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Ray Bradbury, RIP
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Bob Harper
Jun 6, 2012, 11:32:09 AM6/6/12
to
His death at 91 is reported on NPR. I'm sure Matthew will have more to
say, but he seems to me to have been a good man. RIP.
Bob Harper
say, but he seems to me to have been a good man. RIP.
Bob Harper
William Sommerwerck
Jun 6, 2012, 12:05:59 PM6/6/12
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> His death at 91 is reported on NPR. I'm sure Matthew
> will have more to say, but he seems to me to have
> been a good man. RIP.
Ray Bradbury had good story ideas, but was a poor writer. He was obvious and
> will have more to say, but he seems to me to have
> been a good man. RIP.
heavy-handed, even by the standards of science-fiction and fantasy writing.
His work is, in commercial terms, roughly the literary equivalent of "The
Four Seasons" or "Bolero". He was also very quick to accuse others of
stealing his ideas, sometimes (I think) without justification. He turned a
remarkable lack of talent into a highly successful career.
Frank Berger
Jun 6, 2012, 1:28:53 PM6/6/12
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funeral.
Angelotti
Jun 6, 2012, 2:01:21 PM6/6/12
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moving (Truffaut?)
Hvdlinden
Bob Harper
Jun 6, 2012, 2:56:25 PM6/6/12
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screenplay (the movie's quite different from the book), but IMDb makes
no mention of this, so I assume I was wrong. FWIW, I disagree with
William. Bradbury may not have been a 'great writer' in the
conventional sense, but he communicated effectively and imaginatively,
and in his field I'd say that trumps 'great' writing.
Bob harper
Ray Hall
Jun 6, 2012, 2:59:03 PM6/6/12
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>
> I think ‘Fahrenheit 451’ is a very good novel, and the film rather
> moving (Truffaut?)
> Hvdlinden
Other than that, he was a minor master at the short novel too.
Ray Hall, Taree
Bob Harper
Jun 6, 2012, 2:31:31 PM6/6/12
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On Jun 6, 11:01 am, Angelotti <linden...@gmail.com> wrote:
somewhere that Bradburyi had a hand in the screenplay, but IMDb does
not indicate this was the case. FWIW, I disagree with William on
Bradbury's merits. He may not have been a 'great writer' by
conventional standards, but he communicated imaginatively and
effectively, no mean qualitities.
Bob Harper
Jenn
Jun 6, 2012, 4:11:28 PM6/6/12
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In article <cK2dnQvnotvGDlLS...@supernews.com>,
He came to our undergrad poetry class back in the late 70s. I used to
see him walking around various parts of LA, cuz he
didn't drive. A very interesting man.
--
www.jennifermartinmusic.com
see him walking around various parts of LA, cuz he
didn't drive. A very interesting man.
--
www.jennifermartinmusic.com
Steven Bornfeld
Jun 6, 2012, 6:32:30 PM6/6/12
to
he could have run for president!
Steve
--
Mark & Steven Bornfeld DDS
http://www.dentaltwins.com
Brooklyn, NY
718-258-5001
Kip Williams
Jun 6, 2012, 8:58:25 PM6/6/12
to
mundane. _Something Wicked This Way Comes_ starts there and adds a sort
of character-based horror that's rather effective.
Both he and EC gave each other a boost when they adapted his stories in
the 50s. Bradbury was shrewd enough to see that they were doing good
work from it, and by blandly reminding them to send along his royalties,
he turned it into a business arrangement.
Kip W
Matthew B. Tepper
Jun 6, 2012, 11:51:11 PM6/6/12
to
Bob Harper <bob.h...@comcast.net> appears to have caused the following
letters to be typed in news:ZJKzr.366875$%Q3.196581@en-nntp-
15.dc1.easynews.com:
> His death at 91 is reported on NPR. I'm sure Matthew will have more to
> say, but he seems to me to have been a good man. RIP.
>
> Bob Harper
There's not a whole lot to say that can't already be found in the flurry of
obituaries and remembrances. As a science fiction writer, Ray was
certainly no scientist, but he was a poet, a dreamer, and a communicator.
As many have noted, he could (at least until recent years) be found walking
hither and yon around Los Angeles. I remember running into him by happy
surprise at three different bookstores since I moved back home to L.A.
about 25 years ago.
And don't forget that Jerry Goldsmith wrote a cantata, "Christus Apollo,"
to Ray's text; I attended the premiere performance at UCLA's Royce Hall in
1969 by the California Chamber Symphony under Henri Temianka, with Charlton
Heston narrating. Goldsmith himself recorded it for Telarc in 2000, with
Anthony Hopkins.
--
Matthew B. Tepper: WWW, science fiction, classical music, ducks!!
Read about "Proty" here: http://home.earthlink.net/~oy/proty.html
To write to me, do for my address what Androcles did for the lion
Opinions expressed here are not necessarily those of my employers.
letters to be typed in news:ZJKzr.366875$%Q3.196581@en-nntp-
15.dc1.easynews.com:
> His death at 91 is reported on NPR. I'm sure Matthew will have more to
> say, but he seems to me to have been a good man. RIP.
>
> Bob Harper
obituaries and remembrances. As a science fiction writer, Ray was
certainly no scientist, but he was a poet, a dreamer, and a communicator.
As many have noted, he could (at least until recent years) be found walking
hither and yon around Los Angeles. I remember running into him by happy
surprise at three different bookstores since I moved back home to L.A.
about 25 years ago.
And don't forget that Jerry Goldsmith wrote a cantata, "Christus Apollo,"
to Ray's text; I attended the premiere performance at UCLA's Royce Hall in
1969 by the California Chamber Symphony under Henri Temianka, with Charlton
Heston narrating. Goldsmith himself recorded it for Telarc in 2000, with
Anthony Hopkins.
--
Matthew B. Tepper: WWW, science fiction, classical music, ducks!!
Read about "Proty" here: http://home.earthlink.net/~oy/proty.html
To write to me, do for my address what Androcles did for the lion
Opinions expressed here are not necessarily those of my employers.
William Sommerwerck
Jun 7, 2012, 5:40:58 AM6/7/12
to
> And don't forget that Jerry Goldsmith wrote a cantata,
> "Christus Apollo," to Ray's text; I attended the premiere
> performance at UCLA's Royce Hall in 1969 by the California
> Chamber Symphony under Henri Temianka, with Charlton
> Heston narrating. Goldsmith himself recorded it for Telarc
> in 2000, with Anthony Hopkins.
Moses and Hannibal Lecter. Hmmm...
> "Christus Apollo," to Ray's text; I attended the premiere
> performance at UCLA's Royce Hall in 1969 by the California
> Chamber Symphony under Henri Temianka, with Charlton
> Heston narrating. Goldsmith himself recorded it for Telarc
> in 2000, with Anthony Hopkins.
There is a mult-ch SACD of it. Or was. I've listened to it once. It neither
offended nor elated.
Ray Bradbury was a writer for people who don't know what good writing is. In
literary terms he was almost as bad as people who turn sex-soaked
potboilers. (Yes, that's a little unfair.) You don't excuse amateurish
writing by calling its author a "poet and visionary".
Bradbury's writing is obvious, heavy-handed, and pretentious. Maybe that's
why he was such a popular success.
Angelotti
Jun 7, 2012, 9:30:02 AM6/7/12
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On 7 jun, 11:40, "William Sommerwerck" <grizzledgee...@comcast.net>
wrote:
Your comprehension of literature is as poor as your understanding of
thermodynamics.
Hvdlinden
wrote:
thermodynamics.
Hvdlinden
William Sommerwerck
Jun 7, 2012, 10:04:07 AM6/7/12
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> Your comprehension of literature is as poor as
> your understanding of thermodynamics.
I have a pretty good grasp of thermodynamics, so thanks for the compliment.
> your understanding of thermodynamics.
Anyone who thinks Ray Bradbury's writing is "literature" (other than in the
generic sense) needs exposure to some good books.
