Re: High Technology of the Future

From: Ross A. Finlayson (raf@tiki-lounge.com)
Date: Sun Dec 24 2000 - 01:22:04 MST


zeb haradon wrote:

> >From: "Ross A. Finlayson" <raf@tiki-lounge.com>
> >Reply-To: extropians@extropy.org
> >To: "extropians@extropy.org" <extropians@extropy.org>
> >Subject: High Technology of the Future
> >Date: Sat, 23 Dec 2000 10:03:50 -0500
> >
> >Hello,
> >
> >There are many rapid advancements across broad fronts of scientific and
> >technological research. As well, the fundamental mathematical sciences
> >advance.
> >
> >At the same time, people's lives are not so different from hundreds of
> >years ago, except many more people have automobiles, high technology
> >appliances and devices, and medicine, as well as entertainment.
>
> So what you're saying is, people's lives are pretty much the same as they
> were hundreds of years ago, except for the myriad of significant ways in
> which they are different?
>
> ---------------------------------------------------
> Zeb Haradon (zebharadon@hotmail.com)
> My personal webpage:
> http://www.inconnect.com/~zharadon/ubunix
> A movie I'm directing:
> http://www.elevatormovie.com
>
> "Fish f*** in it." - W. C. Fields answer to why he never drank water.
>
> _________________________________________________________________
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Yes, that. That, and that the lifestyle is to some extent resistant to
change.

I was wondering when would be a good idea to take a snapshot of published
science fiction and science fiction from the Internet, and classify
everything. An ontology of all the various forms of speculative science
fiction, even space opera and fantasy, can be designed to some extent and
utilized. There are quite a few directories and catalogs of science fiction
information on the Internet.

I enjoy science fiction as a theme. I enjoy reading, and have read hundreds
of books, yet, I don't read so many books in years.

That is about science fiction because science fiction addresses a wide
variety of issues posed by having high technology. It allows otherwise
"magic" or "deus ex machina" effects. For example, in Star Trek the
transporters can teleport people from the ship to the ground in their street
clothes. That was a plot effect, the high-technology transporter was simply
there.

By classifying science fiction information, then we can talk about a Dyson
Sphere or a Niven Ringworld or something made by Asimov or Piers Anthony.

Ross

--
Ross Andrew Finlayson
Finlayson Consulting
Ross at Tiki-Lounge: http://www.tiki-lounge.com/~raf/



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