I'm suddenly very interested in stories, novels, films, music, poems, and comics/graphic narratives that take insanity, altered states of consciousness, and/or terminal illness as a primary theme. My general preference is for science fiction and speculative fiction, but suggestions from other genres would be very good as well.
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posted by gerryblog
on Nov 16, 2010 -
41 answers
Where should I start with James Tiptree, Jr.?
posted by OmieWise
on Oct 28, 2010 -
8 answers
Get Me Out Of My Travel Rut: My tour takes me to the beatific city of San Fransisco soon and while I visit about once a year, I usually end up going to same places/doing the same things. What's terribly new in SF? What are the fresh must-see shows, restaurants, nightspots, stores, or Things To Do. Ideally I'm looking for things/places that have opened within the year. Will have a car and able to make day trips out into the environs.
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posted by The Whelk
on Oct 17, 2010 -
16 answers
Can someone refresh my memory about
Revelation Space by Alastair Reynolds? I'm reading
Redemption Ark and a few things I feel like I should remember aren't coming back.
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posted by OmieWise
on Oct 7, 2010 -
4 answers
Can you recommend fiction that is a crossover between noir/hardboiled detective stories and sci-fi/fantasy?
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posted by gritter
on Sep 20, 2010 -
64 answers
I'm 26 and have a gap year before starting grad school. Where should I move to? (Chicago / Seattle / Portland / SF / other)
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posted by amillionbillion
on Aug 27, 2010 -
17 answers
San Francisco for 3 months to be creative and check out awesomeness. Low budget, Bangladesh passport. Possible?
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posted by divabat
on Aug 27, 2010 -
8 answers
Help me remember a science fiction story: colonists beaten to objective by faster earth ship.
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posted by snarfois
on Aug 18, 2010 -
19 answers
I am a woman in my mid-20's who has had some kink experience in a previous relationship but now wants to explore it a little on my own. I am moving to SF soon so now is as good a time as any to try. I am both fascinated by and intimidated by it all, and would like to know some general information, advice, and suggestions on directions I could try to check things out slowly and discretely.
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posted by anonymous
on Jul 20, 2010 -
12 answers
Please help me ID a short science fiction story. Space tragedy, Spanish names, and revenge.
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posted by wzcx
on Jul 16, 2010 -
4 answers
How can I stop the noise coming from the steam pipe (?) in our bedroom's wall? We just moved into an apartment in a not-so-well maintained 1920s-era building.
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posted by pantufla
on Jul 13, 2010 -
7 answers
Bay Area-centric/Bike-centric question: I love to go for bike rides with my 7 year old. She's usually up for about 5 miles, but is interested in going farther and so am I (with breaks). She gets discouraged if there are a lot of hills or if the road is rough. So far the best routes have been on the completed chunks of the Bay Trail because they are flat, paved, pedestrian/bike only (no cars) and have nice views. Can you suggest any other spots for this kind of low-key but long-lasting bike ride in the greater Bay Area? Are there websites or books I should look to for more ideas?
posted by serazin
on Jul 10, 2010 -
10 answers
A coworker and I will be in SF from August 17-29th to meet people, look around, and in general get a feel for the area. What should we do?
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posted by polexa
on Jun 18, 2010 -
6 answers
A friend is considering going to the Academy of Art University in San Francisco for "Web Design and New Media" with the goal of becoming a web designer. Questions are (a) Is this school well-regarded by potential employers and (b) is it a good value for the tuition? They have zero interest in doing straight programming without design work involved.
posted by benzenedream
on May 13, 2010 -
17 answers
Trying to track down a kid's sci-fi short story about a girl whose neighbour was an alien who could detach and 'fix' body parts.
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posted by Paragon
on May 12, 2010 -
6 answers
I want to buy a gift certificate to a day spa for a twenty-something gay man with upscale conservative taste. I'm looking for a place that's sleek, sophisticated and oriented towards men, with good massage and other services, high standards for service and cleanliness, and ideally also offering lunch and cocktails. The kind of place where someone could lounge around all day drinking a mimosa and reading the paper, wearing slippers and a robe. It needs to be in San Francisco proper, not elsewhere in the Bay Area.
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posted by Susan PG
on Apr 25, 2010 -
2 answers
What are some good light-hearted quotations for a wedding reading, preferably from fantasy/SF/young adult books?
