First I am a huge nerd when it comes to anything dealing with space travel. When I read about how NASA conducts launches in the not too far off year of 2047, I geeked out a little. McDonald seems to be combining these two launch systems. For those in a hurry, the first uses an array of lasers to push a payload to orbit. The second is rather more violent, it involves placing a ten megaton nuke under a salt dome underground and perching the payload on top of it at the bottom of a tunnel and then detonating the device. Oh, and by "rather more violent" I mean that the acceleration loads would turn you into greasy, chunky salsa. While on the subject, I wonder if Ian McDonald had either of these propulsion systems in mind when working on this novel? Yes they are similar, but I think they are different enough to count as different systems.
Okay, switching gears. Did anyone else picture Drum and Bass when they heard the description of the music Tal listens to? If you're curious just go to Pandora and listen to the Drum and Bass station there.
On another note, I think I may have my next paper topic.
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