I don't know if it's science fiction or not (it's a completely uncategorizable genre of performance art/movie), but Matthew Barney's Cremaster 3 is, hands down, the weirdest thing I have ever seen in my life.

Excellent and thought-provoking essay from Dvorsky, as we've come to expect.

From what I know of him, you're probably right. I'm certainly not accusing Doctorow of being anyone's stooge, only that if I were him I wouldn't necessarily embrace the honor of such an award.

And I should clarify that art can certainly explore political ideas and themes without being in the service of a political…

Art in the service of a political agenda is propaganda.

I don't especially have a dog in this fight - and I'm not even that much of a fan of the book - but it did suggest to me a quote from Nietzsche: "The fairest thing in nature, a flower, still has its roots in earth and manure." I had remembered this line as "the artist is the dung from which flowers grow", but in any…

Is there a more dramatic introduction to a movie - any movie - than Mr. Dilated Pupil flying over the L.A. hellscape with Vangelis as your soundtrack? No? So there's your answer right there.

Update/clarification. I actually met Cunningham recently and this came up in conversation. Schirra was the one suffering from a cold and was the one who became a little cranky / uncooperative (from the perspective of Mission Control). Eisley and Cunningham felt (understandably) that maintaining crew cohesion was…

I'm more of a moon guy (which may have tangible economic value) than a Mars (which is much harder to make part of the econosphere) guy so I tend to agree in terms of cost v. value. My point was simply about ISRU being a likely strategy to reduce mass-related costs. But ISRU would need to be tested somewhere first…

I watched it last night. It's a very good film - one of the best science fiction films in several years. It's also certainly the most science-y one in decades, and yet it's not antiseptic. The characters are well-written and acted, and you care about them. Despite the fact that some bad things happen, it is not…

So why even mention it?

Lordy. I'm sure your question could have been answered through a simple search on The Google, but since you didn't, here it is.

Upshot: yes, the Apollo astronauts were exposed to radiation but the trips were short enough that it was nothing significant - although Apollo 16 and Apollo 17 just missed being exposed to a…

I'm neither defending nor bashing China - just pointing out that their system is not communist but rather probably best described as "state-managed capitalism".

Your comments about the necessity of bringing fuel with you for a Mars return trip aren't accurate. There are plenty of problems associated with such a trip, but fuel for a return trip can be produced on-site by splitting Martian water into hydrogen and oxygen - the two most powerful known chemical rocket fuels.…

Addressing only your comments about China, and leaving aside your perspectives on supposedly inherently evil corporations, I'd say your characterization of China as "communist" is in serious need of revision. They are communist in name only.

I consider myself a big supporter of "New Space", but the government's role should be to do the things that the private sector can't - either technically or because it's not yet profitable. NASA/international space agencies' responsibility is pushing the frontier and demonstrating and refining the technologies needed…

Those sorts of maps use what's known in climate science as a "bathtub model" - i.e. it shows what kinds of inundation results from a measured, steady rise in sea levels akin to the water level of a bathtub.

Because of the shuttle's complexity and design flaws, it also cost about $1.5 billion per launch. A capsule design costs significantly less and is safer. And as another commenter pointed out, the (in this case, Orion) capsule is the vehicle you go up and down in - for longer missions, there would be a larger space…

Definitely a misunderstood gem from the Coen Bros.

Looks good, and look forward to this.

The possible (likely?) decline of the 4-year degree as a prerequisite for jobs has an obvious financial up-side for families not having to shoulder the burden of ever-growing tuition fees and subsequent debt, but there is a largely unexamined down-side as well: civil society - and thus a well-functioning democracy -…