iPod iChing: Little Green Men

Posted by Steinn Sigurðsson on August 19, 2011
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stormy friday as portends gather and it is move-in day!
Yes, They Are Back.

So, we probe a puzzle dujour: the Definitely Not NASA ponderings on Scenarios for SETI Success – aka Alien Ecoterrorists Attack!!!.

So, oh mighty iPod One: any Thennanin out There Threatening to Thwart Us?

Whoosh goes the randomizer.
Whoosh.

  • The Covering: Serenade for the Doll
  • The Crossing: Some Days You Gotta Dance – Dixie Chicks
  • The Crown: Það er Jólasveinninn Minn
  • The Root: Not Ready to Make Nice – Dixie Chicks
  • The Past: Menuett F-Dur – Mozart
  • The Future: This War is Over – Melissa Etheridge
  • The Questioner: Jólasveinninn Minn
  • The House: Krummi Situr á Kvíavegg
  • The Inside: Underwear – Pulp
  • The Outcome: Louie Louie – Toots and the Maytals

The Crossing:

“It was about five ’til five on Friday
We were all getting ready to go…”

The Crown: – Our Yulelad! – Y’know Yulelads – just like Thennanin…
Or, apparently, me – The Questioner – it is clearly up to me to stop The Christmas Cat from devouring us naughty children.
Word.

The Future: ow, bummer.

The House: Ravens sit on a wall, ready to pick at the carcasses

As always, the Key as explained by Sean

The Root:

The Outcome:

I have no idea what this means…

Mighty is the iPod One!

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Comments

  1. #1 Steinn Sigurdsson
    August 19, 2011

    Primary conclusion: grad students need to read mo’ better science fiction.
    Starting with Brin’s Uplift Series and Tiptree’s Screwfly Solution…

  2. #2 Dr. Skepto
    August 20, 2011

    @Steinn, I think this is a brilliant idea. I would personally recommend the Ringworld series by Larry Niven. In fact we should make it a requirement and enforce it by asking about Dyson spheres on the candidacy exam. Wicked, eh!

  3. #3 Matt
    August 20, 2011

    During the summer between my first and second years of Grad School, I blew through all six Uplift books. Lo and Behold, Steinn was thanked by name in the latter three. Since the topic came up, Steinn, any chance you have any inside info as to when we might get an ending to the Streaker Saga?

    Also, as long as we’re talking about “necessary sci fi” for grad students (with a ‘first contact’ bent) I would like to add two of my recent finds: “Blindsight” by Peter Watts and “Revelation Space” by Alistair Reynolds. Reynolds recently blogged about his time as an ESO-based astronomer.

  4. #4 Steinn Sigurdsson
    August 21, 2011

    I nov nuttin!
    Und if I did I’d nefer tell!

    But, Brin’s next is not Uplift, and it is very long.
    More “Earth”type