Evidence of water flowing on Mars?

Oil on Mars, someone kids about that in the comments, but oil on Mars would be even more cool than the discover of water on Mars because that would imply Mars did contain life at one time. (Plus we could use it as an energy source for our first base there. (There go humans, polluting another planet!)

OmniScience wrote: Water on Mars? Must be that Climate Change again!

That right there is funny, I don't care who you are.

BlazerBob wrote:
I hate to sound like a broken record but I just happen to be reading a short SF story about our first expedition to Mars (no, really). We uncover a dead civilization that ether died out as their planet dried out or as they despoiled it. Haven't finished yet but it will turn out that the remnants escaped to Earth and became our ancestors. It was written in the mid 50's.

Whats the name of the book? I love that stuff.

"The H. Beam Piper Megapack". 33 stories by you guessed it, H. Beam Piper.

I am reading it on Kindle. I am 35% done and so fall all the stories were written in the 50's. There is one in which illiteracy is the platform of a major political party because most of the population is illiterate. That is because of progressive improvements to the school system.

That is SF and was not necessarily written as prediction or even a possibility.

However Robert A. Heinlein has several stories which feature our declining academic standards. In a non-fiction essay he wrote, he said he could see the declining standards in the fan mail he got as early as the late 40's or early 50's.

Edit to add, a couple of the things I mentioned upstream about the Mars story were inaccurate. I guess I interpolated them based on some of his other writings.

Thanks BB, I used to love older syfi stuff but it's been about 30 years since I read any. With all the stuff going on in the real world, I've got the itch to explore fantasy land again.

Rick wrote: Thanks BB, I used to love older syfi stuff but it's been about 30 years since I read any. With all the stuff going on in the real world, I've got the itch to explore fantasy land again.

You are over due. Bring Bushnells and I will lone you a few of mine. I used to have a lot of books but with every move I weeded it down. Most of what's left is older stuff.


Question for younger folks, who are the modern equivalents to the old masters? That is a great thing about Kindle, I can order a book before I forget the title and author as long as they carry it. I have found there are some titles not available. I have not touched a real book since I Kindled. I did just order a couple on the rec of another SF freak that are not on Kindle.

Hey Rick seriously I have a copy of this.

http://www.amazon.com/Planet-The-Dreame ... B000C1UYI0

It is as old as I am and only has one read left. I would love to pass it on. Bushnells not required.

BlazerBob wrote: Hey Rick seriously I have a copy of this.

http://www.amazon.com/Planet-The-Dreame ... B000C1UYI0

It is as old as I am and only has one read left. I would love to pass it on. Bushnells not required.

Might just have to take you up on that offer. I remember reading lots of Asimov and Bradbury and never branched out much to other authors.

Rick wrote:

BlazerBob wrote: Hey Rick seriously I have a copy of this.

http://www.amazon.com/Planet-The-Dreame ... B000C1UYI0

It is as old as I am and only has one read left. I would love to pass it on. Bushnells not required.

Might just have to take you up on that offer. I remember reading lots of Asimov and Bradbury and never branched out much to other authors.

Oh man, I am jealous. Too be able to read some other greats for the first time.