If you are interested in search engine optimization at all, you may have read some of my articles at SEO Theory. There are a few articles where I mention science fiction and fantasy, but in particular I made sure to mention Asimov's Foundation books and the character Hari Seldon (a Psychohistorian) in the articles Swarm Theory and Web Communities and Using Swarm Theory to Balance Viral Propaganda.
Today, I stumbled across this Discover Magazine blog post that mentioned this economist's blog and this philosopher's blog where both mention Asimov and Seldon's influences on them.
So count me in good company. I feel no shame in comparing my theoretical work in understanding Web search dynamics to the work of others in fields as disparate as economics, politics, and philosophy.
Psychohistory, in Asimov's books, is an esoteric mathematicaly discipline that seeks to quantify the behaviors of large groups sufficiently predict trends in group behaviors (allowing for occasional identification of pivotal actions with iconic individuals). In other words, Hari Seldon invents a branch of mathematics that is used to predict future trends so reliably that a 1,000-year-long plan to reshape galactic politics is put in place before Seldon dies.
Some people have actually attempted to develop a science of psychohistory.
SF-Fandom is a moderated, fan-run community devoted to science fiction, fantasy, history, and mythology. SF-Fandom was founded in 2001 and is part of the Xenite.Org network. Free registration is required to post. Please be sure you read our Posting Guidelines.
Monday, March 29, 2010
Saturday, March 27, 2010
You live in the Martinez SuperEon
This week I learned that the Geologic Time Scale lacks a name for the current SuperEon. In discussing the proposed Anthropocene Epoch, which would turn the Geologic Time Scale on its side, I suggested that we name the current SuperEon for me. Why? Apparently because no one has noticed that we have neglected to name the current SuperEon.
And there are only two of these suckers, so you have to wonder what the boys down at the lab were drinking when they came up with all the bizarre names that are used in the Geologic Time Scale.
The last SuperEon (which ended around 452 million years ago) was the Pre-Cambrian SuperEon. The Cambrian was a period, not an Eon or SuperEon. Go figure.
I am pleased to see that I already have garnered some support for the Martinez SuperEon. I hope I can count on your vote, too.
SF-Fandom is a moderated, fan-run community devoted to science fiction, fantasy, history, and mythology. SF-Fandom was founded in 2001 and is part of the Xenite.Org network. Free registration is required to post. Please be sure you read our Posting Guidelines.
And there are only two of these suckers, so you have to wonder what the boys down at the lab were drinking when they came up with all the bizarre names that are used in the Geologic Time Scale.
The last SuperEon (which ended around 452 million years ago) was the Pre-Cambrian SuperEon. The Cambrian was a period, not an Eon or SuperEon. Go figure.
I am pleased to see that I already have garnered some support for the Martinez SuperEon. I hope I can count on your vote, too.
SF-Fandom is a moderated, fan-run community devoted to science fiction, fantasy, history, and mythology. SF-Fandom was founded in 2001 and is part of the Xenite.Org network. Free registration is required to post. Please be sure you read our Posting Guidelines.
Friday, March 26, 2010
EDONLY.COM rips off people
I don't buy shoes online. I don't buy MBT shoes. I only recently learned of MBT shoes. A friend of mine recently bought some MBT shoes from EDONLY.COM, a Chinese-operated Website that -- according to numerous complaints posted around the Internet -- may sell outdated/discontinued MBT shoes, counterfeit MBT shoes, or just takes your money and doesn't actually send any shoes at all.
This friend wanted to buy some MBT shoes at a really great discount. EDONLY.COM claims to sell them for less than $100. The shoes, I understand, normally sell for well over $200. While it might seem like EDONLY.COM offers a great savings, it's not a reputable business about which people say good things.
And, frankly, I would be surprised if any legitimate MBT reseller could offer the shoes for less than $100. Is MBT even aware of this outfit?
To an experienced Internet marketer EDONLY.COM raises all sorts of red flags. The site uses BILLINGSUPPORTSYSTEM.COM to process its credit/debit card payments. A quick check of the Web finds numerous complaints about how the Webmaster at BILLINGSUPPORTSYSTEM.COM refuses to handle customer service complaints. Several people allege that BILLINGSUPPORTSYSTEM.COM has processed multiple card charges against single purchases.
BILLINGSUPPORTSYSTEM.COM has been associated with an UGG shoe seller (UGGOUTLETSHOP.COM, another site operating from China) that has also been accused of selling fake merchandise, overcharging customers, not shipping merchandise, etc.
The names associated with these various Websites are dissimilar and there is no way to know whether they are the same person.
