Showing posts with label Isaac Asimov. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Isaac Asimov. Show all posts

Monday, July 03, 2017

World Maestro Isaac Asimov - The Foundation Series

Hugo Award winner, Nebula Award winner and friend of Gene Roddenberry, Isaac Asimov is considered one of the Big Three" science fiction writers of his generation with hundreds of entertaining books to his credit. Most of the sci-fi maestro's paperbacks are available on Amazon with the Foundation Trilogy in hardback also. So is Foundation any good I hear you cry?



 The Foundation Series is a sweet read which clearly shows the emperor's influence during the timeline. Many Science Fiction stories have a hero vs the machine - to fire our imaginations, so far I have determined that there isn't really a continuity of characters from beginning to end except for the mathematician, Hari Seldon but even he dies. There are others like his assistant, Gaal Dornick. Seldon's sidekick. His crucial discovery is so fantastic, its suppressed but during the series the mathematician is later brought to stand trial. The trilogy spans the entire galaxy and not one ET make a grand entrance. Many come and go like Emperor Cleon but I won't be a killjoy.

So if you're an Asimov fan, Geek, or Nerd you're in for a treat. While the technology appears Flash Gordon, the trekker will obviously enjoy Asimov's Futurism. His "through the lens" perspective gives a unique timeline experience covering the ages but all is not what it seems.


The first volume Foundation establishes the colony Terminus called The Foundation, and the various challenges and crises it has to face and solve in the increasing chaotic galactic empire.

Foundation and Empire, the second volume, deals with a new unforeseen challenge in the ascendancy of The Mule, a mutant with extraordinary powers that can enslave whole planets and even causes the collapse of the first Foundation.

In Second Foundation the final volume, as the title suggests, the Second Foundation comes into its own as a force to be contended with. Unlike the first foundation, who were masters of technology, the members of this society are masters of mind control, so have a fair chance to defeat The Mule.



The setting is in a gigantic galaxy wide empire with nuclear gadgets and offbeat vibrant effects. However, these are only interesting gizmos without too much importance to the major story regarding their function.


Gaal Dornick springs forth as a dedicated Hardcase in the beginning only to disappear mysteriously before the end. Hari Seldon is another character whose interaction held onto my curiosity because his discovery makes you think outside the box, Psychohistory Duh What?  I became an Asimov fan quite by accident when I read the Last Question, which got me started on futurism, science, technology and I've been hooked ever since.

Long Live the Foundation!

Sunday, April 10, 2011

Imagined.

I is for Imagined. Commander Data of the Star Trek Universe has a Positronic Brain. Isaac Asimov first imagined this concept in his first robot stories in 1939 and 1940. The word "Positronic" was coined by this world maestro of science fiction with five hundred books and several hundred articles to his credit.. This word can be used in conjunction with many other words for example positronic supercomputer, positronic robot, positronic brain etc.

Wednesday, August 22, 2007

Starship U.S.S. Enterprise 1701 Creators

Gene Roddenberry is worshipped thoughout the Trek Universe because he's the Star Trek Creator. During Gene's era faithful trekkers beamed in to conventions from all over the universe to see him. Happy trekkers shared the space time continuum with an imaginative, friendly sci fi mind, who assimulated Edgar Rice Burroughs's Mars novels and Science Fiction in the Astounding Stories magazine growing up. Gene was also motivated by Arthur C. Clarke's Profiles of the Future which examines "space drives, warped space, and instantaneous transportation."

Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

In a letter to Issac Asimov, Gene revealed to his lifelong friend that Star Trek came very near to breaking his health. "Its so much my baby that I couldn't confine myself to ten or twelve hour work days" which led to "me often working through several nights in a row without ever going home to sleep."

Gene's passion made him sacrifice his life for Star Trek. The next time you see Kirk or Worf beating the spuds out of some bad alien guy, think of the poor writer who spent hours composing the sci fi story. It doesn't always follow that just because writers get paid for writing a great submission that all their ideas will be used, indeed sometimes they're rewritten!



On an upbeat note, speaking for trekkers and sci fi fans, we get really excited when watching star trek because its our baby too! Starfleets starships explore the infinite reaches of space on tv every day. Earth is being assimulated with trekkiedom spreading everywhere across earth. The dream became a reality in 1966 and spread throughout the stars with six awesome Trek shows TOS, TNG, VOY, DS9, Enterprise and the animated show. Thats over six hundred episodes!!!

Don't forget the ten feature films with star trek XI in the pipeline for early 2009. Heres a Sci-Fi mystery, who's the second star trek creator? or perhaps I should say starship creator? I haven't overlooked the fact that the starship U.S.S. Enterprise was Gene Roddenberry's idea but in order for the show to reach for the stars and the fans, it needed a flash powerful starship. The Enterprise Creator isn't widely publicized but Spacerguy has uncovered that the U.S.S. Enterprise 1701 was designed by Walter "Matt" Jeffries. One of earths genuine trekkie talents. Thankyou Mr Jeffries!

Live Long and Prosper Trekkers!!

Sunday, June 03, 2007

Robotic Heroes

What makes a robot tick? or even an android. Commander Data of the USS Enterprise NCC 1701-D for instance is immortal, so he has nothing to fear you might think. He has the strength of 10 men, doesn't rust, has an exhaustive computer memory and until 2371 was completely emotionless, when Dr Noonien Soong's (Data's human father) emotion chip was finally installed. Beforehand Data was completely fail safe and ruthless with his opponents. He had the equivalent fighting android capabilities for taking on the T800 Hk Terminator.

Image Copyright Belongs To Paramount Pictures or CBS Paramount Television

The Enterprise android is not without his flaws. The installation of Dr Soong's emotion chip initially made Data a weak, emotional android unable to master a flood of human emotionalism. Data's other Achilles heel was his master switch, known only to his Enterprise friends. It effectively put the chief of Operations in sleep mode or deactivated him. Lore has used his brothers vulnerabilities to control him for his own ghastly schemes. Let it be said, Commander Data's noted capabilities far outweigh his faults.

In Star Trek's TNG "The Measure of a Man" Data's rights to choose are challenged. A hearing is assembled on the starbase. Data's future and all future androids in the galaxy rest solely on the successful outcome of Captain Picard's Defense of Data. Fortunately Mr Data is not deemed the property of Starfleet Command but a sentient lifeform with entitlements on equal footing to his flawed earthling friends. WhooHoo!!

The question is who would win hand to hand combat to the death? Commander Data or the T800 Hunter Killer?

The fact is no-one knows what makes our favourite artificial friend tick. Even cyberneticist Commander Bruce Maddox who determined the androids suitability to enrol Starfleet Academy was flummoxed by the complexity of Data's Positronic Brain. The Enterprise's artificial whizz is just too complex to fathom. Gene Roddenberry's android Trek Star has become a really famous and cherished figure worldwide, played by Brent Spiner who has a huge fan base.

Part of the android Data magic can be credited to his mystical "positronic brain" imagined and written by Isaac Asimov in his first robot stories from 1939 on. Asimov's delightful sci-fi words (positronic) have sharpened star trek lingo and have contributed to the global success it is today. It is because of Data's special features and achievements that our artificial friend has been added to a list of four robotic creations to join Carnegie Mellon University's Hall of Fame.

Scan the Galactic memory banks at Star Trek Space. Engage!

Featured Post

CAPTAIN PICARD TV SERIES

So analysis  has begun with Star Trek Picard's trailer... after a 17 year TNG hiatus some of trek's icons have returned. Here we ca...