Jesse is a good friend.

Extra terrestrial art. How irritating. Like conceptual art, some of it based on science, is a new thing, and no one spends time thinking about what it could be like out there, except for this one chick.

Eh. At least I got a nice walk out of it.

Er, what's irritating? The tone of the article or the fact she got a book out of it?

An old professor of mine used to hire himself out as a consultant to science fiction writers who wanted to get the science as accurate as possible. He used to do visualizations for them as well. They were pretty neat.

The tone of the article

That. She's not special--anyone with either an imagination or a history of reading SF (OR, not XOR). In fact, there are big floaty gas giant aliens in the book I'm reading right now. So hers have polka dots. Whatever.

As for her getting a book--power to her.

I've read a book with big floaty gas giant aliens too.

from lifehacker:

A University of Chicago study shows that people overestimate their ability to convey tone in email messages.

Study participants recorded messages vocally and wrote them in email messages. The message recipients’ success rate at understanding the tone of the message was significantly higher verbally than via email.

"The reason for this communication disconnect, the researchers find, is egocentrism–the well-established social psychological phenomenon whereby people have a difficult time detaching themselves from their own perspectives and understanding how other people will interpret them."

[link]

She's not special--anyone with either an imagination or a history of reading SF

That article is written as if Chesley Bonestell [link] never lived, not to mention any number of other space artists.

It was framed oddly (it took me a moment to figure out why this was particularly noteworthy, and then OH! she has a book out.. on the second read.)

We hire people to do what she does all the time, including, I suspect, her.

Stupid wisdom teeth are stupid.

Also, my batfact's at number one! Yay me.

my batfact's at number one! Yay me.

Damn you! My latest shot up to #5, but I fear its ability to hold.

egocentrism–the well-established social psychological phenomenon whereby people have a difficult time detaching themselves from their own perspectives and understanding how other people will interpret them

Hmmph. That's a little harsh. So what if it's true?

Ginger, you're totally right. Not that I knew Bonestell's name, but that sort of thing happens all the time--especially if you have an anal artist illustrating an anal writer's work.