DISQUS

monoclelad · 2 months ago

I'll be honest, I have no idea what you are talking about, and your charts don't actually help me understand. :/ But I guess thats why my intrest in science tends to end at the macro level before you get into the nitty gritty details.

Which is why all my knoweledge of quantum physics is a futurama joke "Cheaters! you changed the outcome by measuring it!" and of course Schrödinger's cat.

So rather then derail us back into the same argument we were having before... I will simply say I agree with you, that they shouldn't butcher real science and should just make it up if they are so determined to make there world work that way. Of course I think theres simply to much explaining of the science in scifi stories anyways, real or not. Its so dreadfully boring and forced. Thats why I can't get into star trek, its like 40% really interesting investigations of culture and the meaning of humanity, and 60% people making things up to sound cool and futuristic.

But that could just be because I enjoy writing for comics and the first rule of comics is that every word that doesnt add to the page subtracts.

aethre · 2 months ago

It helps if you know about orbitals first. And quantum numbers.

Classical science bores me - nothing interesting happens! Give me the weirdness of quantum mechanics!

As for Star Trek... I like their pseudo-science. Half of it is utterly ridiculous as well and it's pretty fun to laugh at. As for cultures... half the time I find them done rather ham handed so, yeah, bleh.

monoclelad · 2 months ago

Well thats because most episodes of star trek are awful and ham handedly written, in both the psuedoscience and the story. The episodes I walked away from enjoying though had nothing to do with the science, its always the stories premise, or some of the character moments.

I always feel like the science just gets in the way personally. maybe if it was real science then it would be more interesting, but I can't really know for sure until I've seen it done well (I encourage you to explore that in Chrono Loran.)

Though SMBC did a really great comic that did hinge on the science to make the punchline work, so I guess it can be done... its pretty rare though. http://www.smbc-comics.com/index.php?db=comics&...

aethre · 2 months ago

XD That is a brilliant comic, XD

Ah, but science jokes are niche jokes. Anyone who isn't in the niche isn't going to like them. I can't read Penny Arcade for that reason, for example. I can't read any gaming comic, to tell you the truth.

monoclelad · 2 months ago

But PA is great cause of the essays, not the vaugely about gaming comics. XD

I've thought about it more and I don't dislike science in tv on principle, because it was done very well in Numb3rs before they jumped the shark. The problem with it on most shows is its used as conversational filler, and is more like empty calories. Numb3rs had some meaty conversations about math theories early on, dunno what they do now, after a doughy old nerdy guy went to space I stopped caring.

aethre · 2 months ago

In other words, you just don't like technobabble. For me, it depends on the show. I love Stargate's technobabble because Sam and McKay make it awesome just because they're Sam and McKay (and because the show pokes fun at technobabble with every technobabble-y scene) but Star Trek often fails at it.

I can't stand reading PA's essays either >.>;

monoclelad · 2 months ago

I think chuck wins at the technobable, because its more used to reinforce who the characters are better. Its like yes if what they said meant anything, then those characters would say that to each other because they are huge nerds.

Except the time chuck was drooling over some off the shelf dell servers. he would not drool over those no matter how big of a rack of them Castle had.

monoclelad · 2 months ago

huh weird, I mention chuck and then I find on twitter that he's the #1 trending topic. C-c-crazy.

aethre · 2 months ago

Ooooh Chuck, XD

And that's also, incidentally, why Stargate is good at techobabble. Sam TRIES to be short and concise but then she just HAS to elaborate on the really nifty science so Jack cuts her off. McKay, on the other hand, likes to make everything sound more difficult than it really is. It's just who they are.

monoclelad · 2 months ago

yeah I have no specific problems with stargate's technobable, if only because jacks there to be like, yeah the science monsters did it, i'll pretend I understood the word formations coming out of your mouth so we can go back to killing stuff.

aethre · 2 months ago

Jack and Sam are awesome, XD Of course, poor Jack has to get the technobabble from both Sam and Danny, though I think he likes Sam's more.