Linkage

One the day’s more interesting reads, via Chap…a short biographical sketch of Robert Heinlein in Reason Magazine. July 7 was the centennial of Heinlein’s birth.

Heinlein venerated the armed forces, most notoriously in his 1959 novel Starship Troopers, which celebrated an elite military order. Just two years later, he was publishing the counterculture classic Stranger in a Strange Land, with its simultaneously beatific, sexy, and heroic vision of Martian-inspired communal living. A rich mix of bohemian and straight-arrow values, Heinlein's unique take on American individualism made him the bridge between such disparate '60s icons as Barry Goldwater and Charles Manson.

[…]

This one-two punch of curious, powerful novels (ed: Starship Troopers and Stranger in a Strange Land) seems to indicate two opposing strains of thought. But to Heinlein, these dueling visions-a world of sinister alien bugs fought off by powerfully disciplined soldiers, and a beatific Man from Mars teaching humanity how to love freely-had the same message, as he once wrote to his fellow S.F. writer Alfred Bester: "That a man, to be truly human, must be unhesitatingly willing at all times to lay down his life for his fellow man. Both [novels] are based on the twin concepts of love and duty-and how they are related to the survival of our race."

That quote, from a man so proud of his love of freedom he once joked that "Ayn Rand is a bloody socialist compared to me," shows yet another side to the Heinlein paradox. As a literary influence on the emerging libertarian movement, Heinlein was second only to Rand.

My dog-eared copy of Stranger in a Strange Land disappeared many, many moons ago after accompanying me most of the way around the world. While I didn’t read any of Heinlein’s books in “hard cover” (i.e., when they were first published), I had a huge collection of his works in paperback. I read Heinlein not because he was a master of science fiction, but because he (a) was a wonderful story teller and (b) I bought his philosophical vision of the world hook, line, and sinker. The man just made sense. I’m quite sure there’s not a single American male in my generation (and many more than a few women, as well) who hasn’t read at least one book by Heinlein. I’d put serious money on that bet.

Oh and by the way…Chap attended the Heinlein Centennial conference mentioned in that Reason article. His AAR is here. Interesting stuff, this.

Via Lex…Ralph Peters interviews General Petraeus in the NY Post. Excellent stuff. EXCELLENT.

Via Gerard…entries in Nikon’s “Nikon International Small World Competition” micro-photography contest. Some truly amazing photography here…and you can vote for your favorite!

The Nikon International Small World Competition first began in 1974 as a means to recognize and applaud the efforts of those involved with photography through the light microscope. Since then, Small World has become a leading showcase for photomicrographers from the widest array of scientific disciplines.

A photomicrograph is a technical document that can be of great significance to science or industry. But a good photomicrograph is also an image whose structure, color, composition, and content is an object of beauty, open to several levels of comprehension and appreciation.

[…]

The official judging for the 33rd Annual Small World Photomicrography Competition took place on May 10, 2007. The winners will be announced this fall, but we’re giving you the chance to pick your favorites among this year’s top entries. Click on the “Start Voting” button below to begin. You will be presented with a random image, which you may rate on a scale of 1 star to 5 stars (5 being the best). Have fun, and check back in this fall to see which of these images were the top selections of our distinguished judges panel.

My fave? This one: it’s Dr. Stephen Nagy’s photo of “Navicula clavata var indica (Greville) Cleve (375x).” Which is one of many (speculating, I am) Montana diatoms…I only know coz the brief explanation accompanying the photo sez so. At any rate, if you’re into photography, you’ll enjoy this.

Gerard has lotsa other good links, as well, including this one (looks like I quit smoking too soon) and this highly entertaining “Periodic Table of the Internet,” which ranks web sites in an unusual and interesting way.