This question had some good SF ones but we're also after fantasy. Pratchett, Douglas Adams, Gaiman, Bujold are some examples of authors we're looking at
posted by xiw
on Apr 6, 2010 -
8 answers
I just got a job offer in SF. Do I stand any chance of finding preschool for my 3-year old by September? [Yes, ye childless, roll your eyes.]
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posted by TheWash
on Apr 6, 2010 -
5 answers
Summer housing in San Francisco: is it totally crazy to fly down and start looking only two weeks before my job starts?
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posted by ewiar
on Mar 28, 2010 -
6 answers
Can the hive mind recommend a reasonably-priced Seiko watch repair place in San Francisco?
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posted by Quietgal
on Mar 20, 2010 -
4 answers
The Bay area, a pivotal center of technology, finance, home to CAL, Stanford, and many, many literate folks does not have a semi-decent local newspaper. How and why? Can anything be done?
ps: the local "news" blogs are really no better (SFist, beyond chron, etc)
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posted by macadam9
on Mar 18, 2010 -
13 answers
I would like to write in a typeface that beckons to an unreasonable future populated by ludicrous characters, yet isn't unbearable to read a few hours at a time on a 24" iMac monitor or 13" iBook laptop.
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posted by Slap*Happy
on Mar 10, 2010 -
8 answers
How can I gather a bunch of goofy people in San Francisco for a party? [details inside]
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posted by nnevvinn
on Mar 9, 2010 -
11 answers
Asking for a friend: Where in the Bay Area should a couple with one person commuting to the Embarcadero BART station (not Caltrain - this person works literally above the station) and the other person commuting to Menlo Park near the Dumbarton Bridge live?
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posted by mdonley
on Jan 25, 2010 -
13 answers
Since I went to worldcon in Montreal last year, I'm eligible to nominate SF works for the Hugo awards this year. I'd like to try to stretch out from the more mainstream authors, can you help me diversify the 2010 Hugo award nominations?
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posted by Envoy
on Jan 12, 2010 -
4 answers
As part of my New Year's Self-Improvement Program (tm), I'm seeking out a few sexual experiences I haven't had but would like. In particular, I'd like to be the third in a heterosexual couple's threesome. I'm a mostly-straight man in San Francisco.
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posted by anonymous
on Jan 5, 2010 -
8 answers
San Francisco Bay Area: Looking for new running routes/paths in the Bay Area again...but this time, I have a car!
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posted by soleiluna
on Nov 28, 2009 -
5 answers
Good online resources (particularly videos) that explain the seasons of the San Francisco Bay Area?
posted by one_bean
on Oct 7, 2009 -
2 answers
Identify a science fiction story about a giant, unfixable traffic jam. (spoilers inside.)
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posted by escabeche
on Sep 16, 2009 -
29 answers
Pacific Northwest Roadtrip: SF to Portland and back. 6 days. Which roads to take? Which towns and parks do we have to see? Your favorite spots along 1? We're interested in anything and everything. Thanks!
posted by mrunderhill
on Sep 4, 2009 -
11 answers
My visceral dislike of the movie
District 9 combined with years of other sub par science fiction movies has pretty much killed any desire to see more films of the genre. Help me rekindle the flame. (Minor District 9spoilers inside)
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posted by Brandon Blatcher
on Aug 19, 2009 -
82 answers
I will be in San Francisco for the next 48 hours, does anyone know of a good Chinese doctor I van visit for my eczema?
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posted by jontyjago
on Jul 15, 2009 -
4 answers
SF short story filter: I read this sci-fi short story a long time ago. It's fairly memorable...I'm hoping someone on AskMeFi knows of it.
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posted by diode
on Jul 2, 2009 -
3 answers
Music Mix Filter: Long story short, next week the model at my event is coming dressed as the Alien Queen from the ALIEN movies. I have no idea what kind of music to play for the background. The film scores seem obvious but who wants to listen to clanking and increasing strings for 3 hours? I can either go scary-horror-sci-fi or campy-alien-novelty songs. Ideally I could do both. What kind of weird space music recommendations do you have? Gotta have songs about alien invaders?
posted by The Whelk
on Jun 30, 2009 -
33 answers
Science fiction - filter: I used to read and love Dick, Farmer, LeGuin, and others who coupled great writing with directly confronting sex, violence, and societal change. What contemporary authors might I like?
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posted by Forktine
on May 28, 2009 -
40 answers
