Comments on: Cover to Cover #304B: Technology, Science and Fiction http://www.dragonpage.com/2008/04/10/cover-to-cover-304b/ Conversations with the Creators of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Thriller fiction today! If you love SF literature, are an author or aspire to become one, you'll enjoy this podcast. Tue, 16 Mar 2010 05:33:51 -0600 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.5 hourly 1 By: Diane http://www.dragonpage.com/2008/04/10/cover-to-cover-304b/comment-page-1/#comment-277795 Diane Mon, 14 Apr 2008 02:04:12 +0000 http://www.dragonpage.com/2008/04/10/cover-to-cover-304b/#comment-277795 I have to say that I've fallen out of the hard sci fi genre as a reader. I quit reading it some time after college--it ceased to appeal. Partially, I think the reason is that in my experience, the characters get overwhelmed by the technology. I like stories about real individuals rather than things. Hard sci fi may have problems dealing with constantly changing and advancing technology in the real world, but there will always be the ethical considerations, as well as the loss of identity and privacy that technology can bring. There are lots of stories there, in my opinion, as long as writers are willing to focus on the characters and not the technology. However, is there something new to be imagined as far as technology? Well, in real life, we still haven't completely realized manned space travel. We still haven't cracked true artificial intelligence. We're still driving cars that roll on the ground. We still, much to our dismay, use non-renewable fuels for energy. We still haven't cured cancer. I think no matter how far we progress, there will always be ways to dream of different futures. I have to say that I’ve fallen out of the hard sci fi genre as a reader. I quit reading it some time after college–it ceased to appeal. Partially, I think the reason is that in my experience, the characters get overwhelmed by the technology. I like stories about real individuals rather than things. Hard sci fi may have problems dealing with constantly changing and advancing technology in the real world, but there will always be the ethical considerations, as well as the loss of identity and privacy that technology can bring. There are lots of stories there, in my opinion, as long as writers are willing to focus on the characters and not the technology.

However, is there something new to be imagined as far as technology? Well, in real life, we still haven’t completely realized manned space travel. We still haven’t cracked true artificial intelligence. We’re still driving cars that roll on the ground. We still, much to our dismay, use non-renewable fuels for energy. We still haven’t cured cancer. I think no matter how far we progress, there will always be ways to dream of different futures.

]]> By: Knanshon http://www.dragonpage.com/2008/04/10/cover-to-cover-304b/comment-page-1/#comment-275807 Knanshon Sat, 12 Apr 2008 07:29:54 +0000 http://www.dragonpage.com/2008/04/10/cover-to-cover-304b/#comment-275807 I have to agree that Greg Bear will stand out as a visionary when we come to look at his work retrospectively. When I read his book Eon god-knows-how-many years ago it certainly opened my eyes to the potential of future technology. As far as I know none of us are yet living inside Tardis-like asteroids, uploading foreign languages into our brains, augmenting our verbal communication with mind-powered projected images or generating power from singularities. While I agree that SF will always have much to say about society I disagree strongly that all the great ideas have been used up and that the pace of real-world technological advances makes it near impossible to write hard-SF stories that don't date within a few years. I understand that such stories can no longer be based on general scienctific ideas though because leading-edge science is now conducted in specialist fields. As a professional computer programmer, in such a specialist field, I have many stories ideas based on computers that I know we won't see become reality for many years to come, if ever. I think the challenge for any hard-SF authour today is in bringing such specialist knowledge to a wider audience in a way that is accessible. I have to agree that Greg Bear will stand out as a visionary when we come to look at his work retrospectively. When I read his book Eon god-knows-how-many years ago it certainly opened my eyes to the potential of future technology. As far as I know none of us are yet living inside Tardis-like asteroids, uploading foreign languages into our brains, augmenting our verbal communication with mind-powered projected images or generating power from singularities.

While I agree that SF will always have much to say about society I disagree strongly that all the great ideas have been used up and that the pace of real-world technological advances makes it near impossible to write hard-SF stories that don’t date within a few years. I understand that such stories can no longer be based on general scienctific ideas though because leading-edge science is now conducted in specialist fields.

As a professional computer programmer, in such a specialist field, I have many stories ideas based on computers that I know we won’t see become reality for many years to come, if ever. I think the challenge for any hard-SF authour today is in bringing such specialist knowledge to a wider audience in a way that is accessible.

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