Book Recommendations The Sparrow What The Sparrow Got Right About the Future — And What It Missed Inventing a future is always tricky… By Leah Schnelbach | Published on April 17‚ 2024 Comment 0 Share New Share In 1996‚ Mary Doria Russell’s debut novel‚ The Sparrow‚ was released to strong reviews and multiple awards including an Astounding Award for Best New Writer‚ an Otherwise Award‚ and an Arthur C. Clarke Award. The book tells the story of Father Emilio Sandoz‚ a Jesuit priest and linguist who is the only surviving member of a mission to the planet of Rakhat—the first voyage Earthlings have ever made to another inhabited planet. After Emilio comes back to Earth‚ he faces a tribunal to explain what happened to everyone else. The Sparrow is a fascinating‚ troubling‚ often heartbreaking work of sci-fi. While not all of it has aged perfectly (there are a lot of broad cultural assumptions made) its exploration of faith and first contact is still extremely moving. The book jumps between several different time periods: 2014-2019‚ when Emilio Sandoz meets the people who become his best friends and eventual crew on the mission to Rakhat; 2020-2022‚ when the crew travels toward Rakhat; the nebulous time on Rakhat‚ which would have felt like a few years in the mid-late 2020s to Emilio and his crew‚ but is the equivalent of about 40 years back home; and 2060‚ when Emilio returns as the sole survivor of the mission. Because of these time jumps‚ we get to see quite a bit of Russell’s imagined future. Inventing a future is always tricky. You can end up with a situation like Super Sad True Love Story or A Visit from the Good Squad‚ where the worldbuilding is solid but you also have to invent teen slang and trends‚ when teen slang and trends are the most changeable things in the world and no one can ever possibly get them right. You can end up in the Infinite Jest situation‚ where the author puts all his chips down on one particular piece of tech—in this case “cartridges”—and makes them a fulcrum for his plot‚ only to watch the rise of discs and then streaming make his vision of the future seem impossibly retro. Russell ducks a lot of these issues by making most of her characters priests‚ and sequestering them in a couple of specific locations—in one case‚ a newly-discovered planet; in the other‚ a rural Italian retreat house—where slang and internet trends simply don’t come up. But you can’t avoid all tech‚ and as I was torturing myself with a reread recently (the book is good‚ but if you love Emilio Sandoz—and you probably will—this book is not a light read) I found myself noticing her predictions‚ and I thought it would be fun to look at some of what she got right and some of what she missed. Buy the Book The Sparrow Mary Doria Russell Buy Book The Sparrow Mary Doria Russell Buy this book from: AmazonBarnes and NobleiBooksIndieBoundTarget AI is coming for your job When we meet Jimmy Quinn‚ the young NASA employee who first identifies the alien communication from Rakhat‚ he’s just been assigned a “vulture”. In the parlance of The Sparrow’s version of 2019‚ a “vulture” is basically a human AI scraper: a person who interrogates a specialist about the inner workings of their job to see how much of it‚ if any‚ can be encoded and turned over to machines. If it works‚ that specialist and their fellows are out of work. Because of that‚ vultures are not particularly well-liked. Private interests… in… spaaaace In the 2020s of The Sparrow‚ mining corporations (mostly Australian for some reason&;#63;) have begun harvesting and mining asteroids. Once an asteroid is partially hollowed out‚ a corporation with enough money could‚ theoretically‚ use the husk as a ship for space exploration. This is precisely what the Jesuits do‚ sending Emilio and his crew to Rakhat on a privately funded mission that doesn’t have to answer to any particular government or even the UN. Soon thereafter‚ at least one private firm called “the Contact Consortium” also sends an asteroid‚ more interested in establishing trade with the people of Rakhat than in the “Science‚ with‚ perhaps‚ a small scoop of proselytizing” mission that the Jesuits organized. Portable digital reading devices Russell doesn’t make a big deal out of it‚ but in the 2016-2019 sections of the book‚ everyone seems to use “tablets”‚ which I can only see as a flat portable reading device like an iPad‚ which people can write on directly using stylus. In the 2060 section‚ the (I assume updated) version is called a “notescreen”‚ and at one point someone leaves “an old ROM periodical” out for Emilio‚ who’s 40 years behind the times. None of these tablets are referred to by brand names‚ and they seem to be able to connect to the internet‚ referred to solely as “the net”‚ without anyone making a big deal about wires or wifi. And about that “net” At a pivotal point‚ one character tells another to “get on the net” and they reply “No‚ virtual reality isn’t good enough‚ I want reality reality”—which implies that there are video chatrooms available for people to share‚ &;agrave; la our current use of Zoom and Google Meet. There is also a moment when one character pays extra to make an important videocall to his friends rather than settle for a regular telephone call.  