Biotech in a Brave New World

Living in today’s world of Viagra, Ambien and other drugs designed to enhance our living conditions, reading Aldous Huxley’s future scenario in Brave New World sounds a bit familiar today. His main drug featured in the book, soma, is the most common tool used by the citizenry to feel good. But Huxley takes overall medicine and biotech predictions in the book quite far.

Looking through the eyes of 1932, Huxley prognosticated on three fronts: genetic engineering, intensive human conditioning, and drug development. With these three tools, society’s leaders in the book are able to shape the population and control it by keeping people “happy.”

The first thing the author presents to the reader is a bioengineering laboratory. Huxley makes good use of mechanical and sound effect descriptions as we tour a plant with some children. As we learn about the process of producing different types of people – the swiftest and most beautiful are “alphas” and the menial grunts are the “epsilons” – Huxley makes sure you get a nice dose of supporting philosophy along the way. Through exploring this plant, we are able to understand the reasons for such a place to exist and the goals of the men who run it. All of this is written in a light tone with plenty of humorous reactions from the children.

Beyond the genetically engineered humans themselves, we next hear about how they are intensely conditioned through their upbringing. The youth are never attached to a parent but grow up in groups together. During their sleep, they hear phrases uttered continuously to program their beliefs. It’s a bit like The Manchurian Candidate only on a broad scale and with complete buy in from the entire public. We learn that the conditioning is relatively effective but that anomalies will crop up here and there. It’s not foolproof but gets the job done.

Finally, there are drugs to control births, certain desires and, of course, soma to make everyone feel good. There is a dose for every occasion and plenty of rituals to go along with it. The orgy-porgy gatherings are particularly scandalous and are one of the ways society mixes the drugs with group activities. Later in the book, we learn how soma can also be used to gradually slip away from life. When a person gets on in years, they can medicate more and more until they pass away in their blissful state. Soma gets more of the drug attention in the book than other mentioned medication but it’s seemingly engineered to manage many conditions. Today’s pharmaceutical companies compete in an environment where differentiating drugs has a huge marketing advantage. Perhaps if today’s government supported production of a drug like soma like it does in Huxley’s future world, we’d probably have such a thing available to the masses.

Fortunately, our government is not yet pushing a panacea on us to keep us quiet. Let’s hope this never happens. All of the human bioengineering seems like it could realistically happen very soon with the many rapid strides in DNA discoveries. Again, let’s hope this stays under control and we’re never forced to have children become a certain programmed type or alpha or beta based on a lottery or social standing. Much of what Huxley predicted could realistically happen with today’s technologies or those that are literally on the brink of discovery. My sense is that we’re all watching closely and don’t want clones running around or T-Rex’s coming to life. With any luck, we’ll keep it that way.

Huxley's nuclear family explosion

Good bye, oh nuclear family, you are no more. That's the bottom line of future society in Aldous Huxley's Brave New World.

Banishment of family and redefined personal priorities allowing for more societal control seems like the deepest concept that sets Brave New World apart from other contemporary speculative fiction of his era. Aldous Huxley’s vision describes how leaders could remove society’s combative impulses by making monogamy and personal attachment to others a thing of the past. By tying aggression to personal desire, Huxley describes a key aspect of society that leaders could seek to control for peaceful conditions to exist.

The world leader in the novel, Mustapha Mond (appropriately named!), explains how happiness and peace are achieved through drugs and removal of impulses to possess one another. It’s an interesting concept that flies in the face of today’s norm. However, in a truly academic way, it’s a fact that if we were conditioned not to get attached to personal goals or people we’d likely exist quite passively.

This heavy concept drives the central drama of the story. The protagonist (which takes a number of chapters to appear by the way) struggles with his old world beliefs in this new era. As we do today, this character still values personal attachment to a special person – seeks true love and needs to be punished for unchaste ways. He challenges the world leader to explain how they can live like they do without love or attachment. Expounding on social control reasoning, Mustapha Mond has practical reasons for him on every aspect of life in his Brave New World.

Clearly Aldous Huxley had spent years contemplating society, its drives and the challenges they present to leadership. He shines in setting up a comprehensive social control scenario. This meticulous "solution" to the problem of social control makes his novel a joy as he leaves no questions on the table. It's a scary proposition, yes, but one that makes you think and alert to what's happening in our world today.

Brave New Mode

Huxley’s fashion sense lit up Brave New World. Catchy phrases that everyone used, clothing styles that made a statement, vacations that were en vogue…the world of the future reflected on the roaring twenties and the sensibilities of The Great Gatsby were projected hundreds of years forward.

Again using our incisively clear hindsight, we can see where Huxley was going with fashion. New materials were being produced in Huxley’s time and his future clothing would don many of the trendiest accoutrements of the day in clever implementations. Zippers were everywhere in his Brave New World and this is understandable. They were extant during his time but hardly commonplace…especially beyond the dress back or trouser fly. In Huxley’s vision, you’d see them up the sides of short-shorts and on various other garment locations that were uncommon in his time. There was no way to know when the book came out in 1932 that the eighties would produce the parachute pant with its cleverly placed lengthwise zippers up the entire outer leg.

Beyond the many fashion predictions, Aldous Huxley saw a new set of hip words emerging in his future world. The new descriptor for the well-shaped female form: pneumatic. Works for me…airy, hmm, yes inflated in all the right places…I see what Huxley intended with this one. Aside from pneumatic, he also had a vast set of new terms and initials. With all of the science in place to shape society, there are for more lettered terms than I can retell here. Some were for medicines, others for conditioning treatments, and social status took the form of alpha, beta, gamma, delta, epsilon with a plus or minus tacked on for more refined definitions. In our computer age, Huxley’s foresight has come to be and we live now in that age of abbreviations, acronyms and initials.

Finally, there is always the vacation fashion of the era. Most recently, we’re all going off to a "time share." In the twenties it was the hippest vacation liner. Huxley noticed society's vacation fashion sense and employed discussions of trips to the desert, for example, to see Savages as an edgy option for vacationers. It’s an esoteric aspect of society that he comments upon reflecting on a trend of his own time. I’ve noticed the varying fashionable vacation shifts in my two-score-plus years but I always assumed it to be part of the fast-changing era in which I live. Not so…patently wrong. These trendy vacation shifts were obviously swooshing around society through Huxley’s years as well.

There are a plethora of fashion statements in Brave New World. I’m just scratching the surface here. If you like social commentary, then this is indeed the book for you.

Huxley's Brave New World

The subject matter of this blog has wandered as news and events have unfolded to date. However, I just read Brave New World by Aldous Huxley – it’s been 25 years since I first read it. Needless to say, a classic in speculative fiction will change for the reader as the reader changes over time. I got so much more out of it this time around…not because I’ve now written my own speculative fiction novel but due to what I’ve learned in 25 years.

On this note, it’s time for back-to-back entries on Huxley’s opus. So many subjects came to mind deserving their own entry that you’ll notice a trend in coming days. When I’ve exhausted the bubbling observations such a rich book brings, expect a return to the usual Darwin’s Orphans blog format. So, here goes the first of many…

Although it’s true that Jules Verne and H.G. Wells wrote rich works of speculative fiction prior to the past century, so did Nostradamus. All pioneering spirit aside, I must confess that the big futurists of the 20th century captured my attention like no others. There are the greats of Asimov and Vonnegut, yes, but before they really took off there was my favorite trio: Huxley, Rand and Orwell. This is, incidentally, a chronological order with regard to key speculative works in their respective careers.

Huxley published Brave New World in 1932, four years after Point Counter Point – another speculative fiction work. I’ve heard stories from grandparents and other octogenarians about their childhood in this era. There were electric lights, aviation was a new part of life, electrical devices were growing in number and becoming more commonplace -- but where it would all lead was anybody’s guess. And social trends during the great depression was a hot topic.

Huxley wrangled the future with an eye to 600 years ahead. Many of his future state predictions occurred in their own way much earlier than predicted. His rocket planes in the book are a bit faster than today’s supersonic transports but not much. He had a slower expectation of travel progress than we’ve seen but it’s enjoyable to read his descriptions of future transportation.

But as far as other writers of the era are concerned, it makes one think about Ayn Rand and George Orwell and Huxley's influence on them. Did they get some ideas of their own for speculative fiction from him? I’m sure they at least started to ponder similar concepts when they read his take on the future. Rand published Anthem in 1938 describing her work as “like the preliminary sketches that artists draw before their first big canvases." This was six years after Brave New World. She went on to write her more known works after Anthem. Personally, I liked the “preliminary sketch” the best of all.

Following Rand came Orwell and 1984. Published in 1949, it followed the anti-Stalinist writing trend that Orwell had well established. Prior to 1984, Orwell had written Animal Farm in 1944 which was his most well known work at that date but was fantasy infused social statement far more than it was speculative fiction. Looking back at his recent predecessors, one could easily guess that the futuristic musings of Orwell were infused by recent works of Huxley…at least that’s my take on it. Feel free to share yours here.

