Seth Shostak keeps reaching for unusual words that don't quite work.
Take "Nonetheless, every day I get e-mails from folks who suggest other reasons for our failure to pick up an alien thrum."
I know he means thrum as in the sound. But when thrum also has the meaning "Applied jocularly or contemptuously to a person (one meanly or raggedly dressed)" it sounds like he got turned down by a Zeta Reticulan crack-whore at the Star Wars cantina.
Then there is "several hundred billion suns that stud the Milky Way." I don't know that I would put "stud" anywhere near an astronomical feature named after squirting breast milk.
"short, brazen aliens" "Hardened in effrontery; shameless" as in "brazen hussies"? Or made of brass?
That's another thing about Seth that irks me. You can tell he thinks he's an oh-so-clever writer, but his toolbox is limited to kindergarten aliteration and stupid references like the onces you mention.
Mac -
ReplyDeleteOK...I'll accept your description that I "...stick it to" Seth in the post. But in fairness, I did allow as to his competence as an astronomer!!!
Damning with faint praise perhaps, but there it is... :)
Thanks for the mention!
Kyle
I thought you were very fair. *Someone* needs to reign this guy in sometimes. I used "sticks it" half-jokingly. :-)
ReplyDelete"Rein" [cough]
ReplyDeleteSeth Shostak keeps reaching for unusual words that don't quite work.
Take "Nonetheless, every day I get e-mails from folks who suggest other reasons for our failure to pick up an alien thrum."
I know he means thrum as in the sound. But when thrum also has the meaning "Applied jocularly or contemptuously to a person (one meanly or raggedly dressed)" it sounds like he got turned down by a Zeta Reticulan crack-whore at the Star Wars cantina.
Then there is "several hundred billion suns that stud the Milky Way." I don't know that I would put "stud" anywhere near an astronomical feature named after squirting breast milk.
"short, brazen aliens" "Hardened in effrontery; shameless" as in "brazen hussies"? Or made of brass?
That's another thing about Seth that irks me. You can tell he thinks he's an oh-so-clever writer, but his toolbox is limited to kindergarten aliteration and stupid references like the onces you mention.
ReplyDelete