Dufus
Jun 7, 2012, 10:12:51 AM6/7/12
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>On Jun 7, 9:04 am, "William Sommerwerck" <grizzledgee...@comcast.net> wrote:
> Anyone who thinks Ray Bradbury's writing is "literature" (other than in the
> generic sense) needs exposure to some good books.
Among others, his short stories " The Fog Horn ", "A Device out of
> Anyone who thinks Ray Bradbury's writing is "literature" (other than in the
> generic sense) needs exposure to some good books.
Time" , and "The Dragon" are brilliant in concept and execution.
Angelotti
Jun 7, 2012, 10:12:32 AM6/7/12
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On 7 jun, 16:04, "William Sommerwerck" <grizzledgee...@comcast.net>
wrote:
Poor is not a relative notion, see for instance:
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/poor
Hvdlinden
wrote:
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/poor
Hvdlinden
Gerard
Jun 7, 2012, 10:50:28 AM6/7/12
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William Sommerwerck
Jun 7, 2012, 11:34:29 AM6/7/12
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>> Anyone who thinks Ray Bradbury's writing is "literature"
>> (other than in the generic sense) needs exposure to
>> some good books.
> Among others, his short stories "The Fog Horn", "A Device
> out of Time", and "The Dragon" are brilliant in concept and
> execution.
I read science fiction many years ago, and even at the age of 12, I found
>> (other than in the generic sense) needs exposure to
>> some good books.
> Among others, his short stories "The Fog Horn", "A Device
> out of Time", and "The Dragon" are brilliant in concept and
> execution.
Bradbury's writing sorely wanting. Other SF writers vary all over the place,
but among the well-known ones, Bradbury is the most trivial and pretentious.
His writing has the subtlety of a steam roller.
British science fiction is generally better-written -- H G Wells, for
example. As for general fiction, try James Agee, Evelyn Waugh, James Leo
Herlihy, Cormac McCarthy. Heck, Larry McMurtry (when he's not sadistically
torturing his characters).
Read McCarthy's "The Road", which is the sort of story a science-fiction
writer might pen. (It has a science-fiction premise, but it's not a
science-fiction work.) Then come back and tell me, with a straight face,
that Ray Bradbury was something other than an untalented hack.
Bob Harper
Jun 7, 2012, 12:30:24 PM6/7/12
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Why this is marked as abuse? It has been marked as abuse.
Report not abuse
and I agree that it's extraordinary. The notion that it demonstrates
that Bradbury was a hack is a non-sequitur of the first order. They are
quite different writers. I think you're looking for something Bradbury
wasn't attempting. That's your problem, not his.
Bob Harper
wagnerfan
Jun 7, 2012, 12:34:27 PM6/7/12
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Wagner fan
Dufus
Jun 7, 2012, 12:58:02 PM6/7/12
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>On Jun 7, 10:34 am, "William Sommerwerck" <grizzledgee...@comcast.net> wrote:
> > Among others, his short stories "The Fog Horn", "A Device
> > out of Time", and "The Dragon" are brilliant in concept and
> > execution.
>
> I read science fiction many years ago, and even at the age of 12, I found
> Bradbury's writing sorely wanting.
I dont consider the 3 mentioned to be science fiction.
> > Among others, his short stories "The Fog Horn", "A Device
> > out of Time", and "The Dragon" are brilliant in concept and
> > execution.
>
> I read science fiction many years ago, and even at the age of 12, I found
> Bradbury's writing sorely wanting.
Kevin N
Jun 7, 2012, 1:37:44 PM6/7/12
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On Jun 7, 11:34 am, "William Sommerwerck" <grizzledgee...@comcast.net>
wrote:
It would be a lot easier to tell you with a straight face that you're
a pompous twit.
wrote:
a pompous twit.
William Sommerwerck
Jun 7, 2012, 2:11:33 PM6/7/12
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> I've read "The Road" (the single most depressing book
> I've ever read)...
Many readers see it as a positive, life-affirming story. But it can be taken
otherwise,
> and I agree that it's extraordinary. The notion that it
> demonstrates that Bradbury was a hack is a non-sequitur
> of the first order. They are quite different writers. I think
> you're looking for something Bradbury wasn't attempting.
> That's your problem, not his.
recognized the quality of the writing. Ditto for Bradbury. He is not a good
writer, and the subject has nothing to do with it.
Matthew B. Tepper
Jun 7, 2012, 3:30:19 PM6/7/12
to
news:BG4Ar.424306$Xo4.2...@en-nntp-13.dc1.easynews.com:
> I've read 'The Road' (the single most depressing book I've ever read),
> and I agree that it's extraordinary. The notion that it demonstrates
> that Bradbury was a hack is a non-sequitur of the first order. They are
> quite different writers. I think you're looking for something Bradbury
> wasn't attempting. That's your problem, not his.
A few weeks ago, we attended a panel discussion at the West Hollywood Public
Library where four top science fiction writers paid tribute to Ray Bradbury.
And these were largely "hard" sf writers, big on nuts and bolts and planets
and genetics and the like: Larry Niven, Jerry Pournelle, Harry Turtledove,
and John DeChancie. Niven said something like, if you're looking for science
in Ray Bradbury's works, you're looking for the wrong thing and missing the
good stuff that is in there.
> I've read 'The Road' (the single most depressing book I've ever read),
> and I agree that it's extraordinary. The notion that it demonstrates
> that Bradbury was a hack is a non-sequitur of the first order. They are
> quite different writers. I think you're looking for something Bradbury
> wasn't attempting. That's your problem, not his.
Library where four top science fiction writers paid tribute to Ray Bradbury.
And these were largely "hard" sf writers, big on nuts and bolts and planets
and genetics and the like: Larry Niven, Jerry Pournelle, Harry Turtledove,
and John DeChancie. Niven said something like, if you're looking for science
in Ray Bradbury's works, you're looking for the wrong thing and missing the
good stuff that is in there.
Ray Hall
Jun 7, 2012, 3:33:18 PM6/7/12
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poetic feeling. Wasted on those who prefer mere regurgitation of the
obvious.
Ray Hall, Taree
William Sommerwerck
Jun 7, 2012, 3:52:29 PM6/7/12
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> Bradbury didn't waste words. He used them with
> cryptic economy and poetic feeling. Wasted on
> those who prefer mere regurgitation of the
> obvious.
Which is exactly Bradbury's problem -- stating the obvious.
> cryptic economy and poetic feeling. Wasted on
> those who prefer mere regurgitation of the
> obvious.
Bradbury is about as poetic as a combine.
William Sommerwerck
Jun 7, 2012, 3:55:25 PM6/7/12
to
> A few weeks ago, we attended a panel discussion at the
> West Hollywood Public Library where four top science-fiction
> writers paid tribute to Ray Bradbury. And these were largely
> "hard" sf writers, big on nuts and bolts and planets and genetics
> and the like: Larry Niven, Jerry Pournelle, Harry Turtledove,
> and John DeChancie. Niven said something like, if you're looking
> for science in Ray Bradbury's works, you're looking for the wrong
> thing and missing the good stuff that is in there.
Which is...? Social commentary of the most obvious and heavy-handed sort?
> "hard" sf writers, big on nuts and bolts and planets and genetics
> and the like: Larry Niven, Jerry Pournelle, Harry Turtledove,
> and John DeChancie. Niven said something like, if you're looking
> for science in Ray Bradbury's works, you're looking for the wrong
> thing and missing the good stuff that is in there.
Unimaginative development of good ideas?
John Wiser
Jun 7, 2012, 4:10:35 PM6/7/12
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>> <grizzledgee...@comcast.net> wrote: [ne-ver mind!]
> It would be a lot easier to tell you with a straight face
> that you're a pompous twit.
He has been told many times.
It hasn't sunk in.
JDW
> It would be a lot easier to tell you with a straight face
> that you're a pompous twit.
It hasn't sunk in.
