DannyDuberstein said:

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Yes, that was definitely the main focus. You had it summer session #1? If so, I was the dude with red hair and a very 90s goatee lol (don't tell Liucci that look should have stayed there lol). I was not a big "speak up in class" kind of guy in general, but he definitely inspired it from me in that one, so I was pretty vocal in that one. The small class and his style really lent itself to it

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Now that I think about it, pretty sure his class in session #2 because I think it was right before graduation. I would describe my experience in the exact same way you have. Only prof that I talked to on a regular basis, in and out of the class.

YouBet said:

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eric76 said:

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I have an extremely low opinion of Ayn Rand. After all, she got really butt hurt about a guy being judged by an American jury because the jury wasn't good enough to judge him.

What did the guy do? He kidnapped and murdered a little girl, desecrated the body, and then tried to use her body to extract a ransom from her father.

Rand described him as brilliant and exceptional.

Anyone who would defend William Hickman is a real piece of *****

That said, Atlas Shrugged was an interesting piece of work. It has always seemed to me to be something of a science fiction novel.

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Don't know what you are talking about on the Hickman thing but there is little about AS that is science fiction.

We are living the beginning of it...right now. The Democrat policy plank is where you end up in AS. They are openly advocating for policy and outcomes that you find in AS.

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One man develops a new steel that is so far advanced from any steel before that it is almost magic? And nobody else can figure out how he did it? That's not science fiction?

Admittedly, it would be more science fiction if they escaped to Mars instead of Colorado.

Funky Winkerbean said:

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Quote:

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After all, she got really butt hurt about a guy being judged by an American jury because the jury wasn't good enough to judge him

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You also believe Trumps jury in NY was fair and impartial.

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I do?

I have no idea whether it was or not. They heard the evidence, not me.

What I am not going to do is whine about Trump being mistreated incessantly. He made his bed and he can lie in it.

MaxPower said:

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The story was fine but I did find it annoying she clearly saw herself as Dagny (the primary female character) who was basically the sole desire of the male protagonists. She clearly thought highly of herself.

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I think that when she first came to America, she worked as a screen writer. That was the perfect job for her since she sees everything as black and white. To her, there are no shades of gray.

Definitely Not A Cop said:

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DannyDuberstein said:

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It is not science fiction, but yes, it is fiction, eric. Good job in identifying the genre. Here's a cookie

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I mean, the giant death ray was pretty science fiction, and it was set in a future from the 50's where socialism had already destroyed the rest of the world outside of the US.

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I guess but it was a sonic based weapon of which the tech exists today. The one on the book obviously has more destructive power.

Regardless, this is much more of dystopian novel and for others to write it off as "science fiction" as if it can't happen is naive.

YouBet said:

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Definitely Not A Cop said:

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DannyDuberstein said:

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It is not science fiction, but yes, it is fiction, eric. Good job in identifying the genre. Here's a cookie

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I mean, the giant death ray was pretty science fiction, and it was set in a future from the 50's where socialism had already destroyed the rest of the world outside of the US.

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I guess but it was a sonic based weapon of which the tech exists today. The one on the book obviously has more destructive power.

Regardless, this is much more of dystopian novel and for others to write it off as "science fiction" as if it can't happen is naive.

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For what it's worth, referring to it as "science fiction" is more of a description of the book than a criticism of it. To me, it is more of a reminder that it is not very realisitic.

Sure, a lot of science fiction is pretty far out there. Atlas Shrugged was pretty far out there, too.

I like science fiction, in general and enjoyed reading the book. It was pretty good, but not great.

eric76 said:

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YouBet said:

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Definitely Not A Cop said:

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DannyDuberstein said:

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It is not science fiction, but yes, it is fiction, eric. Good job in identifying the genre. Here's a cookie

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I mean, the giant death ray was pretty science fiction, and it was set in a future from the 50's where socialism had already destroyed the rest of the world outside of the US.

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I guess but it was a sonic based weapon of which the tech exists today. The one on the book obviously has more destructive power.

Regardless, this is much more of dystopian novel and for others to write it off as "science fiction" as if it can't happen is naive.

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What is depicted in science fiction cannot happen?

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I interpreted your sci-fi comment as the book was unrealistic and couldnt happen. If that's not what you meant, then my bad.

