3 ms·

There was another story on the same site [1] that involves thermodynamics and signal processing. I don't think I've seen such technical sci-fi before. Anybody e

There was another story on the same site [1] that involves thermodynamics and signal processing. I don't think I've seen such technical sci-fi before. Anybody else have more examples to share? [1]: https://suricrasia.online/unfiction/CSC218-Software-Precognance.pdf https://suricrasia.online/unfiction/CSC218-Software-Precogna...

revolvingocelot 4y ago
Not quite to the same level of technical complexity, but this short story about the horrors of mind upload is formatted like a future-Wikipedia article [0]. qntm, its author, is a great source of... outsider art science fiction? His written work feels similar to the movie Primer, which was created by engineers without much formal training in filmmaking; namely, it's impressive and imaginative and well-polished, but obviously without the mien and certain stylistic elements of those who learned the "rules" of the medium by rote rather than derivation and imitation. [0] https://qntm.org/mmacevedo https://qntm.org/mmacevedo
- selfhoster11 4y ago
  This story is one of the most horrifying things ever. I’d rather die than get mind-uploaded into a VC-backed immortality machine. (Of course it helps that I believe that there’s an afterlife - but even if I didn’t, I’m likely to make the same choice)
jonathanyc 4y ago
Greg Egan is an extreme example of math in hard sci-fi. https://www.gregegan.net/ORTHOGONAL/ORTHOGONAL.html https://www.gregegan.net/ORTHOGONAL/ORTHOGONAL.html 72 Letters by Ted Chiang is a great short story with a well-developed premise. Maybe not people's typical idea of hard sci-fi, but as a fan of the genre I really enjoyed it. One of his stories became the movie Arrival. Peter Watts is another author whose work I really enjoy. The slideshow you linked reminds me of a fictional presentation he used to have on his website on vampire biology. Can't find it though.
- jeffbradberry 4y ago
  This should be the page, but it requires a Flash plugin (so doesn't work for me): https://rifters.com/blindsight/vampires.htm https://rifters.com/blindsight/vampires.htm
  - jeffbradberry 4y ago
    Here it is as a pdf: https://rifters.com/real/shorts/VampireDomestication.pdf https://rifters.com/real/shorts/VampireDomestication.pdf
    - jonathanyc 4y ago
      Wow! Thank you for finding that.

revolvingocelot 4y ago

Not quite to the same level of technical complexity, but this short story about the horrors of mind upload is formatted like a future-Wikipedia article [0]. qntm, its author, is a great source of... outsider art science fiction? His written work feels similar to the movie Primer, which was created by engineers without much formal training in filmmaking; namely, it's impressive and imaginative and well-polished, but obviously without the mien and certain stylistic elements of those who learned the "rules" of the medium by rote rather than derivation and imitation. [0] https://qntm.org/mmacevedo https://qntm.org/mmacevedo

selfhoster11 4y ago
This story is one of the most horrifying things ever. I’d rather die than get mind-uploaded into a VC-backed immortality machine. (Of course it helps that I believe that there’s an afterlife - but even if I didn’t, I’m likely to make the same choice)

jonathanyc 4y ago

Greg Egan is an extreme example of math in hard sci-fi. https://www.gregegan.net/ORTHOGONAL/ORTHOGONAL.html https://www.gregegan.net/ORTHOGONAL/ORTHOGONAL.html 72 Letters by Ted Chiang is a great short story with a well-developed premise. Maybe not people's typical idea of hard sci-fi, but as a fan of the genre I really enjoyed it. One of his stories became the movie Arrival. Peter Watts is another author whose work I really enjoy. The slideshow you linked reminds me of a fictional presentation he used to have on his website on vampire biology. Can't find it though.

jeffbradberry 4y ago
This should be the page, but it requires a Flash plugin (so doesn't work for me): https://rifters.com/blindsight/vampires.htm https://rifters.com/blindsight/vampires.htm
- jeffbradberry 4y ago
  Here it is as a pdf: https://rifters.com/real/shorts/VampireDomestication.pdf https://rifters.com/real/shorts/VampireDomestication.pdf
  - jonathanyc 4y ago
    Wow! Thank you for finding that.