Blade Runner revisited

As far as films go, there is a reason why Blade Runner became a cult classic. Based on Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep by Philip K. Dick, this thoughtful work of speculative fiction translated well into celluloid. Director Ridley Scott who also brought us Gladiator, Thelma and Louise and Alien knows how to bring a great vision to life.

As a fan of this film and much of Scott's work, I look forward to his latest opus. However, I'm wondering about the wisdom of making a sequel to Blade Runner. This subject calls for comments...feel free to weigh in on this one.

To quote Scott at Comic-Con yesterday in Videobusiness.com: "If you have any scripts, you know where to send them," he said. Personally, I'd like to read different story treatments on this one. Where do Deckard and Rachael go after they leave the city? Who is motivated to go after them? There doesn't seem to be a reason to chase after these two...the police chief should only care about his jurisdiction. The magnate Tyrell is dead at the hands of his own creations. A clever writer will need to create a new replicant dynamic to write this story.

There's something pure about a story standing alone and being a snapshot in time culled from frames flipping away in the author's mind. But when you love a story...and many of us love Blade Runner...it is fascinating to see how the story comes back to life. Perhaps it will have a sequel. But if it doesn't, the legend will live on its own.

Car company of the future

There has been plenty of press lately revolving around the groundbreaking car company of the future Tesla Motors. For good reason...they seem to have everything it takes to make a serious go of it and their timing couldn't be better.

Tech genius Elon Musk is behind it. His PayPal and SpaceX forays prove that he gets into successful ventures. We're well on our way to space tourism now and he was a major contributor to proving that it's a viable thing to do. Now, with the death knell of fossil fuel based transportation clearly sounding, we all understand that we need an alternative. Tesla motors is providing that alternative.

Sure, there have been electric cars in the past but two things plagued their chances of success: low performance and cheap gas. Now with cheap gas a permanent thing of the past, this erstwhile impediment is gone -- for good. We're finally forced to face the truth that's been evident for decades...fossil fuel is not renewable.

Performance issues are now also resolved. Check out the stats on their site. It makes every car enthusiast prick their ears when they hear 0 to 60 in 4 seconds. Couple this stat with 135 MPG equivalent and you've got everyone's attention. Just ignore the price...for now.

It's not a viable option today. Your average joe can't roll onto the lot, sign over his Durango and cruise away with a new roadster. Even after they're actively emerging from the mouth of the production line, these first cars will still be too expensive. But trust Mr. Musk and team. They will get reasonable and they will be an alternative for every man and woman purchasing a shining new vehicle.

Tesla Motors has plans with a two year timeline for a sedan in the middle price range. Keep your eyes peeled to this company's site and ears open to news of Tesla Motors. In my book, Darwin's Orphans, the mentor character advises that it takes a renegade magnate to make real change. The old school power brokers are just too encumbered and paranoid. Mr. Musk is proving this yet again with these shiny new cars of the future.

Brain chips with dip

Mmm, tasty...brain chips anyone? This article's got new insights into chips that can be implanted into the brain. It's hopeful science where brain programming can cure various medical problems. Give the article a sober read as it does explore real scientific possibities.

However, my creative side can't evade the wealth of fictional options that these possibilities conjure. Too many rehashings of Robin Cook's Coma with a brainy twist pop into one's head. How many scenario's can you think of? Hmm, doctors abusing the programming capabilities of these well intended chips for evil deeds. The Manchurian Candidate also comes to mind.

It's not that such great medical possibilities should be made light. As I said, give the article sober attention. But, if you are looking for places to start on your next fictional opus, articles like this one really pack a whallop. After all, we are developing these new technologies but, as Crichton points out in Jurassic Park, we really need to think very hard about how we keep new technologies under control.

It's not that we want to squelch scientific creativity...heavens no. After all, you wouldn't be reading this if I didn't find these developments extremely impressive. However, by being the imagination aristocrats, the storywriters among us can point out what could happen...hopefully before something bad does.

So, if this has given you an idea...write it up! We'll all be better for it.

McCarthy's The Road

Cormac McCarthy's novel The Road has been called "a triumph." I always pause when marketers describe literary works as triumphant. What, after all, are the lonely writers out there battling against. In the case of The Road, the terms actually fits...a rarity.

Down far too low on my list of must-reads, I finally got to take in this beautiful piece of what can only be called literature. It is a wonderful book of what could be called speculative fiction. But great works like this one remind us that shoehorning a book into categories can sidetrack the attention they deserve. It won a Pulitzer Prize for a reason...it's an achievement by a seasoned writer who has put everything together so well that it can truly be called a masterpiece.

There are two things that I'd like to mention about this book: the style choices and the imagery.

As far as style goes, I learned much from reading this book. Selections McCarthy made like eliminating unnecessary apostrophes and many brief sentences contributed so much to the threadbare world vision he creates in the story. Chapters would have added too much order to the book .... there are none. The creation of a world in chaos translated into a book requires clever style and McCarthy pulled no punches.

On the imagery side, its such a poetic book that I had to stop and reflect a number of times. As I read along, I found myself immersed in a story of brutal events and then calmed by the beauty of a thoughtful passage. The book ends with a paragraph that I will reread many times in my life. It is, simply put, one of the most eloquent closings to a book I've ever read.

For all the writers out there: thank you Cormac McCarthy, you've shown us how it's really done.

Bova gets due attention

In this NapleNews.com article, Ben Bova writes about his recent John W. Campbell award. He jokingly starts with "Warning: I’m going to blow my own horn a little." As far as I'm concerned...blow away Ben.

Ben is considered a science fiction writer and he does keep religiously and unabashedly dedicated to space tales. However, one of the great anthologies that I consider more speculative fiction than science fiction, Again, Dangerous Visions 2, featured his story Zero Gee. This series of anthologies was edited by Harlan Ellison and he considers Ben a good friend...he even gets a bit misty in his introduction of Bova in the book.

This was 1972 and I didn't first read it until about 1985...I consider this 13 years of missed rereads. Pick up a copy of this book and read the wonderful stories in it. Ellison pulled together some great stories in these anthologies and Ben Bova's is one of the most fun you'll find in A,DV2. Zero Gee is definitely one of the lightest tales in a book so rife with serious yarns. Bova has a gift for dishing out the technology with a bit of levity.

The man writes fun stories. And he didn't actually blow his horn much. He filled half of the article in Naples News talking about Campbell after all. If that's blowing your horn, then Ben, your horn's a harmonica.

On humanoid robots

Wired magazine recently posted on the robotics world from the viewpoint of the android pursuit. Being typically anthropomorphic, we humans seek like beings in our servile creations. After all, when we see Sir Anthony Hopkins in "Remains of the Day" being such a deft butler, we gravitate toward such paragons in our artificial creations.

It's interesting that Korean robotics professors are in the mix. In TV's M*A*S*H you never really thought about Radar O'Reilly hanging out with mechnical scientists. However, in recent months, a number of my posts on robotics revolved around Korean legislation. For example:

• a May post
  
• it's March predecessor
  
• a January post
  

The last one wasn't actually about the Korean laws but it does tie in nicely to the android pursuit subject. Asimo and robots like it are considered -- alongside a bunch of other future-oriented musings.

The main thing that really struck home in the Wired article was the social aspect. I agree with this quote: "Androids also offer something uniquely appealing: companionship, labor and familiarity, but without the human condition's many burdens."

I guess lots of folks just want someone to help them out, be a buddy and never have to deal with their issues...it's that one way street so many people seek in relationships. The android solution is probably seen as a loneliness cure all but, given deeper consideration, it's really just a placebo .

Congreve's view: chances for the unknown writer

If you're an unknown author, Bill Congreve sees your chances as pretty grim....

In this ABC Australia article, Mr. Congreve dooms most writing except for that of the name author. He sees the series novels by them as the most successful -- not a big surprise to most I'm sure.

It's good to read that he says "Not quite as dead" for literary first novels by unknowns. Perhaps the open space of on demand publishing is broadening interest in fresh material. I can only hope...my novel, Darwin's Orphans, is not being pushed by a huge publishing machine but it is literary. So, there's hope I guess.

If you're a writer, check out his assessment of your chances. If you're not, check out the article anyway...it'll tell you if you're on the trendy side of things. At least from Mr. Congreve's perspective.

Views on speculative fiction as sci-fi

Here's an interesting post where Guardian UK author Gareth McLean reflects on the nature of science fiction today -- touching on speculative fiction's distinctions in the process.

An interesting point of clarity he makes between sci-fi and fantasy: "Before we go any further, as the weary time-traveller might say, sci-fi probably requires definition. It is, basically, fiction that makes imaginative use of scientific knowledge or conjecture. It extrapolates about possible futures, based on the present. It's speculative fiction. Fantasy, as its name suggests, pertains more to the fantastic, the supernatural, the unexplained." I agree with this distinction.

