Literature: Books on Utopia

Utopia?

This Perfect Day
https://www.amazon.com/This-Perfect-Day-Ira-Levin/dp/160598129X

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/139390.This_Perfect_Day

Considered one of the great dystopian novels―alongside Anthony Burgess's A Clockwork Orange and Aldous Huxley's Brave New World―Ira Levin's frightening glimpse into the future continues to fascinate readers even forty years after publication.

The story is set in a seemingly perfect global society. Uniformity is the defining feature; there is only one language and all ethnic groups have been eugenically merged into one race called “The Family.“ The world is ruled by a central computer called UniComp that has been programmed to keep every single human on the surface of the earth in check. People are continually drugged by means of regular injections so that they can never realize their potential as human beings, but will remain satisfied and cooperative. They are told where to live, when to eat, whom to marry, when to reproduce. even the basic facts of nature are subject to the UniComp's will―men do not grow facial hair, women do not develop breasts, and it only rains at night.

With a vision as frightening as any in the history of the science fiction genre, This Perfect Day is one of Ira Levin`s most haunting novels.

[Craigslist] Dream Post for Third Book

Just posted this on Craigslist today:

https://houston.craigslist.org/crg/d/houston-dream-material-for-new-book/7014097426.html

My name is Shen and I am working on my third book which is focused on dreams planned to be published in early 2020. I am currently collecting dreams (either dreams at night or life aspirations) from people around me. I would like to talk to you at a cafe and learn about what you have experienced or wish to experience.

If you're interested, please reach me via this email indicating your availability on the weekend. Saturdays work best for me but I can accommodate Friday evenings. Also note that though the postal code is put down as 77004 I have other locations in mind.

[Astronomy] Superhabitable Worlds

Introduction

And when it comes to Earth, life has thrived, finding its way into every possible ecological niche, adapting itself through evolution to handle bitter cold, intense heat, the intense pressures at the bottom of the oceans, even cities, living right next to human beings. But could Earth be better? Could there be planets which are super habitable?

In a 2016 paper called Superhabitable Worlds accepted by the journal Astrobiology, two physics professors, Rene Heller and John Armstrong, run through the conditions that might make the most habitable possible planet. They propose that stars with less mass than the Sun, classified as K stars, are probably the best candidates for diversity since they’re long-lived and relatively stable. A K-type star will have a lifetime of 20-70 billion years without those pesky red dwarf megaflares.

You would want other planets in the star system, capable of redirecting asteroids and comets with their gravity to deliver water and other chemicals needed for life. Thanks for that, Jupiter.
And ideally, you want multiple habitable planets in the same system, capable of sending life back and forth. A process known as panspermia.

Planet Simulator Tool

Just for giggles and fun, NASA actually has an online software called ROCKE-3D general circulation model (GCM) which can study different points in the history of our own planet and other Solar System terrestrial planets, as well as exoplanets. Check it out!

https://data.giss.nasa.gov/rocke3d/maps/

Craigslist Roundup 1: Interesting Ads

Some interesting ads I found on Craigslist recently. Figured I'll start a series with these funniness. Here goes.

[Media] Useful Firefox Plugins

As an avid user of Firefox, there are many plugins which are absolutely essential to upgrade your browsing experience. Here are a few I always use.

FireShot
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/fireshot

This is my favorite plugin to make web page screenshots which can be saved as images or pdfs with links!

uBlock Origin
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/ublock-origin

Nowadays, ads are everywhere which unfortunately includes YouTube and other popular video streaming sites. To avoid them ever showing up, I use this efficient blocker. It runs so smoothly I never notice it's even there.

DownThemAll!
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/downthemall/

This is the downloader for links on a page. Download images, pdfs, links, etc. all in one easily customizable plugin.

Image Picka
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/image-picka

I use this app if I specifically want to just download images on a page. Not nearly as functionality heavy or customizable as DownThemAll! but it's perfect for downloading pictures.

In My Pocket
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/in-my-pocket

For those of us using Pocket to bookmark and store interesting articles, the old official plugin no longer works with the latest version of Firefox. Have no fear for a guy by the name of Pierre-Adrien Buisson created an unofficial version which is just fine. With one click, save any article you want to Pocket for later perusal.