[May 3, 1960] Sharpening Up (Poul Anderson's Brain Wave)

[galacticjourney]

It's tough to be a smart person in a dumb world.

When I was in 4th grade, I had a miserable, mean teacher named Mrs. Middleton. She was the sort of lady who wore a smile on her face that had a depth of about a micron—she certainly didn't have a pleasant soul. I remember many incidents that caused her to rank in the lower tiers of my instructors, but the one that sticks out the most went as follows:

I had done or said something that displayed my somewhat above-average intelligence, and Mrs. Middleton took umbrage. She sneeringly asked me, "You think you're so smart! How would you like it if everyone was as smart as you?"

I answered, quite innocently, "I would love it. Then I'd have people to talk to."



Perhaps this is why Poul Anderson's 1954 novel, Brain Wave, which explores the aftermath of an event that causes every living thing with a brain to become about four times smarter, resonates so strongly with me.

(See the rest at Galactic Journey!)

Comments

Just saw your blog have some Sci-Fi thoughts

[(Anonymous)]

Hi I just followed the link on my Lush email to your 'Galactic Quest' blog I have a website, www.wrsd.us that is set up to host a Sci-Fi Radio show called 'Future Fair' for what would be a series on Sci-Fi. I ended up doing a video, 'Future Fair Introduction', on youtube, and have not yet got back into the radio plays. I live in Vista with my female partner who ran her father's 3D company in Burbank. We have a small collection of books, big coffee table journels on the studios etc. and a collection of very 'special' Sci-Fi paperbacks. I am not sure if I have seen the Poul Anderson's Brain Wave cover, but the graphics style is very familiar. When I was scrounging for graphics for the Future Fair main page, I was shocked to realize that almost everything I could find, I had seen before, and also read the story too! I used to read about 75 pages a night when a teenager, and I still have most of those books. I also have a complete set of Conan, 1960's, with Frazetti covers, and a never read set of Lord of the Rings books in the wraparound case. The books I treasure most though are the rarely produced Sci-Fi adventure books from the 1930's to about the later 1950's. Some of the best stories and the whole world the stories came from, were very special places. I find your journal very interesting as, a. A lot of the stories and the cover graphics in Sci-Fi were very good, and depicted a world or place worth exploring. b. The world has changed so much in the last 60 years, that the 1960's is Sci-Fi now! We were watching 'It Takes a Thief' re-runs for last year, and realized what a different world even 1965 was. So I could do 'Future Fair' show about Future worlds of the past, some that lasted only a short time. I would like to put up some kind of a "Sci-Fi" Explorers site. sCiFiers could post who they are and what they are into, and where they are. Then sCiFiers could meet or form groups in their area, and use the site for communications. Read Long and Expand, George - RadioPlaySD@yahoo.com

Re: Just saw your blog have some Sci-Fi thoughts

[galacticjourney]

Hello, George!

Thanks for your kind comments. You said you found it on your "Lush email"? Do you mean one of the cards I left there a while back?