Science, History, and Fiction in Everyday Life
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? (1968) is a novel by Philip K. Dick, a dystopia set in a post-apocalyptic Earth, where nuclear radiations make simple things, like the ownership of an animal, a status symbol. Androids are part of…
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Conspiracy theories are like religion – they are a matter of faith, not reason (you may argue about religion: in this case, please get in touch with that mild-mannered and highly esteemed gentleman of Konisberg named Immanuel Kant. I’m nowhere bright…
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Post number four in the exoplanet series. Among variables considered so far, planetary habitability, age and distance have taken the spotlight. Today I’m going to talk about another important factor, especially because it has a direct impact on habitability: temperature. There are…
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Shikasta (1979) by Doris Lessing is a speculative fiction novel. The book is the first of the series Canopus in Argos, and portraits the final days of our planet. The title is actually the name of a stricken and war-ridden Earth that…
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When I asked the editor (Pan Macmillan) through Netgalley for a copy of Station Eleven – in exchange of a honest review, as usual – I did it because of its cover. Which says: “DAY ONE The Georgia Flu explodes over…
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I have read some days ago a nice article on IO9 discussing the Seven Wonders of the Solar System – from the original Seven Wonders of the Ancient World of which only the Great Pyramid of Giza remains standing. Whilst I disagree with…
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The Merchant and the Alchemist’s Gate (2007) by Ted Chiang, follows a fabric merchant of the ancient city of Baghdad that one day discovers gateways to travel to the future and the past. An original take of a well-known SF…
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Thanks to internet you have now access to a quantity of high-quality materials about space and stars simply unbelievable. You have only to browse what’s out there – and you never stop being amazed. Here you have a few (personal)…
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As Steve Davison has written on Amazing Stories a while ago, Guardians of the Galaxy might well be this generation’s Star Wars, and it has some claims for this award, success included. However there are also some important differences. For instance, Star Wars…
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The Moon is a Harsh Mistress (1966) is one of Robert A. Heinlein’s most famous novels. Narrating a lunar colony’s revolt against Earth’s rule in 2075, it’s a credible – even though frightening – portrait of a (dystopian) future human…
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