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  • (Realized World) Knight Moves by Walter Jon Williams

    From James Nicoll@21:1/5 to All on Tue Jan 28 14:02:06 2025
    Knight Moves by Walter Jon Williams

    Eight centuries ago, Doran Falkner revolutionized physics and
    saved the world. Interstellar civilization needs his brilliance
    once more. Too bad he isn't the genius he claimed to be and might
    not be up to the current task.

    https://jamesdavisnicoll.com/review/stuck
    --
    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

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  • From Titus G@21:1/5 to James Nicoll on Wed Jan 29 17:41:28 2025
    On 29/01/25 03:02, James Nicoll wrote:
    Knight Moves by Walter Jon Williams

    Eight centuries ago, Doran Falkner revolutionized physics and
    saved the world. Interstellar civilization needs his brilliance
    once more. Too bad he isn't the genius he claimed to be and might
    not be up to the current task.

    https://jamesdavisnicoll.com/review/stuck

    The full review was much more interesting and positive so I have grabbed
    a Kindle copy.
    There were a couple of free books with the same name and several more at varying prices with the Williams at $7.18c. The next book of the same
    name by a different author was $7.14c. These exact prices can have no
    basis in logic. Is someone calculating the price sensitivity subject to
    demand or is someone just throwing darts?

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  • From Paul S Person@21:1/5 to Titus G on Wed Jan 29 09:00:18 2025
    On Wed, 29 Jan 2025 17:41:28 +1300, Titus G <noone@nowhere.com> wrote:

    On 29/01/25 03:02, James Nicoll wrote:
    Knight Moves by Walter Jon Williams

    Eight centuries ago, Doran Falkner revolutionized physics and
    saved the world. Interstellar civilization needs his brilliance
    once more. Too bad he isn't the genius he claimed to be and might
    not be up to the current task.

    https://jamesdavisnicoll.com/review/stuck

    The full review was much more interesting and positive so I have grabbed
    a Kindle copy.
    There were a couple of free books with the same name and several more at >varying prices with the Williams at $7.18c. The next book of the same
    name by a different author was $7.14c. These exact prices can have no
    basis in logic. Is someone calculating the price sensitivity subject to >demand or is someone just throwing darts?

    On Amazon (USA) I too see a large number of books with that title,
    many of them parts of different series, some of which may not be SF.

    But the prices look reasonable, ending in .99 ($US).

    Marketing does do weird things. There was a time when I saved $5/DVD
    by skipping the two-disc "Special Edition" and buying the 1-disk
    version. When I referred to the latter as the "Not-So-Special Edition"
    I got pushback online, just as I did when I referred to the second
    disc (the one without the movie) as a "coaster".

    Marketing, you see, was firmly convinced that calling a collection of
    boring documentaries and other even less watchable items "Special
    Features" meant they actually were "special" and so people would pay
    more if they were included. They may still be convinced of this, who
    can say?
    --
    "Here lies the Tuscan poet Aretino,
    Who evil spoke of everyone but God,
    Giving as his excuse, 'I never knew him.'"

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  • From Christian Weisgerber@21:1/5 to Paul S Person on Wed Jan 29 20:14:57 2025
    On 2025-01-29, Paul S Person <psperson@old.netcom.invalid> wrote:

    Knight Moves by Walter Jon Williams

    On Amazon (USA) I too see a large number of books with that title,
    many of them parts of different series, some of which may not be SF.

    This opportunity is as good as any to ask a question I've had at
    the back of my head for some time:

    There are many works of pop culture (movies, books as you note)
    that have titles along the lines of "Knight Moves" and "Night Moves".
    I assume one of those is a pun on the other, but which one? What's
    the underlying original expression?

    Yes, I know chess and how a knight moves, but that doesn't seem
    very relevant.

    --
    Christian "naddy" Weisgerber naddy@mips.inka.de

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  • From Ted Nolan @21:1/5 to wthyde1953@gmail.com on Wed Jan 29 22:31:33 2025
    In article <vne8vi$2irki$1@dont-email.me>,
    William Hyde <wthyde1953@gmail.com> wrote:
    Christian Weisgerber wrote:
    On 2025-01-29, Paul S Person <psperson@old.netcom.invalid> wrote:

    Knight Moves by Walter Jon Williams

    On Amazon (USA) I too see a large number of books with that title,
    many of them parts of different series, some of which may not be SF.

    This opportunity is as good as any to ask a question I've had at
    the back of my head for some time:

    There are many works of pop culture (movies, books as you note)
    that have titles along the lines of "Knight Moves" and "Night Moves".
    I assume one of those is a pun on the other, but which one? What's
    the underlying original expression?

    Yes, I know chess and how a knight moves, but that doesn't seem
    very relevant.

    In this case I think it is.