Normcore&;#63;&;#33;&;#33; I’ll admit this is a little bit of a stretch. In 2015‚ a few years before the mission to Rakhat‚ Father Emilio Sandoz is sent to work with a vulture in Cleveland. He meets the woman in a coffeeshop near the college campus‚ and is struck by the fashions of the youth‚ which is made particularly noticeable because he’s been working at a refugee camp at the edge of a war zone for a year. He looks at the sea of young people: “…the young men in brilliantly colored‚ intricately pleated coats that broadened shoulders and narrowed hips‚ the young women wasp-waisted and delicious in pale and shimmering fabrics the colors of peony blossoms and sherbet.” (34) When I revisited the book recently‚ I was struck by the similarity to the fashions of 2013’s Her‚ set in a near-future‚ which itself tapped into the then-popular style known as normcore. HIV is no longer a death sentence A few pages after the invention of Normcore‚ and still firmly in 2014‚ Sandoz makes a passing mental reference to people with “chronic HIV”. Meanwhile HIV was still the #1 cause of death for young Americans in the 1990s‚ and by 1996 HIV was only barely treatable‚ with complicated drug cocktails that could hold AIDS at bay for varying amounts of time‚ but which were no guarantee of a long life. But by the early 2010s better cocktails and PrEP became increasingly available‚ matching Russell’s timeline almost exactly. But Russell didn’t get everything right‚ and I picked out three things in particular that she missed. Whither Television&;#63; When Emilio’s friend George Edwards meets freelance vulture Sofia Mendes in 2019‚ he’s unsure of her age‚ and wonders if she’s too young to remember TV. It turns out that she’s 29 at that point‚ which would mean she was born in 1989/90. Even if we want to say that The Sparrow is an AU‚ I find it fascinating to think that someone the same age as Taylor Swift wouldn’t “remember” TV—did all network television simply die out in the early ‘90s&;#63; Because people know movies&;#33; Emilio seems to have a surprisingly thorough knowledge of films that would have been old when he was a kid‚ and there are a weird number of references to Young Frankenstein scattered throughout this book. So how were people watching these movies if no one had TV anymore&;#63; But it is worth noting that when people gather together in the book‚ it’s always either at bars‚ or for dinner parties. There are no movie marathons‚ no Oscar parties‚ no Sunday afternoons in front of a baseball or f&;uacute;tbol game. And furthermore‚ where are the cellphones&;#63; There aren’t any&;#33; As I was reading the book again something kept nagging at me‚ and I finally realized that no one in the book carried a phone on them. They made calls from landlines‚ and sent messages—video and text—over the internet‚ but there was no indication that any company had made the now-obvious jump to selling pocket computers that are also phones. As a person who was a late cellphone adopter—I think I held out until 2005—this was an eerie glimpse into a different world where we could walk away from the internet‚ our jobs‚ constant contact with everyone we’ve ever known… but also got lost more often‚ I guess. And finally… We actually did something about climate destruction&;#63;&;#63;&;#63; In 2019‚ Emilio lives in a free apartment because it’s so close to the coast no one else is brave enough to live in it‚ implying that the sea levels are rising pretty rapidly. However‚ in the 2060 sections we learn that‚ at least in Italy‚ wood fires are illegal (a priest wonders if the next Papal Election will be announced via a digital sign reading “White Smoke” rather than using actual smoke) and private vehicles aren’t allowed inside city limits. Russell makes a point of mentioning the various plants blooming over a few months’ time in the books to mirror Emilio’s slow healing process‚ but it also shows us that plants are thriving in a future that‚ seemingly‚ halted climate destruction. There are also still bees&;#33; That’s what I found on my most recent re-read—for those of you who have read the book‚ did I miss anything that jumped out at you&;#63; What are your favorite literary futures&;#63; And will we ever live in a future where The Sparrow is adapted to TV‚ in whatever form that medium exists&;#63; [end-mark] The post What The Sparrow Got Right About the Future — And What It Missed appeared first on Reactor.

