Let's Talk About the Future
I think that science fiction has begun to do a disservice. It is HARD to predict the future. But then many do not try with any accuracy or respect for the laws of physics. There will not be dragons in the future, except of our own making. Let's take a hard science view. What will it really look like? I believe that together we can better imagine it. If we do that well, then we can create it. We can create that better future, one worth living in, if not for ourselves, then for future humanity. We owe that to them.
The Future We Wish For, and That We Are Building
On my blog, I’d like to curate a discussion about what the world might look like in the near future. I believe too many futurists go to extremes—maybe for shock value or to gain attention? Sci fi writers often imagine the most extreme future, to emphasize some idea. Let’s be clear: many of our so-called… Read More »The Future We Wish For, and That We Are Building
Protecting Ourselves Against the Next Pandemic
Over the last dozen years, we’ve seen the rise of tech health gadgets. Whether it’s counting our steps, recording our calorie in-take, or recording our sleep patterns, technology is playing a larger role in how we perceive our health. This gamification of our physical fitness not only provides us with insight into our own health,… Read More »Protecting Ourselves Against the Next Pandemic
Outrunning the Pandemic
Let me start by saying that no one can “outrun” the COVID-19 pandemic physically. The world of 2020 is too tightly integrated. Our desire to access almost all modern conveniences—including toilet paper—guarantees that there is transmission risk. The way we together can “outrun” it is by transmitting accurate scientific knowledge around the globe more efficiently… Read More »Outrunning the Pandemic
Travel in the Future
No doubt you notice from my comments and interests posted here that my wife and I love to travel. It adds such fantastic memories for a lifetime, especially when some family members can share the experience. And we find that travel fills in the blank spaces on the globe. They are mysterious no longer, but… Read More »Travel in the Future
A New Narrative of the Economy after COVID-19?
“Economics. The dismal science.” “I didn’t find it dismal,” she said. “It shows how the world works.” From Unfettered Journey I spend some time in my speculative fiction novel discussing the possible economic structure circa 2161, 141 years in the future. But COVID-19 has thrown the global economy into a spin, and it is… Read More »A New Narrative of the Economy after COVID-19?
Can We Make Robots Think?
A common trope of science fiction is that soon we shall find robots walking around, acting nearly indistinguishable from us. How likely is that? Will it happen soon? Will it happen ever? The Barrier to Meaning Just over 1 ½ years ago I was at the Santa Fe Institute for a workshop on the topic… Read More »Can We Make Robots Think?