@foo.invalid> - 2017-03-31 11:47 -0700
                Re: OT: Best Ever Sci-Fi short stories Jeff Liebermann <jeffl@cruzio.com> - 2017-03-31 12:46 -0700
                Re: OT: Best Ever Sci-Fi short stories Don Y <blockedofcourse@foo.invalid> - 2017-03-31 13:27 -0700
                Re: OT: Best Ever Sci-Fi short stories Jeff Liebermann <jeffl@cruzio.com> - 2017-03-31 21:09 -0700
                Re: OT: Best Ever Sci-Fi short stories Don Y <blockedofcourse@foo.invalid> - 2017-03-31 22:32 -0700
                Re: OT: Best Ever Sci-Fi short stories "Michael A. Terrell" <mike.terrell@earthlink.net> - 2017-04-02 01:32 -0400
                Re: OT: Best Ever Sci-Fi short stories Jeff Liebermann <jeffl@cruzio.com> - 2017-04-02 09:49 -0700
                Re: OT: Best Ever Sci-Fi short stories "Michael A. Terrell" <mike.terrell@earthlink.net> - 2017-04-04 21:50 -0400
                Re: OT: Best Ever Sci-Fi short stories George Herold <gherold@teachspin.com> - 2017-03-29 18:02 -0700
                Re: OT: Best Ever Sci-Fi short stories Don Y <blockedofcourse@foo.invalid> - 2017-03-29 19:00 -0700
                Re: OT: Best Ever Sci-Fi short stories Tom Gardner <spamjunk@blueyonder.co.uk> - 2017-03-30 08:06 +0100
                Re: OT: Best Ever Sci-Fi short stories Don Y <blockedofcourse@foo.invalid> - 2017-03-30 00:17 -0700
                Re: OT: Best Ever Sci-Fi short stories Frank Miles <fpm@u.washington.edu> - 2017-03-30 15:46 +0000
                Re: OT: Best Ever Sci-Fi short stories bill.sloman@ieee.org - 2017-03-29 17:53 -0700
    Re: OT: Best Ever Sci-Fi short stories John Larkin <jjlarkinxyxy@highlandtechnology.com> - 2017-03-28 13:49 -0700
      Re: OT: Best Ever Sci-Fi short stories bitrex <bitrex@de.lete.earthlink.net> - 2017-03-28 17:16 -0400
        Re: OT: Best Ever Sci-Fi short stories bill.sloman@ieee.org - 2017-03-28 16:12 -0700
      Re: OT: Best Ever Sci-Fi short stories Tom Gardner <spamjunk@blueyonder.co.uk> - 2017-03-28 23:40 +0100
        Re: OT: Best Ever Sci-Fi short stories John Larkin <jjlarkinxyxy@highlandtechnology.com> - 2017-03-28 15:46 -0700
          Re: OT: Best Ever Sci-Fi short stories bitrex <bitrex@de.lete.earthlink.net> - 2017-03-28 18:51 -0400
            Re: OT: Best Ever Sci-Fi short stories Tom Gardner <spamjunk@blueyonder.co.uk> - 2017-03-29 00:19 +0100
            Re: OT: Best Ever Sci-Fi short stories George Herold <gherold@teachspin.com> - 2017-03-28 19:17 -0700
          Re: OT: Best Ever Sci-Fi short stories bill.sloman@ieee.org - 2017-03-28 16:22 -0700
        Re: OT: Best Ever Sci-Fi short stories Don Y <blockedofcourse@foo.invalid> - 2017-03-28 17:08 -0700
      Re: OT: Best Ever Sci-Fi short stories George Herold <gherold@teachspin.com> - 2017-03-28 15:48 -0700
        Re: OT: Best Ever Sci-Fi short stories Cursitor Doom <curd@notformail.com> - 2017-03-28 23:14 +0000
          Re: OT: Best Ever Sci-Fi short stories bill.sloman@ieee.org - 2017-03-28 16:30 -0700
          Re: OT: Best Ever Sci-Fi short stories Tom Gardner <spamjunk@blueyonder.co.uk> - 2017-03-29 10:12 +0100
      Re: OT: Best Ever Sci-Fi short stories bill.sloman@ieee.org - 2017-03-28 16:19 -0700
  Re: OT: Best Ever Sci-Fi short stories "nuny@bid.nes" <alien8752@gmail.com> - 2017-03-28 14:59 -0700
  Re: OT: Best Ever Sci-Fi short stories George Herold <gherold@teachspin.com> - 2017-03-28 15:40 -0700
    Re: OT: Best Ever Sci-Fi short stories dplatt@coop.radagast.org (Dave Platt) - 2017-03-28 16:18 -0700
      Re: OT: Best Ever Sci-Fi short stories George Herold <gherold@teachspin.com> - 2017-03-28 19:29 -0700
  Re: OT: Best Ever Sci-Fi short stories Adrian Jansen <adrian@qq.vv.net> - 2017-03-29 09:12 +1000
    Re: OT: Best Ever Sci-Fi short stories Chris <cbx@noreply.com> - 2017-03-28 23:26 +0000
      Re: OT: Best Ever Sci-Fi short stories Don Y <blockedofcourse@foo.invalid> - 2017-03-28 17:15 -0700
  Re: OT: Best Ever Sci-Fi short stories Wond <gboot.phil@gmx.com> - 2017-03-29 14:31 +0000
  Re: OT: Best Ever Sci-Fi short stories jurb6006@gmail.com - 2017-03-29 08:15 -0700
    Re: OT: Best Ever Sci-Fi short stories John Robertson <spam@flippers.com> - 2017-03-29 10:59 -0700
      Re: OT: Best Ever Sci-Fi short stories Ingvald44 <noone@nowhere.com> - 2017-03-29 20:00 -0400
  Re: OT: Best Ever Sci-Fi short stories "David Eather" <eather@tpg.com.au> - 2017-03-31 07:58 +1000

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