WOW. This week I have the great pleasure of presenting to you, rendered in brilliant stereo sound, this gem of a short story by the grand master Robert A. Heinlein, By His Bootstraps.
We again have to thank the esteemed Yuri Rasovsky, who produced these works for the Beyond 2000 series which aired on NPR. You can download many many more stories from this collection on Audible – search for 2000x.
http://www.radiodramarevival.com/episode-177-robert-heinleins-by-his-bootstraps/
Set in the ruins of a housing estate in a futuristic, post-digital age world, where music haunts the streets, Joe and Dixie are struggling with the loss of Charlie. Dixie is doing her best to hold on to Joe, but will she succeed when the force of Charlie’s memory is so strong?
With original music by Vini Reilly of The Durutti Column, songs by Urban Blue and sound design by Steve Brooke.
Tagged with bbc drama sci-fi science fiction digital code book:author=jeff noon
This is a very special episode of Boxcutters, recorded in front of a live audience at the 51st Annual National SF Convention. John Richards and Josh Kinal had a debate (aka a word fight) with the topic “That All Science Fiction Television is Rubbish.”
Josh took the affirmative and John the negative. Gasp and be shocked to learn the secrets behind genre television and its merits.
Resources: 51st Annual National SF Convention (http://continuum.org.au/)
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/
What kind of future do you want to live in? What excites or concerns you about the future? Intel Futurist Brian David Johnson poses these questions as part of The Tomorrow Project, an initiative to investigate not only the future of computing but also the broader implications on our lives and the planet. Science and technology have progressed to the point where what we build is only constrained by the limits of our own imaginations. The future is not a fixed point in front of us that we are all hurtling helplessly towards. The future is built everyday by the actions of people. The Tomorrow Project engages in ongoing discussions with superstars, science fiction authors and scientists to get their visions for the world that’s coming and the world they’d like to build.
The future is Brian David Johnson’s business. As a futurist at Intel Corporation his charter is to develop an actionable vision for computing in 2020. His work is called “future casting” – using ethnographic field studies, technology research, trend data and even science fiction to provide Intel with a pragmatic vision of consumers and computing. Along with reinventing TV, Johnson has been pioneering development in artificial intelligence, robotics, and using science fiction as a design tool. He speaks and writes extensively about future technologies in articles and scientific papers as well as science fiction short stories and novels (Fake Plastic Love, Nebulous Mechanisms: The Dr. Simon Egerton Stories and the forthcoming This Is Planet Earth). He has directed two feature films and is an illustrator and commissioned painter.
Multi-award winning fantasy writer Robert Shearman famously returned the Dalek to Doctor Who in an episode The Times newspaper labelled an ‘unqualified triumph’. Shearman’s episode was nominated for a Hugo Award. He has also written many popular audio dramas and print stories for the series.
Robert Shearman is also a playwright and short story writer. His first collection of stories, Tiny Deaths, won the World Fantasy Award for best collection and was nominated for the Frank O’Connor International Short Story Prize. His second collection, Love Songs for the Shy and Cynical, won the British Fantasy Award for best collection.
His association with Doctor Who began in 2003. He’s also a playwright and short-story writer and joins us from Adelaide Writers’ Week.
http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/booksandartsdaily/dr-who-writer2c-rob-shearman/3870852
Russian/American scientist and author, Isaac Asimov, once wrote: Individual science fiction stories may seem as trivial as ever to the blinder critics and philosophers of today — but the core of science fiction, its essence, has become crucial to our salvation if we are to be saved at all.
Now, there’s no denying science fiction has long been a popular genre — from print to television to film. But does it have the influence it once had?
Some argue the exponential rate of technological change makes sci-fi less effective in its ability to predict, inspire and shape the future of the real world.
Here at Future Tense we’re starting the year with a look at the power of science fiction.
Tagged with science fiction sci-fi future technology
Future Tense is essential listening for those interested in exploring the social, cultural, political and economic fault lines arising from rapid change. The weekly half-hour program/podcast takes a critical look at new technologies, new approaches and new ways of thinking. From politics to media to environmental sustainability, nothing is outside its brief. Future Tense explores the issues and provides critical analysis, offering an insight into how our world is changing and how we in turn are learning to adapt.
THE RETURN OF THE JET-PACK It was a staple of scifi in the 1950s and 60s- the strap on jet-pack. But despite the excitement jet-packs never quite caught on! But now a New Zealand inventor has developed a prototype, which is set to be the world’s first commercially available jet-pack.
THE TRAFFIC INTERNET Automotive engineer Peter Maskus has a plan to build a traffic internet - a series of very narrow vacuum tubes to suck people from one destination to another in a specially built vehicle.
THE CITY NOBODY WILL CALL HOME
A US company is planning to build a purpose built mid-sized American city - with no people. The Centre for Innovation, Testing and Evaluation will test new intelligent and green technologies in a unique environment.
5by5 - The Incomparable #60: Thanks For Everything… Now Go Die • October 7, 2011 at 8:15pm
Why do secret agents wear make-up under their eyepatches? When do text messages not properly convey thanks for saving the universe? Are the Cybermen the worst villians ever? We wrap up the sixth season of “Doctor Who” with discussion of the last three episodes as well as the season as a whole.
A weekly show about geeky cultural topics in numerous media, including books, comics, movies, and TV. Host Jason Snell talks with with regular guests like Glenn Fleishman, Dan Moren, Serenity Caldwell, Jason Brightman, Lisa Schmeiser, Scott McNulty, John Siracusa. Hosted by Jason Snell.
Tagged with podcast:title=the incomparable geeks sci-fi doctor who cybermen
“Star Wars,” the original film, is finally in our crosshairs, and if we can bulls-eye a Womp Rat we can take on this classic sci-fi film. We talk about our first memories of Star Wars, pretend the prequels didn’t happen, give Cantina drink-ordering tips, and marvel at Darth Vader’s coffee-drinking habits. (Part 1 of 2.)
The force is strong in this download: Episode 46 (60 minutes, 26 MB MP3 file)
The Incomparable participants: Jason Snell, Scott McNulty, Greg Knauss, John Siracusa, and Dan Moren.
http://www.theincomparable.com/2011/06/46-i-like-my-coffee-like-my-evil-sith-lords.html
Tagged with the incomparable star wars sci-fi
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