Those that have amazon audible, I believe it's free. 63 hours long, give me something to listen to at my extra job.

YouBet said:

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eric76 said:

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YouBet said:

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Definitely Not A Cop said:

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DannyDuberstein said:

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It is not science fiction, but yes, it is fiction, eric. Good job in identifying the genre. Here's a cookie

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I mean, the giant death ray was pretty science fiction, and it was set in a future from the 50's where socialism had already destroyed the rest of the world outside of the US.

---

I guess but it was a sonic based weapon of which the tech exists today. The one on the book obviously has more destructive power.

Regardless, this is much more of dystopian novel and for others to write it off as "science fiction" as if it can't happen is naive.

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What is depicted in science fiction cannot happen?

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I interpreted your sci-fi comment as the book was unrealistic and couldnt happen. If that's not what you meant, then my bad.

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I do see the development of a new steel as being unrealistic.

Ayn Rand was much too far into Nietzsche and worshiped "super men" who can do great things that nobody else are able to match and who make great advances in a single step.

The reality is that progress depends strongly on the work of our contemporaries and of those that went before us. Making real progress in anything takes a lot of hard work.

What we do see is people who recognize that something can be done and then take the chances to do it. In doing so, they are relying on the hard work of many others who make their visions possible.

Psycho Bunny said:

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Those that have amazon audible, I believe it's free. 63 hours long, give me something to listen to at my extra job.

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I don't know why this struck me as funny at first but then I realized how long it took me to read the book.

Geting through that in 63 hours must have had the FedEx guy reading it.

I forgot about this commercial. That's a trip down memory lane.

eric76 said:

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YouBet said:

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eric76 said:

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YouBet said:

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Definitely Not A Cop said:

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DannyDuberstein said:

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It is not science fiction, but yes, it is fiction, eric. Good job in identifying the genre. Here's a cookie

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I mean, the giant death ray was pretty science fiction, and it was set in a future from the 50's where socialism had already destroyed the rest of the world outside of the US.

---

I guess but it was a sonic based weapon of which the tech exists today. The one on the book obviously has more destructive power.

Regardless, this is much more of dystopian novel and for others to write it off as "science fiction" as if it can't happen is naive.

---

What is depicted in science fiction cannot happen?

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I interpreted your sci-fi comment as the book was unrealistic and couldnt happen. If that's not what you meant, then my bad.

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I do see the development of a new steel as being unrealistic.

Ayn Rand was much too far into Nietzsche and worshiped "super men" who can do great things that nobody else are able to match and who make great advances in a single step.

The reality is that progress depends strongly on the work of our contemporaries and of those that went before us. Making real progress in anything takes a lot of hard work.

What we do see is people who recognize that something can be done and then take the chances to do it. In doing so, they are relying on the hard work of many others who make their visions possible.

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Kind of sounds like you're saying, "you didn't build that", without....

Actually, that is what you're saying. Where have I heard that before? hmmm...

TTUArmy said:

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eric76 said:

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YouBet said:

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eric76 said:

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YouBet said:

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Definitely Not A Cop said:

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DannyDuberstein said:

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It is not science fiction, but yes, it is fiction, eric. Good job in identifying the genre. Here's a cookie

---

I mean, the giant death ray was pretty science fiction, and it was set in a future from the 50's where socialism had already destroyed the rest of the world outside of the US.

---

I guess but it was a sonic based weapon of which the tech exists today. The one on the book obviously has more destructive power.

Regardless, this is much more of dystopian novel and for others to write it off as "science fiction" as if it can't happen is naive.

---

What is depicted in science fiction cannot happen?

---

I interpreted your sci-fi comment as the book was unrealistic and couldnt happen. If that's not what you meant, then my bad.

---

I do see the development of a new steel as being unrealistic.

Ayn Rand was much too far into Nietzsche and worshiped "super men" who can do great things that nobody else are able to match and who make great advances in a single step.

The reality is that progress depends strongly on the work of our contemporaries and of those that went before us. Making real progress in anything takes a lot of hard work.

What we do see is people who recognize that something can be done and then take the chances to do it. In doing so, they are relying on the hard work of many others who make their visions possible.

---

Kind of sounds like you're saying, "you didn't build that", without....

