ata comments on Open Thread: May 2010 - Less Wrong

3 Post author: Jack 01 May 2010 05:29AM

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Comment author: ata 04 May 2010 09:12:07AM 2 points [-]

There's the Crichton/Shelley/Romero zombie tradition of humans try to play God and get their asses kicked as punishment unless traditional values/folkways come to the rescue.

For anyone who hasn't already seen it — Caveman Science Fiction!

Comment author: NancyLebovitz 04 May 2010 10:24:41AM 1 point [-]

How do you classify Egan? Pretty pro-tech in his novels, iirc, but a pretty high proportion of his short stories are effectively horror about new tech.

Comment author: RichardKennaway 04 May 2010 12:35:38PM *  0 points [-]

That isn't how his short stories have struck me. A handful that come to mind about near-future technology, not having the books in front of me, are Axiomatic, Silver Fire, The Moral Virologist, Worthless, and one whose name I forget about artificial nanomcguffins that let you gradually reprogram your own mind just by wishing the change you want. They're pretty dark, but I wouldn't classify them as horror. That is, I don't read them as saying "these are things that man should not know", but "after such knowledge, these are issues that must be faced".

Comment author: grendelkhan 16 March 2011 05:55:10PM -1 points [-]

one whose name I forget about artificial nanomcguffins that let you gradually reprogram your own mind just by wishing the change you want

I think those are the "Grey Knights" from "Chaff".

Comment author: ata 04 May 2010 10:26:34AM 0 points [-]

Was this intended to be a reply to Jack's post?

Comment author: NancyLebovitz 04 May 2010 10:31:09AM 0 points [-]

Yes, sorry.