JDW
William Sommerwerck
Jun 7, 2012, 4:31:29 PM6/7/12
to
>> It would be a lot easier to tell you with a
>> straight face that you're a pompous twit.
> He has been told many times.
> It hasn't sunk in.
Perhaps it's because my head is so dense.
>> straight face that you're a pompous twit.
> He has been told many times.
> It hasn't sunk in.
Or more likely, you're upset by people who hold alternative, defensible
points of view. It's not my fault you lack critical faculties.
John Wiser
Jun 7, 2012, 4:51:10 PM6/7/12
to
"William Sommerwerck" <grizzle...@comcast.net> wrote in message
news:jqr31b$5ou$1...@dont-email.me...
To quote the Sage of Seeley's Bay,
HA HA HA HA HA HA HA
jdw (Who doesn't disdain Ray Bradbury's prose,
just finds him smarmy and unreadable.)
news:jqr31b$5ou$1...@dont-email.me...
HA HA HA HA HA HA HA
jdw (Who doesn't disdain Ray Bradbury's prose,
just finds him smarmy and unreadable.)
Matthew B. Tepper
Jun 7, 2012, 7:56:32 PM6/7/12
to
"William Sommerwerck" <grizzle...@comcast.net> appears to have caused the
following letters to be typed in news:jqr0tn$n8g$1...@dont-email.me:
Something you're not predisposed to like.
Continue in this vein if you like, but please be aware that I had known the
man personally for more than forty years.
following letters to be typed in news:jqr0tn$n8g$1...@dont-email.me:
Continue in this vein if you like, but please be aware that I had known the
man personally for more than forty years.
Dufus
Jun 7, 2012, 8:42:45 PM6/7/12
to
>On Jun 7, 2:52 pm, "William Sommerwerck" <grizzledgee...@comcast.net> wrote:
> Bradbury is about as poetic as a combine.
I love the smell of combines in the morning.
> Bradbury is about as poetic as a combine.
Bob Harper
Jun 7, 2012, 10:26:02 PM6/7/12
to
Why this is marked as abuse? It has been marked as abuse.
Report not abuse
Bob Harper
The Historian
Jun 8, 2012, 3:14:32 AM6/8/12
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On Jun 7, 3:30 pm, "Matthew B. Tepper" <oyþ@earthlink.net> wrote:
> Bob Harper <bob.har...@comcast.net> appears to have caused the following
> letters to be typed innews:BG4Ar.424306$Xo4.2...@en-nntp-13.dc1.easynews.com:
http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/302032/thoughts-ray-bradbury-orson-scott-card
Bradbury never made you stop reading to notice how cleverly he wrote.
On the contrary, his music held you inside the story, as if the words
had come out of your own mind and heart. He embodied what Pope
advocated: “True Wit is Nature to Advantage drest, / What oft was
Thought, but ne’er so well Exprest.”
> Bob Harper <bob.har...@comcast.net> appears to have caused the following
> letters to be typed innews:BG4Ar.424306$Xo4.2...@en-nntp-13.dc1.easynews.com:
>
> > I've read 'The Road' (the single most depressing book I've ever read),
> > and I agree that it's extraordinary. The notion that it demonstrates
> > that Bradbury was a hack is a non-sequitur of the first order. They are
> > quite different writers. I think you're looking for something Bradbury
> > wasn't attempting. That's your problem, not his.
>
> A few weeks ago, we attended a panel discussion at the West Hollywood Public
> Library where four top science fiction writers paid tribute to Ray Bradbury.
> And these were largely "hard" sf writers, big on nuts and bolts and planets
> and genetics and the like: Larry Niven, Jerry Pournelle, Harry Turtledove,
> and John DeChancie. Niven said something like, if you're looking for science
> in Ray Bradbury's works, you're looking for the wrong thing and missing the
> good stuff that is in there.
You can add Orson Scott Card to the list:
> > I've read 'The Road' (the single most depressing book I've ever read),
> > and I agree that it's extraordinary. The notion that it demonstrates
> > that Bradbury was a hack is a non-sequitur of the first order. They are
> > quite different writers. I think you're looking for something Bradbury
> > wasn't attempting. That's your problem, not his.
>
> A few weeks ago, we attended a panel discussion at the West Hollywood Public
> Library where four top science fiction writers paid tribute to Ray Bradbury.
> And these were largely "hard" sf writers, big on nuts and bolts and planets
> and genetics and the like: Larry Niven, Jerry Pournelle, Harry Turtledove,
> and John DeChancie. Niven said something like, if you're looking for science
> in Ray Bradbury's works, you're looking for the wrong thing and missing the
> good stuff that is in there.
http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/302032/thoughts-ray-bradbury-orson-scott-card
Bradbury never made you stop reading to notice how cleverly he wrote.
On the contrary, his music held you inside the story, as if the words
had come out of your own mind and heart. He embodied what Pope
advocated: “True Wit is Nature to Advantage drest, / What oft was
Thought, but ne’er so well Exprest.”
The Historian
Jun 8, 2012, 3:21:23 AM6/8/12
to
On Jun 7, 7:56 pm, "Matthew B. Tepper" <oy @earthlink.net> wrote:
> "William Sommerwerck" <grizzledgee...@comcast.net> appears to have caused the
> following letters to be typed innews:jqr0tn$n8g$1...@dont-email.me:
> "William Sommerwerck" <grizzledgee...@comcast.net> appears to have caused the
> following letters to be typed innews:jqr0tn$n8g$1...@dont-email.me:
>
> >> A few weeks ago, we attended a panel discussion at the West Hollywood
> >> Public Library where four top science-fiction writers paid tribute to Ray
> >> Bradbury. And these were largely "hard" sf writers, big on nuts and bolts
> >> and planets and genetics and the like: Larry Niven, Jerry Pournelle, Harry
> >> Turtledove, and John DeChancie. Niven said something like, if you're
> >> looking for science in Ray Bradbury's works, you're looking for the wrong
> >> thing and missing the good stuff that is in there.
>
> > Which is...? Social commentary of the most obvious and heavy-handed sort?
> > Unimaginative development of good ideas?
>
> Something you're not predisposed to like.
>
> Continue in this vein if you like, but please be aware that I had known the
> man personally for more than forty years.
My condolences for your loss, Matthew,
> >> A few weeks ago, we attended a panel discussion at the West Hollywood
> >> Public Library where four top science-fiction writers paid tribute to Ray
> >> Bradbury. And these were largely "hard" sf writers, big on nuts and bolts
> >> and planets and genetics and the like: Larry Niven, Jerry Pournelle, Harry
> >> Turtledove, and John DeChancie. Niven said something like, if you're
> >> looking for science in Ray Bradbury's works, you're looking for the wrong
> >> thing and missing the good stuff that is in there.
>
> > Which is...? Social commentary of the most obvious and heavy-handed sort?
> > Unimaginative development of good ideas?
>
> Something you're not predisposed to like.
>
> Continue in this vein if you like, but please be aware that I had known the
> man personally for more than forty years.
The Historian
Jun 8, 2012, 3:31:32 AM6/8/12
to
On Jun 6, 11:32 am, Bob Harper <bob.har...@comcast.net> wrote:
> His death at 91 is reported on NPR. I'm sure Matthew will have more to
> say, but he seems to me to have been a good man. RIP.
>
> Bob Harper
Lots of old time radio adaptations of his work at the Internet
> His death at 91 is reported on NPR. I'm sure Matthew will have more to
> say, but he seems to me to have been a good man. RIP.
>
> Bob Harper
Archive. The 1950s series Dimension X, for instance, has "Mars is
Heaven", "The Veldt", and "The Martian Chronicles" adapted for radio.
The latter is introduced by the announcer describing the book as the
"new novel by the brilliant science fiction writer Ray Bradbury."
William Sommerwerck
Jun 8, 2012, 6:51:20 AM6/8/12
to
>> Which is...? Social commentary of the most obvious
>> and heavy-handed sort? Unimaginative development
>> of good ideas?
> Something you're not predisposed to like.
