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This is used to a very cool effect in Peter Watts' novel "Blindsight", about an alien species whose brains are so much faster than ours that they notice and exp

by ivoras 4y ago

This is used to a very cool effect in Peter Watts' novel "Blindsight", about an alien species whose brains are so much faster than ours that they notice and exploit this deficiency in ours. It's also free to read, e.g. at: https://bookmate.com/books/WiShbinL https://bookmate.com/books/WiShbinL

qikInNdOutReply 4y ago
There is also a audiobook on youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_R55gdpgwQQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_R55gdpgwQQ
- therealdrag0 4y ago
  Also check your library. I listened to it on Libby.
foobarbecue 4y ago
, as it says in the original post.
Godel_unicode 4y ago
https://mobile.twitter.com/Foone/status/1014286291314270208 https://mobile.twitter.com/Foone/status/1014286291314270208
Freaky 4y ago
Many of Peter Watts books and short stories - including Blindsight, and the short story set in the same universe "The Colonel" - are free to read on his website: https://www.rifters.com/real/shorts.htm https://www.rifters.com/real/shorts.htm There's also a non-free sequel novel - Echopraxia - together making the Firefall series. Be sure to check out the "Vampire Domestication" multimedia presentation on that page, for some background on the "vampires" in the series.
- exhilaration 4y ago
  Be sure to check out the "Vampire Domestication" multimedia presentation on that page, for some background on the "vampires" in the series. Thank you, that was a fantastic read, really fills in the universe that Blindsight was set it. Here's a direct link to the PDF: https://www.rifters.com/real/shorts/VampireDomestication.pdf https://www.rifters.com/real/shorts/VampireDomestication.pdf
  - lifeisstillgood 4y ago
    Wow that took a couple of minutes to level set (the pdf is a talk by the author above - so Inassumed it was a real talk, and it starts with how they started DNA therapy on an autistic child, who then experienced side effects, blood fixations and ... hang on what? This does not sound ethical ... oh look the logos in the images change, "FizerPharm - for the children", FizerPharm - better living for stock holders" oh ok. I get it - it's a low cost version of Resident Evil. But boy it had me for a minute
AlwaysRock 4y ago
This is probably the book I loved the most that was an absolute pain to read. I got no pleasure from reading the book but a lot of the concepts and ideas are great. It's just a slog. I've heard the sequel is good but I've put off reading it for years because I don't want to go through it again.
- Verdex 4y ago
  I enjoyed Blindsight, but I really did not enjoy Echopraxia. It feels like it sort of undoes some of the conclusions in Blindsight. While at the same time failing to do very much with its own conclusions and ideas. Watts' Freeze Frame Revolution (set in a different universe iirc) feels like a better book to follow up Blindsight with, personally.
  - shkkmo 4y ago
    Part of the whole point of Blindsight is that the reliability of the narrator is explicitly suspect on a couple of different levels.
    - Verdex 4y ago
      The twist of Blindsight is that a fundamental assumption about the nature of intelligence is false. The book takes a very long time setting this up and then it hammers it into both the reader and the protagonist. It seems to be saying, "Hey this is a big deal and you're not going to accept it, so I'm going to shovel it down your throat with a snow plow." In Echopraxia they have the same idea, but it's trivialized in a blink and you miss it throwaway line and accepted as fact by everyone. I get that the author didn't want to just retread the same ground over and over. However, I feel it's a mistake to trivialize something that a bunch of post human super savants were surprised by.
  - AlwaysRock 4y ago
    Will check out Freeze Frame Revolution. Thanks.
- deanCommie 4y ago
outworlder 4y ago
I regularly recommend Blindsight here. It's not an easy read by any means. But the ideas are too good to ignore. > about an alien species whose brains are so much faster than ours The reason _why_ they are much faster than ours is fascinating too.
madrox 4y ago
To me, Blindsight is the gold standard for bleak scifi. It gives the same unsettled feeling one gets from watching, say, Alien for the first time.
thedrbrian 4y ago
SPOILERS But there's a great bit of video/trailer for the book on youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VkR2hnXR0SM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VkR2hnXR0SM

by ivoras 4y ago

qikInNdOutReply 4y ago

There is also a audiobook on youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_R55gdpgwQQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_R55gdpgwQQ

therealdrag0 4y ago
Also check your library. I listened to it on Libby.

foobarbecue 4y ago

, as it says in the original post.

