4 ms·

Solaris by Stanislaw Lem on BBC 4 Radio Full-Cast Drama (2007)

80 points by thro1 4y ago

kramerger 4y ago
Why in gods name is iplayer not a paid service outside UK? That could easily pay for your NHS.
- walthamstow 4y ago
  I appreciate your frustration but your numbers are off by more than a hundred billion pounds, even if we assume iPlayer to be as popular as Netflix Netflix global revenue 2022 $32bn UK NHS budget 2022 £153bn
- grey_earthling 4y ago
  Basically, copyright. The BBC generally doesn't have the rights to stream programmes outside the UK. Even within the UK, they often don't have the rights to stream programmes they've acquired for linear broadcast (typically sport). Often they don't have the rights to repeat programmes made by or for the BBC, because they sold those rights to other channels/companies. For example, for Doctor Who's 50th anniversary, they repeated the first story, but could only broadcast it on linear TV, not on demand. Also, the BBC is not the UK government and doesn't fund the NHS :)
  - Gravityloss 4y ago
    Think how rich the writers and actors could also become...
topologie 4y ago
Solaris is a great book and I would recommend everyone checking other works by Lem. The guy has many different flavors, most of his work is actually kind of hilarious, Solaris is probably his most "serious" one, still amazing. Here's my "please read these Lem books" list: - A Perfect Vacuum: A collection of Prefaces and Reviews of Non-Existent books (including one non-existent book called "A Perfect Vacuum") and of a fictional scientific talk. A lot of fun. One of my favorites: A review of a book written by an author who decides to write fiction without lying to the reader by affirming absolutely nothing existentially, confining itself to what did not occur, during the whole fictional book. The fictional book begins with the phrase "The train did not arrive. He did not come." - Imaginary Magnitude: This one blew my mind. An exploration of fictional science models and books, including the idea of building an "AI" model out of bacteria, creating AI models to check how good or bad are novels and papers written by other AI due to their inhumane sizes (millions of pages to check... so little time...), as well as a conversation with the only AI that didn't get bored with us humans and decided to explain how things really work... Really clever stuff. - The Futurological Congress: No spoilers here. One of the trippiest books ever written. - His Master's Voice: A bit more serious than the previous three, but still more playful than Solaris. I always felt this was Carl Sagan's Contact but for Grownups. The book is told from the point of view of a Topologist (Combinatorics and Topology if I remember correctly). A signal from outer space is received, a multitude of scientists from many different branches are invited to get together at a certain location to try to decipher the message, among them our main character. The ideas and concepts of the limits of knowledge, the "micro-worlds" of science, the exploration of the human mind, and the origins of consciousness are all explored along the way. Mini-Spoilers: No"they're instructions to build a machine" here. As a side note, if you like Lem, you'll also almost surely like anything by The Strugatsky Brothers. Their entry point is almost always Roadside Picnic (famous for a rather open adaptation as Tarkovsky's movie Stalker), but all of their books are really good.
thro1 4y ago
Can listen to this again and again. I wish there will be, or to know other made like this, not graphic but immersive, as well in such way AI to emerge.
- totetsu 4y ago
  BBC radio4 dramatization of war and peace was pretty immersive.
  - totetsu 4y ago
    https://www.amazon.com/War-and-Peace-Leo-Tolstoy-audiobook/dp/B01N100AMP https://www.amazon.com/War-and-Peace-Leo-Tolstoy-audiobook/d...
stinkytaco 4y ago
I've never heard this, I've seen both movies and read the book. They are so dissimilar you'd hardly know they were related barring the plot. And they are all very good in their own way. It's a pretty interesting case study in adaptation so I'm looking forward to this.
subpixel 4y ago
I am a devoted listener of the BBC Radio iPlayer and have driven/flown thousands of miles engrossed in really amazing and superbly produced performances. I have also gotten stupidly, inexorably, and shamefully addicted to The Archers.
- arethuza 4y ago
  It always seemed entirely fitting that the Royal Navy uses failure to receive the BBC Radio 4 Today programme for a few days as one of their tests for deciding that the world as we know it has ended and that they should take out the hand written "Letters of Last Resort".
  - pipes 4y ago
    I used to listen to radio 4 constantly. I gave up, a lot of there content started to contain a militant unquestioned political slant. For example, woman's hour (which used to be really good). It seems every other segment is on why men are bad. BBC still do amazing things, it's just a shane what radio 4 has become.
Barrin92 4y ago
People who enjoy this one will probably also like Channel 4's Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? adaption: https://youtu.be/Q_S6Fwv8_fI https://youtu.be/Q_S6Fwv8_fI
Lapsa 4y ago
having visitors
- thro1 4y ago
  Islands of consciousness from the ocean (but of unlost possibilities in Tarkovsky movie)..
ajuc 4y ago
Lem is great. Here's his story about ChatGPT from 1976: https://mwichary.medium.com/one-hundred-and-thirty-seven-seconds-2a0a3dfbc59e https://mwichary.medium.com/one-hundred-and-thirty-seven-sec...
dusted 4y ago
There's also the movie, mosfilm put it on youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-4KydP92ss https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-4KydP92ss <- part 1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xXa6XpaxBS0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xXa6XpaxBS0 <- Part 2