    The Knight Moves project is attempting to replicate teleportation.
    Kinghts are the only pieces in chess that ignore obstacles. In a sense
    they teleport.

    But basically I don't think people can resist the lazy pun, Kinght as in >(allegedly) noble warrior, night as in darkness. I'm not sure there is
    any underlying original expression.



    I woke last night to the sound of thunder...
    --
    columbiaclosings.com
    What's not in Columbia anymore..

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  • From Don@21:1/5 to Cryptoengineer on Fri Jan 31 16:14:29 2025
    Cryptoengineer wrote:
    Christian Weisgerber wrote:
    Paul S Person wrote:

    Knight Moves by Walter Jon Williams

    On Amazon (USA) I too see a large number of books with that title,
    many of them parts of different series, some of which may not be SF.

    This opportunity is as good as any to ask a question I've had at
    the back of my head for some time:

    There are many works of pop culture (movies, books as you note)
    that have titles along the lines of "Knight Moves" and "Night Moves".
    I assume one of those is a pun on the other, but which one? What's
    the underlying original expression?

    Yes, I know chess and how a knight moves, but that doesn't seem
    very relevant.

    I don't think this is a case of imitation/satire, but rather
    coincidence. 'knight' and 'night' have quite different
    derivations, and perfectly valid meanings on their own, without
    referencing the other.

    My goto memory linked to 'Night Moves' is Bob Seger's 1976
    song of that name, though usage for the term started spiking
    around 1970.

    Crossover confusion can get interesting. In my younger, more
    innocent days, I thought the Moody Blues 1967 song was titled
    'Knights in White Satin', and imagined knights in armor
    galloping across fields with pure white surcoats.

    Apparently, I wasn't the only one: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knights_in_White_Satin

    Turns out, Justin Hayward (who wrote the song at only 19),
    was gifted a set of white satin sheets by his girlfriend.

    My mind also heard "Knights in White Satin." Hayward's observation
    about how he "was at the end of one big love affair and the beginning
    of another" is an excellent way to emotionally integrate old
    girlfriends.

    Charles Packer's methodology partially answers Christian's interesting question:

    <https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=night+moves%2Cknight+moves&year_start=1760&year_end=2022&corpus=en&smoothing=3&case_insensitive=false>

    It shows how "night moves" predates "knight moves." And centuries ago,
    both phrases were almost as popular in English literature as they are
    today.

    This excerpt from POEMS by MISS H F GOULD is dated 1841:

    THE NIGHT AND THE MORNING

    ...

    The dismal night moves on but heavily,
    While they, who came the sepulchre to keep
    With bristling spears, the Roman soldiery,
    Would fain resign their glittering arms for sleep.

    <https://archive.org/details/poems03goul/page/n49/mode/2up>

    Danke,

    --
    Don.......My cat's )\._.,--....,'``. https://crcomp.net/reviews.php telltale tall tail /, _.. \ _\ (`._ ,. Walk humbly with thy God.
    tells tall tales.. `._.-(,_..'--(,_..'`-.;.' Make 1984 fiction again.

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  • From David Duffy@21:1/5 to Don on Mon Feb 10 22:21:48 2025
    Don <g@crcomp.net> wrote:
    Cryptoengineer wrote:
    Christian Weisgerber wrote:
    Paul S Person wrote:

    Knight Moves by Walter Jon Williams

    This opportunity is as good as any to ask a question I've had at
    the back of my head for some time:

    There are many works of pop culture (movies, books as you note)
    that have titles along the lines of "Knight Moves" and "Night Moves".
    I assume one of those is a pun on the other, but which one? What's
    the underlying original expression?

    Yes, I know chess and how a knight moves, but that doesn't seem
    very relevant.

    I don't think this is a case of imitation/satire, but rather
    coincidence. 'knight' and 'night' have quite different
    derivations, and perfectly valid meanings on their own, without
    referencing the other.

    My goto memory linked to 'Night Moves' is Bob Seger's 1976
    song of that name, though usage for the term started spiking
    around 1970.

    Crossover confusion can get interesting. In my younger, more
    innocent days, I thought the Moody Blues 1967 song was titled
    'Knights in White Satin', and imagined knights in armor
    galloping across fields with pure white surcoats.

    Apparently, I wasn't the only one:
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knights_in_White_Satin

    Turns out, Justin Hayward (who wrote the song at only 19),
    was gifted a set of white satin sheets by his girlfriend.

    My mind also heard "Knights in White Satin." Hayward's observation
    about how he "was at the end of one big love affair and the beginning
    of another" is an excellent way to emotionally integrate old
    girlfriends.

    _The Goodies_[0] quote

    "One a knight, always a knight. Twice a night, doing all right..."

    Cheers, David Duffy

    [0] UK comedy trio and TV series. Several SFnal episodes.

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