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Kim Stanley Robinson
Kim Stanley Robinson (born March 23, 1952) is an American science fiction writer best known for his ''Mars'' trilogy. Many of his novels and stories have ecological, cultural, and political themes and feature scientists as heroes. Robinson has won numerous awards, including the Hugo Award for Best Novel, the Nebula Award for Best Novel and the World Fantasy Award. ''The Atlantic'' has called Robinson's work "the gold standard of realistic, and highly literary, science-fiction writing." According to an article in ''The New Yorker'', Robinson is "generally acknowledged as one of the greatest living science-fiction writers." Early life and education Robinson was born in Waukegan, Illinois. He moved to Southern California as a child. In 1974, he earned a B.A. in literature from the University of California, San Diego. In 1975, he earned an M.A. in English from Boston University. In 1978 Robinson moved to Davis, California, to take a break from his graduate studies at the Univers ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Waukegan, Illinois
Waukegan ( ) is a city in Lake County, Illinois, United States, and its county seat. Located north of Chicago, Waukegan is a satellite city within the greater Chicago metropolitan area. As of the 2020 census, its population was 89,321, making it the most populous city in Lake County, the seventh-most populous city within the Chicago metropolitan area and the 10th-most populous city in Illinois. However, unlike nearby wealthy North Shore suburbs, Waukegan has long been classified by the Illinois state government as overall "socioeconomically distressed" despite having some middle class inhabitants. History and major events Founding and 19th century The site of present-day Waukegan was recorded as ''Rivière du Vieux Fort'' ("Old Fort River") and ''Wakaygagh'' on a 1778 map by Thomas Hutchins. By the 1820s, the French name had become "Small Fort River" in English, and the settlement was known as "Little Fort". The name "Waukegance" and then "Waukegan" (meaning "little fort ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Marxism
Marxism is a political philosophy and method of socioeconomic analysis. It uses a dialectical and materialist interpretation of historical development, better known as historical materialism, to analyse class relations, social conflict, and social transformation. Marxism originates from the works of 19th-century German philosophers Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. Marxism has developed over time into various branches and schools of thought, and as a result, there is no single, definitive " Marxist theory". Marxism has had a profound effect in shaping the modern world, with various left-wing and far-left political movements taking inspiration from it in varying local contexts. In addition to the various schools of thought, which emphasize or modify elements of classical Marxism, several Marxian concepts have been incorporated into an array of social theories. This has led to widely varying conclusions. Alongside Marx's critique of political economy, the defining cha ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Global Warming
Present-day climate change includes both global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its wider effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes to Earth's climate. The current rise in global temperatures is driven by human activities, especially fossil fuel burning since the Industrial Revolution. Fossil fuel use, deforestation, and some agricultural and industrial practices release greenhouse gases. These gases absorb some of the heat that the Earth radiates after it warms from sunlight, warming the lower atmosphere. Carbon dioxide, the primary gas driving global warming, has increased in concentration by about 50% since the pre-industrial era to levels not seen for millions of years. Climate change has an increasingly large impact on the environment. Deserts are expanding, while heat waves and wildfires are becoming more common. Amplified warming in the Arctic has c ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Forty Signs Of Rain
''Forty Signs of Rain'' (2004) is the first book in the hard science fiction "Science in the Capital" trilogy by Kim Stanley Robinson. (The following two novels are '' Fifty Degrees Below'', (2005, and '' Sixty Days and Counting'', 2007). Plot introduction The focus of the novel is the effects of global warming in the early decades of the 21st century. Its characters are mostly scientists, either involved in biotech research, assisting government members, or doing paperwork at the National Science Foundation (NSF). There are also several Buddhist monks working for the embassy of the fictional island nation of Khembalung. Characters Anna Quibler – a hard-scientist administrator in charge of the Bioinformatics Division at the NSF; part of her job entails farming out grant proposals from scientists and science students nationwide to program directors under her supervision. She befriends the Khembalis. Charlie Quibler – Anna's husband, a stay-at-home dad taking care of th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Terraforming
Terraforming or terraformation ("Earth-shaping") is the hypothetical process of deliberately modifying the atmosphere, temperature, surface topography or ecology of a planet, moon, or other body to be similar to the environment of Earth to make it habitable for humans to live on. The concept of terraforming developed from both science fiction and actual science. Carl Sagan, an astronomer, proposed the planetary engineering of Venus in 1961, which is considered one of the first accounts of the concept. The term was coined by Jack Williamson in a science-fiction short story (" Collision Orbit") published in 1942 in ''Astounding Science Fiction''. Even if the environment of a planet could be altered deliberately, the feasibility of creating an unconstrained planetary environment that mimics Earth on another planet has yet to be verified. While Venus and the Moon have been studied in relation to the subject, Mars is usually considered to be the most likely candidate for terrafor ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Three Californias Trilogy
