24 ms·

Stanislaw Lem’s Futurism (2014)

91 points by emptybits 7y ago

dang 7y ago
Discussed last year: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16896880 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16896880
DonHopkins 7y ago
I just finished "Memoirs Found in a Bathtub": "Why, the Trojan Horse marked the birth of cryptoequestrianism!"
- glangdale 7y ago
  "Hey, the Building, hey! What makes the Building stay? The Antibuilding makes it stay! Hey!" I reread this periodically and every time am blown away at the paranoiac weirdness of that one. It's a nice balance of the 'zany' Lem (Futurological Congress) and the 'serious' Lem.
Causality1 7y ago
Good article but I'm mighty tired of this clichéd opening to seemingly everything I read. >on a warm September evening in San Francisco, where I was relaxing
- shrimp_emoji 7y ago
  >In math, a “singularity” is a function that takes on an infinite value, usually to the detriment of an equation’s sense and sensibility. In physics, the term usually refers... The dictionary defines "singularity" as... >...you will find a challenge, if not a beauty; and that you will proceed in your own way after all, since in casting off man, man will save himself.” In short, the future is a land of contrasts.
  - HNLurker2 7y ago
    I Have pity for this man. he is a wannabe writer with a noob book that he wrote (which I think the whole article is just about promoting)
markvdb 7y ago
Do watch "Solaris"[0], the 1972 USSR Andrei Tarkovsky[1] science fiction film inspired by the Lem book. Even if you'ree not into science fiction . It's magnificent. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solaris_(1972_film) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solaris_(1972_film) [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrei_Tarkovsky https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrei_Tarkovsky
- adrianN 7y ago
  In what way do you find the film to be magnificient? I found it to be extremely boring. I also read the book, thinking that the movie might misrepresent it, but alas, the book was even more boring. Literally nothing happens. The molasses like plot really conveys the feelings of the researchers in the book. You spend ages studying the text with barely any payout.
  - TheOtherHobbes 7y ago
    Many things happen. None of them are stock superhero/villain Hollywood Explodium. If you want your science fiction to spoon feed you thrills and wisecracks, neither Lem nor Tarkovsky are going to be a good fit for you. Edit: see also - https://culture.pl/en/article/13-things-lem-predicted-about-the-future-we-live-in https://culture.pl/en/article/13-things-lem-predicted-about-...
    - stormking 7y ago
      > Many things happen. None of them are stock > superhero/villain Hollywood Explodium. One can find a particular movie or book boring without being a simpleton who needs "stock superhero/villain Hollywood Explodium", so please drop the snobbery.
    - conjectures 7y ago
      The Cyberiad cracks fairly wise.
  - b1daly 7y ago
    The Soderberg remake is excellent and adapts the pacing to more familiar levels.
twic 7y ago
Here's a short story of Lem's that was only recently rediscovered and translated: https://przekroj.pl/en/literature/the-hunt-stanislaw-lem https://przekroj.pl/en/literature/the-hunt-stanislaw-lem
- mlang23 7y ago
  Thanks for sharing this!
wazoox 7y ago
Read "The futurology congress". That's both plain crazy and so prescient, a wonder.

91 points by emptybits 7y ago

dang 7y ago

Discussed last year: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16896880 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16896880

DonHopkins 7y ago

I just finished "Memoirs Found in a Bathtub": "Why, the Trojan Horse marked the birth of cryptoequestrianism!"

glangdale 7y ago
"Hey, the Building, hey! What makes the Building stay? The Antibuilding makes it stay! Hey!" I reread this periodically and every time am blown away at the paranoiac weirdness of that one. It's a nice balance of the 'zany' Lem (Futurological Congress) and the 'serious' Lem.

Causality1 7y ago

Good article but I'm mighty tired of this clichéd opening to seemingly everything I read. >on a warm September evening in San Francisco, where I was relaxing

shrimp_emoji 7y ago
>In math, a “singularity” is a function that takes on an infinite value, usually to the detriment of an equation’s sense and sensibility. In physics, the term usually refers... The dictionary defines "singularity" as... >...you will find a challenge, if not a beauty; and that you will proceed in your own way after all, since in casting off man, man will save himself.” In short, the future is a land of contrasts.
- HNLurker2 7y ago
  I Have pity for this man. he is a wannabe writer with a noob book that he wrote (which I think the whole article is just about promoting)

markvdb 7y ago

Do watch "Solaris"[0], the 1972 USSR Andrei Tarkovsky[1] science fiction film inspired by the Lem book. Even if you'ree not into science fiction . It's magnificent. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solaris_(1972_film) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solaris_(1972_film) [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrei_Tarkovsky https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrei_Tarkovsky

adrianN 7y ago
In what way do you find the film to be magnificient? I found it to be extremely boring. I also read the book, thinking that the movie might misrepresent it, but alas, the book was even more boring. Literally nothing happens. The molasses like plot really conveys the feelings of the researchers in the book. You spend ages studying the text with barely any payout.
- TheOtherHobbes 7y ago
  Many things happen. None of them are stock superhero/villain Hollywood Explodium. If you want your science fiction to spoon feed you thrills and wisecracks, neither Lem nor Tarkovsky are going to be a good fit for you. Edit: see also - https://culture.pl/en/article/13-things-lem-predicted-about-the-future-we-live-in https://culture.pl/en/article/13-things-lem-predicted-about-...
  - stormking 7y ago
    > Many things happen. None of them are stock > superhero/villain Hollywood Explodium. One can find a particular movie or book boring without being a simpleton who needs "stock superhero/villain Hollywood Explodium", so please drop the snobbery.
  - conjectures 7y ago
    The Cyberiad cracks fairly wise.
- b1daly 7y ago
  The Soderberg remake is excellent and adapts the pacing to more familiar levels.

twic 7y ago

Here's a short story of Lem's that was only recently rediscovered and translated: https://przekroj.pl/en/literature/the-hunt-stanislaw-lem https://przekroj.pl/en/literature/the-hunt-stanislaw-lem

mlang23 7y ago
Thanks for sharing this!

wazoox 7y ago

Read "The futurology congress". That's both plain crazy and so prescient, a wonder.