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Aug. 15th, 2003 11:42 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
herewiss13Even though I don't get to go to a Con this year, I still got to attend a panel. The International Mars Society is meeting in town right now, and there was a public panel last night with Zubrin, Bear, and several other guys whose names I don't recall. It was really Bear and Zubrin's panel anyway. The essential topic was what we might expect in terms of governments and societies off planet, rather than the normal "tech we need to get there" discussions. Much history, much analogy with the colonization of America, much of interest.
Greg Bear is a really voluble speaker. Perhaps a bit too caught up in his "Don of the Genre" persona, but still quite the able speaker with much wit and certainly much experience on the subject.
Robert Zubrin, on the other hand, had all the charisma of a prophet among infidels. He knew his stuff, but wasn't nearly as engaging a speaker, despite the fact that he talked probably over 50% of the time. He talked fast and had little patience for other peoples' views. As it was his Society, I suppose I can understand.
What was really amusing was a pattern that got set up. Someone on the panel would make a point. Zubrin would pipe up, not every time, but enough, and say "I disagree completely." and then start in like a sprinter off the blockb headed in the opposite direction. A few assertions into his spiel (often dealing with historical parallels) and Bear, next to him, would lean forward toward the mike and interrupt with an amused "That's not actually true", sometimes adding a correctional observation. Zubrin would then grimace, shrug it off, and continue until he'd run down enough for someone else to grab the reins (often Bear). Two or three cycles like this and we'd start to chuckle when Zubrin piped up and then again Bear chimed in.
I got to ask my own question at the very end, trying to figure out why, in the search for social freedom and the resources to support it, you'd chain yourself to another gravity well in the first place. Zubrin leapt right into the fray trashing O'Neill Colonies (despite the fact that I'd been referring to the Asteroid Belt) calling the whole L-5 movement "a cult" (to which Bear interposed 'unlike the Mars Society', which cracked everyone up). When I finally interrupted to say I was talking about the Belt (which he'd mentioned himself a few minutes back), he gave what _must_ have been a memorized run-down of why Mars is superior. Ore, nutrients, more solar energy, etc. etc. Easy to continue debating, really, but sadly no one else intervened (it was going on nearly 2 hours, so I guess they were getting tired).
Still, a tremendously refreshing experience. Glad I could see Bear again and now I know what to expect if Zubrin ever shows up at a Con. The worth of any panel with him on it depends on the outspoken-ness of his fellow panel members. Brin, Kim Stanley Robinson (who I haven't heard, but is certainly an expert), Bear, Zubrin would be an interesting foursome. ;-)
Greg Bear is a really voluble speaker. Perhaps a bit too caught up in his "Don of the Genre" persona, but still quite the able speaker with much wit and certainly much experience on the subject.
Robert Zubrin, on the other hand, had all the charisma of a prophet among infidels. He knew his stuff, but wasn't nearly as engaging a speaker, despite the fact that he talked probably over 50% of the time. He talked fast and had little patience for other peoples' views. As it was his Society, I suppose I can understand.
What was really amusing was a pattern that got set up. Someone on the panel would make a point. Zubrin would pipe up, not every time, but enough, and say "I disagree completely." and then start in like a sprinter off the blockb headed in the opposite direction. A few assertions into his spiel (often dealing with historical parallels) and Bear, next to him, would lean forward toward the mike and interrupt with an amused "That's not actually true", sometimes adding a correctional observation. Zubrin would then grimace, shrug it off, and continue until he'd run down enough for someone else to grab the reins (often Bear). Two or three cycles like this and we'd start to chuckle when Zubrin piped up and then again Bear chimed in.
I got to ask my own question at the very end, trying to figure out why, in the search for social freedom and the resources to support it, you'd chain yourself to another gravity well in the first place. Zubrin leapt right into the fray trashing O'Neill Colonies (despite the fact that I'd been referring to the Asteroid Belt) calling the whole L-5 movement "a cult" (to which Bear interposed 'unlike the Mars Society', which cracked everyone up). When I finally interrupted to say I was talking about the Belt (which he'd mentioned himself a few minutes back), he gave what _must_ have been a memorized run-down of why Mars is superior. Ore, nutrients, more solar energy, etc. etc. Easy to continue debating, really, but sadly no one else intervened (it was going on nearly 2 hours, so I guess they were getting tired).
Still, a tremendously refreshing experience. Glad I could see Bear again and now I know what to expect if Zubrin ever shows up at a Con. The worth of any panel with him on it depends on the outspoken-ness of his fellow panel members. Brin, Kim Stanley Robinson (who I haven't heard, but is certainly an expert), Bear, Zubrin would be an interesting foursome. ;-)