Possibly -- the same rule applies to classical music, of course -- but I
>> and heavy-handed sort? Unimaginative development
>> of good ideas?
> Something you're not predisposed to like.
don't read literature or poetry and make claims of trivialness or lack of
talent about other writers. For me, Bradbury is uniquely bad.
> Continue in this vein if you like, but please be aware that
> I had known the man personally for more than forty years.
William Sommerwerck
Jun 8, 2012, 6:57:39 AM6/8/12
to
These will be my final remarks (promise!)...
If Ray Bradbury's writings are "poetic" -- then so are Reginald Bunthorne's.
Please understand that my criticism of Ray Bradbury's writing is not meant
as a comment on him as a human being.
If Ray Bradbury's writings are "poetic" -- then so are Reginald Bunthorne's.
Please understand that my criticism of Ray Bradbury's writing is not meant
as a comment on him as a human being.
John Thomas
Jun 8, 2012, 9:10:37 AM6/8/12
to
On Jun 8, 3:57 am, "William Sommerwerck" <grizzledgee...@comcast.net>
wrote:
I have to agree with Mr Sommerwerck's comments. When I was 14 and
just discovering science fiction (a discovery that had a major
influence on my world view, though I rarely read it any more)
Bradbury's fiction seemed miraculously wonderful. I can still recall
the day I spent reading his short novel, "The Fireman," in Galaxy
magazine, and how completely it blew me away. But I was no more than
16 then and had never read a work of literary fiction except the awful
slog throughs we were forced to read in high school English class.
Bradbury's fiction was hopelessly overwritten, his :"science" non-
existent and his stories mostly gimmicks like the fiction of his much
superior contemporary, Robert Sheckley. He never wrote a word of real
science fiction; he was basically a writer of dreamy fantasies for
adolescent males, though without even a hint of sex unlike, say, A
Merritt.
Despite the NY Times' claim that he brought science fiction "into the
mainstream" he had zero effect on other writers or on the genre. He
may have been the first SF labeled writer to break into Playboy, but
Robert A Heinlein had been writing for general circulation magazines
years before Bradbury. The writers who began appearing on the NY Times
best seller list in the early '70's included Heinlein, Frank Herbert,
the awful Robert Jordan, and Kurt Vonnegut but never Bradbury.
Ray Bradbury seems to have been a nice man, a writer of cuddly tales
and in his later years of harmless detective fiction, but the obits
I've read seem to me to be way off the mark.
wrote:
just discovering science fiction (a discovery that had a major
influence on my world view, though I rarely read it any more)
Bradbury's fiction seemed miraculously wonderful. I can still recall
the day I spent reading his short novel, "The Fireman," in Galaxy
magazine, and how completely it blew me away. But I was no more than
16 then and had never read a work of literary fiction except the awful
slog throughs we were forced to read in high school English class.
Bradbury's fiction was hopelessly overwritten, his :"science" non-
existent and his stories mostly gimmicks like the fiction of his much
superior contemporary, Robert Sheckley. He never wrote a word of real
science fiction; he was basically a writer of dreamy fantasies for
adolescent males, though without even a hint of sex unlike, say, A
Merritt.
Despite the NY Times' claim that he brought science fiction "into the
mainstream" he had zero effect on other writers or on the genre. He
may have been the first SF labeled writer to break into Playboy, but
Robert A Heinlein had been writing for general circulation magazines
years before Bradbury. The writers who began appearing on the NY Times
best seller list in the early '70's included Heinlein, Frank Herbert,
the awful Robert Jordan, and Kurt Vonnegut but never Bradbury.
Ray Bradbury seems to have been a nice man, a writer of cuddly tales
and in his later years of harmless detective fiction, but the obits
I've read seem to me to be way off the mark.
Bob Harper
Jun 8, 2012, 9:13:25 AM6/8/12
to
Why this is marked as abuse? It has been marked as abuse.
Report not abuse
apparently many others here, think you are just plain wrong in your
assessment of Bradbury's writing.
Bob Harper
Kevin N
Jun 8, 2012, 9:55:06 AM6/8/12
to
On Jun 7, 7:56 pm, "Matthew B. Tepper" <oyþ@earthlink.net> wrote:
> "William Sommerwerck" <grizzledgee...@comcast.net> appears to have caused the
> following letters to be typed innews:jqr0tn$n8g$1...@dont-email.me:
little kid (and Bradbury had been a living legend for me since my
childhood). It sounds like a personal loss for you.
***
Maybe not the place for the following anecdote: When Bonnie Hammer
first came aboard as director of the channel formerly known as Sci-Fi,
she claimed to have never heard of Bradbury or Gene Roddenberry.
> "William Sommerwerck" <grizzledgee...@comcast.net> appears to have caused the
> following letters to be typed innews:jqr0tn$n8g$1...@dont-email.me:
>
> >> A few weeks ago, we attended a panel discussion at the West Hollywood
> >> Public Library where four top science-fiction writers paid tribute to Ray
> >> Bradbury. And these were largely "hard" sf writers, big on nuts and bolts
> >> and planets and genetics and the like: Larry Niven, Jerry Pournelle, Harry
> >> Turtledove, and John DeChancie. Niven said something like, if you're
> >> looking for science in Ray Bradbury's works, you're looking for the wrong
> >> thing and missing the good stuff that is in there.
>
> > Which is...? Social commentary of the most obvious and heavy-handed sort?
> > Unimaginative development of good ideas?
>
> Something you're not predisposed to like.
>
> Continue in this vein if you like, but please be aware that I had known the
> man personally for more than forty years.
>
Don't have too much to say other than, "wow, that's cool!" like a
> >> A few weeks ago, we attended a panel discussion at the West Hollywood
> >> Public Library where four top science-fiction writers paid tribute to Ray
> >> Bradbury. And these were largely "hard" sf writers, big on nuts and bolts
> >> and planets and genetics and the like: Larry Niven, Jerry Pournelle, Harry
> >> Turtledove, and John DeChancie. Niven said something like, if you're
> >> looking for science in Ray Bradbury's works, you're looking for the wrong
> >> thing and missing the good stuff that is in there.
>
> > Which is...? Social commentary of the most obvious and heavy-handed sort?
> > Unimaginative development of good ideas?
>
> Something you're not predisposed to like.
>
> Continue in this vein if you like, but please be aware that I had known the
> man personally for more than forty years.
>
little kid (and Bradbury had been a living legend for me since my
childhood). It sounds like a personal loss for you.
***
Maybe not the place for the following anecdote: When Bonnie Hammer
first came aboard as director of the channel formerly known as Sci-Fi,
she claimed to have never heard of Bradbury or Gene Roddenberry.
The Historian
Jun 8, 2012, 10:29:19 AM6/8/12
to
On Jun 8, 9:10 am, John Thomas <abrasax...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Despite the NY Times' claim that he brought science fiction "into the
> mainstream" he had zero effect on other writers or on the genre.
See the Orson Scott Card link I posted.
> Despite the NY Times' claim that he brought science fiction "into the
> mainstream" he had zero effect on other writers or on the genre.
Matthew B. Tepper
Jun 8, 2012, 10:36:42 AM6/8/12
to
The Historian <neil.the...@gmail.com> appears to have caused the
Thank you, Neil.
following letters to be typed in
news:ad64a336-959b-4c8c...@v33g2000yqv.googlegroups.com:
Matthew B. Tepper
Jun 8, 2012, 10:36:43 AM6/8/12
to
"William Sommerwerck" <grizzle...@comcast.net> appears to have caused the
following letters to be typed in news:jqsldh$9hd$1...@dont-email.me:
Matthew B. Tepper
Jun 8, 2012, 10:36:44 AM6/8/12
to
Kevin N <boss...@gmail.com> appears to have caused the following letters
to be typed in
news:447de4f3-5453-4bca...@x39g2000yqx.googlegroups.com:
> On Jun 7, 7:56 pm, "Matthew B. Tepper" <oyþ@earthlink.net> wrote:
>> "William Sommerwerck" <grizzledgee...@comcast.net> appears to have
>> caused the following letters to be typed
>> innews:jqr0tn$n8g$1...@dont-email.me:
>>
>> >> A few weeks ago, we attended a panel discussion at the West Hollywood
>> >> Public Library where four top science-fiction writers paid tribute to
>> >> Ray Bradbury. And these were largely "hard" sf writers, big on nuts
>> >> and bolts and planets and genetics and the like: Larry Niven, Jerry
>> >> Pournelle, Harry Turtledove, and John DeChancie. Niven said something
>> >> like, if you're looking for science in Ray Bradbury's works, you're
>> >> looking for the wrong thing and missing the good stuff that is in
>> >> there.
