Science Fiction Newsletter- Nov 2010

November 1, 2010

Editor: EarlyHours-A Vigilante Ranger




1. About this Newsletter
2. Letter from the Editor
3. Special Feature
4. Editor's Picks
5. Ask & Answer

Technology In Science Fiction

This Newsletter is the first of probably many issues dealing with technology. To mix a few metaphors, technology is the common thread that ties together the DNA of the science fiction genre. Indeed, technology is sometimes included within the very definition of science fiction (see the August Newsletter for more on this). Since Sci-Fi Tech is such a huge topic, this Newsletter will start with generalities and examples. And as always, the topic is open for discussion at the "Science Fiction Newsletter Forum" , the "Sci-fi Writers Guild Forum" , or via email.

"We live in a society exquisitely dependent on science and technology, in which hardly anyone knows anything about science and technology." Carl Sagan

Techie or Trekkie?

The phenomenon by which science fiction accurately predicts future technology is well appreciated by fans of the genre. But whenever the topic of science fiction and technology comes up, the discussion usually goes immediately to Star Trek. Why? Because, teleportation notwithstanding, the show accurately predicted the development of a lot of the tech we use today. We all recognize those nifty communicators as today's cell phones. Dr. McCoy's tricorder medical device can't be too far away, when we see the incredible power of MRI and CT. The technology is getting smaller, and handheld medical scanning devices are in the foreseeable future. The Enterprise had a way of precisely locating a crewmember on a planet's surface. And today, we have GPS. Computer translators are here now, but can only translate Earth languages. Luckily, that's all we need it for right now. Even transparent aluminum is coming to pass (see Transparent Aluminum  ). But we'll discover through this Newsletter that maybe the Star Trek writers weren't the first ones to come up with some of that cool stuff.

As science fiction writers, we are charged with the responsibility to take current technology and science, and extrapolate it into the future. We might accurately predict things to come, or even make them go in the direction we suggest. Star Trek did both. But it could be argued that we are even more advanced, in some ways, than that portrayed on Trek. The Enterprise's computers and those iPad-like things the crew used are bigger and bulkier than anything we would put into our cars, no less our space ships. Things are shrinking, and with this knowledge, perhaps as writers we can use this to project what the future might be like for our characters: Within a few years, our devices will be tiny in comparison to what they are now. The next step will probably be implantable communication and networking devices. We already have what will be seen one day as early (archaic?) implantable technology. Pacemakers, defibrillators, monitors, and drug delivery systems are already being implanted into people. Could neural interfaces and communications be far behind? No matter how adamant some will be to resist the trend, people will be merging and neurologically interfacing with future versions of electronics. This may even herald the next big evolutionary pressure in our development. Those that allow implants and bio-electronic enhancements may be at a distinct advantage over those that don't. And we know what evolutionary pressure can do to a species. Maybe we are destined to become a race of hive-like electronically-implanted cybernetic humans. Or did Star Trek already do that?

As science fiction writers, we use technology to enhance our stories, and even determine our plot lines. Many "future technologies," from early science fiction, are already here, but we still have a long a speculative future ahead of us. We still need to work on a method of interstellar drive, even though E.E. "Doc" Smith (Lensman and Skylark series) mentioned it as early as the 1920's. In real science, work continues on mechanical life, including artificial intelligence and robots, topics that have had a presence in science fiction since at least the 1930's. Invisibility is another area of science that still needs to make progress. It's been over a hundred years since H. G. Wells wrote The Invisible Man, and I think it's high time for scientists to step up and disappear.

"Everything that can be invented has been invented." Charles H. Duell, Commissioner, U.S. Office of Patents, 1899

"My god, man! Drilling holes in his head's not the answer! The artery must be repaired! Now put away your butcher knives and let me save this patient before it's too late!" Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy

Science Fact

I don't remember the specific episode, or movie, where Dr. McCoy utters the quote above, but I do remember the scene. He whips out a handheld device that allowed him to do surgery without scalpels. But 'ole Bones wasn't the first to come up with this non-invasive technique. Back in 1953, Eric Frank Russell, in Boomerang, wrote about a short-wave surgical knife as an instrument that made an internal cut without breaking the skin. But whether we give credit to the early science fiction author, or the soon-to-follow sci-fi TV writer, we have to agree that fact and fiction are merging, because medical science is letting doctors do that right now.

HIFU, High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound, is a technology whereby focused sound waves are used to heat up and destroy tumors deep inside the body. No scalpel, no cutting, no stitches. The technology allows the precise destruction of deep tissue about the size of a grain of rice, with little or no collateral damage. Sound waves are significantly safer than the ionizing radiation given with traditional radiation therapy. Aiming the device can be assisted either with regular imaging ultrasound or even Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). The technique has been used effectively to treat uterine fibroids and prostate cancer, and other uses are being looked at. From here, it's only a short hop to those handheld medical devices we see in our favorite science fiction stories.

A quick review of the science fiction literature reveals hundreds of examples of technology that were first described in science fiction, and then later became reality. In keeping with this Newsletter's habit of providing lists that are nowhere close to complete, here are just a few, in chronological order:

1726 - An early computer? Jonathan Swift, in Gulliver's Travels made the first reference to a machine that could create sentences or write books. The same novel made the first reference to extracting electricity from organic materials.

1828 – The first recreational vehicle? Ordinary residences that move from place to place, powered by steam. From The Mummy! A Tale of the Twenty-Second Century, by Henry Loudon.

1867 – The original splashdown. Leave it to Jules Verne, in From the Earth to the Moon, to describe the first use of water as a medium for landing one's space ship in.

