2020 Science in 2020
Andrew Maynard
The post 2020 Science in 2020 appeared first on 2020 SCIENCE ARCHIVE.
technology innovation
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....
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:...
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.
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...
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...
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...
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...
What is the Fourth Industrial Revolution, and why should you care?
Andrew Maynard
We have a new video up on the YouTube Risk Bites channel that asks what the fourth industrial revolution is, and looks at the technological trends underpinning it. If you’ve ever wondered what the fourth industrial revolution is, why it’s so important, what whatever happened to the previous three,...
Taking on the complex ethics of emerging brain technologies
Andrew Maynard
Imagine infusing thousands of wireless devices into your brain, and using them to both monitor its activity and directly influence its actions. It sounds like the stuff of science fiction, and for the moment it still is – but possibly not for long. Brain research is on a roll at the moment. And as...
A fifth grader (and up) introduction to nanotechnology
Andrew Maynard
The latest video from Risk Bites takes a four minute dive into what nanotechnology is, and why it’s important. It was created as a primer for 5th graders – which probably means that there’ll be a lot of 5th graders at heart watching it! It also takes a somewhat less than conventional approach to...
Elon Musk’s new master plan will take more than advanced tech to pull off
Andrew Maynard
Elon Musk – CEO of Tesla Motors – has just revealed the second part of his master plan for the company. And it’s a doozy. Not content with producing sleek electric cars (which to be fair, was only ever a stepping stone to greater things), Musk wants to fundamentally change how we live our lives....
What’s the latest on carbon nanotube safety?
Andrew Maynard
Just a few years ago, carbon nanotubes were front and center of discussions around the safety of engineered nanomaterials. These days, not so much. So what happened? Did we do the science and discover that they’re just as safe as any other form of carbon? Or did they simply slip off the safety...
With carbon nanotubes in the news again, where’s the public interest in possible risks?
Andrew Maynard
Back in 2008, carbon nanotubes – exceptionally fine tubes made up of carbon atoms – were making headlines. A new study from the U.K. had just shown that, under some conditions, these long, slender fiber-like tubes could cause harm in mice in the same way that some asbestos fibers do. As a...
What will it take to master the fourth industrial revolution?
Andrew Maynard
In April 2000, Bill Joy famously wrote in Wired Magazine: Our most powerful 21st-century technologies – robotics, genetic engineering, and nanotech – are threatening to make humans an endangered species. At the time, Joy was an accomplished technologist and chief scientist at Sun Microsystems. Yet...
What if we approached risk like entrepreneurs approach innovation?
Andrew Maynard
If you’ve been following this month’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES), you’ll know with absolute certainty that the future is cool, shiny and stuffed to the brim with “must-have” gadgets. Reading the ebullient reports, you’d be hard-pressed to find anything other than overflowing optimism for how...
Five steampunk technology trends to watch for in 2016
Andrew Maynard
It’s that time of year again when technology pundits peer into their crystal balls, and predict the hottest tech trends of the coming twelve months. Let’s be honest though, these lists can get a little stale. So I thought I’d break ranks this year by imagining what a top tech trends list would...
If Elon Musk is a Luddite, count me in!
Andrew Maynard
On December 21, the company SpaceX made history by successfully launching a rocket and returning it to a safe landing on Earth. It’s also the day that SpaceX founder Elon Musk was nominated for a Luddite Award. It’s an odd juxtaposition, to say the least. The post If Elon Musk is a Luddite, count...
A new home for Risk Innovation
Andrew Maynard
Five years ago, I joined the University of Michigan School of Public Health as Director of the U-M Risk Science Center. It's been a good five years. However, last year, the good folks at Arizona State University made me an offer I couldn't refuse - the opportunity to expand substantially my work...
The Poetry of Innovating Responsibly
Andrew Maynard
What have technology innovation, haiku, and this summer's blockbuster-in-waiting Jurassic World got in common? The answer: a short book of haiku on responsible technological innovation that a group of colleagues helped put together last summer. The post The Poetry of Innovating Responsibly...
No New York Times, wearable computers couldn’t be as harmful as cigarettes!
Andrew Maynard
I was taken aback- to say the least - by an article from the New York Times that crossed my Twitter feed today that suggested wearable electronics like the new Apple Watch could be has harmful as smoking. I have to wonder whether the author actually read the International Agency for Research on...
Dunkin’ Donuts ditches titanium dioxide – but is it actually harmful?
Andrew Maynard
In response to pressure from the advocacy group As You Sow, Dunkin’ Brands has announced that it will be removing allegedly “nano” titanium dioxide from Dunkin’ Donuts’ powdered sugar donuts. As You Sow claims there are safety concerns around the use of the material, while Dunkin’ Brands cites...
Responsible development of new technologies critical in complex, connected world
Andrew Maynard
The World Economic Forum's 2015 top 10 emerging technologies reflect the tremendous potential of technology innovation. Yet to build a resilient tech-based future, we need new ideas, new research and new tools that will enable us to realize the benefits of technology innovation, while keeping us...
Is novelty in nanomaterials overrated when it comes to risk?
Andrew Maynard
Novelty and nanotechnology are deeply intertwined. The search for nanostructure-enabled materials has driven research funding in nanotechnology for well over a decade now; the exploitation of novel properties has underpinned the commercialization of nanomaterials; and concerns over potential risks...
Emerging technologies must be developed responsibly
Andrew Maynard
From smart phones to cancer cures, we depend on technology innovation more now than at any point in human history. Yet in a cruel twist of irony, emerging technologies that could help improve lives and protect the environment may ultimately end up doing more harm than good. That is, unless new...
World Economic Forum highlights risks of emerging technologies
Andrew Maynard
The challenges of governing emerging technologies are highlighted by the World Economic Forum in the 2015 edition of its Global Risks Report. Focusing in particular on synthetic biology, gene drives and artificial intelligence, the report warns that these and other emerging technologies present...
Are quantum dot TVs actually better for the environment?
Andrew Maynard
Earlier this week, The Conversation reported that, “The future is bright, the future is … quantum dot televisions.” And judging by the buzz coming from this week’s annual Consumer Electronics Show (CES) that’s right – the technology is providing manufacturers with a cheap and efficient way of...