Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Startling Stories of Super Science

The scientist's beautiful daughter. The crackpot inventor (see also: Here's one I made earlier). Science mostly proceeds by saltatory leaps (see also: Evolution). It came to me in a dream. It was like a bolt of lightning (see also: I work best when my life is in danger). We scientists are above your petty emotions. There's nothing algebra can't prove. Young scientists are always right; old scientists are almost always wrong (see also: What did Einstein ever do for us?). Argument by analogy. Argument by syllogistic fallacy. Argument in the pub (see also: Repeat what you just said). You can go directly from hypothesis to prototype. Scientists are in it for the money. Some ideas will be discovered only once in human history (see also: Mine! All mine!). Only my unique skills will make this experiment work (see also: magic). Important ideas are always accepted straight away.  The importance of an hypothesis is inversely proportional to the number of experiments needed to test it. A car battery, a glass tube and the guts of an old radio: we're good to go. The element or biological derivative that's key to the existence of a star-spanning Empire is invariably found on just one planet (see also: unique chemical elements). Genes are basically Lego. Genetic mutation is always expressed via morphological change. The aliens did it.

7 Comments:

Blogger Al R said...

Just watching an old episode of Star Trek in which the element or biological derivative that's key to the existence of a star-spanning Empire is found on just one planet.

November 29, 2011 7:19 pm  
Blogger Michael said...

You've gone a bit off the rails for chapter six, haven't you?

December 01, 2011 9:11 am  
Blogger Paul McAuley said...

It's a bingo card for chapter six...

December 01, 2011 7:06 pm  
Blogger Mike Alexander said...

Hey, who sent you my NaNoWriMo novel? ;-)

December 02, 2011 7:40 pm  
Blogger Justina Robson said...

What about "Your well intended creations will always end up being the death of you and possibly everyone else on the planet (see also Stop Thinking You're Making Me Nervous)."

December 04, 2011 10:13 am  
Blogger Paul McAuley said...

Hi Justina, yes indeed. The root of all this, really. See also, maybe, What could possibly go wrong? Or, Don't worry, that's a design feature.

December 04, 2011 12:42 pm  
Blogger Mike Alexander said...

So how about "It seems to be some kind of force field"?

December 05, 2011 4:03 pm  

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