2020 Science in 2020
December 31, 20192020 Science in 2020
A new website for Films from the Future
February 17, 2019There’s a new website for the book Films from the Future: The Technology and Morality of Sci-Fi Movies that you might want to check out! As well as an overview of the book, and those every-important links to where to purchase it, the site contains information and resources not available elsewhere. ...
A book club guide for Films from the Future
February 2, 2019The same structure that makes Films from the Future ideal for undergrads, also makes it perfect for an extremely engaging book club – one where you not only read a book together, but you get to watch films as well!
Sci-fi movies are the secret weapon that could help Silicon Valley grow up
November 15, 2018If there’s one line that stands the test of time in Steven Spielberg’s 1993 classic “Jurassic Park,” it’s probably Jeff Goldblum’s exclamation, “Your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn’t stop to think if they should.” Goldblum’s character, Dr. Ian Malcolm, was warning against the hubris ...
Even “bad” sci-fi movies can teach us something about emerging technologies!
November 15, 2018The film Transcendence, is not a great movie. Yet this futuristic thriller, which stars Johnny Depp as a genius scientist who mind-melds with a supercomputer, provides surprising and sometimes startling insights into how future technologies are unfolding, and the moral and ethical challenges they potentially raise.
Films from the Future: The Last Chapter
November 8, 2018Through this book, I’ve set out to show how science fiction movies can help point the way along this journey, flawed as they are. As I’ve been researching and writing it, I’ve developed a deeper appreciation of how the movies here can expand our appreciation of the complex relationship between ...
Contact: Occam’s Razor and Films from the Future
November 1, 2018William of Occam was a fourteenth-century English philosopher, friar, and theologian. From historic accounts, he was sharp thinker, and a somewhat controversial religious figure in his time. Yet, these days, he is best known for the scientific rule of thumb that bears his name.
Environmental resilience and The Day After Tomorrow
October 25, 2018Resiliency, I have to admit, is a bit of a buzz-word these days. In the environmental context, it’s often used to describe how readily an ecosystem is able to resist harm, or recover from damage caused by some event. But resiliency goes far beyond resistance to change..
The Honest Broker meets Dan Brown’s Inferno
October 18, 2018Each week between now and November 15th (publication day!) I’ll be posting excerpts from Films from the Future: The Technology and Morality of Sci-Fi Movies This week, it’s chapter eleven, and the movie Inferno. Inferno may seem like an odd choice of movie in a book about science fiction films and the future. ...
Everything you wanted to know about the book “Films from the Future”, but were afraid to ask
October 11, 2018
A Nanoscale Perspective on The Man in the White Suit
October 11, 2018Each week between now and November 15th (publication day!) I’ll be posting excerpts from Films from the Future: The Technology and Morality of Sci-Fi Movies This week, it’s chapter ten, and the movie The Man in the White Suit. The Man in the White Suit is a 1951 Ealing Comedy that’s as dry ...
Films from the Future: Judging a book by its cover!
October 9, 2018We’re just five weeks and a couple of days away from the official publication of Films from the Future on November 15th, but in the meantime, here’s a sneak-peek at the book’s cover: And just a reminder that the book’s currently available for pre-order at Amazon.com!
Enter the Neo-Luddites: Transcendence, The Singularity, and Technological Resistance
October 8, 2018On January 15, 1813, fourteen men were hanged outside York Castle in England for crimes associated with technological activism. It was the largest number of people ever hanged in a single day at the castle. These hangings were a decisive move against an uprising protesting the impacts of increased mechanization, ...
What people are saying about “Films from the Future …”
October 5, 2018While it’s still a few weeks before Films from the Future is published (November 15th – mark your calendar!), a few people have already had the chance to read the book, and provide their thoughts on it. The book, by the way, is already available for pre-order on Amazon (here), and ...
Superintelligence: From Chapter Eight of Films from the Future
October 4, 2018In January 2017, a group of experts from around the world got together to hash out guidelines for beneficial artificial intelligence research and development. The meeting was held at the Asilomar Conference Center in California, the same venue where, in 1975, a group of scientists famously established safety guidelines for ...
Being Human in an Augmented Future (From chapter seven of Films from the Future)
September 27, 2018The forthcoming book Films from the Future: The Technology and Morality of Sci-Fi Movies explores the complex dynamics between emerging technologies and society through twelve science fiction movies. This excerpt comes from the chapter on the 1995 Japanese Anime movie Ghost in the Shell. Through a Glass Darkly On June 4, 2016, Elon Musk tweeted: “Creating ...
Social inequity in an age of technological extremes (from chapter six of Films from the Future)
September 19, 2018On September 17, 2011, a small group of social activists occupied Zuccotti Park in New York City. The occupation became the spearhead for the global “Occupy” movement, protesting a growing disparity between “haves” and “have-nots” within society. Two years later, the movie Elysium built on this movement as it sought to reveal the ...
Limitless: Pharmaceutically-Enhanced Intelligence (from chapter 5 of Films from the Future)
September 13, 2018In2004, the academic and medical doctor Anjan Chatterjee wrote a review of what he termed “Cosmetic Neurology.” He was far from the first person to write about the emergence and ethics of cognitive enhancers, but the piece caught my attention because of its unusual title…
Minority Report: Predicting Criminal Intent (From chapter four of Films from the Future)
September 10, 2018There’s something quite enticing about the idea of predicting how people will behave in a given situation. It’s what lies beneath personality profiling and theories of preferred team roles. But it also extends to trying to predict when people will behave badly, and taking steps to prevent this…
Never Let Me Go: A Cautionary Tale of Human Cloning (from chapter three of Films from the Future)
September 5, 2018In 2002, the birth of the first human clone was announced. Baby Eve was born on December 26, 2002, and weighed seven pounds. Or so it was claimed. The announcement attracted media attention from around the world, and spawned story after story of the birth. Since then, no proof has emerged ...