Charges on your card will apparently be shown under the name GREATDISCOUNTSTORE.COM, which magically redirects to KLAT.COM. GREATDISCOUNTSTORE.COM is owned by Neon Gecko, a Seattle-based firm whose Website says they own and operate KLAT.COM, an eshopper forum and resource.
I don't know what (if any) connection really exists between NEON GECKO and BILLINGSUPPORTSYSTEM.COM but I'm rather appalled that so many Websites would be connected in such a shady network. Neon Gecko may need to take action to protect their domain name from unscrupulous Chinese vendors if it's being misused on credit card statements.
If Neon Gecko is involved in these fraudulent businesses, they had better change course quickly. People won't put up with this kind of nonsense for long.
And here is a bit of advice to people looking for great bargains on the Web: If you're not getting that 75% discount directly from the manufacturer, assume it's a ripoff unless the manufacturer has a well-documented business relationship with the retailer.
I, personally, will never do business with EDONLY.COM or any of its apparently related sites.
BTW -- if you have purchased anything from any of the companies operating through BILLINGSUPPORTSYSTEM.COM, now might be a good time to close your credit card/debit card and get a new one. Just in case.
SF-Fandom is a moderated, fan-run community devoted to science fiction, fantasy, history, and mythology. SF-Fandom was founded in 2001 and is part of the Xenite.Org network. Free registration is required to post. Please be sure you read our Posting Guidelines.
This friend wanted to buy some MBT shoes at a really great discount. EDONLY.COM claims to sell them for less than $100. The shoes, I understand, normally sell for well over $200. While it might seem like EDONLY.COM offers a great savings, it's not a reputable business about which people say good things.
And, frankly, I would be surprised if any legitimate MBT reseller could offer the shoes for less than $100. Is MBT even aware of this outfit?
To an experienced Internet marketer EDONLY.COM raises all sorts of red flags. The site uses BILLINGSUPPORTSYSTEM.COM to process its credit/debit card payments. A quick check of the Web finds numerous complaints about how the Webmaster at BILLINGSUPPORTSYSTEM.COM refuses to handle customer service complaints. Several people allege that BILLINGSUPPORTSYSTEM.COM has processed multiple card charges against single purchases.
BILLINGSUPPORTSYSTEM.COM has been associated with an UGG shoe seller (UGGOUTLETSHOP.COM, another site operating from China) that has also been accused of selling fake merchandise, overcharging customers, not shipping merchandise, etc.
The names associated with these various Websites are dissimilar and there is no way to know whether they are the same person.
Charges on your card will apparently be shown under the name GREATDISCOUNTSTORE.COM, which magically redirects to KLAT.COM. GREATDISCOUNTSTORE.COM is owned by Neon Gecko, a Seattle-based firm whose Website says they own and operate KLAT.COM, an eshopper forum and resource.
I don't know what (if any) connection really exists between NEON GECKO and BILLINGSUPPORTSYSTEM.COM but I'm rather appalled that so many Websites would be connected in such a shady network. Neon Gecko may need to take action to protect their domain name from unscrupulous Chinese vendors if it's being misused on credit card statements.
If Neon Gecko is involved in these fraudulent businesses, they had better change course quickly. People won't put up with this kind of nonsense for long.
And here is a bit of advice to people looking for great bargains on the Web: If you're not getting that 75% discount directly from the manufacturer, assume it's a ripoff unless the manufacturer has a well-documented business relationship with the retailer.
I, personally, will never do business with EDONLY.COM or any of its apparently related sites.
BTW -- if you have purchased anything from any of the companies operating through BILLINGSUPPORTSYSTEM.COM, now might be a good time to close your credit card/debit card and get a new one. Just in case.
SF-Fandom is a moderated, fan-run community devoted to science fiction, fantasy, history, and mythology. SF-Fandom was founded in 2001 and is part of the Xenite.Org network. Free registration is required to post. Please be sure you read our Posting Guidelines.
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Scientists want to rein in Hollywood pseudo-science
As a computer programmer I rarely watched movies about computer technology gone amok for many years. Friends and family only gradually persuaded me to watch "The Matrix". Will Smith helped me see past the issues I might have had with "I, Robot". Now I can pretty much watch a computer tech movie and not flinch.
But some scientists still have a hard time with the science in so-called science fiction movies. The Guardian has a story about Sidney Perkowitz, a physicist based at Emory University in Atlanta.
Perkowitz and some fellow scientists have proposed that Hollywood only violate the laws of physics no more than once per film. Otherwise, ... well, I don't know what will happen. Perhaps Reality will turn in its universal franchise or something.
