James Nicoll: Doing

James Nicoll is Canadian fiction reviewer. Explore interesting quotes on doing.
James Nicoll: 138   quotes 0   likes

“The sharp side of the knife goes away from you. Pure reason does not trump brute force but suprisingly few people know what hot peppers look like when the teacher asks if you have enough to share with everyone. Never take the lid of a pressure cooker 'to see if it's done yet'. Even if you are careful with the picric acid that won't matter if you are careless with other items next to it. Move *away* from mysterious burglar alarms. Do not append 'you moron' to exposition directed at people who have just broken into your building. 'We need to talk' is overwhelmingly unlikely to precede good news. A rough brick wall may be used to sort socks or as a backdrop for sock-art (The Neglected Art). A silent cat is Up to Something. Lungs are unsuited for many possible atmospheres, including that of London, and anything with a high content of industrial cleaners. Youth will not save you from Newton's Laws. Or Darwin's.”

James Nicoll

Facebook post (2014) https://www.facebook.com/james.nicoll.927/posts/10152710405547985
2010s

People , Youth , Law , Art

“It would let me protect the Earth from asteroids. In fact, for a small fee I would protect the Earth on a monthly basis, locating rocks that could be steered into the Earth and then not doing it if the cheque didn't bounce.
We could finally commodify sunlight. A large solar collector at the Earth Sun L1 would block all the light that otherwise falls on the unworthy and could be sold to those that deserve it (Litmus test is the same as with Operation Nice Planet You Have, Shame If Anything Were To Happen To It).”

James Nicoll

Livejournal comment http://james-nicoll.livejournal.com/226271.html?thread=2139359#t2139359
2000s

Light , Sun

“I also do not recommend shopping with Cordelia Naismith—but I would watch that reality show.”

James Nicoll

"Six Characters with Whom You Should Never Ever Go Camping" https://www.tor.com/2018/08/20/six-characters-with-whom-you-should-never-ever-go-camping/ on Tor.com, August 20, 2018
2010s

Reality

“We discovered at one point that the brick wall of the pillar would hold up a sock pretty well. This led to sorting socks by putting them on the wall, which in turn led to mosaics built entirely of socks. Mission drift is a hazard in all pursuits, including doing the laundry.”

James Nicoll

[d6qu65$cm6$1@reader1.panix.com, 2005]
2000s

“Most of my scars are not fire-related and I no longer say "I know what I am doing" at critical moments.”

James Nicoll

[dgpfn2$h61$1@reader1.panix.com, 2005]
2000s

“Manitoba… Not sure what to do about them. Restock the province with megafauna and encourage tourism, I think. How quickly can we breed back the saber-toothed cats?”

James Nicoll

[deq4re$ki7$1@reader2.panix.com, 2005]
2000s

Cats , Thinking

“Look, I tried the cat experiment. On the third trial, the cat was dead. On each of the subsequent 413 trials, it remained dead. Am I doing something wrong?”

James Nicoll

[1992Mar11.195332.28642@watdragon.waterloo.edu, 1992]
1990s

Cats , Dead

“The one job that machines cannot do is be a cruel plutocrat. That’s why humans are still needed.”

James Nicoll

Review of Luna: New Moon by Ian McDonald http://jamesdavisnicoll.com/review/i-dont-care-what-happens-to-these-characters, 2015
2010s

“This I (still) believe:
Fire is not necessarily your friend. Neither are dogs. Things with lit fuses should not be held onto. Beware the savage croquet ball. If it is -30 out, put on a coat before you leave the house. Just because the snow keeps you from seeing other objects the objects do not cease to exist. Clotheslines are the enemy of the bicyclist. If you don't remember how you got on the ground or where the blood came from, don't get up right away. Gym teachers think it's funny to commit assault with a baseball so don't day-dream during PE even if they have you so far in the outfield there are DEW line posts on either side of you. All guns are loaded. So are many bows. Trebuchets are for outside use only…”

James Nicoll

Facebook post (2014) https://www.facebook.com/james.nicoll.927/posts/10152710405547985
2010s

Dogs , Dreams , Thinking , Teachers