Manual para pensar como un ingeniero aeroespacial de Sergio Hidalgo

Como siempre digo, un trabajo de divulgación que cumple con mis expectativas solo puede recibir una buena valoración.

Al parecer, este libro ha sido autoeditado por el propio Sergio Hidalgo. En este sentido, tanto el estilo como la corrección están dentro de lo razonable, e incluso un poco por encima.

En cuanto al contenido, que es lo que realmente me interesa, este libro satisface con creces mi curiosidad sobre el tema. Las explicaciones son suficientemente claras y el estilo resulta muy ameno. Cabe destacar que incluye fórmulas básicas (aerodinámica, resistencia, dinámica de flujos de un motor a reacción, etc.), así como enlaces a vídeos divulgativos, ya sea del propio autor o de terceros. En mi caso, no me he detenido ni en unas ni en otros, pues me basta con asimilar los conceptos expuestos.

Como alguien sin formación en física pero con interés en la materia, agradezco libros como este, que demuestran que es posible explicar conceptos complejos de cualquier tema de manera accesible.

Para interesados en el tema, recomiendo el canal del propio autor en Youtube. Y también otro buen libro sobre el tema que en su momento reseñé en este mismo blog (en inglés).

El poema de la rosa als llavis Joan Salvat-Papasseit

Bé, no sé a quants parsecs de distància estic de la meva zona de confort pero aquí estem. Tot és començar, clar. Pràcticament des quan estudiava (excepte un intent de fa temps amb el Martí i Pol) que no llegia poesia. Em ve de gust fer-ho per què ara ningú m’obliga, clar. 

Ha estat una lectura enriquidora. Fins a cert punt m'ha colpit i m'ha transmès… coses: sentiments, apreciació estètica... D'això va la poesia, oi? 

Les dificultats que m'he trobat són, a part del medi “aliè” a les meves lectures habituals, trobo que la distància en el temps dificulta la lectura, més que pels costums (aquests els pot aprehendre si coneixes el context de l'època) i però sí que pel llenguatge; o sigui, el català literari de principis de segle XX. Cal dir que en la relectura tot ha estat un xic més fàcil.

D'altra banda, els versos tracten més del desig i l'erotisme que de l'amor, com em pensava al principi. Entre d’altres coses, clar, es poden entreveure uns quants temes més. Tots amb la manera sublim d'expressar-ho de Salvat-Papasseit. 

Vull seguir llegint poesia, alguna recomanació actual i accessible? 

Deep Dream: Science Fiction Exploring the Future of Art (Twelve Tomorrows series), edited by Indrapramit Das

What a great discovery, this Twelve Tomorrows series! I hesitated to buy the eBook because I found it excessively expensive. In the end, I decided to go for it because I was very interested in the subject (to be fair, I must confess I’m interested in ALL science fiction topics and subgenres). In any case, I can say that the purchase was worth it.

It’s well-known that there are an endless number of definitions for the word "art" (otherwise, it wouldn’t be art!). What’s interesting here is the perspective offered through science fiction (a form of art itself). So, new societies or new technologies bring about new forms of art. This anthology is dedicated to exploring some of them. Another example, a definition mentioned in this book is that art is a form of negentropy in the universe.

Additionally, as often happens with anthologies, it introduced me to some fascinating authors I hadn’t read before. I must say that Deep Dream: Science Fiction Exploring the Future of Art offers a consistently high level of storytelling, which doesn't happen that often. Below is a brief comment on each of the contributions included:

• The Limner Wrings his Hands by Vajra Chandrasekera. A sharp and complex story blending fiction and essay. It offers a critique of the monetization of art, among many other issues. Brimming with talent.
  

• The Art Crowd by Samit Basu. An art broker faces a moral dilemma between official art and street (or popular) art. Set in a cyberpunk future.

• Immortal is the Heart by Cassandra Khaw. In a future shaped by the economic and environmental collapse of the U.S., a new profession emerges: an itinerant troubadour delivering posthumous speeches for the disappeared. A moving story.

• Unauthorized (or, the Liberated Collectors Commune) by Ganzeer. Another post-collapse future. Here, police robots hunt down art forms under the pretense that they waste public resources. Art as a means of awakening consciousness.

• Halfway to Hope by Lavanya Lakshminarayan. The protagonist, a therapist specializing in treating patients via virtual reality scenarios, must help her beloved despite opposition from her family. Very interesting, though a bit too black-and-white for my taste.

• AI Concerns Are Not “Too Sci-Fi”. Archita Mitra interviews Neil Clarke, editor of the prestigious Clarkesworld magazine. A fascinating interview, touching on how Clarke has dealt with an influx of AI-generated stories based on natural language models. Another topic discussed is the distinction between art and artificially generated works.

• No Future but Infinity Itself by Sloane Leong. Yet another post-collapse future—this seems to be what many of the anthology’s authors foresee. A giant sculpture is both worshiped and enslaves its caretaker.