>>
>> > Which is...? Social commentary of the most obvious and heavy-handed
>> > sort? Unimaginative development of good ideas?
>>
>> Something you're not predisposed to like.
>>
>> Continue in this vein if you like, but please be aware that I had known
>> the man personally for more than forty years.
>>
>
> Don't have too much to say other than, "wow, that's cool!" like a little
> kid (and Bradbury had been a living legend for me since my childhood). It
> sounds like a personal loss for you.
Thank you, Kevin.
> Maybe not the place for the following anecdote: When Bonnie Hammer first
> came aboard as director of the channel formerly known as Sci-Fi, she
> claimed to have never heard of Bradbury or Gene Roddenberry.
Considering that Ray and Gene were two of the "big names" (another was
Isaac Asimov) who were touting the nascent Sci-Fi Channel when it was still
seeking its initial capitalization, that's excruciatingly pathetic.
Considering the vomitous bilge which now forms the interstices separating
the commercials on that station, that's not the least bit surprising.
Sci-Fi reportedly changed its name to "SyFy" because the first one could
not be trademarked and the second one could. In the science fiction
community, many writers and fans sneeringly call it "Siffy," as in a
nickname for syphillus.
Given the programming that they actually run these days, I think that it
really OUGHT to have been renamed "Spooks 'n' Rasslin'."
to be typed in
news:447de4f3-5453-4bca...@x39g2000yqx.googlegroups.com:
> On Jun 7, 7:56 pm, "Matthew B. Tepper" <oyþ@earthlink.net> wrote:
>> "William Sommerwerck" <grizzledgee...@comcast.net> appears to have
>> caused the following letters to be typed
>> innews:jqr0tn$n8g$1...@dont-email.me:
>>
>> >> A few weeks ago, we attended a panel discussion at the West Hollywood
>> >> Public Library where four top science-fiction writers paid tribute to
>> >> Ray Bradbury. And these were largely "hard" sf writers, big on nuts
>> >> and bolts and planets and genetics and the like: Larry Niven, Jerry
>> >> Pournelle, Harry Turtledove, and John DeChancie. Niven said something
>> >> like, if you're looking for science in Ray Bradbury's works, you're
>> >> looking for the wrong thing and missing the good stuff that is in
>> >> there.
>>
>> > Which is...? Social commentary of the most obvious and heavy-handed
>> > sort? Unimaginative development of good ideas?
>>
>> Something you're not predisposed to like.
>>
>> Continue in this vein if you like, but please be aware that I had known
>> the man personally for more than forty years.
>>
>
> Don't have too much to say other than, "wow, that's cool!" like a little
> kid (and Bradbury had been a living legend for me since my childhood). It
> sounds like a personal loss for you.
> Maybe not the place for the following anecdote: When Bonnie Hammer first
> came aboard as director of the channel formerly known as Sci-Fi, she
> claimed to have never heard of Bradbury or Gene Roddenberry.
Isaac Asimov) who were touting the nascent Sci-Fi Channel when it was still
seeking its initial capitalization, that's excruciatingly pathetic.
Considering the vomitous bilge which now forms the interstices separating
the commercials on that station, that's not the least bit surprising.
Sci-Fi reportedly changed its name to "SyFy" because the first one could
not be trademarked and the second one could. In the science fiction
community, many writers and fans sneeringly call it "Siffy," as in a
nickname for syphillus.
Given the programming that they actually run these days, I think that it
really OUGHT to have been renamed "Spooks 'n' Rasslin'."
Matthew B. Tepper
Jun 8, 2012, 10:36:45 AM6/8/12
to
John Thomas <abras...@gmail.com> appears to have caused the following
letters to be typed in news:5dbf9838-1adc-4831-bf0c-92c62e400b56
@b5g2000pbm.googlegroups.com:
> Despite the NY Times' claim that he brought science fiction "into the
> mainstream" he had zero effect on other writers or on the genre.
I am personally acquainted with several writers who would say otherwise.
Larry Niven, for one, and I heard him do so in person not twelve hours ago.
letters to be typed in news:5dbf9838-1adc-4831-bf0c-92c62e400b56
@b5g2000pbm.googlegroups.com:
> Despite the NY Times' claim that he brought science fiction "into the
> mainstream" he had zero effect on other writers or on the genre.
Larry Niven, for one, and I heard him do so in person not twelve hours ago.
William Sommerwerck
Jun 8, 2012, 11:41:27 AM6/8/12
to
>> Maybe not the place for the following anecdote: When
>> Bonnie Hammer first came aboard as director of the
>> channel formerly known as Sci-Fi,she claimed to have
>> Bonnie Hammer first came aboard as director of the
>> never heard of Bradbury or Gene Roddenberry.
> Considering that Ray and Gene were two of the "big names"
> (another was Isaac Asimov) who were touting the nascent
> Sci-Fi Channel when it was still seeking its initial capitalization,
> that's excruciatingly pathetic.
> Considering the vomitous bilge which now forms the interstices
> separating the commercials on that station, that's not the least
> bit surprising.
Have you seen such stuff as "Mega Shark vs Giant Octopus"? SyFy doesn't
> Considering that Ray and Gene were two of the "big names"
> (another was Isaac Asimov) who were touting the nascent
> Sci-Fi Channel when it was still seeking its initial capitalization,
> that's excruciatingly pathetic.
> Considering the vomitous bilge which now forms the interstices
> separating the commercials on that station, that's not the least
> bit surprising.
produce such films, but they show them, so they're partly responsible for
them.
John Thomas
Jun 8, 2012, 11:55:49 AM6/8/12
to
On Jun 8, 7:36 am, "Matthew B. Tepper" <oy @earthlink.net> wrote:
> John Thomas <abrasax...@gmail.com> appears to have caused the following
friends since you mention them at every opportunity. Though not as
often as you mention yourself. What would you expect Niven to say to
writers and fans at a gathering for one of their own? That's the
whole point. An embarrassingly second rate writer is being lionized
because that's what everyone else, including many who haven't read him
since they were adolescents, are doing.
> John Thomas <abrasax...@gmail.com> appears to have caused the following
> letters to be typed in news:5dbf9838-1adc-4831-bf0c-92c62e400b56
> @b5g2000pbm.googlegroups.com:
>
> > Despite the NY Times' claim that he brought science fiction "into the
> > mainstream" he had zero effect on other writers or on the genre.
>
> I am personally acquainted with several writers who would say otherwise.
> Larry Niven, for one, and I heard him do so in person not twelve hours ago.
>
Yes, Matthew, we already know about all your celebrity SF writer
> @b5g2000pbm.googlegroups.com:
>
> > Despite the NY Times' claim that he brought science fiction "into the
> > mainstream" he had zero effect on other writers or on the genre.
>
> I am personally acquainted with several writers who would say otherwise.
> Larry Niven, for one, and I heard him do so in person not twelve hours ago.
>
friends since you mention them at every opportunity. Though not as
often as you mention yourself. What would you expect Niven to say to
writers and fans at a gathering for one of their own? That's the
whole point. An embarrassingly second rate writer is being lionized
because that's what everyone else, including many who haven't read him
since they were adolescents, are doing.
