slothrop Posted November 20, 2006 Share Posted November 20, 2006 If anyone shares my appreciation for Thomas Pynchon, he has a new book out entitled "Against the Day." I have read a few reviews and am very excited. I have already done some research on some of the historical events the novel mentions. One very cool event that I did not know about is called the Tunguska-event. Here is a brief descrption from wikipedia on what occurred in Russia: The Tunguska event was an explosion that occurred at 60°55′N 101°57′E, near the Podkamennaya (Under Rock) Tunguska River in what is now Evenk Autonomous Okrug, at 7:17 AM on June 30, 1908. The event is sometimes referred to as the great Siberian explosion. The explosion was probably caused by the airburst of an asteroid or comet 5 to 10 kilometers (3–6 mi) above the Earth's surface. The energy of the blast was later estimated to be between 10 and 20 megatons of TNT, which would be equivalent to Castle Bravo, the most powerful nuclear bomb ever detonated by the US, though much less than Tsar Bomba, the most powerful nuclear explosion mankind has produced. It felled an estimated 60 million trees over 2,150 square kilometers (830 sq mi). An overhead satellite view centered at 60.917N 101.95E (near ground zero for this event) shows an area of reduced forest density, with a fully visible irregular clearing of somewhat less one square kilometer in area. In recent history, the Tunguska event stands out as one of the rare large-scale demonstrations that a full doomsday event is a real possibility for the human race. At around 7:15 a.m., Tungus natives and Russian settlers in the hills northwest of Lake Baikal observed a column of bluish light, nearly as bright as the Sun, moving across the sky. About 10 minutes later, there was a flash and a loud "knocking" sound similar to artillery fire that went in short bursts spaced increasingly wider apart. Eyewitnesses closer to the explosion reported the sound source moving during each barrage, east to north. The sounds were accompanied by a shock wave that knocked people off their feet and broke windows hundreds of miles away. The majority of eyewitnesses reported only the sounds and the tremors, and not the sighting of the explosion; to different eyewitnesses the sequence of events and their overall duration is also different. The explosion registered on seismic stations across Eurasia, and produced fluctuations in atmospheric pressure strong enough to be detected by the recently invented barographs in Britain. Over the next few days, night skies were aglow such that one could read in their light. In the United States, the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory and the Mount Wilson Observatory observed a decrease in atmospheric transparency that lasted for several months. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
apuszczalowski Posted November 20, 2006 Share Posted November 20, 2006 Whats a book? Is it for PS3 or Xbox360? Wii? Can I still get it for PS2 or Xbox? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slothrop Posted November 20, 2006 Author Share Posted November 20, 2006 Whats a book? Is it for PS3 or Xbox360? Wii? Can I still get it for PS2 or Xbox? 843690[/snapback] The funny thing is, like the hysteria around the PS3, I will be waiting for the book store to open tomorrow so that I can start reading it right away. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
apuszczalowski Posted November 20, 2006 Share Posted November 20, 2006 The funny thing is, like the hysteria around the PS3, I will be waiting for the book store to open tomorrow so that I can start reading it right away. 843696[/snapback] Are you going to put it on Ebay right away too? What kind of books does he write? I've never heard of any of his books. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bungee Jumper Posted November 20, 2006 Share Posted November 20, 2006 If anyone shares my appreciation for Thomas Pynchon, he has a new book out entitled "Against the Day." I have read a few reviews and am very excited. I have already done some research on some of the historical events the novel mentions. One very cool event that I did not know about is called the Tunguska-event. Here is a brief descrption from wikipedia on what occurred in Russia: 843495[/snapback] There's people that don't know about Tunguska? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I 90 Posted November 20, 2006 Share Posted November 20, 2006 Good, good news. I had forgotten about the Simpson's cameo... I had thought that might be the last of Mr. Pynchon. . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slothrop Posted November 20, 2006 Author Share Posted November 20, 2006 Are you going to put it on Ebay right away too? What kind of books does he write? I've never heard of any of his books. 843697[/snapback] His "most famous" book is "Gravity's Rainbow." He also wrote: "V", "Crying of Lot 49", "Vineland", and "Mason & Dixon." He is the wiki page about him: Thomas Pynchon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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