Another salient point is made on the political ramifications of such fiction. Quote: "What's more, it's sci-fi about the 21st century. Fans of the genre have long known that quality sci-fi and its sister genre fantasy hold up a mirror to the times in which they were created, but never before have the TV shows involved seemed so resonant or indeed so influential. Science fiction has never been more now, fantasy never more real." Here, here!

Check out the rest of McLean's article...especially if you're a TV watcher which is where he's focusing his energy here. It still aptly addresses speculative fiction in general...except the ardent readers among us may not appreciate the screen-based references.

Intriguing spec fiction review for Chabon's latest

The review in London's Telegraph by Michael Moorcock of Michael Chabon's latest book The Yiddish Policemen's Union makes it sound like a book worth reading.

A couple of interesting aspects that caught my attention are the stylistic homage to Dashiell Hamett in first person narrative and the time frame. This literary work starts back in time with an alternative set of circumstances: World War II ends with an atomic bomb dropped on Berlin. Although I consider modern-day Berlin to be a progressive and marvelous city and cringe at this thought, it is indeed a fascinating way to set things up and usher us to the present day storyline.

Mystery and intrigue are woven into this novel with the high degree of complexity required to challenge the most seasoned reader. This impression from the review has put it squarely on my list of must-reads. If you've already read this book, please feel free to add your comments.

Speculative fiction guidance from down under

Seamus Byrne in the Sydney Morning Herald has some insights into various technologies that spark ideas for speculative fiction. Highlights include your life support partner, automatic power shades, exoskeletons and utility fogs.

This is a broadly ranging article that touches briefly on many future possibilities. So, if you're looking for a source to spark a number of ideas for your world of tomorrow, this is a quick must-read. And Mr. Byrne has a sense of humor.

I think that the closing concept, that of the utility fog, is the most clever. Described by Byrne as "a cloud of networked nanobots running errands in the air around us, whether related to health or business," is very intriguing. I've read plenty of nanobot scenarios before -- like those prognosticated microscopic medical helpers repairing one's body -- but never thought about them performing servile functions as a team. What might this cloud actually look like? I'll leave that to you to describe.

Feel free to post a response with your imagined visual interpretation...

On your future ID and Orwell

Here's a nice tongue-in-cheek post that reminds us how close we actually come to scary future visions coming true. Allen L. Roland has a classic line pulled from Orwell at the top of his article. It is very fitting when you read his somber warning.

The idea that the government would want to track us all electronically is freaky stuff to be sure...and it flies in the face of our Declaration of Independence. It is a horrible idea wrought out of minds that plead security without realizing they are returning to fascist ideals Hitler and Mussolini held so dear. (Although, now that I think about the TV show "24," can't the government already track us with computers and satellites if they want to anyway?)

Regardless, it vindicates one of the greats again. All time speculative fiction hero George Orwell told his story so well that it reminds us even today to keep bad ideas in check. Writing ominous fiction keeps people thinking openly about the system. It's good to keep us on track and helps make our leaders think twice before signing.

Creating your own water world

When one reads articles like this one it conjures up thoughts of just how far the melting could go. There are plenty of historical maps that have been created to show Gaia -- the orginally clumped-together continents. Similarly, other maps show how previous ice ages have flooded current continental areas.

On this note, when a person reads about what's going on in Greenland, it feeds the imagination. What setting might we face 100 to 200 years in the future? If the melting accelerates, it may be sooner for coastal towns to go under water.

Living in Seattle a few blocks from the water's edge, this concept really gets me wondering. So, I'll take these excerpts from the article serously:

• If the Greenland ice cap melted entirely, oceans would rise by 23 feet
  
• Over the last 30 years, its melt zone has expanded by 30 percent.
  
• In the past 15 years, winter temperatures have risen about 9 degrees Fahrenheit on the cap, while spring and autumn temperatures increased about 5 degrees Fahrenheit.
  

The first quoted statistic gives me ideas as to what Seattle might look like after the sea rises 20 feet or more. The Alaska Way piers would all be gone and the Chittenden Locks would all be flooded over. Hmmm, how would this work? My imagination is creating a future water world here in the Seattle metropolis.

So, keep reading the scientific details if you want to write speculative fiction. There's plenty of change going on to feed your creative process. More news is coming every day...unfortunately for the solid ground.

Authors on YouTube: Part 1

Taking a hint from my last post, it got me thinking about the virtual world and the author. So, I'm going to take you along on my YouTube journey.

I've started out my YouTube author series with a couple of home video clips: here's one of them. With the YouTube attention span being about 30 seconds, I'm keeping the clips this length. There are many subjects readers might find interesting about a book -- so I've posted quick comments on aspects of the novel: in this case I'm talking about the protagonist in Darwin's Orphans, the novel I recently published.

It is enjoyable to talk about your book and you don't get nervous like you do in a crowded room of people staring at you. So, the video author experience has been pretty good so far. Next up, I'll expand the set of clips and do a bit more editing. After I reflect on these efforts, I'll explore how an author can broaden the view of such clips by exploring search and other linkages online.

Keep returning periodically for more on this series -- the first of its kind on this blog.

Virtual book touring

In this UK SF Book News article, there is an interesting approach to book touring: do it online.

Author Chris Dolley has just debuted his new novel "Resonance." There is a humorous bit about book signing with an "astral hand." Hey Chris, perhaps you should contact the people at DocuSign? They have a virtual signing solution for you.

It's a fun article...check it out. It even features the hip word of the day: the singularity. However, this is accompanied by a multiverse, so it's even cooler.

Odd blog

Typically, I try to focus on fiction and the future. Once in a while though, I feel compelled to step outside the fiction mold and share my non-fiction insights...

I've studied scientific journals for years and I can safely say this blog has a really flawed argument. So, those of us that read about developments impacting the future, in my case to write insightful speculative fiction, expect other writers to do their homework.

Here are some key items that this hack is ignoring:

-- frozen methane chunks (or hydrates) on the seafloor that have survived the last ice ages are now sublimating -- only now are they being affected by our man-made impacts on ocean composition.
-- Taking only one factor, fluctuating temperatures via ice age trends, is bad science and an extremely limited view.
-- Other factors: fluctuating ozone layer, levels of forest layer, etc. all play into the long term equation of viable global weather stability.

The blog representing this bad science sure sounds like someone's pitiful effort to persuade less educated people to discard global warming as a concern. Or, in this case, even rally against it using economic arguments -- sound like a business man out to achieve something?

As a person who has read scientific journals since the early 80's, I've been tracking all of these trends and can give everyone much better advice. The earth is changing in many ways due mostly to mankind's impact. You should care... the wealth of multi-dimensional scientific factors supports it. If you want to be sure, study it deeply. There is a lot of information out there. Just keep in mind, studying ice ages or fractions of temperature changes will not give you the full picture.

Think about the next couple of generations...they do need you to see through the smokescreens. Think twice about what you read, even this blog, and do your own research. I'm confident you'll find my message well informed.

Making the dark matter

So, you need a storyline for a space cadet piece of fiction? Well, here's your latest science-based factoid to latch onto: dark matter. Yes, we've now got new exciting evidence that it does indeed exist.

So, why does this matter, oh writer? Well, let's first recap what it's supposed to mean in our cosmos: "Astronomers believe dark matter - as opposed to ordinary matter making up the stars, planets and the like - comprises about 85 per cent of the universe's material, but evidence of it has been difficult to come by." -- thanks to our friends at Reuters. Hmm, this still might not motivate you to care, eh? What does it matter? (No pun intended.)

Thanks to fellow blogger Larry Sessions, we have a bit more insight into this subject: For some time, dark matter has been considered a key ingredient in determining the fate of the Universe. Basically, if there is enough mass in the universe, then you can say...that it is heavy, and can fall down as an apple can fall from tree. Except in this case the Universe would collapse down on itself."

So, back to the writing task at hand. You now have the quantity of known dark matter changing as your critical fact. Like the proverbial comet smashing into earth, dark matter is mysteriously decreasing. How are we going to equalize its level again? Decrease the light matter? Oh boy! There's your premise...now go write it up.

Keep writing it your way

In this post reflecting on the life of the author Philip K. Dick, the bottom line is: keep the faith and write it your way. Unfortuntely, according to the article, Dick didn't have that faith before he passed into the literary afterworld. But he's gotten the kind of deserved recognition he sought in the end...likely because he wrote it his way.

Now I've known for years that the film "Blade Runner" was based on his "Do Androids Dream" story since the 80's when it first wowed a cult following that includes me. However, I just learned that the recent Nick Cage film "Next" was based on one of his short stories. True creativity will always get snapped up by Hollywood.

The personal depictions of Philip K. Dick are not glamorous...he was a pretty wacky dude from all reports. However, he had the gift of imagination and wrote things his way. His story should be a lesson to all those writers taking the fresh path. Stay on it...it's worth it.

