tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7307577717655310918.post8251052636009668017..comments2024-03-17T07:25:56.478-04:00Comments on Thrilling Days of Yesteryear: Friday’s sticky noteIvan G Shreve Jrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04067177808320053382noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7307577717655310918.post-82010868087810688032012-12-08T14:26:34.497-05:002012-12-08T14:26:34.497-05:00Whew, last add The Twonky, at first sort of charmi...Whew, last add <i>The Twonky</i>, at first sort of charming but then turning into kind of a tough slog. No one ever accused Arch Obeler of overly subtle humor, that's for sure!<br /><br />Still, an interesting artifact, and I noted with some amusement that the Twonky nannied every aspect of Cary West's life and health, regulating his intake of alcohol, coffee, etc.--<br /><br />But had no problem with the Chesterfields!Chris Vosburgnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7307577717655310918.post-36456795998958279722012-12-08T10:52:14.231-05:002012-12-08T10:52:14.231-05:00Re The Twonky:
The word lived on, as a slang term...Re <i>The Twonky</i>:<br /><br />The word lived on, as a slang term used often by SF authors and fans alike, and came to describe <i>any</i> anachronism or inexplicable object left behind by careless time travelers or extraterrestrial visitors.<br /><br />John Varley used it in his '83 novel <i>Millenium</i>, in which future folk struggle to retrieve a weapon inadvertently left behind in a time travel event, before it causes a paradox.<br /><br />And Carl Sagan, famously skeptical of extraterestrial visitation, used it once in a JPL lecture in answer to the question of just what evidence there was that it hasn't happened:<br /><br />"Simple. No Twonkies."<br /><br />What he meant was that if there had been extraterrestrial visitation, there would surely have been something found somewhere which was obviously not of present day earth manufacture-- even something as simple as a crumpled gum wrapper of a brand not manufactured on Earth.<br /><br />Not even an intelligence advanced enough for interplanetary travel is <i>that</i> tidy, he figured, and I agree.<br /><br />I wasn't aware of the film-- I knew about the short story by Kuttner and Moore-- and alas, netflix is no help. But hooray, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eMIo5Yv0YgI" rel="nofollow">youtube comes through again</a>.Chris Vosburgnoreply@blogger.com