Runderen die in de winter gereedschap beginnen te gebruiken... ren voor je leven!
#Helliconia #brianaldiss #sf #sciencefiction #fantasy #Holdhornshigh
https://mastodon.online/@NOSRSS/115928731769374451
FireStarter
boosted
Maintaining an interstellar community is extraordinarily hard. Even within the human worlds, it is difficult.
The hardest part is disease.
Not so much massive plagues - they are easy to quarantine. The tricky thing is the endemic bugs of each world. The things that could run riot in other biospheres.
Smoothing the spread of such bacteria and virii is initially handled by the scout service, who introduce the most common microflora and fauna to new worlds in a well controlled way. They also manage the outward spread of the new world's biome to neighbouring worlds.
But what about after that? How do you maintain a biome that is not going to kill travellers across tens, let alone hundreds or thousands of worlds?
The answer lies in one of the least formal parts of any major interstellar community.
The tramp trade network.
Small independent traders that move from world to world in small ships, moving relatively slowly, and almost always visiting the surface. Picking up the latest mutations in the local microflora and fauna as an incidental, and releasing the latest from the nearest neighbours.
Keeping the local group more-or-less in sync. And the trade routes overlap, and operate in overlapping spheres.
Yes, if you were to catch a fast ship from one end of a large polity and travel to the other end, you might well get very sick. But if you did it slowly, you would get gradually adapted.
The downside is that most travellers over large distances tend to spend much of their time vaguely unwell.
"Space Flu" they call it, and it is something that affects many long-distance tourists. People discuss solutions for it on the news boards almost constantly, and new treatments are always being touted.
What only a few very well informed people know is that this travelling malaise is a sign that things are working as expected. There will never be a complete cure for it, and it would be a disaster if one were found.
#SF #SFF #SciFi #SpaceOpera #microfiction #tootfic #microfic #IAmWriting
Maintaining an interstellar community is extraordinarily hard. Even within the human worlds, it is difficult.
The hardest part is disease.
Not so much massive plagues - they are easy to quarantine. The tricky thing is the endemic bugs of each world. The things that could run riot in other biospheres.
Smoothing the spread of such bacteria and virii is initially handled by the scout service, who introduce the most common microflora and fauna to new worlds in a well controlled way. They also manage the outward spread of the new world's biome to neighbouring worlds.
But what about after that? How do you maintain a biome that is not going to kill travellers across tens, let alone hundreds or thousands of worlds?
The answer lies in one of the least formal parts of any major interstellar community.
The tramp trade network.
Small independent traders that move from world to world in small ships, moving relatively slowly, and almost always visiting the surface. Picking up the latest mutations in the local microflora and fauna as an incidental, and releasing the latest from the nearest neighbours.
Keeping the local group more-or-less in sync. And the trade routes overlap, and operate in overlapping spheres.
Yes, if you were to catch a fast ship from one end of a large polity and travel to the other end, you might well get very sick. But if you did it slowly, you would get gradually adapted.
The downside is that most travellers over large distances tend to spend much of their time vaguely unwell.
"Space Flu" they call it, and it is something that affects many long-distance tourists. People discuss solutions for it on the news boards almost constantly, and new treatments are always being touted.
What only a few very well informed people know is that this travelling malaise is a sign that things are working as expected. There will never be a complete cure for it, and it would be a disaster if one were found.
#SF #SFF #SciFi #SpaceOpera #microfiction #tootfic #microfic #IAmWriting
Alex, the Hearth Fire
boosted
Totally bonkers #sunset tonight in the #sunsetdistrict in #sf. Check out the rainbow opposite the setting sun over the #farallones
4 media
Totally bonkers #sunset tonight in the #sunsetdistrict in #sf. Check out the rainbow opposite the setting sun over the #farallones
4 media
Kee Hinckley
and 1 other
boosted
My partner has one of the Percepterol implants. She uses it to tag names to faces, so we got it on PBS.
Anyway, I was scrolling my news feed, and saw an alert about a manditory product recall on Percepterol implants, so I asked "Hey, sweety, have you had a ping from Percepterol about the recall?"
"No, I've not seen anything."
So I showed her the article. That was when things got weird.
"It's great to see that Percepterol is doing so much to help war refugees" she said.
I looked over her shoulder, and I saw the recall notice.
That's why I'm calling 000. My wife needs to have the implant updated or removed immediately, and is not able to request it for herself.
"Thank you for your call, but triple zero is not the correct number to call to complement a private company for their compassionate works."
Fuck.
#SF #SFF #Horror #IAmWriting #microfic #tootfic #microfiction #scifi
Inspired by a comment by @NanoRaptor about AI screwing with people's perceptions.
My partner has one of the Percepterol implants. She uses it to tag names to faces, so we got it on PBS.
Anyway, I was scrolling my news feed, and saw an alert about a manditory product recall on Percepterol implants, so I asked "Hey, sweety, have you had a ping from Percepterol about the recall?"
"No, I've not seen anything."
So I showed her the article. That was when things got weird.
"It's great to see that Percepterol is doing so much to help war refugees" she said.
I looked over her shoulder, and I saw the recall notice.
That's why I'm calling 000. My wife needs to have the implant updated or removed immediately, and is not able to request it for herself.
"Thank you for your call, but triple zero is not the correct number to call to complement a private company for their compassionate works."
Fuck.
#SF #SFF #Horror #IAmWriting #microfic #tootfic #microfiction #scifi
Inspired by a comment by @NanoRaptor about AI screwing with people's perceptions.
