Asimov And Kaku

[9thdoctor]

Which book(s) is/was better The Foundation trilogy or Atlas Shrugged?

You’d do better to ask which is better: Great Expectations or Pearls, Girls, and Monty Bodkin. They are thematically related, sort of, more or less. Ultimately, I prefer the latter. Too bad for Pip that he didn't read it.

I read most of I, Robot. I have never been able to get past page 50 of any other of Asimov's books.

You ought to give Foundation a try, it’s clear that it influenced A Canticle for Leibowitz and H2G2. The first one is really a short story collection, so you don’t have to make it all the way through. If nothing else, there are some memorable lines. I’ve compared Peikoff’s DIM Hypothesis to Hari Seldon’s Psychohistory on this board, so you’ll need to at least read the first chapter if you want to keep up.

[kiaer.ts]

Which book(s) is/was better The Foundation trilogy or Atlas Shrugged?

You'd do better to ask which is better: Great Expectations or Pearls, Girls, and Monty Bodkin. They are thematically related, sort of, more or less. Ultimately, I prefer the latter. Too bad for Pip that he didn't read it.

I read most of I, Robot. I have never been able to get past page 50 of any other of Asimov's books.

You ought to give Foundation a try, it's clear that it influenced A Canticle for Leibowitz and H2G2. The first one is really a short story collection, so you don't have to make it all the way through. If nothing else, there are some memorable lines. I've compared Peikoff's DIM Hypothesis to Hari Seldon's Psychohistory on this board, so you'll need to at least read the first chapter if you want to keep up.

H2G2?

I try Foundation once a decade. Next scheduled 2014.

I even tried starting with Greg Bear, of whom I am huge fan. No dice.

H2G2?

[9thdoctor]

H2G2?

Try Googling it. Then try Googling "42".

BTW, have you tried Connie Willis? I liked To Say Nothing of the Dog. You should read Jerome K. Jerome's Three Men in a Boat first, however.

Edited October 15, 2010 by Ninth Doctor

[kiaer.ts]

H2G2?

Try Googling it. Then try Googling "42".

Oh, well, duh. Why would you think I'd need google after that hint? But I much prefer watching Adams to reading him. (I don't count him as an actual scifi writer.) His Tom Baker's are the best by far.

Speaking of which, have you seen Shada?

[9thdoctor]

Speaking of which, have you seen Shada?

I heard a dramatization, with the 8th Doctor instead of Baker. I haven't seen the video, but parts made it into the 5 Doctors special. The story has some elements that went into the first Dirk Gently book, which I rank as his best. Netflix doesn't have the original, and I just checked YouTube, no luck. Have you seen it?

Correction: Looks like YouTube does have it. I'll get around to it before long.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X_yPKUWyXfg&feature=PlayList&p=4AE54EA2247764F8&index=0&playnext=1

Edited October 15, 2010 by Ninth Doctor