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PaperclipPerfector  3d ago (text post)   2249 thread views

Friday Fun Thread for March 27, 2026

Be advised: this thread is not for serious in-depth discussion of weighty topics (we have a link for that), this thread is not for anything Culture War related. This thread is for Fun. You got jokes? Share 'em. You got silly questions? Ask 'em.

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Recently saw Hail Mary and enjoyed it a bunch. Sped through the book and came to the conclusion that, just like The Martian, the film is a far better film than the book is a book (joining the likes of Jurassic Park and The Godfather, also arguably Silence of the Lambs); the author's writing style is very positive and optimistic but also very IAmVerySmart and I Fucking Love Science and generally gave me Reddit vibes.

So, because I apparently love checking in on the progress of cancer like I'm some kind of internet oncologist, I go to Reddit and poke around. The stuff at the top is mainly resentment that the author is "conservative" and a misogynist and did an interview with noted elite misogynist The Critical Drinker. And some grumbling that the author/viewpoint character used "He" pronouns for the hermaphroditic alien and assumed they's mate was female by calling thim "Adrian." (Because Rock Alien=Rocky, so Rock Alien's mate = Adrian). Such oppressive heteronormativity is proof that the author is a bad person. Also something something mediocre white man.

So yeah, reddit gonna reddit. It gave me a chuckle when years ago I would be disappointed and annoyed.

This was an aside, but:

the film is a far better film than the book is a book (joining the likes of Jurassic Park

I wouldn't call the Jurassic Park movie much better than the book. They are pretty different (the movie has a much stronger sensawunda and plays like a typical summer blockbuster, while the book is more cynical and reads like a technothriller), but each is good in its own way. My 10th grade English teacher made us read the novel as a compare and contrast to Frankenstein, and I loved it. The little fractals at the start of each chapter were a nice touch, and I still remember Ian Malcolm's excellent introduction:

Shortly before midnight, be stepped on the plane at the Dallas airport, a tall, thin, balding man of thirty-five, dressed entirely in black: black shirt, black trousers, black socks, black sneakers.

...

Humid Dallas air drifted through the open door. Ellie said, "Isn't it a little warm for black?"

"You're extremely pretty, Dr. Sattler," he said. "I could look at your legs all day. But no, as a matter of fact, black is an excellent color for heat. If you remember your black-body radiation, black is actually best in heat. Efficient radiation. In any case, I wear only two colors, black and gray."

Ellie was staring at him, her mouth open. "These colors are appropriate for any occasion," Malcolm continued, and they go well together, should I mistakenly put on a pair of gray socks with my black trousers."

"But don't you find it boring to wear only two colors?"

"Not at all. I find it liberating. I believe my life has value, and I don't want to waste it thinking about clothing," Malcolm said. "I don't want to think about what I will wear in the morning. Truly, can you imagine anything more boring than fashion? Professional sports, perhaps. Grown men swatting little balls, while the rest of the world pays money to applaud. But, on the whole, I find fashion even more tedious than sports."

"Dr. Malcolm," Hammond explained, "is a man of strong opinions."

"And mad as a hatter," Malcolm said cheerfully.

If you remember your black-body radiation, black is actually best in heat. Efficient radiation.

I'm not the right type of engineer for this, but isn't this statement wrong? It's not as simple as "black is higher emissivity", and it's a combination of solar absorption (black absorbs a lot) and emissivity. IIRC some of the best two options for space (radiation!) applications happen to be white or black.

ETA this reminds me that while the story is fantastic overall, chaos theory does not work that way.

I don't know. On the one hand, the argument from biological evolution suggests that black is best, because equatorial races have dark skin. On the other than, the argument from cultural evolution suggests that white is best, because Arabs wear light robes.

Well if it's shortly before midnight, presumably absorption is minimal. He would be wrong during the day though.

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