The Ifth of Oofth
April 19, 2010 10:08 PM Subscribe
The Ifth of Oofth [PDF, 8 pages]
This post was deleted for the following reason: Poster's Request -- travelingthyme
Wouldn't a pentaract be made of ten tesseracts, not eight?
posted by Joe in Australia at 10:29 PM on April 19, 2010
posted by Joe in Australia at 10:29 PM on April 19, 2010
That was great. Thank you.
By Walter Tevis. Huh, I've read The Hustler and didn't know he was a sci-fi guy.
posted by P.o.B. at 10:33 PM on April 19, 2010
By Walter Tevis. Huh, I've read The Hustler and didn't know he was a sci-fi guy.
posted by P.o.B. at 10:33 PM on April 19, 2010
It works! I'm twelve years old again!
posted by humannaire at 10:34 PM on April 19, 2010
posted by humannaire at 10:34 PM on April 19, 2010
Context: great short science fiction tale by Walter Tevis, who also wrote such classics as "The Man Who Fell to Earth", "The Hustler" and "The Color of Money". Mentioned and linked previously in an AskMe thread about science-gone-wrong stories.
Much as I love to see it here, I think it's technically under copyright. On the other hand it doesn't seem to be in print anymore (the most recent printing would probably have been the 1981 collection "Far From Home"). If you enjoy this, it might be worth picking up a copy of one of his still-in-print books so his estate gets a few dollars.
(On preview - I see I'm slow on some of the context, but hopefully the rest is useful)
posted by Two unicycles and some duct tape at 10:35 PM on April 19, 2010
Much as I love to see it here, I think it's technically under copyright. On the other hand it doesn't seem to be in print anymore (the most recent printing would probably have been the 1981 collection "Far From Home"). If you enjoy this, it might be worth picking up a copy of one of his still-in-print books so his estate gets a few dollars.
(On preview - I see I'm slow on some of the context, but hopefully the rest is useful)
posted by Two unicycles and some duct tape at 10:35 PM on April 19, 2010
"Two Billion People.." Those were the days.
posted by Mei's lost sandal at 10:37 PM on April 19, 2010
posted by Mei's lost sandal at 10:37 PM on April 19, 2010
I really enjoyed that. I read lots of short stuff like that when I was younger. I miss that stuff!
*runs off to find a good page of Required SciFi reading*
posted by barnacles at 10:40 PM on April 19, 2010
*runs off to find a good page of Required SciFi reading*
posted by barnacles at 10:40 PM on April 19, 2010
Reminds me of Bradbury's "And He Built a Crooked House" (archived, background painful to the eye).
But the title reminds me of Mike Talbot's "Magic Worlds of Magic", which appears to be gone forever. I wish I had saved a copy.
posted by kurumi at 10:43 PM on April 19, 2010
But the title reminds me of Mike Talbot's "Magic Worlds of Magic", which appears to be gone forever. I wish I had saved a copy.
posted by kurumi at 10:43 PM on April 19, 2010
Thanks, that was delightful!
posted by Glow Bucket at 10:45 PM on April 19, 2010
posted by Glow Bucket at 10:45 PM on April 19, 2010
"—And He Built a Crooked House—" was Heinlein, actually.
posted by JiBB at 11:34 PM on April 19, 2010
posted by JiBB at 11:34 PM on April 19, 2010
That was excellent, but maybe not delightful, what with the fact that it (probably) ends with a million mile long red hot poker destroying the earth.
posted by Caduceus at 11:39 PM on April 19, 2010
posted by Caduceus at 11:39 PM on April 19, 2010
This one clearly anticipates the jello shot.
Sorry, no. That would be Jerry Thomas in 1862 – rendering the softer sex somewhat unfit for waltzing or quadrilling after supper.
posted by tellurian at 11:41 PM on April 19, 2010 [6 favorites]
Sorry, no. That would be Jerry Thomas in 1862 – rendering the softer sex somewhat unfit for waltzing or quadrilling after supper.
posted by tellurian at 11:41 PM on April 19, 2010 [6 favorites]
somewhat unfit for waltzing
Unfit for waltzing, but uncharacteristically enthusiastic about rumpy-pumpy.
posted by PeterMcDermott at 1:21 AM on April 20, 2010
Unfit for waltzing, but uncharacteristically enthusiastic about rumpy-pumpy.
posted by PeterMcDermott at 1:21 AM on April 20, 2010
Wouldn't a pentaract be made of ten tesseracts, not eight?
It'd have to, since each tesseract would have one cube overlapping with one cube of each of the other tesseracts, excepting the one on the opposite side in the oofth dimension.
posted by BrotherCaine at 1:55 AM on April 20, 2010
It'd have to, since each tesseract would have one cube overlapping with one cube of each of the other tesseracts, excepting the one on the opposite side in the oofth dimension.
posted by BrotherCaine at 1:55 AM on April 20, 2010
I am glad "dick in a box" had not yet been a hit single when the story was written.
posted by maxwelton at 3:52 AM on April 20, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by maxwelton at 3:52 AM on April 20, 2010 [1 favorite]
Hadn't read the story yet, just the first few comments & already I was thinking of "Crooked House" as well as a story by I think Asimov about a mathemetician who teaches a young child higher math & accidentally gives the child powers of telepathy, teleportation & time travel.
posted by scalefree at 5:01 AM on April 20, 2010
posted by scalefree at 5:01 AM on April 20, 2010
I am glad "dick in a box" had not yet been a hit single when the story was written.