You know, "Starship Troopers" disappointed me in a few ways but the size of the bugs was not one of the problems I had with the movie.
The "laws of physics" are not exactly laws in the sense that they must be enforced or even respected. Physicists today are developing experiments that will hopefully lead to practical technologies enabling us to travel to the stars safely, live longer lives, perhaps study the past in a more personal way, control the raw forces of nature, and otherwise do things that supposedly violate the "laws of physics".
It seems impractical -- no, unrealistic for a scientist to criticize the entertainment industry for making up its facts in order to tell interesting stories. Truth be told, science is constantly discovering new properties of things both natural and artificial that were previously relegated to science fiction and fantasy.
Hence, now we're talking about developing "invisibility cloak" technology for soldiers that will render them invisible on the field of battle, creating magnetic force fields to protect spaceships and astronauts from Solar radiation and other nasty things, teleportation technology, and even personal flight technologies (have you heard of the Martin Jetpack?).
It seems okay for science to challenge itself but for some reason Hollywood has to rein itself in and respect the boundaries that keep scientists from getting up and walking out of cinemas in disgust.
Perhaps where we need to set down some boundaries is in how seriously members of the scientific community take themselves. We should limit the scientific community to criticizing entertainment no more than once per decade.
That seems reasonable to me.
SF-Fandom is a moderated, fan-run community devoted to science fiction, fantasy, history, and mythology. SF-Fandom was founded in 2001 and is part of the Xenite.Org network. Free registration is required to post. Please be sure you read our Posting Guidelines.
But some scientists still have a hard time with the science in so-called science fiction movies. The Guardian has a story about Sidney Perkowitz, a physicist based at Emory University in Atlanta.
Perkowitz and some fellow scientists have proposed that Hollywood only violate the laws of physics no more than once per film. Otherwise, ... well, I don't know what will happen. Perhaps Reality will turn in its universal franchise or something.
You know, "Starship Troopers" disappointed me in a few ways but the size of the bugs was not one of the problems I had with the movie.
The "laws of physics" are not exactly laws in the sense that they must be enforced or even respected. Physicists today are developing experiments that will hopefully lead to practical technologies enabling us to travel to the stars safely, live longer lives, perhaps study the past in a more personal way, control the raw forces of nature, and otherwise do things that supposedly violate the "laws of physics".
It seems impractical -- no, unrealistic for a scientist to criticize the entertainment industry for making up its facts in order to tell interesting stories. Truth be told, science is constantly discovering new properties of things both natural and artificial that were previously relegated to science fiction and fantasy.
Hence, now we're talking about developing "invisibility cloak" technology for soldiers that will render them invisible on the field of battle, creating magnetic force fields to protect spaceships and astronauts from Solar radiation and other nasty things, teleportation technology, and even personal flight technologies (have you heard of the Martin Jetpack?).
It seems okay for science to challenge itself but for some reason Hollywood has to rein itself in and respect the boundaries that keep scientists from getting up and walking out of cinemas in disgust.
Perhaps where we need to set down some boundaries is in how seriously members of the scientific community take themselves. We should limit the scientific community to criticizing entertainment no more than once per decade.
That seems reasonable to me.
SF-Fandom is a moderated, fan-run community devoted to science fiction, fantasy, history, and mythology. SF-Fandom was founded in 2001 and is part of the Xenite.Org network. Free registration is required to post. Please be sure you read our Posting Guidelines.
Monday, March 8, 2010
Barrier releases movie trailer
Fans of Bruce Hopkins and Claudia Christian can finally see a glimpse of their work on the upcoming "Barrier" short film. The official Barrier Website has been updated with a new video trailer. Sheldon Whittaker let me know about it this morning and I am shamelessly embedding it here.
A bigger version can be viewed at... http://www.barrier.tv/media.html
The production has been busy, as you'll see if you check out the Barrier blog.
I'll post more when I get a chance.
SF-Fandom is a moderated, fan-run community devoted to science fiction, fantasy, history, and mythology. SF-Fandom was founded in 2001 and is part of the Xenite.Org network. Free registration is required to post. Please be sure you read our Posting Guidelines.
A bigger version can be viewed at... http://www.barrier.tv/media.html
The production has been busy, as you'll see if you check out the Barrier blog.
I'll post more when I get a chance.
SF-Fandom is a moderated, fan-run community devoted to science fiction, fantasy, history, and mythology. SF-Fandom was founded in 2001 and is part of the Xenite.Org network. Free registration is required to post. Please be sure you read our Posting Guidelines.
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