On the eve of dConstruct 2012, Jeremy Keith hosts an evening of readings and chat with three of the brightest stars of the science-fiction world at the Pavilion Theatre in Brighton.
Event details: http://brightonsf.adactio.com/
Transcript: http://adactio.com/articles/5740/
Ray Bradbury has been awarded the 2000 Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters by the National Book Foundation. He is the author of over 23 books, including I Sing the Body Electric, The Martian Chronicles and Fahrenheit 451, all classics of science fiction. Bradbury created the scenario for the U.S. Pavilion at the 1964 New York World’s Fair, and the concept for Spaceship Earth at EPCOT at Disney World. In the early ’60s, he wrote screenplays for the television programs The Twilight Zone and Alfred Hitchcock Presents. He lives in Los Angeles, Calif.
Tagged with npr interview science fiction sci-fi writing book:author=ray bradbury
Noted author and futurist Vernor Vinge is surprisingly optimistic when it comes to the prospect of civilization collapsing.
“I think that [civilization] coming back would actually be a very big surprise,” he says in this week’s episode of the Geek’s Guide to the Galaxy podcast. “The difference between us and us 10,000 years ago is … we know it can be done.”
Vinge has a proven track record of looking ahead. His 1981 novella True Names was one of the first science fiction stories to deal with virtual reality, and he also coined the phrase, “The Technological Singularity” to describe a future point at which technology creates intelligences beyond our comprehension. The term is now in wide use among futurists.
But could humanity really claw its way back after a complete collapse? Haven’t we plundered the planet’s resources in ways that would be impossible to repeat?
“I disagree with that,” says Vinge. “With one exception — fossil fuels. But the stuff that we mine otherwise? We have concentrated that. I imagine that ruins of cities are richer ore fields than most of the natural ore fields we have used historically.”
That’s not to say the collapse of civilization is no big deal. The human cost would be horrendous, and there would be no comeback at all if the crash leaves no survivors. A ravaged ecosphere could stymie any hope of rebuilding, as could a disaster that destroys even the ruins of cities.
“I am just as concerned about disasters as anyone,” says Vinge. “I have this region of the problem that I’m more optimistic about than some people, but overall, avoiding existential threats is at the top of my to-do list.”
http://www.wired.com/underwire/2012/03/vernor-vinge-geeks-guide-galaxy/
The SFFaudio Podcast #083 – Jesse talks with Jeremy Keith of Huffduffer.com about his website. Huffduffer can turn any MP3 file on the web into a podcast! Huffduffer lets you make your own curated podcasts and share them with the world.
Today my guest on Singularity 1 on 1 is Vernor Vinge — the very person who coined the technological singularity as a term.
Currently Vernor Vinge is putting the final touches on the sequel to A Fire Upon the Deep. The new book is titled The Children of the Sky and is already available for pre-order on Amazon, though it is not expected to ship until October 2011.
Despite his busy schedule Prof. Vinge still managed to give us over an hour of his time and during our conversation I ask him to discuss issues such as: his childhood and early interest in science fiction; his desire to make sense of the universe; his definition of the technological singularity and the story behind the term; his now classic 1993 NASA paper; his favorite science fiction books and authors; major milestones on the way towards the singularity and our chances to survive such an unprecedented event.
Will the future be better or worse? - and does the story we are telling ourselves help or hinder us? With economist Diane Coyle, writers Cory Doctorow and William Gibson, and futurologists Mark Stevenson and Jon Turney.
Part of the Out of this World: Science and The Future event series.
We have always allowed our imaginations to create other worlds as expressions of our wildest dreams, hopes and fears. The story and present state of our speculations are explored by Erik Davis, China Miéville, Adam Roberts and Tricia Sullivan. Chair, Sam Leith.
Want to find out why Charlie Stross thinks that the singularity, if it happens at all, may not leave any room for humans? Check out his interview for www.SingularityWeblog.com