Re: Why Space Empires?

Zeborah wrote:
I love the idea that bonobos have no conflict. And the idea that

Seriously, they very rarely, if ever, kill each other. They also, AFAIK, don't hunt for meat, but live as complete vetegerians.

I'd assume that any conflict in bonobo society is of a non-violent type.

there's a genetically-determined percentage of the population who won't
buy books unless they include romance.

Then you're going to love my hypothesis about how one can mathematically calculate how interesting a story is.

Inspired by the scene in "Dead Poet's Society", you simply measure the amount of sex in the story, and the amount of violence, and then you draw up a rectangle, with the length of one edge being the amount of sex, and the length of the other edge being the amount of sex, and the area of the resulting rectangle is then a good estimate of how interesting the story is.

It is intended to provoke, of course, but in all seriousness I actually do think that it is more correct than it is incorrect.

Personally I prefer books that include metaphorical penis fencing(1),
and I can take romance or leave it.

I prefer to expand the definition of romance, so that what most people currently define as romance becomes re-defined as "chick romance", in order to make room for another sub-category of romance, rather less cute & cuddly (and liable to involve slave girls, in some way, or some similar phenomenon) which we might call "dude romance". Both of these, along wih possibly a third and fourth sub-category of romance (although I can't think what that might be), are then categorized under the larger, newer, more sensible, and roomier category of "romance"-

Zeborah
(1) Although, seriously, I'd totally read a book that included literal
penis fencing as a part of how human society worked.

I'm too homophobic to read that. And I believe a sizeable percentage of the male population share that condition.

But if you want to do some Google searching, one keyword you might want to use (or that you might want to not use) is, I believe, "helicopter".

--
Peter Knutsen
sagatafl.org
.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Why Space Empires?
    ... amount of sex in the story, and the amount of violence, and then you ... sex, and the length of the other edge being the amount of sex, and the ... It is intended to provoke, of course, but in all seriousness I actually ... If so, and if bonobos are as you describe, it seems like an indication ...
    (rec.arts.sf.composition)
  • Re: Medical celibacy
    ... you two are so far REMOVED from ROMANCE in the bedroom, living room, ... and just get to the ramming, the majority who give the romance a chance ... LOVE is sooo muuuch moore INTIMATE than just SEX that you guys will ... physical intimacy over time> he may just go looking for it some ...
    (alt.support.chronic-pain)
  • Re: Why Space Empires?
    ... I'd assume that any conflict in bonobo society is of a non-violent type. ... amount of sex in the story, and the amount of violence, and then you ... sex, and the length of the other edge being the amount of sex, and the ... It is intended to provoke, of course, but in all seriousness I actually ...
    (rec.arts.sf.composition)
  • Re: Medical celibacy
    ... wrote something wonderfully witty: ... you two are so far REMOVED from ROMANCE in the bedroom, living room, ... INTIMATE than just SEX that you guys will learn a NEW EMOTION ... So ZW & Juba, I do value your opinions and concerns and wish to stay ...
    (alt.support.chronic-pain)
  • Re: Medical celibacy
    ... and just get to the ramming, the majority who give the romance a chance ... LOVE is sooo muuuch moore INTIMATE than just SEX that you guys will ... So ZW & Juba, I do value your opinions and concerns and wish to stay ... to view sexual relations, not intimacy, not love making, as a way to ...
    (alt.support.chronic-pain)