Doctor Jack’s Soapbox Seminars
Today marks the 100th anniversary of The Tunguska Event, a huge explosion in Sibera that has puzzled scientist and pseudo-scientists for years. To mark the occasion, we’re releasing Doctor Jack’s Soapbox Seminars, a series of lectures proffered to explain and discuss the event:
What if the cataclysmic Tunguska explosion of 1908 was caused, not by a meteor or a comet, but by a microscopic black hole?
… Well, like as not, you already know that story — the one told by Bill DeSmedt in his award-winning novel/podcast Singularity. What you may not know, though, is the story behind the story: the science behind Singularity.
Surprisingly (or maybe not), you can learn a lot about primordial black holes and the Tunguska Event and black hole radiation and the Big Bang on the pages of Singularity. And you don’t have to take our word for it: some world-class physicists think so too:
“Bill got the vast majority of the physics right, which is highly unusual — especially in a book that is such a good read.”
– Kip Thorne, Feynman Professor of Theoretical Physics, California Institute of Technology and author of Black Holes and Time Warps: Einstein’s Outrageous Legacy“Singularity is an uncommonly good science thriller, quite free of the poetic license some writers take with the laws of nature in order to put together the yarn.”
– Jacob D. Bekenstein, Professor of Theoretical Physics, Hebrew University, Jerusalem and discoverer of black-hole entropy“As a specialist in black hole astrophysics, I would have to say that this is one of the most creative uses of primordial black-hole theory in science fiction.”
– Scott A. Hughes, Professor of Theoretical Astrophysics, Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyNow, for the first time, the real-life counterpart of Singularity’s resident cosmologist, Doctor Jack Adler, steps up to explain what it is all these scientists are raving about, in his “Soapbox Seminars” — an informal look at the hard-core science behind the novel.
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July 15th, 2008 at 1:31 am
I’ve been jonesing for a Singular fix since I finished Singularity. I’m not sure if “Duality” will be released as a free audio book but these Dr. Jack books seem to be fillin’ ma’ need; as he would say.
Glad to hear Bill ‘ur Jack, back online, and I look forward to some more stories.
September 8th, 2008 at 2:00 pm
I’m a huge fan of Bills work. I listened to Singularity and then purchased a hard copy to pass among my friends at work. With the Large Hadron Collider coming online, people should really check into this type of science. Looking forward to Duality. Keep up the good work Bill!
December 11th, 2008 at 3:28 pm
Friends of Doctor Jack,
I owe you all an apology for the two-week hiatus preceding this coming weekend’s final episode of Doctor Jack’s Soapbox Seminars.
The hold-up was caused by my coming down with a cold over Thanksgiving, and it’s been hanging on since, making my John C. Adler impersonation sound like a frog with laryngitis. It’s pretty much behind me now, thank God, so this Sunday will see the debut of Episode #18: The Vurdalak Conjecture. Hope you enjoy it!
Bill DeSmedt
December 12th, 2008 at 12:43 pm
[...] Dr. Jack’s Soap Box Seminars [...]
December 17th, 2008 at 3:29 pm
I won’t pretend to understand everything Jack had to say, but this is definitely one of my favourite podiobooks.
Although I could not understand 100%, due to your ‘down-to-earth’ manner of speech, I would say I got 90% of it. Thank you so much, I thoroughly enjoyed this book.
To others reading this post: If you enjoyed singularity, and if you didn’t that’s because you haven’t listened to it yet! (it is impossible not to like) go look it up on this site now and enjoy that before attempting to listen here, if you enjoyed Singularity, you will find Dr Jack’s Soapbox a very pleasant appendix to the main act.
Thanks again Bill. Any ETA on Duality? When can I purchase a copy?
January 2nd, 2009 at 10:03 am
Hey, Steve –
Thanks for the kind words about Doctor Jack (and Singularity). I’m glad you enjoyed them.
As to Dualism, if it were a movie (I should be so lucky, right?), it’d be in post-production now — all done but the editing. Hoping to have it in the can by the end of the first quarter of 09. Thanks for asking!
S novym godom, as Sasha would say!
Bill
June 10th, 2009 at 1:16 am
Wow… a great head-stretcher of a book. Certainly not what I was expecting but I’m so glad that Doctor Jack, or Bill or whoever
wrote this…
I never knew that I liked black holes till now
April 27th, 2010 at 1:30 pm
So, did Duality ever get released? I just finished Singularity (loved it). Now I need more. Getting ready to listen to Doctor Jack, but I was hoping to have Duality ready to go.
May 25th, 2010 at 10:00 am
Hi, James — thanks for the kind words, and (I know you guys have heard this before, but) Dualism’s nearly in the can. Still wrestling with a prologue, and some nips and tucks but shooting for the end of June.
Bill
January 23rd, 2011 at 3:22 pm
Hi,
I really enjoyed the podcast of the novel and have purchased the book as well.
Any news on Dualism?
Looking forward to it!
Eamon
February 22nd, 2011 at 9:44 am
Whaaaat?! You mean that could still be in there?!?! Its not possible! Something like that would be building up over the past century, possibly influencing rapid climate change and all kinds of disasters all over the earth! Oh, wait….
I loved listening to this book. It did surprise me how catty scientists can be when new ideas don’t mesh with their own ideas.
Very fun to listen to, though! Thank you!!!
December 27th, 2011 at 1:59 pm
LOL, Nelline — Your “Oh, wait …” tagline reminded me of the verse from the Mystery Science Theater 3000 theme song:
If you wonder how Mike eats and breathes,
And other science facts,
You should think to yourself “It’s just a show –
I should really just relax!”
Seriously, though, there’s some considerable debate as to how fast a subatomic-sized black hole could eat the earth, given it’s minuscule capture cross section. I was actually corresponding with Scott Nopp on related topics on my facebook page — check it out:
http://www.facebook.com/bill.desmedt
And, as always — thanks for listening!
Bill