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| william |
 Posted: Fri Sep 08, 2006 11:35 am Post subject: Good sci-fi novels... |
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Forum Ph.D.
Joined: 23 Jun 2006
Posts: 905
Location: USA
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Hi everyone,
I have read some sci-fi novels that I felt were really good, and I have read others where I felt it was a total waste of time.
So I'm always on the lookout for good novels and on guard to stay away from losers.
What are some that you would recommend?
If you find yourself typing a long list, label which in that list are your absolute favorites.
Thanks,
wm
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| Zelos |
| Posted: Fri Sep 08, 2006 11:47 am Post subject: |
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Forum Isotope
Joined: 10 Jun 2006
Posts: 2909
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id recoment "The gods themselves"
its about a machine that exchanges matter between 2 universes with different strong nuclear force wich causes some problems
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| kingjacob |
| Posted: Fri Sep 08, 2006 11:53 am Post subject: |
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Forum Sophomore
Joined: 29 Jun 2006
Posts: 111
Location: between time and timbuktu
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I just got finished with the foundation series and those were all really good reads, though while I dont know if they are sci-fi but they are definently close if not, Id recomend you read every book written by Vonnegut or Cormier they are all awesome, and this is coming from a pretty harsh critic.
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| wallaby |
| Posted: Fri Sep 08, 2006 8:19 pm Post subject: |
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Forum Professor
Joined: 03 Jul 2005
Posts: 1375
Location: Australia
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| i have a book shelf comprising mainly of Arthur C. clark novels and most of them were throughly enjoyable novels, in particular 'the light of other days', the space oddysey series and 'times eye'. |
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| Powell |
| Posted: Tue Sep 12, 2006 8:46 am Post subject: |
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Forum Freshman
Joined: 11 Sep 2006
Posts: 8
Location: Manchester, England
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| The Andromeda Strain by Michael Crichton it's a pretty short book but it's really interesting. |
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| Zelos |
| Posted: Tue Sep 12, 2006 8:47 am Post subject: |
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Forum Isotope
Joined: 10 Jun 2006
Posts: 2909
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what is it about?
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I am zelos. Destroyer of planets, exterminator of life, conquerer of worlds. I have come to rule this uiniverse. And there is nothing u pathetic biengs can do to stop me
On the eighth day Zelos said: 'Let there be darkness,' and the light was never again seen.
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| Guest |
| Posted: Tue Sep 12, 2006 9:06 am Post subject: |
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| For a real corker of a book - riveting fiction all the way through, there is one and only one piece to read it is called 'A brief history of time' by a guy called Stephen Hawking. |
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| Zelos |
| Posted: Tue Sep 12, 2006 9:07 am Post subject: |
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Forum Isotope
Joined: 10 Jun 2006
Posts: 2909
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got that book. its a science book, not fiction.
Stephen hawking is one of the greatest scientists who have worked with gravity after einstein
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I am zelos. Destroyer of planets, exterminator of life, conquerer of worlds. I have come to rule this uiniverse. And there is nothing u pathetic biengs can do to stop me
On the eighth day Zelos said: 'Let there be darkness,' and the light was never again seen.
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| Guest |
| Posted: Tue Sep 12, 2006 9:15 am Post subject: |
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| Zelos wrote: |
got that book. its a science book, not fiction.
Stephen hawking is one of the greatest scientists who have worked with gravity after einstein |
No no no! Principia Mathematica was non-fiction. Hawking writes fiction under the guise of 'non-fiction' - Go and check out 'Hawking Radiation' or to give it it's real name, "How I fudged a half-assed theory to fit by making things out of thin air". |
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| Zelos |
| Posted: Tue Sep 12, 2006 9:18 am Post subject: |
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Forum Isotope
Joined: 10 Jun 2006
Posts: 2909
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hawking radiation is not aganist any laws. it have laws supporting it. Stephen hawking isnt something to laugh about just since he is rather new to your world.
Stephen hawking might be crippled but his mind is working.
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I am zelos. Destroyer of planets, exterminator of life, conquerer of worlds. I have come to rule this uiniverse. And there is nothing u pathetic biengs can do to stop me
On the eighth day Zelos said: 'Let there be darkness,' and the light was never again seen.
The king of posting |
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| Guest |
| Posted: Tue Sep 12, 2006 2:59 pm Post subject: |
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I admire Stephen for the fact that he defies the disease which tries to cripple him. When I speak of his abilities as a theoretical physicist I ignore his medical condition I see him as a complete person. I consider some of his theories to be absurd. I do not believe that Hawking radiation will prove true. He holds the same position in physics as did Sir Isaac Newton.
As to Hawking Radiation, the theory suggests that it cannot be detected as the temperature is so low it would be lost in background radiation, Degrees (Kelvin) times Ten to the Minus 8 /Number of solar masses. So we are talking about a temperature of a few nano degrees for a very small black hole or less for a larger one. So no chance of proving or disproving it with a thermometer...
So will a black hole ever end? Well that's something like 7.0 *10^71 * number of solar masses. in seconds, Well the whole Universe is only something like 5.0 * 10^17 seconds old so that's pushed that out.
My point is that, if it is impossible to prove/disprove a theory it should not be taken for granted. (I accept my memory of the two formula may not be entirely accurate but they are both 'in the order of'). There is not a single iota of evidence to suggest he is right. There is no observable phenomina to explain. If black holes exist then why should they leak away? - and if they do why not through EM waves of higher energy than Gamma as yet undetectable. I find Hawking Radiation and 'GOD' to be equal in terms of proving or disproving them. |
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| Ophiolite |
| Posted: Tue Sep 12, 2006 4:06 pm Post subject: |
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Forum Radioactive Isotope
Joined: 25 Jul 2005
Posts: 4016
Location: Scotland
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| billco wrote: |
| My point is that, if it is impossible to prove/disprove a theory it should not be taken for granted. . |
It should certainly not be granted the honour of referring to it as a theory. |
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| Silas |
| Posted: Wed Sep 20, 2006 6:43 am Post subject: |
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Forum Bachelors Degree
Joined: 04 May 2005
Posts: 436
Location: London, England
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I'm confused - are you saying Hawking Radiation isn't a valid scientific theory, Ophiolite?
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"It is comparatively easy to make clever guesses; indeed there are theorems, like 'Goldbach's Theorem' which have never been proved and which any fool could have guessed." G.H. Hardy, Fourier Series, 1943 |
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| DarcgreY |
| Posted: Fri Nov 24, 2006 3:28 pm Post subject: |
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Forum Sophomore
Joined: 05 Oct 2006
Posts: 137
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One of my favorite sci-fi novels is The Practice Effect by David Brin. It's about a world where entropy has been reversed and the more objects are used the more efficient they become. Startide Rising is another good Brin novel.
I liked the Ringworld series by Larry Niven. Robert L. Forward wrote some interesting books about life on neutron stars, the first is called Dragons Egg.
The Fountains of Paradise is a good novel by Arthur C. Clarke. It's about the construction of a space elevator. |
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| Robert M. Blevins |
| Posted: Sat Dec 02, 2006 9:26 pm Post subject: |
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Forum Freshman
Joined: 16 Jul 2006
Posts: 25
Location: Seattle, Washington State, USA
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Well...
I like many of the classic sci-fi novels, such as '1984' and 'Fahrenheit 451.'
Really shouldn't do this...but...
Have you looked here?
www.adventurebooksofseattle.com
Before you go there, you should probably check out the slideshow, first. Live a little and turn up the speakers:
http://photoshow.comcast.net/adventurebooks 
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