Genuine Asimov quote or not?
Ron Miel
<< The most exciting phrase to hear in science, the one that
heralds new discoveries, is not Eureka! (I found it!) but rather,
'... that's funny...' >>
Did Asimov really say that? If so, which essay or article has
this saying? If not, does anyone know the real origin?
BookWight
bit of electronic flotsam written by "Ron Miel" <dont_sp@m_me.com> in
news:8IOgh.16892$k74....@text.news.blueyonder.co.uk:
Yes, it's genuine, but I can't give the exact spot it occurs. It's in one
of his science essays, I'm pretty sure.
Brian Gregory [UK]
news:8IOgh.16892$k74....@text.news.blueyonder.co.uk...
Google is your friend: http://tinyurl.com/vhbsd
--
Brian Gregory. (In the UK)
n...@bgdsv.co.uk
To email me remove the letter vee.
Ron Miel
"Brian Gregory [UK]" <n...@bgdsv.co.uk> wrote in message
news:S-2dnd6mH61PBxjY...@pipex.net...
> "Ron Miel" <dont_sp@m_me.com> wrote in message
> news:8IOgh.16892$k74....@text.news.blueyonder.co.uk...
>>A quote reproduced all over the internet, and attributed to Asimov.
>>
>> << The most exciting phrase to hear in science, the one that
>> heralds new discoveries, is not Eureka! (I found it!) but rather,
>> '... that's funny...' >>
>>
>> Did Asimov really say that? If so, which essay or article has
>> this saying? If not, does anyone know the real origin?
>
> Google is your friend: http://tinyurl.com/vhbsd
sigh.
Yes, as I say in my OP, the quote is all over the internet and
attributed to Asimov. But these lists of quotes often are poorly
researched and frequently contain misquotes, wrong attributions or
apocryphal quotes. Often the author of one list of quotes has simply
copied from another, which then gets copied to another, and so on.
The error propagates from one list to another. Just because it appears
on a lot of lists does not prove he actually said it. That's why I want to
know the original source.
Joseph Nebus
>Yes, as I say in my OP, the quote is all over the internet and
>attributed to Asimov. But these lists of quotes often are poorly
>researched and frequently contain misquotes, wrong attributions or
>apocryphal quotes. Often the author of one list of quotes has simply
>copied from another, which then gets copied to another, and so on.
>The error propagates from one list to another. Just because it appears
>on a lot of lists does not prove he actually said it. That's why I want to
>know the original source.
I know how frustrating it can be. But if it helps any, the
same question was asked here in 2001, and everyone agreed it was most
assurdly an essay from Fantasy and Science Fiction, but everyone had
their Asimov books packed away at the moment (a sorry state I find
myself in right now), and one suggested that maybe in five years or
so there'd be a definitive answer. Of course, the question was asked
also in 1999, 1998, 1997, 1994, and 1993.
So naturally you're in the right place at the right time: the
May 2001 go-round was able to at least rule out The Edge of Tomorrow,
The Atom, and The Neutrino, and one person believed that it was in a
book published before #70, The Neutrino:
http://groups.google.com.sg/group/rec.arts.sf.written/browse_frm/thread/5fa1564f45663783/0c1070b256340000?lnk=st&q=&rnum=2&hl=en#0c1070b256340000
(Yeah, I could probably trim that. Shame that I won't.)
This is less than satisfying, admittedly, but at least we have
*some* basis to start a search.
--
Joseph Nebus
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
danny burstein
>their Asimov books packed away at the moment (a sorry state I find
>myself in right now), and one suggested that maybe in five years or
>so there'd be a definitive answer. Of course, the question was asked
>also in 1999, 1998, 1997, 1994, and 1993.
The first time was by a bunch of drunken programmers....
--
_____________________________________________________
Knowledge may be power, but communications is the key
dan...@panix.com
[to foil spammers, my address has been double rot-13 encoded]
Brian Tung
> I know how frustrating it can be. But if it helps any, the
> same question was asked here in 2001, and everyone agreed it was most
> assurdly an essay from Fantasy and Science Fiction, but everyone had
> their Asimov books packed away at the moment (a sorry state I find
> myself in right now), and one suggested that maybe in five years or
> so there'd be a definitive answer. Of course, the question was asked
> also in 1999, 1998, 1997, 1994, and 1993.
