Culture

Does io9 Get It Right About SF and “Competence Porn”?

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Well worth reading.  Rough summary, SF has diverged from “Competence Porn” – the joy of seeing smart and skilled people do smart and skilled things.  I agree with the thesis that this has happened, but not his explanations.  In fact I probably need to analyze this for awhile before I can coherently state my own theories.

However, I think there’s something here.  Maybe it’s just my age, but for me my SF heroes were always, well, competent.  Scientists and adventurers with names like Dick Seaton (oh, E.E. Smith . . .), Danny Dunn, Tom Swift, John Carter.  Even Luke Skywalker, a bit niave, was a fast learner – but then again *I* mostly wanted to be Han Solo or Obi-Wan, so maybe I don’t care.

Something to think over.

Also I am so using the term “Competence Porn.”

(Edit: I put in the wrong link.  Ironic that.)

– Steven Savage

 

More On The Omni Reboot

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A look at its return, and at it’s past, and noting some of the oddities of its origins.

Serdar and I are discussing the past of “Cool Futurism” in one of our continuing dialogues, centering around Omni and its returns..  I noted we’ve lost the idea of unity, he noted how we missed our own problems, and I note any idea of the future requires self evolution.

– Steven

 

Economics: Less Teens Getting Licenses

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Don’t have time, cars are expensive, and there are options.

This doesn’t shock me in the least because between the cost of gas, the cost of cars, and the options (if you’re in the right area), the need for a car is probably lower.  Again, that’s probably the area one lives in, which makes me curious about demographic distribution here.

Now what’s got me curious is if this decrease (and the decrease of car sales has an interesting spread into older demographics), is going to fuel more interest in public transport at least in America.  That’s a bit tough with slashed budgets and your usual government dysfunction.

I also wonder how many teens don’t need licenses as they don’t have jobs in this economy.

– Steven