• Immortal Beauty by Bruce Sterling. Another post-collapse future (or so I interpret). The story depicts a political intrigue between two cities, Barcelona and Lyon, in a semi-feudal future society. A fascinating concept: art has been relegated to humans in their ghetto on Earth, while benevolent (?) AIs handle all science and economy across the solar system.

• Autumn’s Red Bird by Aliette de Bodard. In the author’s signature melancholic style, this story follows a sentient spaceship that continues to receive messages from its beloved, who long ago became trapped beyond a black hole’s event horizon. The ship shares its sadness with an artist passenger.

• Encore by Wole Talabi. In a distant future, two twin AIs explore space in search of clients to whom they offer their artistic expressions on a planetary scale. Stunning, with a powerful sense of wonder.

• The Quietude by Lavie Tidhar. A fascinating story, as we’ve come to expect from the author. In a future solar system, populated by mutated humans, cyborgs, robots, various digital entities and other beings, a potential war unfolds against an alien species at the edges of the Oort Cloud. Excellent!

Finally, the book is accompanied by images of works by artist Diana Scherer, featuring tapestries made from living roots. You can see an example on the cover of the book.

Life Beyond Us: An Original Anthology of SF Stories and Science Essays, edited by Julie Nováková, Lucas K. Law & Susan Forest

To complement my recent reading of Meeting the Alien: An Introduction to Exosociology (see review here), I can't think of a better follow-up than this book I am commenting on, a publication sponsored by the European Astrobiology Institute.

This is a collection of short science fiction stories, most of them written by scientists themselves, each accompanied by an excellent essay on the story's theme. It also features contributions from top-tier science fiction writers such as Stephen Baxter, Mary Robinette Kowal and Peter Watts among others.

It would be a daunting task to comment on each story individually. Suffice it to say that the level of scientific speculation is high and that, overall, the reading has proven to be highly engaging.

Below is the index of stories and essays included in this anthology:

* Foreword (Life Beyond Us) • essay by Julie Novakova

* Introduction (Life Beyond Us) • essay by Stephen Baxter

* Hemlock on Mars / short story by Eric Choi; Planetary Protection • essay by Giovanni Poggiali

* The Dog Star Killer / short story by Renan Bernardo; That Cold Black Cloud • essay by Stefano Sandrelli

* Titan of Chaos / short story by G. David Nordley; Flying Instead of Diving • essay by Fabian Klenner

* Cloudskimmer / short story by Geoffrey A. Landis; Earth's Sister Planet • essay by Dennis Honing

* The Lament of Kivu Lacus / short story by B. Zelkovich; Robots in Space Are Great • essay by Ania Losiak

* Heavy Lies / short story by Rich Larson; Major Transitions • essay by Stephen Francis Mann

* The World of Silver / short story by Tomáš Petrásek; Wet Wet Wet • essay by William Bains

* Spider Plant / short story by Tessa Fisher; Signs of Life (and How to Find Them) • essay by Tessa Fisher

* This Is How We Save Them / short story by Deji Bryce Olukotun; Valuing Life • essay by Erik Persson;

* The Far Side of the Door / short story by Premee Mohamed; Space Agriculture • essay by Raymond M. Wheeler

* Ranya's Crash / short story by Lisa J. Krieg (trans. of Die Todbringerin) [as by Lisa Jenny Krieg]; You Are Not Alone! • essay by Jacques Arnould

* Spiral / short story by Arula Ratnakar; Spiraling Into the Unknown • essay by Tomáš Petrásek

* The Last Cathedral of Earth, in Flight / short story by Tobias S. Buckell; The Latest Black Hole Planet, in Formation • essay by Amedeo Romagnolo

* The Secret History of the Greatest Discovery / short story by Valentin D. Ivanov [as by as by Валентин Иванов]; Cooperation Without Communication • essay by Valentin D. Ivanov [as by Валентин Иванов]

* Human Beans / short story by Eugen Bacon; Microbial Life and Belonging • essay by Tony Milligan

* The Mirrored Symphony / short story by D. A. Xiaolin Spires; Mirror Images • essay by Dimitra Demertzi

* Lumenfabulator / short story by Liu Yang; Crystal Green Persuasion • essay by Nina Kopacz

* Cyclic Amplification, Meaning Family / short story by Bogi Takács; The Science of Xenolinguistics • essay by Sheri Wells-Jensen

* The Diaphanous / short story by Gregory Benford; Life 2.0 • essay by Geoffrey A. Landis

* The Sphinx of Adzhimushkaj / short story by Brian Rappatta; Finding Common Ground • essay by Philippe Nauny

* Defective / novelette by Peter Watts; How Did They Know It Was Agni? • essay by Joanna Piotrowska

* The Dangers We Choose / short story by Malka Older; The Habitability of Water Worlds • essay by Floris van der Tak