More on robot laws

Following up on some of my past commentary based on Korea's penchant for robot laws, I must temper my earlier rhetoric. In this recent article, the fascination with robots in Korea became more apparent to me.

Most interesting is the R&D fact: according to the article, Korea spends 80 million dollars a year in developing new robotic gadgets.

This makes a bit more sense now...even though this figure might seem low by U.S. standards, it still shows a profound inclination for motorized helpers on a GNP basis. So, I tip my hat to their Asimovian reverence. In this case, it does seem to be safe rather than sorry...even though they will inevitably need to amend their robot laws to meet future needs.

Accelerating technology and the singularity

After reading this article, I felt better informed on speculative fiction writers and books that focus on computing and intelligence. This technological aspect is fascinating and very common in future-based fiction.

However, I didn't come away from the article truly understanding the definition of "the singularity" in this non-black-hole context. We're talking about technology and how it progresses to a specific point that it escapes human imagination...I think. So, to try to add another reference point on this, see these definitions.

From this source, the one that makes sense to me is: "Singularity is meant as a future time when societal, scientific and economic change is so fast we cannot even imagine what will happen from our present perspective, and when humanity will become posthumanity."

This all sounds like hyper-intellectual stuff but, if you read on through the Reason Magazine article a bit deeper, it gets a bit more detailed and less philosophical. Specifically, the passage that reflects on Moore's Law -- the doubling of integrated circuits every 18 months -- for example, is a very practical explanation. On this note, definitely read deeper into the article. Vernor Vinge has some fascinating things to say.

I especially enjoyed his reflections on the many contributing writers of this subject. His specialized insights are very handy for building a reading list. So, if you find the growth of technology a key point of interest in your literary pursuits, bookmark this article.

New setting for off-earth fiction

Here it is...the flashy name for the planet where your next work of off-earth fiction takes place, it's called: Gliese 581c. Hmmm, I think that a moon name like Europa or disputed planet name like Xena sound a bit more intriguing.

Regardless, in this article today, astronomers have just discovered the most earthlike planet yet. And hence, the easiest target for terraforming. The idea of terraforming -- or making large scale planetary changes to something more earthlike -- is a personal fascination. My first feature length screenplay is named Terraform. It just sounds cool.

However, if you think about it, needing to change another world to make it more habitable is kind of scary. After all, can't we just manage this one much better than we are? I guess it must be Earth Day rubbing off on me.

Regardless, check it out if you're considering writing a futuristic story with a setting beyond the orb beneath your feet. It sounds like a fascinating place -- it's in the constellation Libra, it must be well-balanced.

Praises for Bradbury

In this one of many articles published recently, we read praises for Ray Bradbury. He has been a legend for a long time...but we always wonder why certain obviously inventive and talented authors get ignored by the cognoscenti for so long. There are a number of possiblities. Feel free to weigh in here with your own.

A couple that come to mind:

-- Emerging hot new writers steal the attention of established ones in the annual analyses
-- The implications of written content is too disturbing resulting in avoidance once read

I'd like to think that it's the latter. Fahrenheit 451 rattled a few people...the social implications of such a dystopia were certainly troublesome. Perhaps so much so that critics didn't want to engender similar writings. Who knows. Orwell's 1984 certainly became far more digestible after it failed to represent the world state in that once-future year -- fortunately so.

We all read books at times that really make us think. It's sometimes more than we bargained for but that's what we're all subconsciously hoping for when we turn that first page: a fresh look at life. Bradbury has sparked the imaginations of readers in this way. He has the gift and long-deserved kudos are being bestowed. I guess there's a timing out there we all just have to try harder to understand.

What's in a name?: science fiction

After reading this blogcritics post, I pondered yet again the ongoing developments of my personal writing genre -- speculative fiction -- and how it relates to science fiction. This subject has been covered a number of times before in my blog:

In December the subject centered around Director Cuaron's avoidance of labeling his film science fiction.

Earlier in December, I explored the subject a bit more in this post.

There has also been the attempt at levity on the subject.

However, just days ago in my post on Wizards of the Coast there is newfound support for speculative fiction. Although their published focus is more along the fantasy line, speculative fiction is sweeping in scope. So, it lends itself nicely to writers wanting to avoid the science fiction moniker as Cuaron has. Some turn to labeling their work as speculative fiction in order to avoid one genre identification by selecting another.

Perhaps there has been too much homogenization of science fiction. There are certainly deeply entrenched subject, character and plot points that permeate the mainstream of it. This is not by accident. I feel for the person who must market these books: their livelihood is on the line, they must make their product consistently or risk losing their audience, so they cling to their standards...even to the chagrin of creative storywriters cleverly breaking the mold.

We all need to make a living. I understand what the template-driven science fiction editor needs to accomplish. If I was in his/her shoes, I'd likely do the same thing.

However, I'm the writer and it frustrates me to see the universe created by Williamson, Vonnegut, Heinlein, Ellison and so many others get watered down. And the stereotype attached to its readership is a limited niche...a readership that would likely be far broader if a few risks were taken.

Cormac McCarthy's publishers took that risk -- and it paid off. However, as Blogcritics points out, no one's rushing to call it science fiction. Can we somehow turn the tide? Or will we continue to bolster new genres and create more niches? You will make the call in the end, oh book reader.

Wizards looking for you

No, this is not a warning from the world of Harry Potter...quite simply: the Wizards of the Coast are flushing out speculative fiction talent. So, if you write such creative works, you should keep your eye on their newly developed focus.

Living in Seattle, I can keep a closer eye on this bunch. They are right down the highway and around the corner in Renton. I've been in the hallowed halls of Wizards of the Coast and later got to tour their parent company, Hasbro, back in Rhode Island. A very impressive bastion of creativity I must say...most fascinating was their rapid prototype machine. Watching it whip up a new toy on-the-fly based on engineering specs was pretty darned cool.

Ahh, I'm getting off track here...we're interested in speculative fiction aren't we? Well, I'm here to tell you: this is good news. Having Wizards of the Coast hunting for speculative fiction talent is a sparkling development.

Sharpen your pencils, stock up on ink or charge those laptop batteries...whatever your style, it's time to finish that story and run with it. Magic awaits you.

Memento 2: The Raw Shark Texts?

I'm going to need your help on this one...so please post comments if you can help make distinctions here: I just read the review at Blogcritics about The Raw Shark Texts and I felt like I was reading about another "Memento."

It must be a remarkable story that differs dramatically from Memento. After all, Nicole Kidman wouldn't want to make the movie version if it wasn't. However, I can't shake the fact that I'm reading a set up with stark similarities to Memento.

So, please post comments here if you've read this book and know Memento's plot. I will get my hands on a copy and follow up as soon as I can. But for now, it would be helpful to enlighten readers on this subject. Otherwise, they will pass on it like I was initially tempted to do when I read the set up -- even though the lovely Nicole Kidman relishes every page.

Infertile big guy? No problem

Men who are found to be infertile may no longer have to be concerned about their inability to reproduce in the future. According to this article, scientists are making headway in producing sperm using human bone marrow.

Now, what's this got to do with speculative fiction you may ask? Good question...I was wondering where I was going with this myself a few moments ago. You're getting a stream-of-consciousness posting this time around. OK, here goes...how's this for a story: women in the future decide to cut out men altogether. Capable of creating their own genetic sperm from bone marrow, a cadre of female scientists seek to create an all-female race. Their mission: to rid the world of the aggressive tendencies that are perpetuated by men.

OK, it's not really that fun. After all, what's a story without a bit of sexual tension to liven it up? Still, this thought came to mind before I got to the part in the article that explores same-sex couples leveraging the technology for this purpose.

In the non-fictional world, it's going to take another 3 to 5 years to get final results from this experiment. I'll keep this subject holed away for follow up. It's a very curious thing...and could have very deep meanings for our society if tests are successful.

And back to the infertile men out there: keep hope alive, science is working on it.

Honoring Kurt Vonnegut

I've linked here to my favorite Kurt Vonnegut short story. I vividly remember reading it at the age of 14 -- the same age as the central character in the story. This was almost 30 years ago.

Reading about the parental characters in the story reminds me of my own parents at the time. They were looking out for me. Trying to challenge me, they got me into some special classes at school. It was at one of these classes where we students were given access to books and stories not offered in the regular curriculum. This one kid in class, Tom Pushchak, talked about Vonnegut books...I always considered him the smartest kid at school so I assumed there was something fascinating to be found. I was not let down.

The story of Harrison Bergeron touched me then...and stuck with me my whole life. The symbolism, the imagery, the brief yet powerful events hit me in the gut. Vonnegut was a genius. I'm going to miss him. He had a beautiful vision and knew that through a good story you could make people think differently about the world. He was a master at the most important kind of speculative fiction...the kind that resulted in shaping the minds of young people. I know he shaped mine.

And I think I'm a better person for having read Kurt Vonnegut's work.