80 points by thro1 4y ago

kramerger 4y ago

Why in gods name is iplayer not a paid service outside UK? That could easily pay for your NHS.

walthamstow 4y ago
I appreciate your frustration but your numbers are off by more than a hundred billion pounds, even if we assume iPlayer to be as popular as Netflix Netflix global revenue 2022 $32bn UK NHS budget 2022 £153bn
grey_earthling 4y ago
Basically, copyright. The BBC generally doesn't have the rights to stream programmes outside the UK. Even within the UK, they often don't have the rights to stream programmes they've acquired for linear broadcast (typically sport). Often they don't have the rights to repeat programmes made by or for the BBC, because they sold those rights to other channels/companies. For example, for Doctor Who's 50th anniversary, they repeated the first story, but could only broadcast it on linear TV, not on demand. Also, the BBC is not the UK government and doesn't fund the NHS :)
- Gravityloss 4y ago
  Think how rich the writers and actors could also become...

topologie 4y ago

Solaris is a great book and I would recommend everyone checking other works by Lem. The guy has many different flavors, most of his work is actually kind of hilarious, Solaris is probably his most "serious" one, still amazing. Here's my "please read these Lem books" list: - A Perfect Vacuum: A collection of Prefaces and Reviews of Non-Existent books (including one non-existent book called "A Perfect Vacuum") and of a fictional scientific talk. A lot of fun. One of my favorites: A review of a book written by an author who decides to write fiction without lying to the reader by affirming absolutely nothing existentially, confining itself to what did not occur, during the whole fictional book. The fictional book begins with the phrase "The train did not arrive. He did not come." - Imaginary Magnitude: This one blew my mind. An exploration of fictional science models and books, including the idea of building an "AI" model out of bacteria, creating AI models to check how good or bad are novels and papers written by other AI due to their inhumane sizes (millions of pages to check... so little time...), as well as a conversation with the only AI that didn't get bored with us humans and decided to explain how things really work... Really clever stuff. - The Futurological Congress: No spoilers here. One of the trippiest books ever written. - His Master's Voice: A bit more serious than the previous three, but still more playful than Solaris. I always felt this was Carl Sagan's Contact but for Grownups. The book is told from the point of view of a Topologist (Combinatorics and Topology if I remember correctly). A signal from outer space is received, a multitude of scientists from many different branches are invited to get together at a certain location to try to decipher the message, among them our main character. The ideas and concepts of the limits of knowledge, the "micro-worlds" of science, the exploration of the human mind, and the origins of consciousness are all explored along the way. Mini-Spoilers: No"they're instructions to build a machine" here. As a side note, if you like Lem, you'll also almost surely like anything by The Strugatsky Brothers. Their entry point is almost always Roadside Picnic (famous for a rather open adaptation as Tarkovsky's movie Stalker), but all of their books are really good.

thro1 4y ago

Can listen to this again and again. I wish there will be, or to know other made like this, not graphic but immersive, as well in such way AI to emerge.

totetsu 4y ago
BBC radio4 dramatization of war and peace was pretty immersive.
- totetsu 4y ago
  https://www.amazon.com/War-and-Peace-Leo-Tolstoy-audiobook/dp/B01N100AMP https://www.amazon.com/War-and-Peace-Leo-Tolstoy-audiobook/d...

stinkytaco 4y ago

I've never heard this, I've seen both movies and read the book. They are so dissimilar you'd hardly know they were related barring the plot. And they are all very good in their own way. It's a pretty interesting case study in adaptation so I'm looking forward to this.

subpixel 4y ago

I am a devoted listener of the BBC Radio iPlayer and have driven/flown thousands of miles engrossed in really amazing and superbly produced performances. I have also gotten stupidly, inexorably, and shamefully addicted to The Archers.

arethuza 4y ago
It always seemed entirely fitting that the Royal Navy uses failure to receive the BBC Radio 4 Today programme for a few days as one of their tests for deciding that the world as we know it has ended and that they should take out the hand written "Letters of Last Resort".
- pipes 4y ago
  I used to listen to radio 4 constantly. I gave up, a lot of there content started to contain a militant unquestioned political slant. For example, woman's hour (which used to be really good). It seems every other segment is on why men are bad. BBC still do amazing things, it's just a shane what radio 4 has become.

Barrin92 4y ago

People who enjoy this one will probably also like Channel 4's Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? adaption: https://youtu.be/Q_S6Fwv8_fI https://youtu.be/Q_S6Fwv8_fI

Lapsa 4y ago

having visitors

thro1 4y ago
Islands of consciousness from the ocean (but of unlost possibilities in Tarkovsky movie)..

ajuc 4y ago

Lem is great. Here's his story about ChatGPT from 1976: https://mwichary.medium.com/one-hundred-and-thirty-seven-seconds-2a0a3dfbc59e https://mwichary.medium.com/one-hundred-and-thirty-seven-sec...

dusted 4y ago

There's also the movie, mosfilm put it on youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-4KydP92ss https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-4KydP92ss <- part 1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xXa6XpaxBS0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xXa6XpaxBS0 <- Part 2