Futurism Staff
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A team of space cadets making the most out of their time trapped on Earth. Help.
Stories (149/0)
They're Made Out of Meat
"They're Made Out of Meat," by Terry Bisson, is one of the most influential stories in science fiction, and is regularly discussed in college classes about cognitive science, cosmology, and philosophy. The story consists entirely of two extraterrestrials having a conversation at a dinner. Their mission is to discover sentient beings capable of traveling faster than light, and offering them "first contact." Human-beings, as carbon-based life, befuddle the aliens. They cannot fathom how "sacks of meat" can be sentient. Disturbed by their discovery, the aliens mark the solar system has uninhabited, cutting off humanity from the galactic community. "They're Made Out of Meat" is regularly cited as an explanation to the Fermi paradox, the contradiction asking why we cannot see other intelligent life in the universe.
By Futurism Staff8 years ago in Futurism
Space Conspiracy Theories
Everything you know about space is a lie. We’ve never been to the moon, Pluto is a hologram, and Obama visited Mars twice. Conspiracy theorists believe all of this and so much more. NASA is one of the top organizations accused of conspiracy theories, and has been since the day it was created. Established in 1958, NASA was founded to compete with the Soviet Union in the space race. After Russia launched Sputnik, people were afraid that they would start building weapons in space. NASA was created to combat this. In the 1960s, John F. Kennedy approved the Apollo program which was aimed at successfully sending a man to the moon. While the Apollo 1 ended in disaster, the Apollo 8 and 10 missions went to the moon to test equipment and take photos but did not land.
By Futurism Staff8 years ago in Futurism
Notorious Cults
Cults are like car accidents: horrific events that people cant help but gawk at in shock. Cult members sacrifice their individuality for the perceived friendship, connections, identity, and meaning the groups offers. It is difficult to define the psychological profile of individuals in cults. There is a significant diversification in terms of age, career, education, ideology, and talents among cult members. Powerful dedication to ideology deludes members into believing they are revolutionaries, or devout followers of a new age religion. All too often, cults end in destruction, through mass suicide or violence. Terrifying, and fascinating, cults manipulated countless people and made headlines throughout the twentieth century. A look at these cults offers more insight into the type of groups that appealed to the varied individuals that would become members.
By Futurism Staff9 years ago in Futurism
Best Sci-Fi Porn Parodies
If you are a lover of movies like Star Wars and Avatar, then these sci-fi porn parodies may not only grab your interest but fulfill some of your wildest fantasies. There are a number of hot porn parodies of famous films many love to watch and those that are top-rated.
By Futurism Staff9 years ago in Futurism
Best Space Travel Movies
Space, the final frontier. As much as our narrow sighted governments have decommissioned our space programs, we have not given up hope at reaching for the stars. While for the average person it might seem like a herculean task innovators like Elon Musk and Richard Branson have devoted their vast fortunes to continuing to push the boundaries of going beyond orbit. But the future of space travel won’t entirely be dependent upon a handful of billionaires carrying the weight of human exploration on their backs. The only ones who can truly carry the torch of exploration into the 21st century is the next generation. The children of tomorrow who will grow into the next generation of scientists and engineers who will build the machines that will take humanity into the stars. For those future dreamers here are some of the best space travel movies that will hopefully inspire them with the possibilities of the stars and what great wonder the universe has for them to behold so they might use these dreams as the fuel for their minds to build the engines of tomorrow that will take their children to the stars.
By Futurism Staff9 years ago in Futurism
Best Alien Invasion Movies
American fears of the cold war with the USSR in the middle of the 20th century manifested themselves in stories of alien invasions. The movie aliens themselves often took the forms of outright green blobs, which in my opinion was probably a budgetary issue, resolved by some special effects coordinator suggesting that they leave it up to the audience's imagination. From stormtrooper looking soldiers to individual messengers of doom, the aliens kept coming until science fiction films in general became the highest grossing film genre over big movie weekends in the later 20th century. If there is even a shred of predictive truth to these films, we should have no excuse when the time comes for an alien invasion. Watch the best alien invasion movies. Get prepared.
By Futurism Staff9 years ago in Futurism
Mad Max Gear
Extravagantly deranged and entirely over the top, George Miller has revived his Mad Max punk-western franchise as a bizarre convoy chase action-thriller in the post-apocalyptic desert in his movie, Mad Max: Fury Road. There are dozens of huge rigs and chunky 18-wheelers driven by large, angry men with long hair and bad teeth, and their rides are pimped out with skulls and other gory accessories. Some of these assault vehicles have permanent armies of drummers on board, thumping belligerently and rhythmically away, creating the kind of scary and upsetting noise usually only heard on the streets of the Edinburgh festival. For fans of the original Mad Max trilogy, this new movie is sure to please. We have comprised a list of the best Mad Max gear in order to celebrate.
By Futurism Staff9 years ago in Futurism
Sci-Fi Military Books
As a sub-genre of science fiction, sci-fi military books often imagine the future of war, relying heavily on speculative technology and, oftentimes, extraterrestrial combatants. Many authors rely on historical events, such as Hannibal or the Vietnam War, and transcribe them for the future. Instead of nations in conflict, authors present planets at war. The ethics of war and consequences of military action are on the front-lines of many sci-fi military books. When is war justified? What is the value of one life versus many? New moral dilemmas present themselves as science fiction concepts muddle the line between what is and is not permitted. Military science fiction is about the people engrossed by the carnage of war and the larger problems facing them.
By Futurism Staff9 years ago in Futurism
Netflix's Marco Polo Historical Accuracy
Marco Polo is a political drama soaked in blood and sex, but does Netflix's historic epic capture the historical truths of the famed explorer? The answer is vague. Marco Polo did travel to Mongolia, but whether he engaged in politics and combat is ambiguous. Polo wrote his works omitting any personal interactions, choosing to record accounts of the varying cultures and locations. However, lack of information did not stop the streaming service from delivering a show to rival shows on HBO and Starz, with engaging scenery and stunningly choreographed martial arts. Whether or not Marco Polo dabbled in political shenanigans is left to the imagination. Regardless, Bob Weinstein and Netflix have created an engaging series. For the sake of human curiosity, as most adventures begin, it is worth exploring the historical figure of Marco Polo.
By Futurism Staff9 years ago in Futurism
James Randi Scientific Skeptic
James Randi is a skeptic, well known for challenges to paranormal claims, false invention, religious claims and the pseudosciences. Randi started as a magician stage named "The Amazing Randi", he retired to devote his time to investigating the occult, and other supernatural claims. Randi became famous in 1972 when he openly questioned the claims of Uri Geller. He said Geller used plain magic tricks to accomplish his allegedly supernatural feats. Randi wrote about his claims in The Truth About Uri Geller one of a number of great books on debunking charlatans.
By Futurism Staff10 years ago in Futurism
Mark Hamill Interview With Maria Shriver
In this revealing Mark Hamill interview, Maria Shriver inquires if the Star Wars icon will reappear in the franchise 20 years from then. She was off by more than a decade but it is intriguing to realize that even as early as the 1983 release of The Return of the Jedi, there were plans for this franchise to live long into the future.
By Futurism Staff10 years ago in Futurism
Philip K. Dick Explains European Sci-Fi
In a rare interview, Philip K. Dick gives us a glimpse into differing perceptions of science fiction in Europe and America. A self analysis of his personal experience battling for legitimacy as a writer reveals very different attitudes toward sci-fi across the Atlantic ocean. While many decades have passed there still prevails a subtle difference between the two cultures that can be felt in the publishing industry.
By Futurism Staff10 years ago in Futurism