The Man Who Sold The Moon
Life imitates art....
I was amused to read an article in Salon the other day about a man who is selling one acre lots on the moon for the surprisingly reasonable price of $19.95 each.
But what amused me most about the article is that whoever wrote it obviously doesn't know much about science fiction, as Robert A. Heinlein's name wasn't even mentioned.
In the late 1940s, Heinlein wrote a number of stories loosely tied together as a "Future History" series. Two of these stories were about Delos D. Harriman, the most famous being The Man Who Sold The Moon.
Salon's article is amusing, but never gives credit where credit is due for the idea itself, which is a shame. If you haven't read the story, get a copy from the library (it's conveniently in a collection of short stories also titled The Man Who Sold The Moon), it's worth it. Or buy one, read it, and when you're done, send a copy to Salon. Maybe they'll get it right next time.
[Sorry for the short column today, had errands to run and had to take kitty to the vet for her annual checkup. Kitty's fine.]
-- Chris Weigant
Magnificent...I'll take two. By the by, who did Salon get the article from, because I saw the same article quite some time ago....not accusing Salon of plagarism, but hope they attributed it correctly.
Nebula Noxx -
This story does pop up every now and again... the guy's been doing this since the 80s, and I think the article said he's cleared something like $10 million, which is nothing to sneeze at. My admiration for such a huckster is on a par with the guy who came up with the "pet rock" and sold a chunk of country rock for $10 a pop to millions of Americans.
PT Barnum was right... there's one born every minute...
:-)
-CW