Cory Doctorow
boosted
Halfway through this Canadian SF anthology and every short story/poem so far has been great. Highly recommend, available from Bakka Phoenix Books dot com on Harbord or fine booksellers near you. @pluralistic has a contribution as well 😊 #Canadian #Toronto #SF #CurrentlyReading #SciFi #Fantasy
Halfway through this Canadian SF anthology and every short story/poem so far has been great. Highly recommend, available from Bakka Phoenix Books dot com on Harbord or fine booksellers near you. @pluralistic has a contribution as well 😊 #Canadian #Toronto #SF #CurrentlyReading #SciFi #Fantasy
Tinker ☀️
boosted
If you're looking for some hopeful stories to read in 2026, I've got some free #SF novels & short stories for you to check out...
https://susankayequinn.com/free-books-2
a #solarpunk short story
a #hopepunk #scifi novel
some YA SF, some fantasy #steampunk
even my gritty #cyberpunk serial...
If you're looking for some hopeful stories to read in 2026, I've got some free #SF novels & short stories for you to check out...
https://susankayequinn.com/free-books-2
a #solarpunk short story
a #hopepunk #scifi novel
some YA SF, some fantasy #steampunk
even my gritty #cyberpunk serial...
Natouille 🍷 🥃 🍾
boosted
Salut Mastodon !
Ma fille de 9 ans adore #lire (c'est une bénédiction) et j'aimerais bien la faire rentrer dans la #SF.
Vous me conseillez quoi comme premier livre ?
J'ai plus la moindre idée de ce par quoi j'ai commencé, probablement Asimov, Bradbury. Mais j'étais loin d'être aussi jeune qu'elle quand je me suis lancé !
Le repouet accélère l'arrivée des américains sur Mars.
Luc, artiste en devenir
boosted
Dear FediMind, I have a question for you: Does anyone know the name of a mid to late 1980’s french sci-fi movie I remember seeing on TV? I remember it was set in the future, probably WW3. It followed the crew of a tank or some kind of similar vehicle with a crew of 4-6 persons. The whole movie was shot inside the tank, even the scenes in which some action happened outside. I’ve searched everywhere online but can't seem to find any trace of it. (1/2)
RE: https://mastoart.social/@thekamikazen/115732125270173288
Hello les fedigens
Est-ce que l’un.e d’entre vous aurait entendu parler d’un film français daté des années 80 qui se déroule durant la 3ème guerre mondiale et tourné/filmé intégralement à l’intérieur d’un tank ? (Voir le toot de @thekamikazen )
Le RT rend le poil soyeux
#SF #film #FrenchMovie #80s
Dear FediMind, I have a question for you: Does anyone know the name of a mid to late 1980’s french sci-fi movie I remember seeing on TV? I remember it was set in the future, probably WW3. It followed the crew of a tank or some kind of similar vehicle with a crew of 4-6 persons. The whole movie was shot inside the tank, even the scenes in which some action happened outside. I’ve searched everywhere online but can't seem to find any trace of it. (1/2)
RE: https://mastoart.social/@thekamikazen/115732125270173288
Hello les fedigens
Est-ce que l’un.e d’entre vous aurait entendu parler d’un film français daté des années 80 qui se déroule durant la 3ème guerre mondiale et tourné/filmé intégralement à l’intérieur d’un tank ? (Voir le toot de @thekamikazen )
Le RT rend le poil soyeux
#SF #film #FrenchMovie #80s
Salut Mastodon !
Ma fille de 9 ans adore #lire (c'est une bénédiction) et j'aimerais bien la faire rentrer dans la #SF.
Vous me conseillez quoi comme premier livre ?
J'ai plus la moindre idée de ce par quoi j'ai commencé, probablement Asimov, Bradbury. Mais j'étais loin d'être aussi jeune qu'elle quand je me suis lancé !
Le repouet accélère l'arrivée des américains sur Mars.
Chip Butty
and 1 other
boosted
It is a popular mathematical experiment to try and work out just how fast Santa has to be to reach every house with a child in a single 24 hour period.
The calculations always end up with a significant fraction of the speed of light.
There then usually follow discussions about what the collateral damage from Santa's passing would be. And cargo limits, and so on.
All of these are wrong, and ignore another end-of-year tradition. The portrayal of the ending year as an old man.
Now that I've put these two traditions side-by-side, I think you can see what is really going on.
It is possible for one man to visit every house in a night, with no shock waves or any of that silliness. But it comes at a cost.
For that man, the night lasts many years, as he travels back in time after each visit. Even with time travel, he does not get much time to eat - so the snacks you leave out are essential to him surviving the night.
But he only just survives. By the end of the night he will have aged over forty years. And then he hands the reins of the time-travelling sleigh to a younger man, warning him of the cost.
Someone always answers the call, despite the cost, because there is always someone willing to sacrifice everything to bring joy and light, even just a little, even if only for a moment.
So leave the snacks, and, if you catch a glimpse of him, give him a bow of respect. He deserves it.
#SFF #SF #Christmas #Santa #microfiction #microfic #tootfic #IAmWriting
Luc, artiste en devenir
boosted
J'ai utilisé @inventaire pour lister des livres que je ne (re)lirai pas. Je les cède à qui en veut (prix libre). Il y a #écologie #anarchisme un peu #cuisine #sf #bd. Les livres sont à #Rennes mais un envoi est toujours possible.
https://inventaire.io/shelves/bc40bf89afb1fc6e91ca54568e17c932
Anke
boosted
Nerds, what #cyberpunk books *published after about 2014* have you have read yourself, and thought were exceptional?
I've read the Golden Age of Cyberpunk classics but haven't been keeping up with the current gen of authors handling cyberpunk themes. #bookstodon #Recommendations #SF #tech #ScienceFiction