2020 Science in 2020
Andrew Maynard
The post 2020 Science in 2020 appeared first on 2020 SCIENCE ARCHIVE.
films from the future
A new website for Films from the Future
Andrew Maynard
There’s a new website for the book Films from the Future: The Technology and Morality of Sci-Fi Movies that you might want to check out! As well as an overview of the book, and those every-important links to where to purchase it, the site contains information and resources not available elsewhere....
A book club guide for Films from the Future
Andrew Maynard
The same structure that makes Films from the Future ideal for undergrads, also makes it perfect for an extremely engaging book club - one where you not only read a book together, but you get to watch films as well! The post A book club guide for Films from the Future appeared first on 2020 SCIENCE...
Sci-fi movies are the secret weapon that could help Silicon Valley grow up
Andrew Maynard
If there’s one line that stands the test of time in Steven Spielberg’s 1993 classic “Jurassic Park,” it’s probably Jeff Goldblum’s exclamation, “Your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn’t stop to think if they should.” Goldblum’s character, Dr. Ian Malcolm, was...
Films from the Future: The Last Chapter
Andrew Maynard
Through this book, I’ve set out to show how science fiction movies can help point the way along this journey, flawed as they are. As I’ve been researching and writing it, I’ve developed a deeper appreciation of how the movies here can expand our appreciation of the complex relationship between...
Contact: Occam’s Razor and Films from the Future
Andrew Maynard
William of Occam was a fourteenth-century English philosopher, friar, and theologian. From historic accounts, he was sharp thinker, and a somewhat controversial religious figure in his time. Yet, these days, he is best known for the scientific rule of thumb that bears his name. The post Contact:...
Environmental resilience and The Day After Tomorrow
Andrew Maynard
Resiliency, I have to admit, is a bit of a buzz-word these days. In the environmental context, it’s often used to describe how readily an ecosystem is able to resist harm, or recover from damage caused by some event. But resiliency goes far beyond resistance to change.. The post Environmental...
The Honest Broker meets Dan Brown’s Inferno
Andrew Maynard
Each week between now and November 15th (publication day!) I’ll be posting excerpts from Films from the Future: The Technology and Morality of Sci-Fi Movies This week, it’s chapter eleven, and the movie Inferno. Inferno may seem like an odd choice of movie in a book about science fiction films...
Everything you wanted to know about the book “Films from the Future”, but were afraid to ask
Andrew Maynard
The post Everything you wanted to know about the book “Films from the Future”, but were afraid to ask appeared first on 2020 SCIENCE ARCHIVE.
A Nanoscale Perspective on The Man in the White Suit
Andrew Maynard
Each week between now and November 15th (publication day!) I’ll be posting excerpts from Films from the Future: The Technology and Morality of Sci-Fi Movies This week, it’s chapter ten, and the movie The Man in the White Suit. The Man in the White Suit is a 1951 Ealing Comedy that’s as dry as it...
Films from the Future: Judging a book by its cover!
Andrew Maynard
We’re just five weeks and a couple of days away from the official publication of Films from the Future on November 15th, but in the meantime, here’s a sneak-peek at the book’s cover: And just a reminder that the book’s currently available for pre-order at Amazon.com! The post Films from the...
Enter the Neo-Luddites: Transcendence, The Singularity, and Technological Resistance
Andrew Maynard
On January 15, 1813, fourteen men were hanged outside York Castle in England for crimes associated with technological activism. It was the largest number of people ever hanged in a single day at the castle. These hangings were a decisive move against an uprising protesting the impacts of increased...
What people are saying about “Films from the Future …”
Andrew Maynard
While it’s still a few weeks before Films from the Future is published (November 15th – mark your calendar!), a few people have already had the chance to read the book, and provide their thoughts on it. The book, by the way, is already available for pre-order on Amazon (here), and is the best way...
Superintelligence: From Chapter Eight of Films from the Future
Andrew Maynard
In January 2017, a group of experts from around the world got together to hash out guidelines for beneficial artificial intelligence research and development. The meeting was held at the Asilomar Conference Center in California, the same venue where, in 1975, a group of scientists famously...
Being Human in an Augmented Future (From chapter seven of Films from the Future)
Andrew Maynard
The forthcoming book Films from the Future: The Technology and Morality of Sci-Fi Movies explores the complex dynamics between emerging technologies and society through twelve science fiction movies. This excerpt comes from the chapter on the 1995 Japanese Anime movie Ghost in the Shell. Through a...