He would have really fucked things then.
posted by From Bklyn at 5:20 AM on April 20, 2010
He would have really fucked things then.
posted by From Bklyn at 5:20 AM on April 20, 2010
I love vintage sci fi...is there any more like this around?
posted by Omnomnom at 5:40 AM on April 20, 2010 [2 favorites]
posted by Omnomnom at 5:40 AM on April 20, 2010 [2 favorites]
I love vintage sci fi...is there any more like this around?
Seconding this. I caught much of it in my youth but I'd love to revisit (or read those I missed), short pieces like this in particular.
posted by tellurian at 6:59 AM on April 20, 2010
Seconding this. I caught much of it in my youth but I'd love to revisit (or read those I missed), short pieces like this in particular.
posted by tellurian at 6:59 AM on April 20, 2010
A Yoshimoto cube is about as close as you'll get in real life.
posted by borkencode at 7:20 AM on April 20, 2010
posted by borkencode at 7:20 AM on April 20, 2010
I don't know how the end of that sentence ended up bold.
posted by borkencode at 7:21 AM on April 20, 2010
posted by borkencode at 7:21 AM on April 20, 2010
I love vintage sci fi...is there any more like this around?
The SciFi channel used to have a nice archive of science fiction short stories on their website before they took the whole thing down in 2007. Right before they yanked it, I used UltraWeb on the Fiction section and created a messy 50mb zip file.
I do not know if I still have it. The works are also (obviously) copyrighted. But if I do, I'll post confirmation late this evening when I get home from work, and then try to archive the texts somewhere like scribd, or upload them available via YouSendIt or something.
posted by zarq at 7:24 AM on April 20, 2010
The SciFi channel used to have a nice archive of science fiction short stories on their website before they took the whole thing down in 2007. Right before they yanked it, I used UltraWeb on the Fiction section and created a messy 50mb zip file.
I do not know if I still have it. The works are also (obviously) copyrighted. But if I do, I'll post confirmation late this evening when I get home from work, and then try to archive the texts somewhere like scribd, or upload them available via YouSendIt or something.
posted by zarq at 7:24 AM on April 20, 2010
or upload them available
NEED COFFEE.
That should read, "or upload them and make them available for download"
posted by zarq at 7:30 AM on April 20, 2010
NEED COFFEE.
That should read, "or upload them and make them available for download"
posted by zarq at 7:30 AM on April 20, 2010
My brain must bereally foggy this morning because when I started reading, I thought this was going to be like a 1950's "Brokeback Mountain." Nice little story, though and thanks for posting this.
posted by d1rge at 8:05 AM on April 20, 2010
posted by d1rge at 8:05 AM on April 20, 2010
Also, Starship Sofa and Escape Pod are both fantastic podcasts of scifi short stories. Starship Sofa has branched out into interviews as well.
posted by zarq at 8:14 AM on April 20, 2010
posted by zarq at 8:14 AM on April 20, 2010
I saw "farnsworth" and inventing daft things, and I imagined him as professor farnsworth from futurama for the remainder.
posted by Arturus at 9:23 AM on April 20, 2010
posted by Arturus at 9:23 AM on April 20, 2010
I don't know how the end of that sentence ended up bold.
posted by borkencode at 7:21 AM on April 20 [+] [!]
Eponysterical.
posted by Caduceus at 10:28 AM on April 20, 2010
posted by borkencode at 7:21 AM on April 20 [+] [!]
Eponysterical.
posted by Caduceus at 10:28 AM on April 20, 2010
Yes, it reminds me of Heinlein's "He Built A Crooked House" as well. I first discovered that story in one or another of two math-related collections Clifton Fadiman edited way back in the '60s sometime, "The Mathematical Magpie" and "Fantasia Mathematica." I discovered them in the book collection of my 7th grade math teacher and devoured them, though I was not then nor ever have been much for math. The stories were extremely influential in nurturing my infant love for science fiction, though, and there were math-related poems and cartoons in the books as well. I know they were reprinted ten years ago or so, and may still be available. Gotta dig those back out when I get home...
posted by lhauser at 11:29 AM on April 20, 2010
posted by lhauser at 11:29 AM on April 20, 2010
I remember reading this story in one of the approximately eighteen bajillion old SF collections I devoured as a youth. It's still good.
posted by Faint of Butt at 11:50 AM on April 20, 2010
posted by Faint of Butt at 11:50 AM on April 20, 2010
I saw "farnsworth" and inventing daft things, and I imagined him as professor farnsworth from futurama for the remainder.
Farnsworth is the name of the man who (partly) invented the television, among other things. Futurama's Professor Farnsworth is named after him. So's the little two-way video-chat gadget on Warehouse 13.
posted by vorfeed at 1:35 PM on April 20, 2010
Farnsworth is the name of the man who (partly) invented the television, among other things. Futurama's Professor Farnsworth is named after him. So's the little two-way video-chat gadget on Warehouse 13.
posted by vorfeed at 1:35 PM on April 20, 2010
I do not know if I still have it. The works are also (obviously) copyrighted. But if I do, I'll post confirmation late this evening when I get home from work, and then try to archive the texts somewhere like scribd, or upload them available via YouSendIt or something.
Wow, that would be so awesome, zarq.
posted by Omnomnom at 11:28 AM on April 21, 2010
Wow, that would be so awesome, zarq.
It wasn't on my hard drives. Going to have to check my file archives to see if I saved it. :(
posted by zarq at 12:07 PM on April 21, 2010
It wasn't on my hard drives. Going to have to check my file archives to see if I saved it. :(
posted by zarq at 12:07 PM on April 21, 2010
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posted by grobstein at 10:29 PM on April 19, 2010 [3 favorites]