asimplechord

Because we had a - well... not an argument, really, but we couldn't actually agree and had to table the discussion to move on to other questions - a debate about the difference between science fiction and speculative fiction last night while discussing Oryx & Crake. Two people who are most emphatically not sci-fi fans insisted that the book belongs in that genre.

To me, Oryx & Crake is speculative fiction. Sci-fi is... a subset of speculative fiction, maybe? No, that's not right... maybe it's a sibling? Related, but not the same thing.

When I think about my own personal definition, sci-fi usually has something that's not in sync with science and the physical world as we know it. Crazy space, time, or physics, weird powers, something wildly different than our current world. Whereas speculative fiction takes our world and extrapolates, posits a What if?

Thoughts? How do you define sci-fi? Speculative fiction?

Only tangentially related to the election.

Brought on by Tom Brokaw's comment about how historical and profound it will be when Obama "puts his hand on the Bible" to be sworn in as the POTUS.

If citizens of the US have an unalienable right to practice whatever religion they choose (or to not practice, as the case may be), why are government oaths made on the Bible?

Wouldn't it make more sense to do it on... oh, I don't know, the Constitution, since that's what they're swearing to uphold?

Keith Ellison's (D - Minn.) decision to use the Koran at his swearing-in caused a furor, even though the copy he utilized was part of Thomas Jefferson's collection.

Out of curiosity, did Joe Lieberman use a Bible for his swearing-in?

Does our right to free expression of religion only apply to Judeo-Christian denominations?

I think I'm missing something. ( Please to be 'splaining? )

Is it wrong that watching clips of the VMAs made me think of Dean Winchester's comment from Born Under A Bad Sign? Or just a sign of obsession?

Any-who. I have a question for you technical-minded souls.

Is there a way to transfer text messages from a cell phone other than transcribing them, message by message?

Mildly spoilerish for 2x20, but doesn't mention details or outcome.

( wishes a djinn might grant )
Just, you know, as food for thought, and because I've been turning it over in my mind, what do you think of the idea of a djinn granting the deepest, inner-most wish, one you didn't even realize you held? Or is that the same as your dearest wish? Would Dean's or Sam's be the same? What do you think they'd be?