Kinsey-like analysis of writer rejections

Interesting article here if you found the movie (or phenomenon of) Kinsey fascinating. This particular study focuses on writer rejection slips and how they correlate to sexual behaviour.

As they say in marketing: sex sells. So, if you're going to conduct a study that will get press attention, I guess you can follow this same maxim.

The most interesting facet of the article to me is the fact that some authors -- who, by association, financially supported the study -- questioned whether it was a proper use of member dues. Hmm. What, if anything, does a science fiction writer want but to contribute to what we know about mankind. It's the driving force behind all speculative fiction: the fascination of what we're all doing here and why.

Yet another insight fueled by our salacious curiosities. Keep it up scientists.

Advances in medicine: the disabled stand

In this article from India, we're assured that we're progressing along the predicted curve of medical advancements. A young disabled person is able to lift herself up by the push of a button. The concept of Luke Skywalker's artificial hand being attached where he lost his to Darth Vader seems right around the corner.

There is a dark side to all of this life-extending medical advancement in fiction as well. Many speculative fiction stories feature population control scenarios stemming from our fantastic doctors becoming capable of keeping us alive and well far beyond current life spans. These stories presuppose that we can't get to a balanced zero growth population at the same time. Hence the implied need for population control.

Regardless of the doom and gloom that runs parallel to great medical advances, I'm personally rejuvenated when I read about such progress. The inventive folks in the medical realm keep up their part of the dream. We are all hoping for improved human health possibilities to arise and they've continued to materialize dramatically during my entire life.

Sure, I've also seen cloning become a reality, phones don't need wires and pretty soon holograms will replace my TV. But none of these things are as important as my health and the means to maintain it. How does that saying go?: you've got nothing if you don't have your health.

Robot rights: too soon

In this recent post you'll find an analysis of recent efforts regarding standards of robotic treatment and control. Again, I feel like I've taken another nasty dose of crazy pills.

Until I start seeing robots used beyond factories and a few test homes, I can't see the need for this kind of legislating. As a US citizen, I'm glad it's not an effort here to thrust my country into the leading-edge spotlight. It's Korea and the UK leading the charge this time around.

Perhaps speculative fiction, in this case "I,Robot" by Isaac Asimov, does too good of a job sometimes. As the article points out, they are talking about "the three laws of robotics" in Korea -- a direct adoption of Asimov's book.

We may need such rules in a future world where robots are more prevalent. But I don't think now is the time. The situation will change by the time we need such societal guidance. I think we'd be wise to let the situation unfold a bit longer before drafting new laws.

Thoughts?

A valuable fiction experience in Seattle

I don't typically help push tickets to venues, but... this one's in my home town of Seattle and it's worth mentioning. One of our local attractions has lowered its prices...and I think it's a smart move. The entry fee to the Science Fiction Museum has been reduced.

Most people think ticket prices to tourist attractions seem a bit inflated but we accept it. "Perhaps," we think, "people only visit these attractions seasonally (summer in Seattle) and they need to make up for the rest of the year." It is good to give these venues the benefit of the doubt. I'm sure there are many weeks when employees are virtually asleep wishing visitors would appear.

On this note, an enticing price tag is a good thing. Get more people into the museum and spread the word. Science Fiction and less recognized genres like Speculative Fiction deserve the attention. These books break new ground in imagination and implication. No wonder attendance has been increasing.

In light of this increasing attendance, it's even cooler that they are cutting prices. A solid move. Kudos. To people that aren't residents: come to Seattle if you're considering a vacation (especially if you're coming to the U.S. from abroad). Not only do we spotlight great fiction, we show visitors a great time in this city.

Ecotopia revisited

Ernest Callenbach wrote Ecotopia during a golden age of speculative fiction. It was published during the era when Harlan Ellison was producing his Dangerous Fiction series and Kurt Vonnegut was red hot. Good stuff came out during my childhood...the seventies.

For whatever reason, I missed out on Ecotopia during its heyday. However, during a discussion about my book, Monkeyplanet.com editor Perry Waddell cited Ecotopia as a good fictional example on which to compare one key thrust of my work: what would tomorrow be like if mankind made some key changes in our near future. So, while recently browsing around a dusty old book store on Queen Anne Hill in Seattle, I found a copy on the shelves, paid the clerk and proceeded to soak in Callenbach's vision.

It is interesting...lots of thought went into a future mindset that takes hold in a part of the U.S. and causes a regional secession. The book covers the alternative worldviews that form: in building, energy consumption, transportation, governance, interpersonal relations, rituals. Think of an aspect of life and Callenbach touched on it...I think. It will take some deep meditation and life reflection to mull over this widely nuanced world he created in the book. Perhaps he missed an aspect -- I'll get back to you if a stone was left unturned.

The format is a bit unusual but he uses a clever mechanism for presenting two views: he publishes his "reported stories" that are his formal works that we're to understand people outside of Ecotopia are reading. Then there are his journal entries. These touch on how he's really feeling about what he's learning in this strange land and his more personal experiences. There is not a grand drama running through this story...no cryptic plot making you toss possible outcomes through your head. But, it is a comprehensive story.

By the time you get to the end, the worm has indeed turned. The protagonist has gone through his change. So, it is a complete story that never rides the drama too high. It's a bit more of a collegiate exploration to me. It's a story that would have fit perfectly into many discussions I had as an economics student. If you enjoy thinking about real life circumstances enfolded into a work of speculative fiction, this might be for you. It was a meaningful read for me.

Please comment and add more to the discussion.

Magnetic attraction

More action from the intelligensia in Europa...look what's been dropped into place to start cranking out the mysterious reactions: a MAGNET ... a very large magnet. Into the ground at CERN it goes.

Now they've been carefully planning this thing for a long time. I remember first reading about this Large Hadron Collider many years ago in either Omni (pre-Discover mag takeover) or Discover at least a decade ago. Perhaps it was just the drawing board stuff at the time -- but these folks are expecting big things (figuratively and literally) from these experiments. I sure hope they find some of the answers.

The most curious scent I hope they pick up on is that of antimatter -- and by association antigravity (since gravity pulls only on matter...you get the picture). To me it's the holy grail of new advancement: all new energy and travel possibilities would be facing a dramatic shift. Since Ben Franklin's experiments with electricity and then Tesla and Edison each taking it to new modes of operation, we haven't had a real lifestyle-altering thing happen during my lifetime. (Some might say computers...they've been around my whole life...they have taken different forms and done more things: replaced typewriters & 10-keys, some of the U.S. mail & many editing bays...but they're not on the scale of electricity itself.)

You can point to nuclear power sure...it complicated things: killed loads of people in Japan and around Chernobyl. But the day-to-day life enriching stuff -- not really. If you were in the energy racket, maybe. But your average Joe didn't really change dramatically due to our nuclear discoveries. Perhaps he changed during the cold war and built an underground bunker but real substantial life change -- like the impact electricty had -- hasn't graced him for decades.

Perhaps this huge magnet will be part of the next great discovery. We could use one. I've read some nihilist reports lately where certain scientific smart folk think great discoveries are a thing of the past. Humbug. It doesn't take blind faith to believe in great things around the corner. Mother Nature doles them out slowly...doesn't want us to get ahead of ourselves since we tend to do that.

Great things are afoot. The European think tank is expecting wonderful finds. It takes a much more established set of thinkers -- like those in Europe -- to be patient in finding the next wonders in today's fast-paced world. Hercule Poirot always had the patience to solve the mystery...hopefully, so will these scientists.

Robotic pigeons in your future fiction

Need a fresh idea for a future-based thriller? How about this one?: A cadre of secret agents employ new robotically controlled pigeons to get the edge on their nemeses. It could happen in our future...we've got little remote-controlled model airplanes doing the spying -- why not pigeons?

How you say? Check out this post. It's not far-fetched that we'll control the flight path of the homing pigeon with implants. Just a ways out into the future...so latch on to it.

Write it up somebody. I just saw the movie "Breach" about that nasty spy Robert Hanssen. You could write a story where the pigeon is accused of being a double agent. "Is that pigeon somehow disabling our flight instructions?" the one spy will ask the other.

Intrigue indeed.

Slick take: making speculative fiction count

In this recent syndicated article, columnist Joe Neumaier has some very insightful comments regarding what really clicks with readers...

A couple of direct quotes from Neumaier:
"For a classic pop-culture form often associated with futurethink, smart science fiction has lately felt like an extinct species, as cheesy action stories...But a change is afoot. As evidenced by the critical reaction to the current "Children of Men," serious, intelligent speculative fiction can still pack a wallop (and sometimes attract audiences). Witness last fall's Denzel Washington flick "Deja Vu" and the animated "A Scanner Darkly," TV's political "Battlestar: Galactica" and, in bookstores, Cormac McCarthy's end-of-the-world novel "The Road.""

I can't tell you how many great reviews I've read about McCarthy's book. Speculative fiction works along the lines of the greats like Brave New World, Childhood's End and 1984 are still being written...motivating me and many others to keep striving for our greatest opus.