1875 – First scuba gear? Again it was Jules Verne predicting the future, in 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. He described his unique equipment used to go for walks on the sea bed.

1888 – The typical living room in 2010? Edward Bellamy wrote about places where a person could go, at any time, to share in musical performances happening at some distance away. His book, Looking Backward was the first to describe this, as well as credit cards, and yes, Wal-Mart!

1894 - Wind power generation. A Journey In Other Worlds, by John Jacob Astor IV, included a very early description of the use of windmill farms for generating large-scale electrical power. The same story also proposed traffic speed control cameras, and electric cars!

1898 – Biological warfare was first used in fiction in The War of the Worlds, by H.G. Wells. The same story also introduced the concept of the heat ray (laser).

1910 - The first chess-playing computer was described in Moxon's Master, by Ambrose Bierce.

1928 – The beginning of Bluetooth? Philip Frances Nowlan described wireless receivers (with noise reduction) that fit directly over the ears. From Armageddon: 2419 A.D..

1948 – The first portable phone was pretty well described in Space Cadet, by Robert Heinlein.

1951 - The first calculator pad was mentioned in Foundation, by Isaac Asimov.

And to end this Special Feature as we started it, here is another medical example:
1955 – The Robot surgeon hand. This involved a skilled surgical robot that attached at the end of the surgeon's arm. From War Veteran, by Philip K. Dick.

"Any science or technology which is sufficiently advanced is indistinguishable from magic." Arthur C. Clarke

"Any technology that is distinguishable from magic is not sufficiently advanced." Gregory Benford

The Technology theme of this Newsletter is well represented by this month's Picks. Enjoy!

ID: 1474707   (Rated: E) Over Erasure  Modern technology cures an addiction for Daily Flash Fiction by Hyperiongate

ID: 1710381   (Rated: E) Axel  Flash fiction piece about the creation of a human computer. by Kit MacConnell

ID: 1699863   (Rated: 13+) Immortal State  If science could keep us alive forever, would we really want the Right to Immortality? by Mage

ID: 894790   (Rated: 13+) Astray  The veil between the living and the dead is drawn aside. by Rick²

ID: 1708675   (Rated: E) The Future of History  Prompt: Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards by EarlyHours-A Vigilante Ranger

ID: 1664637   (Rated: E) Bacteria  The end from a simple mistake, posing as something helpful. by silentwordsmith

ID: 1420758   (Rated: 13+) Eden Now  A short story concerning the coming artificial intelligence revolution, and being human. by Robert West

ID: 1154486   (Rated: 13+) Dumb Idea  When you're gone, are you really gone? 500 or less contest. by D. R. Prescott

Book Entry:

"Techno-man"  by Shaara


Technologic Poetry:

ID: 1683526   (Rated: E) Apollo 11  A poem about space flight Apollo 11, which bore the first humans to the moon. by Chris

ID: 1717139   (Rated: E) Everything That Doesn't Matter  A poem about things outside this world. by The Friendly Astronaut

ID: 1714832   (Rated: E) HaikuToday 08oct10  Science and technoloy is advancing more quickly than culture, ideology, and ethics… by peach

This is an introduction to a unique approach to science fiction writing. The author compiles characters and plot lines from interaction with readers, who have the opportunity to contribute to the story as it evolves:

ID: 1720622   (Rated: E) The Debate on Authors & Free Content   Experiment in Online Writing Science Fiction/Fantasy & the online free content model by Mage

Last month's Newsletter topic was Time and Time Travel

:

Erwin Stevens : "Favorite one is H.G. Wells time machine. It was a head of its time for 1955 but if it was possible to travel through time, I agree easier the future than the past. There is too much risk of disrupting time and space of events that all govern the future as we know it. But if it were possible to change time, I would probably observe and record, make it possible to learn our lessons quicker so man can evolve."

Light : "You wrote a very interesting newsletter on time travel. My point of view comes from physical sciences and metaphysics. Scientists and science fiction writers usually approach this subject mostly from the physical aspect, except when talking about the possible paradoxes involved.

"From my viewpoint, time is more complexed than many scientists and writers may realize. Einstein, in his final years, began to contemplate the metaphysical aspects of reality. He began to realize that reality is an individual experience. If physical time travel is possible, what the time traveler experiences in the past, or the future, may not be exactly what did or will occur."

Nathanielle : "The Time Traveler's Wife included some of the most original concepts for time travel I had ever seen in print or on screen. The idea of witnessing your own mother's death from multiple viewpoints at various stages of your life, having to teach your younger self how to survive when "you" get to be older.

"I think what I like about time travel is that it isn't real enough to have rules. Any writer can create his or her own set of rules regarding time travel and no one can safely say, "Oh, but that's not how it works." Of course there is some yahoo who will always try to say that."

Sherri the Writer : "Thank you for this great newsletter! And you particularly assisted me with research for my upcoming NaNo novel. Wonderful newsletter! Keep up the great work!"

LJPC - the tortoise : "Awesome newsletter, as always. I love time travel stories - even that awful one with Van Dam, "Timecop". I've never written one because all the 'what if' parameters confuse me. But your organized discussion was like "An Idiot's Guide to Scientific Time Travel Possibilities". Being the grateful idiot, I understood everything and found it fascinating. Your editor's picks were excellent. Thanks so much for this inspiring look at the fictional and scientific dimensions of time travel. "

There has been a great discussion through email, the "Science Fiction Newsletter Forum" , and the "Sci-fi Writers Guild Forum" , regarding the question posed in the September Newsletter, What do you think visiting Aliens would think of us?.