Godel_unicode 4y ago

https://mobile.twitter.com/Foone/status/1014286291314270208 https://mobile.twitter.com/Foone/status/1014286291314270208

Freaky 4y ago

Many of Peter Watts books and short stories - including Blindsight, and the short story set in the same universe "The Colonel" - are free to read on his website: https://www.rifters.com/real/shorts.htm https://www.rifters.com/real/shorts.htm There's also a non-free sequel novel - Echopraxia - together making the Firefall series. Be sure to check out the "Vampire Domestication" multimedia presentation on that page, for some background on the "vampires" in the series.

exhilaration 4y ago
Be sure to check out the "Vampire Domestication" multimedia presentation on that page, for some background on the "vampires" in the series. Thank you, that was a fantastic read, really fills in the universe that Blindsight was set it. Here's a direct link to the PDF: https://www.rifters.com/real/shorts/VampireDomestication.pdf https://www.rifters.com/real/shorts/VampireDomestication.pdf
- lifeisstillgood 4y ago
  Wow that took a couple of minutes to level set (the pdf is a talk by the author above - so Inassumed it was a real talk, and it starts with how they started DNA therapy on an autistic child, who then experienced side effects, blood fixations and ... hang on what? This does not sound ethical ... oh look the logos in the images change, "FizerPharm - for the children", FizerPharm - better living for stock holders" oh ok. I get it - it's a low cost version of Resident Evil. But boy it had me for a minute

AlwaysRock 4y ago

This is probably the book I loved the most that was an absolute pain to read. I got no pleasure from reading the book but a lot of the concepts and ideas are great. It's just a slog. I've heard the sequel is good but I've put off reading it for years because I don't want to go through it again.

Verdex 4y ago
I enjoyed Blindsight, but I really did not enjoy Echopraxia. It feels like it sort of undoes some of the conclusions in Blindsight. While at the same time failing to do very much with its own conclusions and ideas. Watts' Freeze Frame Revolution (set in a different universe iirc) feels like a better book to follow up Blindsight with, personally.
- shkkmo 4y ago
  Part of the whole point of Blindsight is that the reliability of the narrator is explicitly suspect on a couple of different levels.
  - Verdex 4y ago
    The twist of Blindsight is that a fundamental assumption about the nature of intelligence is false. The book takes a very long time setting this up and then it hammers it into both the reader and the protagonist. It seems to be saying, "Hey this is a big deal and you're not going to accept it, so I'm going to shovel it down your throat with a snow plow." In Echopraxia they have the same idea, but it's trivialized in a blink and you miss it throwaway line and accepted as fact by everyone. I get that the author didn't want to just retread the same ground over and over. However, I feel it's a mistake to trivialize something that a bunch of post human super savants were surprised by.
- AlwaysRock 4y ago
  Will check out Freeze Frame Revolution. Thanks.
deanCommie 4y ago

outworlder 4y ago

I regularly recommend Blindsight here. It's not an easy read by any means. But the ideas are too good to ignore. > about an alien species whose brains are so much faster than ours The reason _why_ they are much faster than ours is fascinating too.

madrox 4y ago

To me, Blindsight is the gold standard for bleak scifi. It gives the same unsettled feeling one gets from watching, say, Alien for the first time.

thedrbrian 4y ago

SPOILERS But there's a great bit of video/trailer for the book on youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VkR2hnXR0SM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VkR2hnXR0SM