science fiction
The bridge between imagination and technological advancement, where the dreamer’s vision predicts change, and foreshadows a futuristic reality. Science fiction has the ability to become “science reality”.
Deathwatch, Chapter One
Beck sat in the blowing dust, waiting for her family to be killed. The thin particles stuck to her face, darkening where they merged with her tears. She took no notice of it. In the Outers, the dust was everywhere. She was hundreds of miles from the nearest patch of reclaimed land so long as you didn't count the crops inside the Rez itself. And who did? The food grown here was nothing like what she'd seen in pictures from the Inners. Even the cream of the harvest crop was wilted and thin no matter how hard the citizens toiled.
By Joshua Guess7 years ago in Futurism
Maria the Savior
A flash of green light filled the room. And then it was gone. In its place stood a man. "It's you!" Maria wasn't fazed. It was herself indeed, sitting in her bed, drinking some tea and catching up on her celebrity gossip on the computer. "Yes, I'm me. What about it?"
By Laura Prado7 years ago in Futurism
Pegasus
“Kudrow? Where are we going?” I didn’t know. They wouldn’t say. Phil is next to me, his hands balled tightly in his lap. For some reason, despite everything, I’m worried he’ll wet himself. That’s what I’m worried about. The girl across from me won’t look at me. She’s scared too, obviously. She has to be. We all are. I can see her face through the small sliver of light that shine’s through the black tarp of that lines the windows. It makes everything dark, everything cold. I can feel the sting under me, of the cold seat. The others feel it too; they cringe with their knees up and shoulders tightly compressed. There must be twelve of us, sitting, at least, trying to keep still as the bus rocked.
By Ian Holmes7 years ago in Futurism
Offline: Chapter 1
"Powering on. Welcome to Future™." A monotone, synthetic female-like voice echoed through the surround-sound. The genius mind and the face of Future™ smiled invitingly on the loading screen. He was one considered to be photogenic with his hair neatly groomed and his dimples deep. His name, Philander Pierce. "We are living in a time, where the lines between man and machine are blurring. Future™ is the future." His confidence in himself came off as rather charming than arrogant when paired with his mild-manneredness. The image of him faded and in bold letters the word future was spelled out, and under trademark, as if the future didn't belong to everyone. "Loading Future™." The female-esque voice reverberated.
By Karli Healey7 years ago in Futurism
Review of Westworld Season 1 Finale
Here's what we learned in the excellent season 1 finale of Westworld, and the possible questions raised: The Man in Black is the new majority owner of Westworld. The Man in Black is William, much older. This is one of the first fine twists -- a sequence of turns and revelations of events that cut deep. What we've been seeing of Dolores during these ten episodes are not just skips and jumps and loops in her mind, but time itself chopped up, that is, earlier and more recent events in her life. Which means, regarding William, that every scene we've seen with him happened in the pretty distant past -- i.e., decades ago. Nice touch. Dolores dying in Teddy's arms by the sea is actually the entree to the new narrative Ford has been promising. I actually realized this a few moments before it was revealed, but it was still memorable to see. Maeve, despite her best efforts, was never going to leave Westworld. I was actually thinking this, too - the essence of Westworld is that, like the Hotel California, you can check in if you're a host (be created), but you can never leave. But the pursuit of her daughter being the reason is an effective touch -- because, after all, not only does love conquer all, but it's an all powerful component of what makes us human. The path towards consciousness is knowing thyself. In the Jaynesian bicameral mind -- at least, as portrayed in Westworld -- this means one half of your brain listening to the other. Two millennia prior to Jaynes, Socrates urged the same thing: know thyself. This makes Westworld not only Jaynesian but Socratic, a very good thing in my book. I never bought that Socrates drank the hemlock, though (and my best-known novel tries to explain what may really have happened back then) -- but, with that in mind, I wasn't happy to see Dolores blow out Ford's brains at the end, just as she had done years earlier with Arnold (even though suffering that real-guilt pain is said to be the only way she can achieve true consciousness).
By Paul Levinson7 years ago in Futurism
ALKAPHIRA: Chapter One
Mankind had long chased the dream of reaching immortality. It was the promised ultimatum of a galaxy controlled by the Divine Solar Emperor. He was god-like, technologically superior to the point of holding a messianic status above the entire galactic market. Engineers and developers alike revered him, naturists and libertarians despised him. Regardless of the controversy, over a millennia of progress stood splayed across over half of the Milky Way galaxy by means of a Neuro-electric Transit (NeT) system. Facilitating trade, logistics, and warfare, the NeT was a virtual universe built upon the reverse-engineered technology of a hyper-sentient race called the Alkaphirans.
By Adam Dryden7 years ago in Futurism
A Dinner Party
They gathered, as they did every third Thursday, around the long table. A mixed bunch, the one thing they had in common was that they were the movers, the shakers, the society people. It was Stan's turn to host, his turn to come up with something new. A lot of pressure given the group. After three hundred years it was a challenge to do something novel, to shock.
By Traverse Davies7 years ago in Futurism
Best Ray Bradbury Books
If you didn't have to read one of Ray Bradbury's books in high school, who were you? Whether it was in an English class or for summer reading, most students have had to pick up one of this author's novels. The best part is that unlike a lot of required reading, a lot of students end up actually enjoyingRay Bradbury's work. His writing spans multiple genres, including fantasy, science fiction, horror, and mystery. His pieces are also well known for having impactful social commentary. If you'd like to get yourself into his work, here's a list of the best Ray Bradbury books to help get you started.
By Katie Marchbank7 years ago in Futurism