John Thomas
Jun 8, 2012, 12:06:41 PM6/8/12
to
seems to be about 14 years old himself. The many plaudits for his
teenagers-in-space-save-the-galaxy epic "Enders Game" read like the
Bradbury obits. Though I do hear he'll be the first Mormon to head
NASA if Romney wins.
Matthew B. Tepper
Jun 8, 2012, 12:10:37 PM6/8/12
to
John Thomas <abras...@gmail.com> appears to have caused the following
letters to be typed in news:58ffa3de-3fc8-4ba2-bd5d-13b6e915a300
@ki5g2000pbb.googlegroups.com:
I know these people. I've known them for years. I've had the opportunity
to hear them talk about one another for years. Larry Niven said nice
things about Ray Bradbury when Ray was alive, but I suppose I just can't
convince you of that. And don't think it's all sweetness and light in the
entire community of sf writers; there have been some nasty feuds, too.
In short, while you are certainly entitled to your opinion, when you
pretend to assess the personalities of these people you do not have the
slightest idea of what you are talking about.
letters to be typed in news:58ffa3de-3fc8-4ba2-bd5d-13b6e915a300
@ki5g2000pbb.googlegroups.com:
to hear them talk about one another for years. Larry Niven said nice
things about Ray Bradbury when Ray was alive, but I suppose I just can't
convince you of that. And don't think it's all sweetness and light in the
entire community of sf writers; there have been some nasty feuds, too.
In short, while you are certainly entitled to your opinion, when you
pretend to assess the personalities of these people you do not have the
slightest idea of what you are talking about.
Matthew B. Tepper
Jun 8, 2012, 12:10:36 PM6/8/12
to
"William Sommerwerck" <grizzle...@comcast.net> appears to have caused
the following letters to be typed in news:jqt6df$jvn$1...@dont-email.me:
I try to remain unaware of the programming of that channel. However, I
have friends who will watch absolutely any TV show or movie which is (or
claims to be) science fiction, no matter how bad, so I hear t'ings.
the following letters to be typed in news:jqt6df$jvn$1...@dont-email.me:
have friends who will watch absolutely any TV show or movie which is (or
claims to be) science fiction, no matter how bad, so I hear t'ings.
The Historian
Jun 8, 2012, 4:00:56 PM6/8/12
to
influence. I was responding to the comment that Bradbury had "zero
effect on other writers or the genre."
The Historian
Jun 8, 2012, 4:09:08 PM6/8/12
to
writers and writing. The first "anti" post in this thread included a
sly slam at the entire genre of science fiction and fantasy. Nowhere
to go but down from there.
The Historian
Jun 8, 2012, 4:14:16 PM6/8/12
to
of Mr. Bradbury's work suggest other authors who were influenced by
him, and what books by those authors I should seek out? Orson Scott
Card is a given. Who else? Mr. Harper, Matthew, your thoughts?
The Historian
Jun 8, 2012, 4:21:38 PM6/8/12
to
both are nicely done. The sound is pretty good too. And the series
used some high class sources - Asimov, Heinlein, Leinster, as well as
Bradbury.
The Historian
Jun 8, 2012, 4:24:05 PM6/8/12
to
On Jun 8, 11:41 am, "William Sommerwerck" <grizzledgee...@comcast.net>
wrote:
I have, simply so I could experience the sheer awfulness. Which is
pretty much the same reason I listened to Sting's disc of Dowland
songs....
wrote:
pretty much the same reason I listened to Sting's disc of Dowland
songs....
Matthew B. Tepper
Jun 9, 2012, 2:56:45 AM6/9/12
to
The Historian <neil.the...@gmail.com> appears to have caused the
> On Jun 8, 12:10 pm, "Matthew B. Tepper" <oy @earthlink.net> wrote:
>> John Thomas <abrasax...@gmail.com> appears to have caused the following
>> letters to be typed in news:58ffa3de-3fc8-4ba2-bd5d-13b6e915a300
>> @ki5g2000pbb.googlegroups.com:
>>
>> > On Jun 8, 7:36 am, "Matthew B. Tepper" <oy @earthlink.net> wrote:
>> >> John Thomas <abrasax...@gmail.com> appears to have caused the
>> >> following letters to be typed in news:5dbf9838-1adc-4831-bf0c-
>> >> 92c62e...@b5g2000pbm.googlegroups.com:
Ah, must be one of the ones I have in my killfile, because I didn't see it
-- which is one of the reasons I keep such types in my killfile in the
first place. If it's the one I suspect it is, he probably just said it
because he knows I do like science fiction (not all of it, actually), which
beggars the question of whether his "opinions" as stated here are really
worth anything at all, since they seem to be used merely as another means
to insult people.
following letters to be typed in
news:e899ecc4-5631-4595...@l32g2000yqb.googlegroups.com:
> On Jun 8, 12:10 pm, "Matthew B. Tepper" <oy @earthlink.net> wrote:
>> John Thomas <abrasax...@gmail.com> appears to have caused the following
>> letters to be typed in news:58ffa3de-3fc8-4ba2-bd5d-13b6e915a300
>> @ki5g2000pbb.googlegroups.com:
>>
>> > On Jun 8, 7:36 am, "Matthew B. Tepper" <oy @earthlink.net> wrote:
>> >> John Thomas <abrasax...@gmail.com> appears to have caused the
>> >> following letters to be typed in news:5dbf9838-1adc-4831-bf0c-
-- which is one of the reasons I keep such types in my killfile in the
first place. If it's the one I suspect it is, he probably just said it
because he knows I do like science fiction (not all of it, actually), which
beggars the question of whether his "opinions" as stated here are really
worth anything at all, since they seem to be used merely as another means
to insult people.
Matthew B. Tepper
Jun 9, 2012, 2:56:46 AM6/9/12
to
The Historian <neil.the...@gmail.com> appears to have caused the
following letters to be typed in news:6067d40b-e2db-449f-afab-30ab0d3892a2
@m24g2000yqh.googlegroups.com:
> On Jun 8, 3:31 am, The Historian <neil.thehistor...@gmail.com> wrote:
>> On Jun 6, 11:32 am, Bob Harper <bob.har...@comcast.net> wrote:
>>
>> > His death at 91 is reported on NPR. I'm sure Matthew will have more to
>> > say, but he seems to me to have been a good man. RIP.
>>
>> Lots of old time radio adaptations of his work at the Internet Archive.
>> The 1950s series Dimension X, for instance, has "Mars is Heaven", "The
>> Veldt", and "The Martian Chronicles" adapted for radio. The latter is
>> introduced by the announcer describing the book as the "new novel by the
>> brilliant science fiction writer Ray Bradbury."
>
> I've listened to "Mars is Heaven" and "The Martian Chronicles" and both
> are nicely done. The sound is pretty good too. And the series used some
> high class sources - Asimov, Heinlein, Leinster, as well as Bradbury.
Leinster's 1946 story "A Logic Named Joe" (originally published under the
>> The 1950s series Dimension X, for instance, has "Mars is Heaven", "The
>> Veldt", and "The Martian Chronicles" adapted for radio. The latter is
>> introduced by the announcer describing the book as the "new novel by the
>> brilliant science fiction writer Ray Bradbury."
>
> I've listened to "Mars is Heaven" and "The Martian Chronicles" and both
> are nicely done. The sound is pretty good too. And the series used some
> high class sources - Asimov, Heinlein, Leinster, as well as Bradbury.
writer's real name, Will F. Jenkins) deserves to be read today because it
is a frighteningly accurate description of the internet as it is today,
just with different terminology -- "logic" for "computer," "tank" for "file
server," and so on. The Brooklyn dialect of the first-person narrator (a
convention of the day which is now thankfully obsolete) makes it a bit hard
going at times, but I still recommend it highly:
http://www.baen.com/chapters/W200506/0743499107___2.htm
The Historian
Jun 9, 2012, 3:58:12 AM6/9/12
to
On Jun 9, 2:56 am, "Matthew B. Tepper" <oyþ@earthlink.net> wrote:
> The Historian <neil.thehistor...@gmail.com> appears to have caused the
appears the script was reused in the mid 1950s sequel "X Minus One."