Social inequity in an age of technological extremes (from chapter six of Films from the Future)
Andrew Maynard
On September 17, 2011, a small group of social activists occupied Zuccotti Park in New York City. The occupation became the spearhead for the global “Occupy” movement, protesting a growing disparity between “haves” and “have-nots” within society. Two years later, the movie Elysium built on this...
Limitless: Pharmaceutically-Enhanced Intelligence (from chapter 5 of Films from the Future)
Andrew Maynard
In2004, the academic and medical doctor Anjan Chatterjee wrote a review of what he termed “Cosmetic Neurology.” He was far from the first person to write about the emergence and ethics of cognitive enhancers, but the piece caught my attention because of its unusual title... The post Limitless:...
Minority Report: Predicting Criminal Intent (From chapter four of Films from the Future)
Andrew Maynard
There’s something quite enticing about the idea of predicting how people will behave in a given situation. It’s what lies beneath personality profiling and theories of preferred team roles. But it also extends to trying to predict when people will behave badly, and taking steps to prevent this......
Never Let Me Go: A Cautionary Tale of Human Cloning (from chapter three of Films from the Future)
Andrew Maynard
In 2002, the birth of the first human clone was announced. Baby Eve was born on December 26, 2002, and weighed seven pounds. Or so it was claimed. The announcement attracted media attention from around the world, and spawned story after story of the birth. Since then, no proof has emerged that...
Jurassic Park: The Rise of Resurrection Biology (from chapter two of Films from the Future)
Andrew Maynard
I was a newly minted Ph.D. when I first saw Jurassic Park. It was June 1993, and my wife and I were beginning to enjoy our new-found freedom, after years of too much study and too little money. I must confess that we weren’t dinosaur geeks. But there was something about the hype surrounding the...
In the Beginning … Chapter One of “Films from the Future”
Andrew Maynard
I first saw Stanley Kubrick’s 2001 A Space Odyssey on a small black and white TV, tucked in a corner of my parents’ living room. It was January the first 1982, and I was sixteen years old... The post In the Beginning … Chapter One of “Films from the Future” appeared first on 2020 SCIENCE...
Excerpts from Films from the Future
Andrew Maynard
Over the next several weeks, I’ll be posting short excerpts from Films from the Future: The Technology and Morality of Sci-Fi Movies ahead of the book’s publication on November 15 — visit regularly to read the latest, and remember that you can pre-order the book now on Amazon! Schedule: August 23....
Book update: New title, Amazon Listing, Publication Date, Contents, and more …
Andrew Maynard
After a hectic summer of writing and editing, I’m pleased (if a little frazzled) to report that the book formerly known as “The Moviegoer’s Guide to the Future” is on schedule to be published mid-November of this year. Just to whet your appetite, here’s a quick update on where things stand: What’s...
The Sounds of the Moviegoer’s Guide to the Future
Andrew Maynard
I must confess that, over the past year, I’ve taken immersing myself in the movies at the core of The Moviegoer’s Guide to the Future rather seriously — perhaps too seriously! Of course, I’ve watched the movies many, many times. But I’ve also been submersed in their soundtracks; often in the hope...
The “Science” of Predicting Bad Behavior
Andrew Maynard
Excerpted from a early draft of The Moviegoer’s Guide to the Future; inspired by the movie Minority Report. In March 2017, the British newspaper The Guardian ran a web-story with the headline “Brain scans can spot criminals, scientists say”.[1] Unlike in Minority Report, the scanning was carried...
The Moviegoer’s Guide to the Future: Beginnings
Andrew Maynard
As The Moviegoer’s Guide to the Future book comes together over the next few weeks, I thought it would be interesting to post excerpts from the early drafts. These will change during editing — drastically so in some cases I suspect. But they might pique your interest, and give you a sense of the...
I just signed a book deal – The Moviegoer’s Guide to the Future’s happening!
Andrew Maynard
The big news is that I’ve just signed a book deal with the publisher Mango! The working title for the book is The Moviegoer’s Guide to the Future (Update: the final title is Films from the Future: The Technology and Morality of Sci-Fi Movies), and it’s going to be a roller coaster ride through...