As Neumaier continues: "For writers, the genre lets you deliberately not quite hit the nail on the head. You can create a whole scenario that has resonance -- and then you watch as it takes on a life of its own." He then takes this thought further to the impact I'm personally targeting when I write: "It's the kind of 'now is then' moral warning that writers from Rod Serling to Philip K. Dick issued regularly with subtle expertise."

Personally, this is my own modus operandi: look at what's going on now and comment on it imagining the future outcome. The trick to this approach is to introduce someone more clever than the operators you see in the public forum today. Imagine if another Benjamin Franklin, Confucius, Leonardo DaVinci or Gandhi type of person appeared in our future world. We could use a good inventor, philosopher or gifted social operator right now. We've got great technologies being shelved, social progress being stymied and a muddled global mindset.

Only speculative fiction lets a person put themselves into today's shoes and wear them in the future. By writing in this vein, we can imagine solutions to today's current world problems by drawing a roadmap to overcome them. Or, in the case many great works of speculative fiction, warn about the pitfalls of inactivity -- making sure people think through the consequences of their current actions and desire to make a change.

Pratchett in the land of Oz

This article about comedic sci-fi author Terry Pratchett has some interesting quips. The Discworld Convention is going on in Melbourne and the reporter gets some comments from Pratchett -- the auteur of the renowned Discworld collection.

Most notable of his comments are:

-- How he met Arthur C. Clarke at a young age
-- Making social comments via sock puppets

It sounds like a fun event...a bit of a travel if you live in the U.S. though. Just the same, I'm glad that prolific writers can gather with their readers and coalesce over great fiction.

Fans of the series should feel free to comment here.

Clarke's speculative fiction pleases

It's a good thing to have a Washington insider write a work of speculative fiction. Richard A. Clarke's second novel, Breakpoint, is thankfully in this (my favorite) genre of books.

Check out the comments in this article about the novel. Clarke has put together a powerful combination of very sober near-future circumstances in this book. It's a nice combination of bioengineering and computer advancements (in this case, they hook up to the brain and help engineer "special" children).

Recently, Peter Dingus also pulled together these same elements in his novel Proteus Rising -- but the setting and circumstances were vastly different. This is not surprising. Advances in biotechnology are indeed humming along and we are also constantly barraged with news on the computing front. Even if some big computing announcements are for sluggish operating systems that are mimicking developments that other brands released 2 or 3 years ago.

Regardless of the fact that the story elements can sometimes be redundant, I've found that the stories themselves are typically fresh. I'm glad that Richard A. Clarke has joined the ranks of the speculative fiction writer. He's got a number of insights into our government's experiments with cutting edge technologies. So, it makes his fiction even more interesting knowing that it's grounded in recent research.

Keep up the good work Richard.

Evil insights on antimatter

In this San Francisco Chronicle online article, we get horrible insights on antimatter. Instead of looking at positive reasons to develop antimatter energy, our industrious killing manufacuturers want to harness the power to destroy on a large scale while keeping it "clean."

Hmmm, oh I forgot that I took my crazy pills this morning. This isn't actually real, right? Can we actually prioritize yet another large-scale killing capability as a leading reason to develop antimatter energy? Come on fellows...haven't any of you been watching "24" this season? Enough questions to ponder...get real! We need yet another way to kill a lot of people like a hole in the head.

These are Darwin's Orphans...these people that think of more ways to kill. They are the remnants of the neanderthal beast that just won't die. I wish their ilk would fade away more quickly as we evolve. But, alas, these horrible people linger on and continue their evil thoughts.

Personally, I'm glad that most speculative fiction writers focus on the positive ways to use such energy. They generally stick to the typical nuclear blast whenever armed conflicts are part of their stories. New emerging power sources are generally used for transportation like the elusive floating car. We really don't need yet another way to kill and most savvy writers seem to know this. Casting emerging science in a positive light is critical. Art imitates life and we want to imitate a future that uses new discoveries in positive ways.

Shame on you sabre-rattlers for spending so much energy on evil deeds. Spend our tax dollars instead on military planes that use antimatter...at least we can leverage this same technology for useful pubic purposes.

Wining about the future

No, it's not a misspelled title...this post is about the impact of global warming on grape growing and wine making. Not a typical subject for a speculative fiction blog, I know. But still a fitting one.

Check out this article and it will get you thinking. I know it got my brain ticking when I read it. Then I thought: "what else could possibly get changed with global warming?"

In my book, Darwin's Orphans, I don't spell out any circumstances that we face due to global warming. Being an eternal optimist, I give humanity credit for solving our nasty fossil fuel burning habit over the next decade or so. In the book, the "Brooklyn Project" is given credit for this solution. It's a dedicated high-energy think tank that's tasked with quickly developing the solution to efficient production of hydrogen -- thus providing the solution to fossil fuel elimination. (There are a few other helpers too: coastal power generators harness the power of the sea as well.)

Now that I read this article on the changing face of our wine regions, I think that my next work of fiction should feature a world where changes have taken place due to our complacence. We've got a problem for sure and, of course, all we want to do is argue about it as we continue to melt and burn up.

For the sake of my beloved wine, I hope that our better angels prevail. But, I fear, they'll need to win soon.

Speculative Fiction: A.K.A. "Fantastika"

I don't refer much to comedy in this blog. It's a funny thing -- comedy -- so varied based on taste (no rhyme intended).

However, I got my usual feed of speculative fiction blog / online news entries and came across this one. Clearly a tongue-in-cheek blog, Mr. Groonk came across the Russian term for speculative fiction: Fantastika. Hmmm, sounds pretty cool I agree.

He follows his comments on the term with an over-the-top quote by Warren Ellis. A bit much for my taste.

However, I concur that the term is "spiky."

Follow up on Crichton

On my January 7th post about Michael Crichton's latest fictional outing, there was a follow up comment regarding his book prior to "Next." More has just been published regarding Crichton's work so I thought I'd post this new link to keep the string alive.

Check this out. A writer up in Canada, Robert J. Sawyer, differs from the previous post on the appropriateness of the message conveyed by "Next." He makes meaningful statements about fiction, in my opinion, and makes deft comparisons to some of the earliest science fiction writers in the process.

However, he stays consistent with Peter Dingus (author of Proteus Rising commenting on the Jan. 7th post) on the horrible fallacy of "State of Fear." it seems that no matter where I turn, a recurring message is omnipresent: no one appreciates this book. It's routinely considered a grand disservice to the informed scientific community that is globally certain on the subject of our warming earth. Crichton should be ashamed for jumping aboard the anti-movement and for writing what appears to be his worst and most damaging opus in "State of Fear."

With any luck, he'll be a bit vindicated by other reviewers now and again for "Next." I've enjoyed reading earlier books of his and it would be a shame if his horrible misstep on global warming ended a meaningful career.

Characterizations in speculative fiction

There is insightful commentary in this blog by Satima Flavell for the speculative fiction writers out there. It's a reflection on the importance of psychological elements and how characters need to be well-written to effectively drive them.

I took away some good reminders from this exchange (the comment by the referred author, Ruv Draba, that follows the post is insightful too). So, I'll keep their comments in mind while writing my next opus.

Of the entire post, my favorite quip was Ms. Flavell's comment: "I have always felt that good speculative fiction is, at least to some degree, allegorical – that the created world is a metaphor for the real one." I wholeheartedly agree with this comment and I think it's the driver for much speculative fiction. We look at our current world and observe sound knowledge like global warming being debunked and wonder how far society could take bad decisions like such naysaying. So, we use our imaginations and draw these events out into the future weaving an entertaining tale in the process. With any luck, we'll shed light on our current missteps in the process and help point out the stakes of such fallacies.

The anatomy of future thinking

Fun, tongue-in-cheek post in MetroActive regarding brain activity and how it relates to future thinking is worth reading. Columnist Annalee Newitz has a fun take on this fascinating brain activity discovery.

She seems to think the study pushes the limits of applicability for grant funding on such endeavors and has a roaring time poking fun at it. To extend the joke, she carries it into the realm of finding a science fiction part of the brain. It's a fun line of thought to follow this brain sector back 50,000 years to early Homo sapiens. Funny stuff Ms. Newitz...especially the sardonic push for more funding at the end.

Thanks for lightening up what we can sometimes take a bit too seriously, Annalee. We do get passionately sucked in since we futurists love imagining what will happen. Again, we need to look to the future but live in the now, don't we?

More on fictional robots

In my post of December 19th, I reflect upon household robots such as Asimo. This article in Popular Mechanics features Daniel H. Wilson doing a little Q & A on robotics and how our fictional views on the subject have not been fulfilled.

The dialog is a frank and sober reflection on more than just robots in our speculative fiction. He expands the scope of his discussion to jet packs and X-ray specs. it's a fun read and challenges writers of speculative fiction to keep it up.