The ''Three Californias Trilogy'' (also known as the ''Wild Shore Triptych'' and the ''Orange County Trilogy'') is a book by Kim Stanley Robinson, which depict three different possible futures of Orange County, California. The books that make up the trilogy are ''The Wild Shore'', ''The Gold Coast'' and ''Pacific Edge''. Each of these books describes the life of young people in the three different near-futures. All three novels begin with an exposition which tells the reader about the world they are entering. Summaries ''The Wild Shore'' ''The Wild Shore'' was Robinson's first published novel. ''The Wild Shore'' (1984) is the story of survivors of a nuclear war. The nuclear strike consisted of 2,000–3,000 neutron bombs that were detonated in 2,000 of North America's biggest cities in 1987. Survivors have started over, forming villages and living off agriculture and sea. The theme of the first chapters is that of a quite normal pastoral science fiction, which is deconstruc ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sheldon Brown (artist)
Sheldon Brown (born July 13, 1962) is an American artist and former Professor of Computer Art at the University of California, San Diego where he held the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Endowed Chair of Digital Media and Learning. He was the founding director of the Arthur C. Clarke Center for Human Imagination at UCSD, a co-founder of the California Institute of Information Technologies and Telecommunications, where he was Artist-in-Residence, and he was the site director of the Center for Hybrid Multicore Productivity Research at UCSD. He has been a Visiting Arts Professor at NYU Shanghai, an Honorary Professor at Shanghai University and Professor and Research Leader at the Creative Computing Institute, University of the Arts London The University of the Arts London is a public collegiate university in London, England, United Kingdom. It specialises in arts, design, fashion, and the performing arts. The university is a federation of six arts colleges: Camber ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
John Muir College
John Muir College is one of the eight undergraduate colleges at the University of California San Diego (UCSD). The college is named after John Muir, the environmentalist and founder of the Sierra Club. It has a humanitarian emphasis focused on the "spirit of self-sufficiency and individual choice." The college opened in 1967, at the height of the American environmental movement triggered in part by Rachel Carson's book ''Silent Spring''. John Muir College describes itself as the "Heart of UCSD" and boasts a strong and distinct character after fifty years of existence. Housing In addition to gender-segregated residence halls and apartments, John Muir College has housing exclusively for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex and asexual ( LGBTQIA+) students. Requirements John Muir College's general education requirements are more loosely structured than those of the other colleges, with an emphasis on "sequences" and individual study. Each student must complete ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Capitalism
Capitalism is an economic system based on the private ownership of the means of production and their use for the purpose of obtaining profit. This socioeconomic system has developed historically through several stages and is defined by a number of basic constituent elements: private property, profit motive, capital accumulation, competitive markets, commodification, wage labor, and an emphasis on innovation and economic growth. Capitalist economies tend to experience a business cycle of economic growth followed by recessions. Economists, historians, political economists, and sociologists have adopted different perspectives in their analyses of capitalism and have recognized various forms of it in practice. These include '' laissez-faire'' or free-market capitalism, state capitalism, and welfare capitalism. Different forms of capitalism feature varying degrees of free markets, public ownership, obstacles to free competition, and state-sanctioned social poli ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Melbourne
Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victoria (state), Victoria, and the second most-populous city in Australia, after Sydney. The city's name generally refers to a metropolitan area also known as Greater Melbourne, comprising an urban agglomeration of Local Government Areas of Victoria#Municipalities of Greater Melbourne, 31 local government areas. The name is also used to specifically refer to the local government area named City of Melbourne, whose area is centred on the Melbourne central business district and some immediate surrounds. The metropolis occupies much of the northern and eastern coastlines of Port Phillip Bay and spreads into the Mornington Peninsula, part of West Gippsland, as well as the hinterlands towards the Yarra Valley, the Dandenong Ranges, and the Macedon R ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Worldcon
Worldcon, officially the World Science Fiction Convention, the annual convention of the World Science Fiction Society (WSFS), is a science fiction convention. It has been held each year since 1939 (except for the years 1942 to 1945, during World War II). The members of each Worldcon are the members of WSFS, and vote both to select the site of the Worldcon two years later, and to select the winners of the annual Hugo Awards, which are presented at each convention. Activities Activities and events at the convention typically include: * Activities to fund fan and external charities ( fan funds auctions, blood drives, etc.) * Art shows presenting paintings, drawings, sculpture and other work, primarily concerning science fiction and fantasy themes * Autographing sessions, literary beer or coffee meetings, "Walks with the Stars", and other chances to meet favorite science fiction and fantasy professionals *Awards ceremonies: **Hugo Awards, Astounding Award for Best New Writer, and ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Clarion Workshop
The Clarion Workshop is an American six-week workshop for aspiring science fiction and fantasy writers. Originally an outgrowth of Damon Knight's and Kate Wilhelm's Milford Writer's Workshop, Milford Writer's Conference, held at their home in Milford, Pennsylvania, it was founded in 1968 by Robin Wilson (author), Robin Scott Wilson at Clarion University of Pennsylvania, Clarion State College in Pennsylvania. Knight and Wilhelm were among the first teachers at the workshop.Kate Wilhelm, Wilhelm, Kate, ''Storyteller: Writing Lessons and More from 27 Years of the Clarion Writers' Workshop'', Small Beer Press, 2005 In 1972, the workshop moved to Michigan State University. It moved again, in 2006, to the University of California, San Diego.Barry Jagoda"Top Science Fiction Writers' Program Comes to UC San Diego" ''This Week at UCSD'', December 18, 2006 In 2015, thClarion Foundationreceived an anonymous gift of $100,000 to found an endowment funding the workshop. The Clarion Workshop ev ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
