On Thu, 1 May 1997 10:53:14 -0500 Martha Bartter wrote:
> >farah.
> >
> "Technobabble" -- wow, what a pejorative term! We do need to
> remember that Heinlein more or less invented the space suit as
> currently used by NASA et al., and his "waldo" invention has
> not only been "borrowed" but even named as he did. (Like A.C.
> Clarke, whose invention of a geosynchronous satellite
> has been credited to him, but since he never patented it, only
> put it in a story, he didn't get any money for it. He also
> described "metal fatigue" before the airplanes really started
> falling out of the sky, if I remember correctly -- _Glide Path_
> is even a pretty good book.)
I am not disputing Heinlein's role in describing technology but for me
that is not the real interest and it is noticeable that the later the books
the less technology seems to be in them. I disagree generally with
you saying he does little with his societies but I suspect that my
feelings are unquantifiable. I just know that Heinlien managed to
have a bigger impact on my sexual mores than he did on my interest
in science.
> I thought the crowning insult was his suggestion that
> everyone have to solve a quadratic equation in the voting
> booth before it would allow anyone to vote...math does NOT
> equal political sense
I sort of agree, but at the same time I am again aware that it was
Heinlein who taught me that girls could (and should) be good at
maths too, and drove me on to enjoy maths. it is still my regret that I
allowed others to persuade me out of it. Heinlein taught me that
maths could be fun.
I understand why you think I used "technobabble" perjoratively, but
as a hard-sf fan, it was meant to be affectionate.
I sometimes sound like an apologist for Heinlein. I can see all his
faults and think he wrote some of the worst novels in sf, but cannot
avoid the fact that he made a huge impact not just on my reading but
on my sense of self.
Farah
>
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