The Fortnite Avatar event is so good that players are begging Epic Games to make a bending-only mode. Using bending Mythics‚ players can fight using air‚ fire‚ water‚ and earth bending skills that work better than guns do. Fortnite players want an Avatar bending-only mode Although you can use water bending to heal and air bending to traverse‚ the majority of these Mythics are used for dealing damage to enemies. The only issue here is just how powerful water‚ fire‚ and earth bending can be compared to the usual melee and ranged weapons in Fortnite. There are certain players online who have complained about how overpowered bending can be‚ but the majority of players and Avatar fans are begging Epic Games to make a bending-only mode for Fortnite. They need to add a bending only mode byu/Doritoicecream0 inFortNiteBR While suggesting a bending-only mode‚ this Reddit user in the Fortnite subreddit showed a video clip of them using Air Wheel to quickly glide toward an enemy and ...

Once your planet has been terraformed into a lush green paradise‚ it’s time to start exploring. The endgame of The Planet Crafter will have you seeking out 13 Warden’s Keys to finally unlock the hidden mysteries of the planet. All 13 Warden’s Key locations in Planet Crafter Really‚ you don’t need to collect any of these keys until the endgame. But‚ if you can pick them up along the way‚ you may as well. There are 13 Warden’s Keys in total. However‚ you’ll only need 10 to complete The Planet Crafter. Clear the Cenote Before you start searching for the hidden keys‚ you should first head to the Cenote. Provided you have cleared enough ice‚ you can head down into it and find a Chip. This chip will allow you actually to see the Warden’s Keys. Before this‚ they won’t be visible. Warden’s Key #1 The first key to find is just north of the starting area‚ beyond the Plateau and through the canyon maze behind the crashed ship...

With the introduction of Mythic Skins in Season 10 of Overwatch 2‚ players are a little disappointed at the price of Mythic Prisms. This is a new currency required to unlock your favorite heroes’ new and old Mythic skins. Blizzard set a steep price for Mythic Prisms in Overwatch 2 In Season 10 of Overwatch 2‚ Blizzard introduced the ability to unlock old Mythic skins using Mythic Prisms‚ but players are disappointed at the steep price they’re set to. As shared in this Reddit post on the Overwatch subreddit‚ this user complained about paying around $70 to buy a Mythic skin fully‚ since you need 50 Mythic Prisms to unlock the base form and 10 for each new level. It costs 70 dollars to fully buy a Mythic skin byu/ILoveHentai13 inOverwatch Despite this being a fair complaint‚ it’s a little misleading since players can purchase the Premium Battle Pass for 10 USD and earn up to 80 Mythic Prisms just by completing it. This is a much better deal‚ but it means y...

Cat Quest III has been shown at both the Triple-i Initiative and Nintendo’s Indie World‚ and both times I saw it‚ I couldn’t help but think that it’s looking to be a greater pirate game than Skull and Bones could ever wish to be. Cat Quest III may not be gritty‚ but it’s at least a pirate game In my review of Skull and Bones‚ my main frustration was that Skull and Bones is less of a “gritty pirate game‚” as promised‚ but a looter shooter on the high seas. This may be fun for players in its own right‚ but it cannot really be described as a pirate game. There may be ships‚ sea battles‚ and treasure maps‚ but the constant arcadey gameplay and shallow missions robs Skull and Bones of feeling like a pirate game. Cat Quest III‚ however‚ may incorporate cute cats and dastardly rats‚ but it’s looking to feel like a hell of a pirate game. Image: The Gentlebros Where Skull and Bones keeps stepping on its own toes when it comes to theme and...

