[ST Ref: PT-B1-C11_240812: ‘Planetoid Trilogy’, ‘Star Island’, Chapter Eleven: “Engineering Opinion”.]
Engineering Opinion
Meetings can be tedious, boring even. And having too many of them can be inefficient and counter productive. And so can having too many people involved when only those directly involved in the subject of the meeting should be attending.
So, with all these negatives why is Chapter Eleven, “Engineering Opinion”, in Book One, “Star Island“, of “Planetoid Trilogy“, all about a meeting?
Isn’t this potentially a great boring waste of the reader’s time?
Well, Barrie Cameron, the author of “Planetoid Trilogy“, figures that if the reader is interested in science fiction, surely he or she is also interested in technology and engineering. And meetings, carefully planned and efficient ones, are essential tools in the scientist’s and engineer’s tool box.
Do I hear someone say that science fiction isn’t always about technology or engineering….
Isn’t it?
What is technology? Surely “science” implies “technology”, even when that “science” is biologic or what ever.
Not that Chapter Eleven involves biologic science, that comes later…. oops, almost a spoiler!
Some Definitions
At the risk of boring you even more with all this talk of meetings, how about some dictionary definitions?
Lots of fun, don’t you think?
Try these for size (from the Concise Oxford English Dictionary, 12th Edition, 2011):
science n. 1 the intellectual and practical activity encompassing the systematic study of the structure and behaviour of the physical and natural world through observation and experiment. 2 a systematically organized body of knowledge on any subject. 3 archaic knowledge.
All pretty efficient use of language, and right on the button, don’t you think?
How about this one from the same dictionary:
science fiction n. fiction based on imagined future worlds portraying scientific or technological changes.
Seems pretty straight forward, don’t you think?
How about this one:
technology n. (pl. technologies) the application of scientific knowledge for practical purposes. [subsense:] machinery and equipment based on such knowledge. [subsense:] the branch of knowledge concerned with applied sciences.
That wasn’t too painful, was it? But wait, there’s more!
meeting n. 1 an assembly of people for a purpose, especially for formal discussion.
There are other subsenses for “meeting” but they don’t relate to this discussion.
So, what about:
engineering n. 1 the branch of science and technology concerned with design, building, and use of engines, machines, and structures. [subsense:] the practical application of scientific ideas and principles.
Again there are other sub-meanings, such as software engineering, etc. but you get the idea….
Engineering Opinion?
Well, I can’t explain this one too much without risk of spoilers for Chapter Eleven, but we can say that there is an engineering mystery to be explored and uncovered and that usually begins with a meeting or two. It goes with the territory.
Planetoid, Dwarf Planet, or Asteroid?
Since we are exploring dictionary definitions, it is perhaps opportune to look up the word “planetoid”. The Term “Planetoid” has of late been much maligned, I feel.
Some modern astronomers, and others, prefer not to use the term, and some even dislike it. Speaking for myself, I quite like the word “planetoid”, perhaps for reasons known to me in my youth but which are now lost to me. So, what is its the dictionary meaning?
planetoid n. another term for asteroid.
Why not? After all, what are asteroids? They are certainly not stars as implied by the “official” name of “asteroid”. They are mini-planets, clumps of rock, or of rock and ice.
No doubt there was a debate amongst astronomers, back in the day, and they settled upon “asteroid”.
One of the largest asteroids in the Asteroid Belt is 4 Vesta, shown in the NASA image below:
Never mind. What’s in a name? “A rose by any other name would smell as sweet”.
4 Vesta features in Book Two, “Three Fates”, of “Planetoid Trilogy”.
If you would like to say something regarding the above, please leave your comments below.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Cheers, Barrie Cameron, 12/08/2024.