QuoteI think that neither Musk nor anybody else seems to be considering, what economic reason is there to go to this other planet? So far, I’ve never heard an answer to that. It’s like, “We can put people on Mars!” And I’m like, “Why? So they’ll be there? Well, we can put people on Antarctica, why not do that?”It's disappointing that the author seems to be unaware that we have put people on Antarctica, the population is between 1000 in winter and 5000 in summer, bigger than his hypothetical Moon city.
I think that neither Musk nor anybody else seems to be considering, what economic reason is there to go to this other planet? So far, I’ve never heard an answer to that. It’s like, “We can put people on Mars!” And I’m like, “Why? So they’ll be there? Well, we can put people on Antarctica, why not do that?”
None of them are permanent residents, so technically it's not a colony.
Quote from: su27k on 11/07/2017 12:50 pmQuoteI think that neither Musk nor anybody else seems to be considering, what economic reason is there to go to this other planet? So far, I’ve never heard an answer to that. It’s like, “We can put people on Mars!” And I’m like, “Why? So they’ll be there? Well, we can put people on Antarctica, why not do that?”It's disappointing that the author seems to be unaware that we have put people on Antarctica, the population is between 1000 in winter and 5000 in summer, bigger than his hypothetical Moon city.None of them are permanent residents, so technically it's not a colony.
Quote from: su27k on 11/08/2017 01:11 amQuote from: Blackstar on 11/07/2017 09:56 pmQuote from: su27k on 11/07/2017 12:50 pmQuoteI think that neither Musk nor anybody else seems to be considering, what economic reason is there to go to this other planet? So far, I’ve never heard an answer to that. It’s like, “We can put people on Mars!” And I’m like, “Why? So they’ll be there? Well, we can put people on Antarctica, why not do that?”It's disappointing that the author seems to be unaware that we have put people on Antarctica, the population is between 1000 in winter and 5000 in summer, bigger than his hypothetical Moon city.What's the economic reason for the scientific research bases on Antarctica?There isn't one, at least not in the short term. Which is the point: The author's single minded focus on short term economic return is misleading, it is possible to sustain a base or small city without any immediate economic return.Interesting. What or who will pay to sustain a base or small city on Mars?
Quote from: Blackstar on 11/07/2017 09:56 pmQuote from: su27k on 11/07/2017 12:50 pmQuoteI think that neither Musk nor anybody else seems to be considering, what economic reason is there to go to this other planet? So far, I’ve never heard an answer to that. It’s like, “We can put people on Mars!” And I’m like, “Why? So they’ll be there? Well, we can put people on Antarctica, why not do that?”It's disappointing that the author seems to be unaware that we have put people on Antarctica, the population is between 1000 in winter and 5000 in summer, bigger than his hypothetical Moon city.What's the economic reason for the scientific research bases on Antarctica?There isn't one, at least not in the short term. Which is the point: The author's single minded focus on short term economic return is misleading, it is possible to sustain a base or small city without any immediate economic return.
Quote from: su27k on 11/07/2017 12:50 pmQuoteI think that neither Musk nor anybody else seems to be considering, what economic reason is there to go to this other planet? So far, I’ve never heard an answer to that. It’s like, “We can put people on Mars!” And I’m like, “Why? So they’ll be there? Well, we can put people on Antarctica, why not do that?”It's disappointing that the author seems to be unaware that we have put people on Antarctica, the population is between 1000 in winter and 5000 in summer, bigger than his hypothetical Moon city.What's the economic reason for the scientific research bases on Antarctica?
Finished the book, not impressed, it's mediocre at best, 3 out of 5 stars. Looks like the author is incapable of writing any other types of character except a smartass, the story is uninspiring now that the imminent sense of urgency in the Martian is gone, all that was left is your average self-published novel in the internet age.
Quote from: su27k on 11/25/2017 03:44 amFinished the book, not impressed, it's mediocre at best, 3 out of 5 stars. Looks like the author is incapable of writing any other types of character except a smartass, the story is uninspiring now that the imminent sense of urgency in the Martian is gone, all that was left is your average self-published novel in the internet age.Could you provide an example of what book you do like? As an author myself, I would appreciate not only the critique, but a reference as a counterpoint.
Quote from: Johnnyhinbos on 12/02/2017 02:24 amQuote from: su27k on 11/25/2017 03:44 amFinished the book, not impressed, it's mediocre at best, 3 out of 5 stars. Looks like the author is incapable of writing any other types of character except a smartass, the story is uninspiring now that the imminent sense of urgency in the Martian is gone, all that was left is your average self-published novel in the internet age.Could you provide an example of what book you do like? As an author myself, I would appreciate not only the critique, but a reference as a counterpoint.Seveneves by Neal Stephenson would be a recent example of 5 stars near term realistic space travel SF.
Quote from: su27k on 12/02/2017 03:35 amSeveneves by Neal Stephenson would be a recent example of 5 stars near term realistic space travel SF.Seveneves starts out with a bizarre premise but then handles it as realstically as it can except for some things where it begins to jump off the rails. I can't go into that without spoilers, but some of the decisions made such as not pushing for going to mars simply make no sense. He wrote it as he wanted the story to play out, I suppose.
Seveneves by Neal Stephenson would be a recent example of 5 stars near term realistic space travel SF.
The second part of the book is a bizarre mess that has no connection to the first. I felt like I had read two books, but I really liked the first one.
Both of the "inciting incidents" if you will - the dust storm on Mars that strands Watney and the Moon base being built for tourism - in his novels are either impossible or he doesn't believe so - i.e. they're created for the sake of the plot. I really don't get that.