Although humans are Earth’s only sapient species, the range of intelligence among animals is quite diverse. For a long time many assumed primates, the clade closest to humans, outclassed all others in intelligence. Now, however, it is much more widely known that several other species … Continue readingWorldbuilding Avian Intelligence
When worldbuilding a science fiction or especially space opera setting, spaceships, starships, and the like are almost inevitably of great importance. In a visual medium the look of the ships can communicate a lot, the contrast between Padmé Amidala’s garage and Han Solo’s Millennium Falcon … Continue readingThe Shapes of Spaceships
What will be the athletic disciplines undertaken by space colonists when they go outside their habitation modules into the hostile vacuums and atmospheres of outer space? In the previous posts in this series (part 1, part 2), we have explored the activities that may be … Continue readingSkiing and Space Diving on Other Worlds
In science-fiction settings involving near future spacefaring cultures, athletic arts and disciplines are severely underrated as a driver of space economies and as a vocation for space colonists, especially compared to the likes of asteroid mining. Some of the most spectacular opportunities space presents for … Continue readingDancing in Space: Worldbuilding More Zero-G Sports
Once space colonization begins in earnest, what will be the sports and physical hobbies taken up by the dwellers of the black skies? Here we will explore how off-world athleticism might plausibly evolve starting from its origins and extending into the foreseeable near future. Athletic … Continue readingAquamusicals in Space: Worldbuilding Zero-G Sports
Ever since the limitations of rockets were widely recognized, most prominently the fact that fuel requirements increase wildly as payload mass scales up, there has been perennial interest in “non-rocket space launch” technology. Most of this interest has been in the specific context of launching … Continue readingTo Orbit by Space Gun
In the previous post on colonizing the Oort cloud, I pointed out that with sufficiently cheap transportation technology any place within range will be inhabited to some extent by recreational-touristic populations or populations that deliberately seek out isolation. This outermost part of the solar system … Continue readingThe Sun as Gravitational Lens: A Breakthrough Technology?
Once mankind’s footprint has touched worlds across the solar system, what will be the last frontier? In the solar system of the near future, colonization will almost certainly spread outward from near-Earth space. The planets and settings closest to Earth will be settled first: Mars, … Continue readingColonizing the Oort Cloud: The Final Frontier of the Solar System
What would a truly advanced interplanetary transportation system be like? After all the near-future flags-and-footprints expeditions, research outposts, experimental space habitats, and space tourist centers we hear about so much are up and running, the build-out of space infrastructure will begin in earnest. In this … Continue readingInterplanetary Travel in the Solar System of the Near Future
As is the case annually around this time, a new year will soon be upon us, the year 2020. New Year 2020 is more important than most new years, however, in that in addition to a new year, it also represents the twilight of one … Continue readingTwilight of a Decade