Is Science Fiction About To Go Blind

Popular Science ^ | August 2004 | Gregory Mone

[Gorjus]

I still want my flying car!

So do I. Step 1: Get rid of 90% of the FAA.

If the FAA ran the roads, there would be manned towers at every road intersection (supported by user fees), and you would have to have $100k of electronics in your car if you wanted to drive anywhere near a city.

As a result, we wouldn't have driving cars, let alone flying cars - except for corporations and a few rich guys like Kerry.

[poindexter]

"That’s a far cry from uploading the 1011 neurons that make up the human brain."

It's more like 10^11, isn't it? 1011 neurons would fit on the head of a pin.

[-YYZ-]

I believe I read a short story based on an excerpt of "Accelerando" in the latest (2003) "Year's Best Science Fiction" (edited by Gardner Dozois). I'll have to get the novel because the short story was a really good read. I highly recommend the "Year's Best" short story anthologies to anyone who is a fan of SF - I usually find at least half of the stories very good to excellent, and the remainder at least good, and good reading for the bathroom (for those of use without wi-fi and laptops in the loo). A good way to get some familiarity with the current players in the SF genre and their styles.

[-YYZ-]

I still want my flying car!
WHERE are the flying cars!!!

OK, settle down there, Red.

[ckilmer]

In reality pyramids are just a very simple form of building.
///////////
I've heard the porportions of their dimensions are fibonnaci numbers like those of snail shells and stock market retracements.

[4CJ]

It's more like 10^11, isn't it? 1011 neurons would fit on the head of a pin.

Yep. But I swear I wrote 10¹¹ in my reply (10 raised to 11th power) which still sounds low.

[HawkeyeLonewolf]

Barchetta?

[Podkayne]

More interesting than asteroids is the rogue planet theory that every 3600 years or so a planet in a highly eccentric orbit passes near earth and causes serious damage.Enough damage that civilizations have been wiped out time and again and have left little evidence of their pre-existence. The pyramids and the Sphinx are the oldest structures to have survived these cataclysms.

The orbit of the rogue "captive" planet is in a plane @ 60 degrees beneath the eliptic and it orbits "up" through the solar system between jupiter and mars (the mars asteroid belt is part of the damage to other moons caused b y the giant (bigger than jupiter) rogue planet.

The only place to put telescopes to look for this planet is in South America or Australia and there ARE observatories searching at this point in time. This planet doesn't reflect light, it's pretty far out there and given we can't see asteroids till they're nearly on us...

More telescopes, both on earth and in orbit are needed to spot this thing. It's not due back here again for a thousand years of so.

[SittinYonder]

>but ones that could force you to cancel your travel plans<

Or make travel plans.

[-YYZ-]

Foreman, as in the dad on "That 70s show". Your post sounded just like a quote from him on one episode.

[-YYZ-]

Sorry, I may have missed it, was that a reference to my screen name? Very good :)

[isom35]

science fiction has no mouth, and it must scream.

[Xenalyte]

Took the nasty visual right out of my mind, you did! ;)

[Diddle E. Squat]

Lots of dying kittens in the keywords slightly ashamed I pinged ping

[HawkeyeLonewolf]

:)

BINGO!

Glad to see other cons who like the Boyz. :)

[js1138]

Riddle me this batman. Where is the mind of an individual when it is uploaded to multiple computing engines?

Unless these geniuses have smoked something that is unavailable to me, the electronic mind would be like a clone, a separate and distinct individual with no particular connection to me. I'm not sure what the point is, other than the possible altruistic motive of producing children that will not age and die. But even this is just an assumption, and judging from the current state of viruses and worms, not a particularly realistic one.

[Xenalyte]

I still want my flying car!



No flying cars . . . NO FLYING CARS!

[Xenalyte]

Where is the mind of an individual when it is uploaded to multiple computing engines? Is that the genesis of the bon mot "I am of two minds."?

Since the concept of being "of two minds" is about 400 years old as a literary convention, and the concept of uploading is somewhat younger than I am, likely not.

[Thud]

ping

[Constitution Day]

She Bop!