Mike and Adam swing into action to talk about the AMAZING Wizard Spider-Man Special from 1998 with a SPECTACULAR guest‚ Mike’s Dad&;#33; Joe Schwartz has been reading and collecting Spider-Man comics since the 1960’s and CONTINUE READING... The post WIZARDS The Podcast Guide To Comics | Bonus: Spider-Man Special ’98 appeared first on The Retro Network.

Rep. Ralph Norman reintroduced a bill Wednesday aimed at stopping a form of federal spending known as earmarks.   “I’ve always said that earmarks are evil‚” Norman‚ R-N.C. told The Daily Signal. “They are sneaky in the way that they get tacked onto big‚ important spending packages to be automatically passed by the ‘uniparty’ with the hope that no one looks into the details.”  Lawmakers use earmarks‚ often referred to as “pork‚” to receive funding for projects in their districts. Earmarks are often inserted into large spending bills where they are likely to largely go unnoticed. A congressional earmark dedicates federal funds for a specific purpose‚ such as the construction of a bridge‚ the restoration of a city landmark‚ or a local program.   “Basically‚ an earmark is taxpayer funding for a personalized pet project for a particular district or special interest group‚” Norman said.   The six-page bill he reintroduced Wednesday prohibits Congress from considering legislation that contains earmarks‚ thus banning the practice.   Earmark-Elimination-Act-118th-TextDownload Norman introduced the bill‚ known as the Earmark Elimination Act‚ twice before‚ and most recently in February 2021.   Five Republican lawmakers are currently cosponsoring the bill‚ including Reps. Scott Perry of Pennsylvania‚ Matt Rosendale of Montana‚ Tom Tiffany of Wisconsin‚ Tom McClintock of California‚ and Andy Ogles of Tennessee.  Earmarks have long been debated and were even temporarily banned in Congress from 2011 to 2021. Among the most notorious congressional earmark schemes was in 2005 when two lawmakers from Alaska earmarked $223 million to build a bridge from Ketchikan to the island of Gravina‚ which at the time had a population of about 50 people. The project was nicknamed the “Bridge to Nowhere.”   “Attaching earmarks to large spending packages doesn’t allow for public discussion‚” Norman criticized. “Congress‚ with the power of the purse‚ should be primarily looking out for the people’s tax dollars and getting federal spending down as soon as possible.”  Bloomberg Government reports that among the federal government’s 2024 spending bills‚ Republican and Democrat lawmakers inserted 8‚099 earmarks accounting for $14.6 billion.   “To me‚ this is the most wasteful‚ abusive way to use hard-earned taxpayer dollars‚” Norman said. The post EXCLUSIVE: Conservative Lawmaker Reintroduces Bill to Ban Earmarks appeared first on The Daily Signal.

