The Xylanthian Chronicles

The Xylanthian Chronicles is a science fiction trilogy written by author Thomas C. Stone. In brief, the three books trace the adventures of a group of characters who start out as a team of explorers cataloging the flora and fauna of Xylanthia -- a moon in orbit about a gas giant locked in place between the binary stars in the Sirius system.

A gateway in time is discovered amid speculations on the nature of the origin of life on Xylanthia. Additionally, an enterprising lab technician derives a recreational drug from an alien substance and suddenly, we're off to the races. That's even before the transdimensional beings show up. Yep, that's what I said. Transdimensional beings.

The three books, in order, are Xylanthia, Return To Xylanthia, and The Galactic Center. The Xylanthian Chronicles is written for a general audience with a suggested rating of PG-13 with references to drug use and violence. If preferred, each book is also sold separately. At this time, The Xylanthian Chronicles is only available as an e-book. Amazon link here.

"A masterpiece of science fiction. Absorbing storyline takes the reader thru a mind-bending adventure. Well-written and highly entertaining. The best modern sci-fi has to offer."

-- Thomas Carlyle, Santa Fe Papers

"Not your granny's sci-fi!"

-- Paul Spencer, Sci-Fi Book Reviews

Pessimistic Realism

This vid is based on the 2nd season of True Detective, HBO Productions.

Asimov's Robotic Laws

In the March 1942 issue of Astounding Science Fiction, science fiction author Isaac Asimov introduced The Three Laws of Robotics in his short story "Runaround." Perhaps we should consider these as we deal with the emergence of Artificial Intelligence. The Three Laws are:

1. A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.

2. A robot must obey the orders given to it by human beings, except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.

3. A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.

These form an organizing principle and unifying theme for Asimov's robotic-based fiction, appearing in his Robot series, the stories linked to it, and his Lucky Starr series of young-adult fiction. The Laws are incorporated into almost all of the positronic robots appearing in his fiction, and cannot be bypassed, being intended as a safety feature. Many of Asimov's robot-focused stories involve robots behaving in unusual and counter-intuitive ways as an unintended consequence of how the robot applies the Three Laws to the situation in which it finds itself. Other authors working in Asimov's fictional universe have adopted them and references, often parodic, appear throughout science fiction as well as in other genres.

The original laws have been altered and elaborated on by Asimov and other authors. Asimov himself made slight modifications to the first three in various books and short stories to further develop how robots would interact with humans and each other. In later fiction where robots had taken responsibility for government of whole planets and human civilizations, Asimov also added a fourth, or zeroth law, to precede the others:

0. A robot may not harm humanity, or, by inaction, allow humanity to come to harm.

Sailing

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