The seventh story was basically straight-up science fiction
- like, real science-based fiction. The story came out in
2017, but it takes place in the "future," meaning the first
half of 2025, and it wraps up on June 10, 2025!

It follows this doctor who's running a drug trial with hockey
players dealing with brain injuries from the sport.

There's nothing you'd call classic sci-fi here - no aliens, no wild
side effects from the drug (so, no zombies or anything like that).
Honestly, there weren't any big twists in this one, unless I missed
something. You could say it kind of lets down anyone looking for
the usual genre stuff, but it does give you a slice of how medical
research actually goes down. If it weren't told from the doctor's
point of view, it could almost be a feature in a newspaper.

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

[email protected] (Stefan Ram) wrote or quoted:

There's nothing you'd call classic sci-fi here - no aliens, no wild

Mundane science fiction, or "MSF", is a type of sci-fi that
really leans into realism. You usually see these stories set
on Earth or somewhere in the Solar System, and they steer clear
of stuff like aliens, warp drives, or anything that feels like
magic. The whole idea is to stick with things that could actually
happen, based on where science and tech are headed. A lot of the
time, these stories dig into how new technology or environmental
shifts might play out for regular people or society as a whole.

Some things that make MSF stand out:

- The setting is usually the near future or a version of
today that feels pretty believable.

- It skips over things like time travel, aliens, or
faster-than-light spaceships.

- The science and tech are grounded in reality - nothing too
out there.

- The focus is on how people and communities deal with new
but possible changes.

- You'll often see themes like climate change, running out
of resources, or just the day-to-day effects of new inventions.

For example, you might get a story about how a new treatment
for brain injuries changes the way people think and act,
all set in a future that feels close to home.

Social science fiction, or "social SF", is about using sci-fi
settings to dig into social, cultural, or political questions.
Instead of getting caught up in wild tech or space battles,
these stories are more interested in what science and tech
do to people, relationships, and society.

What sets social SF apart:

- It's all about how science and tech shake up society,
culture, or personal lives.

- The stories usually dive into ideas from fields like
sociology, psychology, politics, or ethics.

- There might be some speculative tech, but the main thing
is how people react and change.

- It's often more about the human side than the technical
details.

So, if you had a story where a new drug for brain injuries
doesn't just fix memory but also changes who someone is, and
that messes with families or teams, that's classic social SF.

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

I read an interesting article from the CBC that said some publishers
are experimenting with wild new ideas like providing each story with
a title, and crediting specific authors. Is that communism?


In article <[email protected]>,
Stefan Ram <[email protected]> wrote:

The seventh story was basically straight-up science fiction
- like, real science-based fiction. The story came out in
2017, but it takes place in the "future," meaning the first
half of 2025, and it wraps up on June 10, 2025!

It follows this doctor who's running a drug trial with hockey
players dealing with brain injuries from the sport.

There's nothing you'd call classic sci-fi here - no aliens, no wild
side effects from the drug (so, no zombies or anything like that).
Honestly, there weren't any big twists in this one, unless I missed
something. You could say it kind of lets down anyone looking for
the usual genre stuff, but it does give you a slice of how medical
research actually goes down. If it weren't told from the doctor's
point of view, it could almost be a feature in a newspaper.

--
My reviews can be found at http://jamesdavisnicoll.com/
My tor pieces at https://www.tor.com/author/james-davis-nicoll/
My Dreamwidth at https://james-davis-nicoll.dreamwidth.org/
My patreon is at https://www.patreon.com/jamesdnicoll

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

Stefan Ram <[email protected]> wrote:

So, if you had a story where a new drug for brain injuries
doesn't just fix memory but also changes who someone is, and
that messes with families or teams, that's classic social SF.

A book using a very similar plot is the Hubschmann Effect by
Thomas Patrick McMahon in which a birth control pill causes
changes in future children. This made a surprising impact on
me as a kid and I recommend it.
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

[email protected] (Stefan Ram) posted:

The seventh story was basically straight-up science fiction
- like, real science-based fiction. The story came out in
2017, but it takes place in the "future," meaning the first
half of 2025, and it wraps up on June 10, 2025!

It follows this doctor who's running a drug trial with hockey
players dealing with brain injuries from the sport.

There's nothing you'd call classic sci-fi here - no aliens, no wild
side effects from the drug (so, no zombies or anything like that).
Honestly, there weren't any big twists in this one, unless I missed
something. You could say it kind of lets down anyone looking for
the usual genre stuff, but it does give you a slice of how medical
research actually goes down. If it weren't told from the doctor's
point of view, it could almost be a feature in a newspaper.

"The Martian" is also in this sub genre. Nothing seems unscientific, but
when you start to check the numbers, it has problems. The strength of the Martian
wind is too high at the start, and the energy numbers for his potato farm don't work,
he has far too few solar panels.

Pt

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

On Sat, 28 Jun 2025 21:09:23 GMT, Crryptoengineer <[email protected]d> wrote:

[email protected] (Stefan Ram) posted:

The seventh story was basically straight-up science fiction
- like, real science-based fiction. The story came out in
2017, but it takes place in the "future," meaning the first
half of 2025, and it wraps up on June 10, 2025!

It follows this doctor who's running a drug trial with hockey
players dealing with brain injuries from the sport.

There's nothing you'd call classic sci-fi here - no aliens, no wild
side effects from the drug (so, no zombies or anything like that).
Honestly, there weren't any big twists in this one, unless I missed
something. You could say it kind of lets down anyone looking for
the usual genre stuff, but it does give you a slice of how medical
research actually goes down. If it weren't told from the doctor's
point of view, it could almost be a feature in a newspaper.

"The Martian" is also in this sub genre. Nothing seems unscientific, but
when you start to check the numbers, it has problems. The strength of the Martian
wind is too high at the start, and the energy numbers for his potato farm don't work,
he has far too few solar panels.

But is that because they botched the math or because the film's budget
wouldn't support more of them? Even as painted plywood?

Isn't that the one where they skip the checklist for a rescue ship,
figuring that there is only 1 chance in 6 of it exploding, and, as
required by movie-story custom, it explodes?

Here's a hint for filmmakers: it aint a suprise if you forshadow it
enough. Particularly if the entire sequence lasts, say, five minutes.
--
"Here lies the Tuscan poet Aretino,
Who evil spoke of everyone but God,
Giving as his excuse, 'I never knew him.'"

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)