Since I'm one of the people who actually makes that quote, sorry to say,
and I do *not* have all my Asimov books (including all of the F&SF essay
collections) packed away, I spent some time last night looking for it.
I did not find it. I'm going to continue looking, though I was never
really convinced it was in one of those essays.
I also have the twenty uncollected essays that came after The Secret of
the Universe. I'll look there, too.
--
Brian Tung <br...@isi.edu>
The Astronomy Corner at http://astro.isi.edu/
Unofficial C5+ Home Page at http://astro.isi.edu/c5plus/
The PleiadAtlas Home Page at http://astro.isi.edu/pleiadatlas/
My Own Personal FAQ (SAA) at http://astro.isi.edu/reference/faq.html
Ron Miel
"Joseph Nebus" <nebusj-@-rpi-.edu> wrote in message
news:nebusj.1...@vcmr-86.server.rpi.edu...
Interesting... in 2001 googling <<funny, Asimov, Eureka>> gave 1,500 hits
Today it gives 53,300 hits. Give it another 5 years and it will give a
million hits,
all of them unattributed.
spam...@spamyahoo.com
<dont_sp@m_me.com> wrote:
<Snip>
>
>Interesting... in 2001 googling <<funny, Asimov, Eureka>> gave 1,500 hits
>Today it gives 53,300 hits. Give it another 5 years and it will give a
>million hits,
>all of them unattributed.
>
"I didn't really say everything I said."
-- Yogi Berra
Joseph Nebus
>In <nebusj.1...@vcmr-86.server.rpi.edu> nebusj-@-rpi-.edu (Joseph Nebus) writes:
>>their Asimov books packed away at the moment (a sorry state I find
>>myself in right now), and one suggested that maybe in five years or
>>so there'd be a definitive answer. Of course, the question was asked
>>also in 1999, 1998, 1997, 1994, and 1993.
>The first time was by a bunch of drunken programmers....
Ha!
But maybe it was ...
At least we can figure the start of a search, though -- earlier
searches find the quote is strangely enough not in ``The Eureka
Phenomenon'', which would have been my guess. The most sensible context
for the quote is one in which Asimov talks about the role of luck and
preparedness on the scientific mind; therefore I wouldn't be surprised
if it came from a biography of Louis Pasteur or a similar ``phenomenally
lucky'' scientist who kept following those funny little anomalies. While
I don't know of any classification of Asimov's science essays -- not just
for Fantasy and Science fiction, mind -- that discusses theme like that,
they shouldn't be hard to pick out in context.
The only piece of fiction it seems like it might have shown up
in would be the earlier, science-history scenes of ``The Gods Themselves'',
which rather heavily show the role of luck and nagging anomalies in the
progress of science.
Failing that, the other context in which this seems likely to be
said by Asimov -- assuming it was said -- would be in a letter written
to a person asking how great discoveries are made. Thus, ``Yours, Isaac
Asimov'' is another likely place to look.
So, how's that sound as a focusing of targets?
--
Joseph Nebus
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
TimeTraveller
Asimov's essay collections.
And I remember seeing that quote.
And since I listed the titles of all the books I read, that quote has
to be in one of the following books:
Edge of Tomorrow
Frontiers II
Out of Everywhere
The Road to Infinity
Robot Visions
Secrets of the Universe
The Subatomic Monster
The Edge of Tomorrow contains The Eureka Phenomenon. How ironic that
it's not in that essay!
Caroline
The Thunder Child
http://thethunderchild.com
e4...@direcway.com
Its been a while since I've posted on this group.
I KNOW I've read this quote, somewhere...
But I'll be hanged if I remember where.
I am searching. I am currently reading all of Dr A's books (some of
you know I own every one of them). I am now reading #234.
However, This question was first asked of me when I was in the 70's.
So it might be before then. However, it could also be in any number of
introductions, articles, and editorials (has anyone perused the intros
to IASFM?).
If even not there, he had numerous letters, and personal presentations,
so it may not be in any of his written work.
Has this now become "The Last Question"?
I am sorry, but there is "Insufficient Data for a Meaningful Answer"
I'll keep searching.
David