Re: extropian memes

Dan Clemmensen (Dan@Clemmensen.ShireNet.com)
Thu, 25 Jun 1998 21:48:57 -0400

EvMick@aol.com wrote:
>
> In a message dated 6/24/98 7:52:48 PM Central Daylight Time,
> retroman@together.net writes:
>
> > He also had a series of juvinile novels similar to
> > the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew... While my older brother read the Hardy
> Boys,
> > I
> > read Johnny Quest....
>
> It seems to me there was also a series called "Tom Swift and......< fill in
> the blank>"...
>
> I read a few of them prior to my discovery of Heinlein, Doc Smith, Edgar Rice
> Burroghs, and SF in general (not the Burroghs is SF...but it's required
> reading)
>
> EvMick

EV, there were actually two such series. The one you are referring to
was published in the '50s and '60s. That was "Tom Swift, Jr." The earlier
series was published in the '20s and 30s' (?). That was "Tom Swift". In the
earlier series, Tom and friends built amazing stuff in the garage, mostly.
In the later series, Tom Swift Jr. built stuff mostly in the labs at his father's
(yes Jr is Tom's son) Hi tech megacorporation.

In each case, the series were simple-minded adventure science
fiction geared toward kids. I loved the second series and read all
I could get my hands on. I ended up reading As many of the older
series as I could also. I loeved them, too.

My kids now read "Animorphs", which seems to be today's kid-oriented
science fiction series. The science themes are more modern, but the
science is less rigorous.