Actually, that is what you're saying. Where have I heard that before? hmmm...

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You are trying too hard. Name one invention in modern history that the inventor came up with by himself from scratch with no prior art at all.

Like it or not, progress is built upon progress.

Sure, we see all the time that people make wild claims about what they have discovered that was never known before. Crackpots who know nothing about science but come up with their own "theories" about the universe.

In pretty much any scientific or technological situation, those who make the progress are those who are already experts on what exists now. It doesn't matter whether the field is in mathematics, physics, engineering, chemistry, or something else, if you aren't already an expert in your field, you are not going to be able to expand our knowledge in the field.

We used to see all all the time in cryptographic discussions on the Internet. Some idiot would announce that they had devised a new and unbreakable code. They invariably thought that everyone would beat a path to the doors and make them rich. The fact, however, was that they were seen as being clueless and having no real knowledge of the subject matter at all.

I used to know one crackpot who claimed to be the world's greatest mathematician, physicist, and neuroscientist. That self proclaimed neuroscientist was completely confused about even the simplest things involving neuroscience. For example, he believed that the "neurofibrillary tangles" found in Alzheimers involved tangles of neurons. Any actual neuroscientist would know very well that they were tangles of tau proteins within the neurons. The guy was a real loon.

By the way, if I remember correctly, Obama's "you didn't build that" was based on claims that the government created the conditions that allows you to "build that". According to Obama, it was necessary for the government to create the conditions by which you could accomplish something -- you could not accomplish anything if not for the government. I don't know how you could claim that what I have ever said had anything to do with Obama's spewage.

Trajan88 said:

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Should The Fountainhead be read first?

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you're in luck!

Cool channel

Great book and it really is an eye opener to what is going on now in the USA.

There are several contemporary geniuses who invented and pushed humanity largely on their own. Tesla & Musk are the most glaring examples of truly brilliant minds that came to the USA specifically because of the freedom that allowed them to push us all forward.

Micro Machines

By far my favorite book. I've read it 3 times.

The progression is a trilogy where the third installation is actually a video game.

The Fountainhead->Atlas Shrugged -> Bioshock

aggiehawg said:

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That book was a real eye opener for me, my junior year at A&M. Have read it several times over the years. Still speaks to me.

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You have read that speech multiple times?

The whole book could be 1/3 of the length.

A synthesis of Rand's good insights, and an antidote into her ideas that are poisonous.



Rerum Novarum - Papal Encyclicals

If you are serious about the subject of capital, labor, economics, and human dignity, you won't skip this.

It is even escalating in importance as AI (which I am extremely familiar with) upends human value in the current economic landscape.

TTUArmy said:

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eric76 said:

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YouBet said:

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eric76 said:

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YouBet said:

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Definitely Not A Cop said:

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DannyDuberstein said:

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It is not science fiction, but yes, it is fiction, eric. Good job in identifying the genre. Here's a cookie

---

I mean, the giant death ray was pretty science fiction, and it was set in a future from the 50's where socialism had already destroyed the rest of the world outside of the US.

---

I guess but it was a sonic based weapon of which the tech exists today. The one on the book obviously has more destructive power.

Regardless, this is much more of dystopian novel and for others to write it off as "science fiction" as if it can't happen is naive.

---

What is depicted in science fiction cannot happen?

---

I interpreted your sci-fi comment as the book was unrealistic and couldnt happen. If that's not what you meant, then my bad.

---

I do see the development of a new steel as being unrealistic.

Ayn Rand was much too far into Nietzsche and worshiped "super men" who can do great things that nobody else are able to match and who make great advances in a single step.

The reality is that progress depends strongly on the work of our contemporaries and of those that went before us. Making real progress in anything takes a lot of hard work.

What we do see is people who recognize that something can be done and then take the chances to do it. In doing so, they are relying on the hard work of many others who make their visions possible.

---

Kind of sounds like you're saying, "you didn't build that", without....

Actually, that is what you're saying. Where have I heard that before? hmmm...

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Maybe you should read this: https://bigthink.com/starts-with-a-bang/einstein-lone-genius-mythology/

It points out very strongly the problems with the "lone genius" concept by considering Einstein and his advances. His advances were not done in a vacuum.

A "lone genius" may be fine in a fictional story, but in no way does it reflect reality.