This week‚ the Islamic Republic of Iran—a radical Shariah theocracy hellbent on the destruction of Israel and Saudi Arabia‚ among others—fired some 300 drones and missiles at the state of Israel. This is‚ definitionally‚ an act of war. Iran claimed that it had attacked Israel in response to Israel’s killing of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps terrorism master Gen. Mohammad Reza Zahedi in Syria. In reality‚ this was merely the latest escalation by Iran‚ after decades of using its proxies in the Middle East to attack Americans‚ Israelis‚ and Western allies. Why‚ though‚ did Iran think it could get away with such a launch without serious repercussions—particularly since America directly intervened‚ along with the U.K.‚ France‚ Jordan‚ and Saudi Arabia in taking down Iranian ordnance&;#63; The answer is simple: Iran has successfully deterred the United States. Deterrence‚ according to the Defense Department‚ is “the prevention of action by the existence of a credible threat of unacceptable counteraction and/or belief that the cost of action outweighs the perceived benefits.” Clearly‚ the United States has not deterred Iran. Far from it: According to a report from the Jerusalem Post‚ Iran notified the United States in advance of its barrage against Israel‚ hoping to attain some sort of assurance that the United States would not retaliate and would pressure Israel to not retaliate‚ either. According to a Turkish go-between‚ “Iran informed us in advance of what would happen. Possible developments also came up during the meeting with [Secretary of State Antony] Blinken‚ and they [the U.S.] conveyed to Iran through us that this reaction must be within certain limits.” This is perfectly repulsive. In short‚ Iran wanted to engage in a show of strength. It then notified America that it would be attacking an American ally directly in the largest Middle Eastern cross-border attack by a sovereign country on another sovereign country since the Gulf War. And President Joe Biden said‚ “Sure‚ OK‚ so long as you don’t go too far.” Biden then performed his part: He pressured Israel to “take the win” and not retaliate. After all‚ Biden said‚ it wouldn’t look good to “escalate” in the region. Now‚ the reality is that the best way to deescalate in foreign policy is often to engage in actual deterrence. That’s why then-President Donald Trump’s approach‚ mocked by the pseudointellectual class‚ was effective: Yes‚ it was bizarre to watch the sitting president of the United States threaten other world leaders with his “nuclear button‚” which Trump assured those leaders was “much bigger and more powerful.” Also‚ would you want to provoke a man who tweeted such things if you were Kim Jong Un or the ayatollahs&;#63; But Biden doesn’t understand deterrence. In fact‚ he is deterred: Iran has successfully launched a war against Israel‚ and the United States is not only backing down‚ but also pushing Israel to do the same. So‚ why is Biden backing down&;#63; Two reasons. First‚ Biden believes that his reelection effort requires the Middle East to calm. Second‚ Biden believes that his reelection effort requires the support for pro-Hamas radicals in Michigan. Biden is wrong on both counts‚ of course: It turns out that appeasement heightens the possibility of conflict in the Middle East‚ and Biden’s attempts to feed the pro-Hamas alligator one bite at a time will eventually end with his candidacy on the plate. Whatever the rationale‚ however‚ the image of the United States under Biden is one of unending cowardice. The Taliban called Biden’s bluff. Russia has called Biden’s bluff. Iran has called Biden’s bluff. How long will it be until China does&;#63; Deterrence requires‚ above all else‚ willpower. And that is in short supply from a White House that sees strength as a weakness. COPYRIGHT 2024 CREATORS.COM The post Joe Biden Is Scared of His Own Shadow appeared first on The Daily Signal.

For decades‚ avowed atheist Richard Dawkins has built a small industry attacking biblical Christianity and Christians‚ authoring books such as “The God Delusion.” That’s why so many were surprised by his recent statement proclaiming himself “a cultural Christian.”  “And so you know‚ I love hymns and Christmas carols‚ and I sort of feel at home in the Christian ethos‚” Dawkins‚ a British biologist‚ zoologist‚ and author‚ told the U.K. radio show “Leading Britain’s Conversation.” But don’t hold your breath for now waiting to hear heavenly choirs singing or see Dawkins on “The 700 Club” talking about his radical conversion. Dawkins suggested he still would like to see Christianity disappear‚ stating: “The number of people who actually believe in Christianity is going down and I’m happy with that.”  However‚ Dawkins also said he doesn’t want to see the benefits Christianity has brought to the culture disappear.  “I would not be happy if‚ for example‚ we lost all our cathedrals and our beautiful parish churches‚” he said. “So‚ I count myself as a cultural Christian. I think it would matter if we … substituted any alternative religion; that would be truly dreadful.” Dawkins concludes that Christianity “seems to be a fundamentally decent religion.” As the Washington Examiner’s Kaylee McGhee White writes: Believers and nonbelievers alike would be forgiven for laughing off Dawkins’s concerns. This is‚ after all‚ the man who‚ in a book called ‘The God Delusion‚’ argued not only that God does not exist but that if he did‚ he should be considered a sadomasochist and megalomaniac. This is also the man who encouraged his fellow atheists to ‘ridicule and show contempt for’ people of faith and their doctrines‚ the same man who claimed it is worse to teach children to believe in God than to sexually abuse them. Dawkins also recently said with regard to transgenderism: “Sex really is binary. You’re either male or female. … To me‚ as a biologist‚ it’s definitely weird people can simply declare ‘I am a woman’… ” Thus‚ despite continued hostility to Christianity‚ what Dawkins “gets” is that Christianity‚ more than any other religion‚ believes in and practices the inherent dignity and respect of the individual (created Imago Dei‚ or in the image of God)‚ equal justice under the law‚ and self-control and responsibility. As with so many others‚ it seems that Dawkins wants to enjoy these “benefits‚” but just doesn’t want anyone to acknowledge who—Jesus Christ—made those benefits possible in the first place. Those benefits include the laws and institutions that have guided Western civilization for centuries. In effect‚ Dawkins and other atheists instead want to enjoy a delicious ice cream sundae while denying the existence of the cow whose milk made it possible for that ice cream to exist. But perhaps Dawkins also sees how lost the world is‚ and he is‚ without these values. For instance‚ despite his skepticism and hostility toward Christianity‚ Dawkins sees that fundamental difference‚ as well as the intellectual and spiritual bankruptcy of those who reject the “concept” of “gender fluidity‚” and has concluded that Christianity benefits rather than harms a culture. So‚ perhaps we might be seeing the first steps of that acknowledgment and‚ prayerfully‚ an understanding that his reasoning has been fundamentally flawed in characterizing the Bible and Christianity as a bunch of random teachings that he has called “systematically evil” and “just plain weird.” Without those teachings‚ Dawkins may be realizing‚ we would lose all the good things that come with them. Hopefully‚ as with previous persecutors of Christians and the faith‚ the Apostle Paul among them‚ this may be the beginning of an awakening of Dawkins’ soul. As White concludes: “Far worse have been saved by [God’s] grace‚ including a man who once sanctioned the killing of Christians for sport only to become the greatest defender of the faith. The Apostle Paul’s testimony is an example for us all—even for Dawkins.” Let’s all pray—for Dawkins’ sake—that this indeed is the beginning of a great awakening in his soul. The Daily Signal publishes a variety of perspectives. Nothing written here is to be construed as representing the views of The Heritage Foundation. The post Even Richard Dawkins Gets It‚ Somewhat appeared first on The Daily Signal.

If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties‚ subscribe to Reclaim The Net. Ken Paxton’s investigation into Media Matters is on hold after a judge’s ruling. Media Matters is currently involved in a legal situation with the Texas Republican Attorney General. Paxton‚ who has criticized the often pro-censorship group Media Matters as an “anti-free speech organization‚” initiated an investigation into the group alleging “potential fraudulent activity.” This investigation was recently paused by a court order that granted a preliminary injunction. Media Matters for America had lodged a federal lawsuit against Paxton. The organization accused Paxton of violating First Amendment rights. The dispute centers on actions taken by Paxton in the wake of Media Matters’ scrutiny of Elon Musk’s social media platform‚ X. The group had reported on advertising alongside contentious content on X‚ which led to significant advertiser withdrawals‚ including from major companies like Disney. These reports triggered a backlash‚ with Paxton launching an investigation into Media Matters for alleged deceitful practices tied to the X probe. Among his demands‚ the Texas Attorney General asked for the organization’s internal and external communications about Musk and X CEO Linda Yaccarino‚ as well as an in-depth breakdown of their financing‚ with a focus on all direct and indirect sources of funding related to X research or publications. Media Matters sued in the US District Court for the District of Columbia. The group insisted on its lack of relevance to Texas‚ stating it does not conduct business in‚ or bear any registration in the state as a charity organization. This lawsuit stopped Paxton from enforcing his investigative demands when DC District Court Judge Amit Mehta granted a preliminary injunction to Media Matters. Judge Mehta recognized the watchdog group’s reporting as core First Amendment activities and suggested Paxton’s intent was retaliatory. We obtained a copy of the order for you here. The post Judge Halts Texas AG’s Pursuit of Media Matters appeared first on Reclaim The Net.