H II Regions, 3 October 2012
Welcome to the H II Regions, a weekly compilation of SF, publishing and political news. Don’t miss the free e-book of The Million! New issue this FRIDAY. What am I doing reading news articles? Short news then–back to work!
Life on Europa
Totally awesome news about the relationship between Europa’s ice crust and a probable massive lake beneath. While the article leads with the news about the lake, it seems that the lake was already proposed to exist; what’s important here is how it possibly interacts with the surface, greatly increasing chances for life to begin and biology to take its course. Short article, worth the news update. [Red Orbit]
Phildickian
…is the word this article claims we can use about Philip K Dick in the same way we would use kafkaesque. All right, if you say so. I like this article almost as much for its page layout as for its topic; but I am biased toward anything about Philip K Dick because he’s one of my absolute highest (writer) role models. Simply reading this:
(Anyone who’s read much of the 8,000-page Exegesis Dick left behind after his death, as I spent a year doing, knows that his restless skepticism and humility kept him from ever settling on a single philosophical system.)
and I know why I can’t get enough of the guy. It’s narcissistic, but he sounds exactly like me. And then:
That’s the essence of Dick. He claims love against a backdrop of its impossibility. He claims connection and empathy against a demonstrated nihilism.
and I know why I love the guy. Because he won’t submit to established belief systems (religious, political, economic) but he will submit to human connection. Fucking great. The article discusses how most Dick fans (ha) go through a binge, reading as many of his books as possible–which isn’t too hard because they’re all fairly short and pulpy. I’ve never done that. Instead, I read about one a year. I’m not sure why, but I think it’s because I want to always keep that door open, of “love against a backdrop of its impossibility.” [the Verge]