* Third Life / short story by Julie E. Czerneda; The Unveiled Possibilities of Biomaterials in Space • essay by Martina Dimoska

* Forever the Forest / short story by Simone Heller; Astra Narrans • essay by Connor Martini

* Still As Bright / short story by Mary Robinette Kowal; — And the Moon Be Still As Bright • essay by José A. Caballero

* Devil in the Deep / short story by Lucie Lukačovičová; Some Like It Hot • essay by Natuschka Lee, Lucie Lukačovičová

* Deep Blue Neon / short story by Jana Bianchi; Destined for Symbiosis • essay by Jan Toman

* Afterword I (Life Beyond Us) • essay by Wolf D. Geppert

* Afterword II (Life Beyond Us) • essay by Susan Forest and Lucas K. Law

* Acknowledgments (Life Beyond Us) • essay by editor

* About the Contributors (Life Beyond Us) • essay by editor

* About the Editors (Life Beyond Us) • essay by editor

Meeting the Alien: An Introduction to Exosociology by Andreas Anton, Michael Schetsche

What can we say about a book titled An Introduction to Exosociology? Initially, it might seem that there's nothing to say: it would be a blank book, as we have no knowledge of life beyond our planet, nor have we had any contact with extraterrestrial civilizations. I’m not being cynical; as you’ll see, the authors manage to provide a thorough study of the state of the art in this subject.

So, what do the authors mean by this book? On one hand, they address humanity’s attempts to tackle this issue. For example, the growing field of astrobiology and its research into life forms on other planets in our solar system or beyond.

As the title suggests, the book explores how extraterrestrial civilizations might organize themselves and communicate, as well as the potential effects of such interactions on human society. The authors’ approach is primarily academic and scientific, but they also incorporate—rightly, in my opinion—elements of science fiction to illustrate theories and dilemmas related to contact with extraterrestrials. For instance, the Dark Forest hypothesis from the eponymous book by the brilliant Cixin Liu.

The book addresses unconventional topics from both a sociological and scientific perspective, touching on areas like astrobiology, SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence through radio signals), and the lesser-known SETA ((Search for Extraterrestrial Artifacts, a form of astro-archeology, inspired by the Fermi Paradox). The authors also offer a critical perspective, discussing, for example, the debate about sending active signals into space with the intent to make our planet known. Or, in the case of SETA, the idea that it dangerously flirts with pseudosciences such as ufology.

It also considers the important question of how the discovery of extraterrestrial life might impact our political and social structures, and it provides a study of various cases: how the discovery of extraterrestrial life or an artifact from another civilization might affect us, and so on.

In summary, Meeting the Alien: An Introduction to Exosociology is a very interesting book for anyone interested in the study of extraterrestrial life and its implications.

Bring the Jubilee by Ward Moore

A very well-crafted alternate history. Although, as someone who is not North American, I assume I miss some details that readers from this country might appreciate, the dedication and love Ward Moore pours into his work are unmistakable. Moore imbues the novel with just the right tone, lending solidity to the story—or rather, to the (alternate) history he is telling us.

What’s curious is that the narrative begins with a premise quite different from where it ultimately leads, taking a very peculiar path through the events in which the protagonist participates, some against his will.

A highlight is the realism the author imbues into the alternate society, set in the mid-20th century (that is, the period in which it was written in 1953), where the Confederate South won the Civil War, creating a United States of America far less prosperous than it historically has been.

Another book for my virtual shelf of time travel stories, and another great classic on my list
of top 100 novels from David Pringle's book.

Inherit the Stars by James P. Hogan (Giants, #1)

 (I know there could be some mistakes in this review. I’m trying to improve my English, thanks)

I admit that I enjoyed this classic science fiction novel. Classic at an unusual time, I must say, since it was published in 1977; that is, at the height of the New Wave; but in any case, as I say, with an absolutely classic flavor. The intrigue of ‘Inherit the Stars’ deals (you can read more in the synopsis of the book) about the discovery on our Moon of a human astronaut who was buried 50,000 years ago!

Thus, with this captivating enigma - and others that emerge - the novel
develops. When I say a classic aftertaste, I mean that the author dedicates himself to solving this enigma as if it were a mystery novel, but instead of police clues in this case we have scientific ones, which leads him to long and passionate digressions on various scientific aspects (Isaac Asimov style explanations, to understand us, and of course reflecting the state of the art in 1977).

It has not been difficult for me to read it, on the contrary, as I say I have enjoyed it, among other things for the difference with much of the literature that I'm currently reading, but that it may serve as a warning for readers. Another issue that I must warn is that it is also absolutely classic with gender relations: that is, for example, that men have logical thinking and women have feminine intuition, and so on...

In short, an absolutely optimistic novel regarding the benefits of science and technology. Also with a good ending that improves the entire novel.

At the moment I don't know yet if I will read the sequels.