Alex R. Howe
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Monthly Archives: August 2020
#11 – John W. Campbell and the Golden Age of Sci-Fi
John W. Campbell was the controversial longtime editor of Astounding Science Fiction who single-handedly directed the course of science fiction in the 1940s, a time that is not called the “golden age of sci-fi.” However, I argue the golden age … Continue reading
Posted in A Reader's History of Science Fiction, Science Fiction
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Essay: The Real Problem with “The Cold Equations”
As part of tomorrow’s episode of A Reader’s History of Science Fiction, I felt the need to write a companion essay analyzing one of the most famous (or perhaps infamous) short stories in the history of the genre: “The Cold … Continue reading
Posted in Physics, Science Fiction, Uncategorized
Tagged John W. Campbell, The Cold Equations, Tom Godwin
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Book Review: Delta-v by Daniel Suarez
Delta-v by Daniel Suarez is a new novel about the exploration of our Solar System. It’s been a popular topic in recent years, but Suarez does put a unique spin on it. This is the first sci-fi story I’ve seen … Continue reading
Posted in Book reviews
Tagged Daniel Suarez, Delta-v
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New Video: MegaFavNumbers
Yesterday, a bunch of Math (or Maths) YouTubers like Numberphile, 3Blue1Brown, and many others started the #MegaFavNumbers project, where mathematicians talk about their favorite numbers that are larger than 1,000,000. Well, I’m not a mathematician by trade, but I do … Continue reading
Posted in math, Video
Tagged #MegaFavNumbers, Avogadro, Statistical Mechanics, That's the technical term., Very Large Numbers
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#10 – Stapledon and Lewis
Olaf Stapledon and C. S. Lewis both explored the spiritual side of science fiction, albeit in very different ways. In this episode, we explore how they went about it and why one of them is considered a must read by … Continue reading
Posted in A Reader's History of Science Fiction, Science Fiction
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Book Review: Junction by Daniel M. Bensen
This one might need a bit of background. Lately, I’ve been getting interested in something called speculative evolution, which is a branch of science fiction about how life might evolve on other planets—or in the future, or in Earth’s past, … Continue reading
#9 – The Dystopia Classic
Dystopian fiction has become a popular subgenre of sci-fi in its own right, but the earliest dystopian novels shared some unique elements in common, inverting the standard tropes of the hero’s journey. In this episode, we explore what has made … Continue reading
Posted in A Reader's History of Science Fiction, Science Fiction
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Science Meets Fiction 