The Brooklyn accent is faithfully reproduced in the 1950 production,
which means the episode reminds me of The Honeymooners or I Love Lucy
at times. Good clean fun, and yes, a little frightening - as when the
protagonist's wife finds her neighbor's arrest records thanks to her
"logic".
"The Green Hills of Earth" also struck me as well done by the
Dimension X cast, even better than the Bradbury adaptations I've
mentioned.
> The Historian <neil.thehistor...@gmail.com> appears to have caused the
> following letters to be typed in news:6067d40b-e2db-449f-afab-30ab0d3892a2
> @m24g2000yqh.googlegroups.com:
>
> > On Jun 8, 3:31 am, The Historian <neil.thehistor...@gmail.com> wrote:
> >> On Jun 6, 11:32 am, Bob Harper <bob.har...@comcast.net> wrote:
>
> >> > His death at 91 is reported on NPR. I'm sure Matthew will have more to
> >> > say, but he seems to me to have been a good man. RIP.
>
> >> Lots of old time radio adaptations of his work at the Internet Archive.
> >> The 1950s series Dimension X, for instance, has "Mars is Heaven", "The
> >> Veldt", and "The Martian Chronicles" adapted for radio. The latter is
> >> introduced by the announcer describing the book as the "new novel by the
> >> brilliant science fiction writer Ray Bradbury."
>
> > I've listened to "Mars is Heaven" and "The Martian Chronicles" and both
> > are nicely done. The sound is pretty good too. And the series used some
> > high class sources - Asimov, Heinlein, Leinster, as well as Bradbury.
>
> Leinster's 1946 story "A Logic Named Joe" (originally published under the
> writer's real name, Will F. Jenkins) deserves to be read today because it
> is a frighteningly accurate description of the internet as it is today,
> just with different terminology -- "logic" for "computer," "tank" for "file
> server," and so on. The Brooklyn dialect of the first-person narrator (a
> convention of the day which is now thankfully obsolete) makes it a bit hard
> going at times, but I still recommend it highly:
>
> http://www.baen.com/chapters/W200506/0743499107___2.htm
It was dramatized in the "Dimension X" series (Episode 13), and it
> @m24g2000yqh.googlegroups.com:
>
> > On Jun 8, 3:31 am, The Historian <neil.thehistor...@gmail.com> wrote:
> >> On Jun 6, 11:32 am, Bob Harper <bob.har...@comcast.net> wrote:
>
> >> > His death at 91 is reported on NPR. I'm sure Matthew will have more to
> >> > say, but he seems to me to have been a good man. RIP.
>
> >> Lots of old time radio adaptations of his work at the Internet Archive.
> >> The 1950s series Dimension X, for instance, has "Mars is Heaven", "The
> >> Veldt", and "The Martian Chronicles" adapted for radio. The latter is
> >> introduced by the announcer describing the book as the "new novel by the
> >> brilliant science fiction writer Ray Bradbury."
>
> > I've listened to "Mars is Heaven" and "The Martian Chronicles" and both
> > are nicely done. The sound is pretty good too. And the series used some
> > high class sources - Asimov, Heinlein, Leinster, as well as Bradbury.
>
> Leinster's 1946 story "A Logic Named Joe" (originally published under the
> writer's real name, Will F. Jenkins) deserves to be read today because it
> is a frighteningly accurate description of the internet as it is today,
> just with different terminology -- "logic" for "computer," "tank" for "file
> server," and so on. The Brooklyn dialect of the first-person narrator (a
> convention of the day which is now thankfully obsolete) makes it a bit hard
> going at times, but I still recommend it highly:
>
> http://www.baen.com/chapters/W200506/0743499107___2.htm
appears the script was reused in the mid 1950s sequel "X Minus One."
The Brooklyn accent is faithfully reproduced in the 1950 production,
which means the episode reminds me of The Honeymooners or I Love Lucy
at times. Good clean fun, and yes, a little frightening - as when the
protagonist's wife finds her neighbor's arrest records thanks to her
"logic".
"The Green Hills of Earth" also struck me as well done by the
Dimension X cast, even better than the Bradbury adaptations I've
mentioned.
Mr. Mike
Jun 9, 2012, 5:44:31 AM6/9/12
to
On Fri, 8 Jun 2012 08:41:27 -0700, "William Sommerwerck"
<grizzle...@comcast.net> wrote:
>Have you seen such stuff as "Mega Shark vs Giant Octopus"? SyFy doesn't
>produce such films, but they show them, so they're partly responsible for
>them.
Last Boxing Day (Dec. 26) the local stores were selling this movie and
<grizzle...@comcast.net> wrote:
>Have you seen such stuff as "Mega Shark vs Giant Octopus"? SyFy doesn't
>produce such films, but they show them, so they're partly responsible for
>them.
several others, all on Blu-Ray, for peanuts, so I picked up a few just
for a laugh. This is actually one of the better ones, though the two
protagonists are pretty pathetic models.
William Sommerwerck
Jun 9, 2012, 7:49:29 AM6/9/12
to
>> Have you seen such stuff as "Mega Shark vs Giant
>> Octopus"? SyFy doesn't produce such films, but it
>> shows them, so it's partly responsible for them.
> Last Boxing Day (Dec. 26) the local stores were selling
> this movie and several others, all on Blu-Ray, for peanuts,
> so I picked up a few just for a laugh.
Amazon, anyway.)
> This is actually one of the better ones, though the two
> protagonists are pretty pathetic models.
Here are the reviews. Mine is the one titled "shark + octopus = turkey".
http://www.amazon.com/Mega-Shark-Giant-Octopus-Blu-ray/product-reviews/B003ABZGFK/ref=sr_1_1_cm_cr_acr_txt?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1
Matthew B. Tepper
Jun 9, 2012, 10:40:57 AM6/9/12
to
"William Sommerwerck" <grizzle...@comcast.net> appears to have caused
the following letters to be typed in news:jqvd6g$hf0$1...@dont-email.me:
Thanks. By the way, I followed your links and read your review of "John
Carter [of Mars]." As it happens, I just saw this last night, and I am in
complete agreement with you.
the following letters to be typed in news:jqvd6g$hf0$1...@dont-email.me:
Carter [of Mars]." As it happens, I just saw this last night, and I am in
complete agreement with you.
William Sommerwerck
Jun 9, 2012, 12:42:58 PM6/9/12
to
> I followed your links and read your review of "John
> Carter [of Mars]." As it happens, I just saw this last
> night, and I am in complete agreement with you.
Thanks for the compliment -- or the agreement, at least.
> Carter [of Mars]." As it happens, I just saw this last
> night, and I am in complete agreement with you.
Matthew B. Tepper
Jun 9, 2012, 1:55:01 PM6/9/12
to
"William Sommerwerck" <grizzle...@comcast.net> appears to have caused the
following letters to be typed in news:jqvuco$m24$1...@dont-email.me:
movies based on juvenile ideas by the filmmakers themselves, why don't they
do a faithful adaptation of an actual, real, classic science fiction story?"
The answer: Because it will flop.
Gerard
Jun 9, 2012, 1:58:48 PM6/9/12
to
Matthew B. Tepper <oyþ@earthlink.net> typed:
>
> Then again, I'm always saying, "Instead of making all these science
> fiction movies based on juvenile ideas by the filmmakers themselves,
> why don't they do a faithful adaptation of an actual, real, classic
> science fiction story?" The answer: Because it will flop.
So you're always saying something useless.
> Then again, I'm always saying, "Instead of making all these science
> fiction movies based on juvenile ideas by the filmmakers themselves,
> why don't they do a faithful adaptation of an actual, real, classic
> science fiction story?" The answer: Because it will flop.
William Sommerwerck
Jun 9, 2012, 3:20:07 PM6/9/12
to
>>> I followed your links and read your review of "John Carter
>>> [of Mars]." As it happens, I just saw this last night, and
>>> I am in complete agreement with you.
