The Cambias Digression

Notes and thoughts on everything from what I had for breakfast to the fate of the Universe.

  • Great Filters, Part 5: Intelligence Filters

    I finished up last week's post on Great Filters by looking at the Galaxy according to the numbers I've cooked up. It produced the surprising figure of lifebearing planets every 50 light-years or so. In cosmic terms that's right next door. It means that in the near future we have a pretty decent chance of…

    jamescambias

  • A Pirate’s Life for Me!

    With the approach of Talk Like a Pirate day (Sept. 19) I'm pleased to be able to talk about pirates. In this case, space pirates. Baen Books has just released a new anthology of classic space-pirate yarns, called Cosmic Corsairs. It's edited by Hank Davis and Christopher Ruocchio, and features some excellent piratical science fiction…

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  • Great Filters, Part 4: Life Filters

    Having considered how uncommon Earthlike worlds are, now we're going to look at potential Great Filters in the history of life itself. The first is more of a meta-filter, and affects some of the possible stellar and planetary filters already discussed. It's simply this: what is the range of potential forms of life in the…

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  • Great Filters, Part 3: Planetary Filters

    I've discussed galactic and stellar-scale Great Filters. Now it's time to look at them on a planetary level. The first is the question of how stable planetary systems are. This is a problem which goes back to Isaac Newton. When Sir Isaac compiled his great work the Principia, he was bothered by one implication of…

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  • Great Filters, Part 2: Galactic and Stellar Filters

    The first set of potential "Great Filters" I'm going to discuss are those which operate at the level of stars and galaxies — things which might make most galaxies, or most star systems, unsuitable for the development of life. But first, a digression. In science, especially in cosmology, the number 1 is a very funny…

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  • Great Filters, Part 1

    Two weeks ago, during the world's first CYBER WorldCon, I participated in a panel discussion called "COVID-19: A Great Filter?" The panelists were myself, writer and Coronavirus expert Vylar Kaftan, and astrophysicist Valentin Ivanov. Our topic was the concept of the "Great Filter" and whether a plague like the current Coronavirus outbreak could qualify.         …

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  • The First CYBER WorldCon!

    This year's World Science Fiction Convention was to have taken place in New Zealand, but since that country is entirely sealed off from the outside world, the convention has gone entirely on-line. It's a CYBER WorldCon! See the link here. Despite obstacles the show will go on! I'm participating in several events, without leaving my…

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  • Another Cup of Tea

    The complete "Teatime Readings" series is now available for viewing on YouTube. You can see them here. Or you can skip right to my reading from The Initiate. There's a lot of good stuff and some interesting comments and conversation. Check it out.

    jamescambias

  • Inland Seas Reviews

    The first reviews of Retellings of the Inland Seas are out, and it looks as though this collection is getting a good reception.  Nerds of a Feather reviews it here. Treehouse Writers blog reviews it here. It's always interesting to see how different reviewers look at the same book. I like to see varying takes. When everyone…

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  • The Glorious Fourth of July

    Two hundred and forty-four years ago a group of men signed a remarkable document: a Declaration of Independence. They wrote out their reasons for defying their King, and signed their names to it, then published the whole thing. They even sent a copy to the King they were challenging, even though they all knew this…

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