Check it out and feel free to post your comments.

Itzkoff rails against Crichton in "Genetic Park"

Holy over-the-top prose Batman! In this New York Times review article yesterday, Dave Itzkoff elaborates on the many failings of Michael Crichton's latest opus "Next." I'd like to get some feedback here from readers. Since I like to write near-future stories myself, I'd like to read something that pushes it too far as an example of what NOT to do. So, I'll check it out and weigh in myself in a while.

Itzkoff has many examples of how Crichton pushes an extreme agenda too far and in too many ways. According to him: "Crichton seems intent on confusing his readers, pummeling them with a barrage of truths, half-truths and untruths, until they have no choice but to surrender." I can see why Crichton keeps pushing harder and harder with his viewpoints through his prose. After all, he sometimes sponsors New Year's fireworks over Hanalei Bay in Kauai, Hawaii -- indicating that his bankroll skyrockets alongside his clever imagination as it did with Jurassic Park.

Personally, Jurassic Park broadened my view of what could happen if cloning, archaeology and PCA technologies got applied in new and dangerously creative ways. Even if it is considered far-fetched by many scientific critics, it makes conscientious points to consider. Overall, I think such thoughts are healthy to explore in prose. Scientists are very focused on their particular areas of expertise and politicians are mostly concerned with business interests. So, it takes the creative realm to explore the big picture. Crichton does this successfully...especially in his earlier works. However, I'm going to give "Next" a read and see if he's getting too far out there for my tastes.

I'd like to get your opinions on this novel...so please comment if you have input.

Saying goodbye to Jack Williamson

2006 is now in the past and so is Jack Williamson. He passed away last year at 98 years of age. This article is a great reflection on his legacy.

Personally, I must thank him for creating the term "terraforming" which I used as the title of my first screenplay: Terraform. Williamson had a great imagination and was an astounding futurist. Most impressive to me were his fictional descriptions of anti-matter power. Like Stephen Hawking who, as referenced in this recent article, believed that matter/antimatter annihilation would be our most likely way of getting near the speed of light in space travel, Williamson wrote earlier in support of this same hopeful power source. We have yet to harness the power of these annihilations but our forays into supercolliders could certainly yield insights over the upcoming decades.

Thank you Mr. Williamson for your insightful speculative fiction. You'll be sorely missed.

Blurring speculative fiction lines: Children of Men

On December 13th, I posted an entry that touches upon the differences between science fiction and speculative fiction. Picking back up on this train of thought, I read a troubling statement in this linked article.

Regarding Cuaron's film version of P.D. James' Children of Men, it states: "This is a not a Science Fiction outing, future setting notwithstanding. As the director has said, Children Of Men just barely exaggerates various worrisome features of today to create the so-called future." Apparently, Cuaron does not consider this work science fiction.

Unfortunately, the reading public doesn't view the story in the same way as the director. In a quotation on BarnesAndNoble.com, a reader states: "Not worth the effort. I read this book for my contemporary lit class, hoping that it would live up to its fellow social science fiction novels. However, this book was very difficult to get through. The writing style was irksome and the ending was absolutely terrible. I recommend seeing the movie (with clive owen) when it comes out in November.
Also recommended: Fahrenheit 451, the giver, brave new world."

Many other readers did not find the book so difficult and praised it. Regardless of critical viewpoints, everyone considers this science fiction. Hollywood simply knows that science fiction as a genre scares away many viewers. It's not "date night" material but a gripping, socially-infused thriller would be...this is likely the impetus for Cuaron's statement.

If a book is set in the future and has a substantial scientific component (and human reproductive concepts can get pretty scientific), it will be considered by the genre-selecting folks to be science fiction no matter how badly Hollywood wants to nudge this away with thoughtful statements. This stigma can be annoying and the preconceived notions of science fiction can be problematic for writers. So, emerging genres like speculative fiction are growing in recognition.

It's a fine distinction: they're both SF but one leans more on science and the other focuses on the speculative aspect of the work. It wasn't until the middle of the 20th century that science fiction became broadly recognized in the first place. In the end, it's all labels and what they mean to people. They exist to help guide the reader and provide order to the literary universe. If the term speculative fiction will better help people understand what Children of Men really is, Cuaron should probably consider using this term. People will get it.

On household robots

The article I've linked to here talks about Asimo, Honda's household robot. The future of such mechanisms certainly seems bleak.

Personally, I didn't prognosticate that there would be household robots in my book Darwin's Orphans set in the year 2031. To me, it doesn't make sense that they'll become a routine fixture over the next couple of decades. Asimo's been out there for a while and hasn't really garnered that much attention. Other robots -- the kind in factories building cars and making prototypes -- have taken hold and continue to become more refined over time. There's a good reason for this: they make a lot of money for their owners and provide a very efficient service.

The household robot, however, is only needed by a small percentage of society in my opinion. The disabled could take advantage of their help in many situations. The extremely busy single professional could probably use them in lieu of maid services and the elderly could use a helping hand here and there. Your average person, however, doesn't mind brewing their coffee or running their vaccuum around the house. There's something enjoyable for many people about tweaking that daily coffee mixture. I'm sure there's even something meditative for many people who vacuum: let me ponder that last question in the crossword as I suck up little crumbs from my carpet.

No, many of us don't need or want a household robot that badly. Supply and demand, as usual, would be the force to make them a household fixture. Some day, when they work well and the price point makes them an affordable gadget to add to your cluttered home, I'm sure people will purchase them. But for now, they are obviously years away from perfection and are not likely to be greeting you soon at a friend's home.

P.S. -- I read this article shortly after this posting re: robot rights. Hmmm.

Fisher sees the "slife" as the future blog

Interesting article here by Frank Fisher. He looks into the future of online/telecommunications for us. It's a very intersting take that melds reality TV, cell communications and the next wave of self expression.

Starting with a Gartner report that predicts the wane of blogging, Fisher ponders what will happen next as communication technologies progress. In the process he invents the "slife" -- or slice of life. It's an interesting take on the next likely techie trend. I never really thought about extreme reality TV being part of upcoming 3-G cell trends with the capacility of streaming video available to all.

Kudos Fisher! Fun stuff.

Evolving Sci-fi

Interesting commentary here about our future fantasies and how they move through time. It is very enjoyable, at least to me, to read or watch old sci-fi. As humankind and the technologies it musters evolves over time, pieces of old fiction become amusing reflections of how we thought we'd live.

Like a kaleidoscope showing us different colors through the same view, concurrent writers of speculative fiction each have their own hues to share. When we look back at these varying images of our past predictions, it's quite fascinating. Oh, I just switched a moment ago to "speculative fiction" -- oops!

Definitions of science fiction and speculative fiction are definitely commingled. Sci-fi fans do like their space ships and genetic mutations. But not all sci-fi leans heavily on the flashy technology frontiers. On this note, I really enjoyed the article's comments about applying enthusiasm to new areas of science. The technical gizmos are interesting but the changes in mankind (biology, sociology, psychology the sciences here) are just as captivating. So, in my view, one differentiator is that speculative fiction doesn't seem to lean on technology as much.

In Orwell's 1984 -- not wild from a technology standpoint -- it was the human activities that were astounding: hiding camera's everywhere, changing the news across all publications in the printed archive, spin-doctoring to the extreme. This aspect makes it more of a speculative fiction work. The technologies featured in the book weren't really much of a stretch from what existed at the time the book was written. Orwell mainly speculated on how far a propoganda machine could go. This is what really made it fascinating: the direction that evolution could take.

With all of this pondering, I'm curious: as far as genres go, do we need to clearly break apart science fiction from speculative fiction? Please weigh in on this question. It would be very helpful to get other views on this subject.

Hmm.

P.D. James' "Children of Men" marketing challenge

This post discusses the woes of marketing a film based on thoughtful speculative fiction. It's got panelists weighing in on the challenges of such an undertaking and subsequent confusion online site visitors may face.

The critiques are focused on the effectiveness of the film's marketing message: see it...it's fascinating to immerse yourself in these heavy (and seemingly very real) issues. In so many words, the first critique is echoed by the second:

1) "Somewhere, somehow, someone had the idea to bolt on this "higher order online mission" to the movie as an enhancement, which frankly left me in as much of a mystery as the title, "Children of Men." "
-- Alan Schulman, chief creative officer, Brand New World

2) "I don't mind suspending my disbelief to embrace a fictional story that has serious themes, but I don't believe those same themes should then be considered in another fiction. There is a difference between suspending one's disbelief and pretending."
-- Brian Crooks, executive creative director, Avenue A | Razorfish

Too much ancillary mystery is obviously afoot in the buzz-generating efforts here. This is a tough thing to face in marketing...with so much media saturation, people need to be clever in garnering attention (remember "The Blair Witch Project?"). So, it's not surprising that confusing marketing can accompany fiction built around challenging ideas like those of P.D. James.