>> Thanks for the compliment -- or the agreement, at least.
> Then again, I'm always saying, "Instead of making all these
> science-fiction movies based on juvenile ideas by the filmmakers
>>> [of Mars]." As it happens, I just saw this last night, and
>>> I am in complete agreement with you.
>> Thanks for the compliment -- or the agreement, at least.
> Then again, I'm always saying, "Instead of making all these
> themselves, why don't they do a faithful adaptation of an actual,
> real, classic science-fiction story?" The answer: Because it will flop.
There's broad consensus -- though little evidence -- that someone or some
group of people at Disney deliberately sabotaged the film's promotion. In
particular, the theatrical trailers were considered Really Bad, doing
nothing to promote attendance, while the Super Bowl trailer was quite good.
"John Carter" did very well overseas. Perhaps Disney will eventually break
even.
Mr. Mike
Jun 9, 2012, 4:04:46 PM6/9/12
to
On Sat, 9 Jun 2012 04:49:29 -0700, "William Sommerwerck"
<grizzle...@comcast.net> wrote:
>This [shark vs. octopus] is one of the //better// ones? Well, "better" is relative.
One of the other Blu-Ray turkeys I got on Boxing Day was "Countdown
Armageddon." This movie reminds me of the line in Blazing Saddles when
it's proposed that one solution to getting rid of the town of Rock
Ridge is to kill all the first born sons, which is dismissed as "too
Jewish."
In CA, this woman reporter's daughter vanishes from inside a public
park washroom in Los Angeles (this scene makes no sense whatsoever),
and is then drawn to the Middle East where she figures her husband,
who has some connection with the CIA, has taken the kid. What is
presumably some famous building in Israel is blown up (I have no idea
what this is, not being of the Jewish persuasion), not because of
terrorists, but instead some "holy" and/or extraterrestrial forces.
The reporter is taken out of town by a mysterious guy in a Jeep. When
they see a bunch of security types checking cars, Mr. Mysterious tells
her to get out, and she walks for what seems like a hundred miles
across a desert, passing through what look like refugee camps, to get
back to where she came from (the secuity guys are totally oblivious to
this). Seriously, this movie is so bad is makes the shark vs. octopus
movie look like Citizen Kane.
Another lemon I got is Final Days of Planet Earth ... haven't gotten
around to watching that one five months after buying it!
<grizzle...@comcast.net> wrote:
>This [shark vs. octopus] is one of the //better// ones? Well, "better" is relative.
One of the other Blu-Ray turkeys I got on Boxing Day was "Countdown
Armageddon." This movie reminds me of the line in Blazing Saddles when
it's proposed that one solution to getting rid of the town of Rock
Ridge is to kill all the first born sons, which is dismissed as "too
Jewish."
In CA, this woman reporter's daughter vanishes from inside a public
park washroom in Los Angeles (this scene makes no sense whatsoever),
and is then drawn to the Middle East where she figures her husband,
who has some connection with the CIA, has taken the kid. What is
presumably some famous building in Israel is blown up (I have no idea
what this is, not being of the Jewish persuasion), not because of
terrorists, but instead some "holy" and/or extraterrestrial forces.
The reporter is taken out of town by a mysterious guy in a Jeep. When
they see a bunch of security types checking cars, Mr. Mysterious tells
her to get out, and she walks for what seems like a hundred miles
across a desert, passing through what look like refugee camps, to get
back to where she came from (the secuity guys are totally oblivious to
this). Seriously, this movie is so bad is makes the shark vs. octopus
movie look like Citizen Kane.
Another lemon I got is Final Days of Planet Earth ... haven't gotten
around to watching that one five months after buying it!
Kip Williams
Jun 9, 2012, 4:19:40 PM6/9/12
to
Kip W
William Sommerwerck
Jun 9, 2012, 4:38:53 PM6/9/12
to
>>This [shark vs. octopus] is one of the //better// ones?
> One of the other Blu-ray turkeys I got on Boxing Day
> was "Countdown: Armageddon".
This is one of many films made by a company that churns out knockoffs of
major films, rudely (but appropriately) dubbed "mockbusters". It actually
released a direct-to-video version of "A Princess of Mars" before "John
Carter" hit the theaters!
> Another lemon I got is "Final Days of Planet Earth" ... haven't
> gotten around to watching that one five months after buying it!
film) "The Late Great Planet Earth".
Mr. Mike
Jun 9, 2012, 8:02:57 PM6/9/12
to
On Sat, 9 Jun 2012 13:38:53 -0700, "William Sommerwerck"
<grizzle...@comcast.net> wrote:
>This is one of many films made by a company that churns out knockoffs of
>major films, rudely (but appropriately) dubbed "mockbusters".
Another film they released on Blu-Ray which I got in this sale was a
<grizzle...@comcast.net> wrote:
>This is one of many films made by a company that churns out knockoffs of
>major films, rudely (but appropriately) dubbed "mockbusters".
remake of the Ten Commandments. Haven't finished that one either...
William Sommerwerck
Jun 10, 2012, 7:48:51 AM6/10/12
to
>> This is one of many films made by a company that
>> churns out knockoffs of major films, rudely (but
>> appropriately) dubbed "mockbusters".
> Another film they released on Blu-Ray which I got in
> this sale was a remake of the Ten Commandments.
> Haven't finished that one either...
What did they call it? "Death on the Nile"?
>> churns out knockoffs of major films, rudely (but
>> appropriately) dubbed "mockbusters".
> Another film they released on Blu-Ray which I got in
> this sale was a remake of the Ten Commandments.
> Haven't finished that one either...
Mr. Mike
Jun 10, 2012, 10:54:50 AM6/10/12
to
On Sun, 10 Jun 2012 04:48:51 -0700, "William Sommerwerck"
<grizzle...@comcast.net> wrote:
> Another film they released on Blu-Ray which I got in
>> this sale was a remake of the Ten Commandments.
>> Haven't finished that one either...
>
>What did they call it? "Death on the Nile"?
Strangely enough, they called it The Ten Commandments. I think this is
<grizzle...@comcast.net> wrote:
> Another film they released on Blu-Ray which I got in
>> this sale was a remake of the Ten Commandments.
>> Haven't finished that one either...
>
>What did they call it? "Death on the Nile"?
a public domain title...
O
Jun 10, 2012, 11:19:39 AM6/10/12
to
In article <q8d9t75pnu5138evr...@4ax.com>, Mr. Mike
Nonsense. The US Court of Appeals has granted to Moses heirs, and the
Walt Disney Company, exclusive rights extending until 2069, after
finding Common Law Copyright to have been in effect on Moses original
publication, in tablet form, from the Mt. Sinai Publishing Corporation.
The Copyright Board has announced that this is "engraved in stone."
-Owen, All rights reserved, no portion of this posting nor broadcast
may be used without written permission from Major League Baseball.
Walt Disney Company, exclusive rights extending until 2069, after
finding Common Law Copyright to have been in effect on Moses original
publication, in tablet form, from the Mt. Sinai Publishing Corporation.
The Copyright Board has announced that this is "engraved in stone."
-Owen, All rights reserved, no portion of this posting nor broadcast
may be used without written permission from Major League Baseball.
William Sommerwerck
Jun 10, 2012, 11:26:19 AM6/10/12
to
>>> Another film they released on Blu-Ray which I got in
>>> this sale was a remake of the Ten Commandments.
>>> Haven't finished that one either...
>> What did they call it? "Death on the Nile"?
> Strangely enough, they called it "The Ten Commandments".
> I think this is a public domain title...
All titles are PD. You can't copyright a title.
>>> this sale was a remake of the Ten Commandments.
>>> Haven't finished that one either...
>> What did they call it? "Death on the Nile"?
> Strangely enough, they called it "The Ten Commandments".
> I think this is a public domain title...
"Death on the Nile" is an Agatha Christie novel.
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