3-Body Problem

[Axo1989]

Well, E1 down, so far so good. The story is unfolding nicely. I'm not having any of the old white dude reactions, but demographically/logically you wouldn't expect me to. Thinking of the mid-30s scientists I've worked with, I'm not finding Auggie especially incongruent either, she spends much of the episode quietly freaking out, but who wouldn't? The cast is generally mid-tier GoT-level ok rather than A-list but I'll see how they go the distance, obviously. Thinking of Netflix shows I've watched recently, The Diplomat or The Gentlemen have somewhat better actors (and perhaps more expensive) but that's a first impression only.

 

[holdingpants01]

I'm after the second episode and the acting is so bad that it's really hard for me to go any further. Especially ADR is extremely wacky, anyone else noticed it?

 

[Gorgonzola]

Hi

The Expanse must be one, if not the best Sci-Fi series ever...or very close to it.. I believe the books writers were also part of the Series writing or producing team. I do believe that a Series must have a limited lifespan, around 5 years/season; else it becomes a soap opera, a regular thing people watch , to feed the need for gossip as part of human interactions.

The show is good and can improve if care is taken to better flesh out the characters and put in perspective some incongruities For example if the San ti are so powerful as to disturb so many things , including computers, they could simply put earth civilization in a state of chaos and by the time they arrive would find a pristine planet devoid of intelligent bugs and terraformed, or, Santiformed to their specs... This would sustain the need to resist and fight, if they have no flaws, despair and abdication are the only recourses.

I'll forge on, I like it so far. The thing with Netflix , is that they may just axe the Series... Customers or critics opinions be damned. I believe (or hope) this will at some point hurt them.

Peace.

The Expanse was a great series. 3 Body Problem characters are far from the rough-and-ready Expanse types; by contrast the 3 Body guys are gentle scientists. Not without metal, however, and for the most part, able to "do the needful thing" as they see it. They are pretty well fleshed out buy the end of the season ... though as far as we know, one is dead (maybe, kinda sorta).

 

[mhardy6647]

So -- this may be of no particular interest so I share it strictly as is and FWIW.
From my University adjunct side hustle -- this tidbit from their regular news update.

What is the ‘3 Body Problem’? Astrophysicist explains concept behind hit Netflix show

Netflix’s adaptation of Liu Cixin’s novel shows what happens when a still-unsolved quantum mechanics question plays out on a galactic scale.

news.northeastern.edu

 

[Somafunk]

So -- this may be of no particular interest so I share it strictly as is and FWIW.
From my University adjunct side hustle -- this tidbit from their regular news update.

What is the ‘3 Body Problem’? Astrophysicist explains concept behind hit Netflix show

Netflix’s adaptation of Liu Cixin’s novel shows what happens when a still-unsolved quantum mechanics question plays out on a galactic scale.

news.northeastern.edu

Interesting read and explains it very simply

 

[Axo1989]

So -- this may be of no particular interest so I share it strictly as is and FWIW.
From my University adjunct side hustle -- this tidbit from their regular news update.

What is the ‘3 Body Problem’? Astrophysicist explains concept behind hit Netflix show

Netflix’s adaptation of Liu Cixin’s novel shows what happens when a still-unsolved quantum mechanics question plays out on a galactic scale.

news.northeastern.edu

I love the way the article prosaically puts it:

In “3 Body Problem,” like in Cixin’s book, this is a reality for aliens that live in a solar system with three suns. Since all three stars are exerting gravitational forces on each other, they end up throwing the solar system into chaos as they fling each other back and forth. For the Trisolarans, the name for these aliens, it means that when a sun is jettisoned far away, their planet freezes, and when a sun is thrown extremely close to their planet, it gets torched. Worse, because of the three-body problem, these movements are completely unpredictable.

In other words there probably aren't aliens living in tri-solar systems. But it's good we have a name to use.

 

[Somafunk]

In other words there probably aren't aliens living in tri-solar systems. But it's good we have a name to use.

Or…..they have heavily insulated exo skeletons and most resemble cockroaches who are waging eternal war against indestructible tardigrades

Thats a film I want made.

 

[Axo1989]

Or…..they have heavily insulated exo skeletons and most resemble cockroaches who are waging eternal war against indestructible tardigrades

Thats a film I want made.

Sound excellent.

In the meantime, I have Takashi Miike's Terra Formars in my must-watch queue. So, giant cockroaches at least.

 

[radix]

So -- this may be of no particular interest so I share it strictly as is and FWIW.
From my University adjunct side hustle -- this tidbit from their regular news update.

What is the ‘3 Body Problem’? Astrophysicist explains concept behind hit Netflix show

Netflix’s adaptation of Liu Cixin’s novel shows what happens when a still-unsolved quantum mechanics question plays out on a galactic scale.

news.northeastern.edu

Yes, that's super-well-known among physicists. Even undergraduates (I would hope). It was when I was an undergraduate in physics.

Which leads me to the spoiler stuff...

Spoiler: 3-body solution

In the series, two guys (I assume astrophysicists or similar) use a human computer to calculate the orbits. They came up with something like "a short time until a 1000 year stable period" (I'm paraphrasing). What the hell? They must know that even digital computers will have cumulative error making a 1000-year prediction without periodic correction stupidly wrong. Why didn't they say "It looks like a long, multi-century stable period, but we need to re-calculate based on observations every 20 years (or whatever)?

Maybe that's supposed to be a commentary on Hubris or lying?

 

[Blumlein 88]

I thought most people knew what the famous 3 body problem is.

 

[Axo1989]

I thought most people knew what the famous 3 body problem is.

We all live in different, somewhat overlapping worlds (so no, not most people).

 

[voodooless]

I thought most people knew what the famous 3 body problem is.

Are you telling me this is not a sleazy series about an intense love triangle gone wrong?

 

[voodooless]

We all live in different, somewhat overlapping worlds (so no, not most people).

No, that’s the many worlds interpretation of quantum theory… totally different thing

 

[Axo1989]

Are you telling me this is not a sleazy series about an intense love triangle gone wrong?

In a subsequent season, surely.

 

[Somafunk]

No, that’s the many worlds interpretation of quantum theory… totally different thing

DEVS - IMBD review , brilliant series, think I’ve watched it at least 6 times in this world

 

[Axo1989]

DEVS - IMBD review , brilliant series, think I’ve watched it at least 6 times in this world

I remember enjoying that one. Didn't realise it was Alex Garland. Must watch it again.

 

[voodooless]

DEVS - IMBD review , brilliant series, think I’ve watched it at least 6 times in this world

Cool! I’ll check it out, thanks!

 

[Somafunk]

It’s got Ron Swanson in it so you know it’s gonna be good

 

[Martin]

I watched the entire series. Not having read the books I thought it was well done. Unfortunately, somewhat wooden writing and unlikable characters put a real damper on later episodes. I'm looking forward to future seasons.

I'm now watching the Ten Cent series on Peacock. A couple of episodes in and it, too, looks interesting. Odd pacing and music usage make it a bit strange.

The second book is also available in an anime series. The first couple of minutes of which looked very good.

I have the books on my Kobo and they're next up in my rotation.

Martin

 

[voltronic]

Just finished today. I had not read the books, but I mostly enjoyed the series.

The only thing that grated on me was the music. Within 10 seconds of the opening titles, I could tell that Weiss and Benioff once again used Ramin Djawadi, who is one of the laziest composers out there in terms of recycling a small handful of ideas. If you compare the 3 Body Problem theme against Game of Thrones and Westworld, you'll see what I mean.