I like the solution proposed by Brian Crooks the best:
"Why not have a blog that invites the visitor to weigh in on some of the very real world concerns this more serious science fiction movie extrapolates on?"

Personally, I would have relished the opportunity to comment on such a blog.

Men on the moon?

It's a plan. We'll have folks wandering routinely around the moon between 2020 and 2030. A prediction that I didn't make in my book Darwin's Orphans.

With so much focus on easier ways to get into space, I thought for sure we'd see the wisdom of first constructing space elevators -- some with stations attached to them. This would let us to more easily launch to Mars and other places we haven't been.

However, I do see the wisdom of having a low-gravity jumping off point that also lets us practice living in non-terrestrial conditions. It seems wise to get good at it closer to home before heading farther into the solar system.

This has oftentimes been interesting fodder for speculative fiction. Feel free, as always, to post your opinions on the subject.

Turkey Day Miscellanea

Lots of fun speculative fiction posts recently:

-- A few articles seem to find Darren Aronofsky's The Fountain to be a fascinating piece of cinematic work. About the film, Aronofsky is quoted as saying "... take [science fiction] from the tradition of outer space to inner space. Get away from the ray gun and go back to sci-fi that's more internal..." This is my kind of sci-fi...it has to be personal to be enjoyable, otherwise it gets bogged down in technology. I will post your comments (good or bad, just not nasty) from anyone that's seen it...opening was yesterday and I didn't get the chance yet.

-- The future of technologies will be discussed by serious scientists on mainstream media. The broadcasts start today and continue through Sunday. This will be solid speculative information for anyone seeking realistic insights for their writing.

-- New cell capabilities tie phones to your health. When I think about future communications, I don't typically think about my health...I guess I should. I've pondered the way a future "network" will tie all communications together in my book -- just not the extended scope of such a system. Surely, healthcare will tie into a future network in many ways.

Happy Thanksgiving.

Keeping order in your fiction

This article is a sober reminder that readers are very critical of the details in your future, science or speculative fiction. The criticism makes me feel wise for tarrying over the chronology of events and for keeping a realistic head on my shoulders when writing Darwin's Orphans.

The author Judith Farrell writes "... needs some imposed order where there is none." I too need order in my fiction...to a degree. One does want imagination, sure, but reason needs to be present as well. It's a fine line. Concerns of closure and too many set ups for future books abound in the case of Farrell's review of Stross' book. Perhaps if you're imagining a broad realm like Tolkein did with "The Hobbit" you can still make it a complete and cohesive story like he did. I'm sure it's tempting to wander off into other aspects of soon-to-come books, but a writer must live in the now. After all, that's where the readers will be.

New speculative fiction ... sounds interesting

This press release for the new book Proteus Rising by Peter Dingus has got some pretty saucy lures once you get past the very techie edge up front. An early passage that sounds very scientific in nature: "Despite their efforts, the authorities soon discover the emergence of a new nonhuman species and the existence of the most powerful computer ever created. So starts a paranoid chess game between a small group of scientists, a self-aware computer and the invincible security forces of a fleet admiral in a desperate gambit to save a group of synthetically bred children from imprisonment and medical experimentation." ...

...Is then followed by a statement that reads: ""Proteus Rising" is at once chilling and sexy. Though its venue is futuristic, "Proteus Rising" has a tone that is strangely familiar." This is comforting to me, so I'm going to check it out. Not that I need sexy or chilling -- but it does put more "human" in a tale that sounds scientific in nature. So, I'm going to check this one out. I'll follow up and let you know what I think.

If you've read it, please post a comment here. - Thanks

Fishy future fiction

Speculative fiction writers often wonder about the future of our world from a biological perspective. According to this article, the future is grim for the fishies. I mention the decline of one specific fish species in my book Darwin's Orphans (this nugget was based in current fact) and other futurists take it much further. Check out A World Without People for a very broad look at extinction.

It's a good subject for writers to keep in their fictional efforts. Alongside fiction writing, films like The Day After Tomorrow remind people to take implications of global warming more seriously. I think that literature and films have a role to play in feeding social consciousness. On this note, if you're writing some future fiction, keep the fishies in mind. They really need your help.

A view from Great Britain

In this article, a collection of speculative thoughts are featured from different writers in the U.K. Some really cool takes on various aspects of life including transportation, sex and the home are included.

Basket of speculative fiction goodies

This blog entry from Scientific American is full of speculative nuggets. With current recommendations from leading scientists today, you can provide more accurate visions of the future in fiction.

It's probably easier to write the far out stuff that goes hundreds of years into the future. Imagination, the providence of fiction writers, is unleashed in the far future. However, if you're looking to write for the near term -- which includes a future time while the writer is still likely to be alive -- accuracy in prognostications is more critical. After all, the verdict on the near future will be read soon enough. In such cases, most writers want to be close in their work.

So, if you're in the midst of writing a piece of speculative fiction, find plenty of sources like the blog linked above. Keep it linked because you'll get ideas from these sources as well. At least I do.

Speculative fiction: keeping it honest

Jamais Cascio has a set of guidelines that he thinks futurists should follow. They are broad in scope and seem to be targeted largely to those analysts that forecast where technologies are heading and the implications of their directions.

However, Cascio features fiction in his links and pays attention to speculative fiction writers as part of the futurist society. On this note, he lists a few key futurist maxims for behaving correctly:

1) ... There is a responsibility not to let the desires of a client (or audience, or collaborator) for a particular outcome blind him or her to the consequences of that goal, and will always inform the client of both the risks and rewards.

2) Responsibility to understand, as fully as possible, the range of issues and systems connected to the question under consideration, to avoid missing critical potential consequences.

3) Responsibility to acknowledge and make her or his client (audience, collaborators) cognizant of the uncertainty of forecasts, and to explain why some outcomes and consequences are more or less likely than others.

4) Responsibility to offer unbiased analysis, based on an honest appraisal of sources, with as much transparency of process as possible.

5) Responsibility to recognize the difference between short-term results and long-term processes, and to always keep an eye on the more distant possibilities.


I applied this litmus test to my own speculative fiction, Darwin's Orphans, and seem to pass the test. The story has a future world with a balanced look demonstrating risks and rewards in the outcome; kept the connected range of issues in check; uncertainty was obvious; transparency of sources and processes doesn't apply to fiction (but research sources are available); short and long term processes are differentiated with an eye to more distant possibilities. Yes, it is an honest work of speculative fiction according to these guidelines. There is a broader point here though: in publishing this blog, readers are relying on my truthfulness and accuracy of information. Otherwise, web content like this gets reduced to non-information. In cyberspace, we need to live by a similar set of rules otherwise this post and ones like it becomes worthless digital blather.

Cascio's definition of futurists is also eloquent: "Futurists perform a quirky, but necessary, task in modern society: we function as the long-range scanners for a species evolved to pay close attention to short-range horizons."

Live in the now, look to the future.

Flying Cars?

Future fiction is always more fun when the cars fly, isn't it? However, I clicked the link to the video clip on this news spot and checked out one that really does. This is a big machine...not your average-sized car that's merely capable of whisking into the sky. Yes, a flying car does exist but, for the sake of future fiction, will we be driving them in 25 years, 50 years, 100 years? It's the timeline thing that gets you in future fiction...how to assess our progress and plug it into fiction?

I don't see us flying around in 2031, the climactic year in my book Darwin's Orphans. If flying cars used gas like today's -- like the one in the ABC news spot apparently does -- the fuel price alone would keep us all out of the skies. So, it'll likely be another few decades on the ground as we migrate to more earthly advancements: fuel changes (hopefully we solve the hydrogen production mystery) and computerized assistance (taking GPS to the next level and protecting us with it).

On this note, there are still many advances in future fiction for the automobile we can ponder. Taking to the skies opens up a whole can of worms: how will 3-D "roads" be charted? What can we do to marry today's air traffic control capabilities with ground traffic control techniques. This will be fun stuff to watch ... if you're around in 50 to 100 years.

Blade Runner re-released again

A classic work of cinematic future fiction, Blade Runner has been re-released again by Warner Brothers. Although the fully remastered and restored Director's Cut has been unavailable for a while, you can now get your hands on a copy...and you should. It is by far my personal favorite future vision in celluloid form.

Much better than other attempts at future fiction on film (like 1984 -- John Hurt was a good Winston but I didn't care for it overall) and extreme absurdist future takes like Brazil, Blade Runner is an exciting ride and makes some very interesting prognostications about our future weather and computer use. I'd like my voice-recognizing computer to be so smart that it could effortlessly zoom into a particular spot on a photo. Very cool sequence.

Will Johnnie Walker Black Label come in funky bottle shapes in the future? This is still iffy to me. But I would like a cool set of drinking glasses like the ones Harrison Ford drinks from -- watch for them when you check out the show. He even beats Clooney to the revival of the Caesar-like hairdo in this flick.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I did if you get a copy. The Director's Cut is really great.