Wednesday, February 17, 2016

Science: Past, Present, and Future

One of the things I love so much about science fiction is the way the past, present, and future can all continue to influence each other.

What do I mean?

  1)      The last ten years have seen a dramatic increase in the popularity of the Steampunk genre. Society is so enamored with the idea of steam-powered and gear driven technology that it influences our reading, writing, television entertainment, and even our music industry.  I discovered one such band in San Diego a couple of years ago. Check out Steam Powered Giraffe below!



  2)      Scientific theories which have been accepted for 100 years, like Einstein’s Theory of Relativity, make a frequent appearance in our books and television entertainment. However, did you know that physicists were still trying to prove, or disprove, that theory? See how David Tennant explains this: 



  3)      Both of the above examples can influence parallel universes like the ones found in our anthology, but what about when an author tries to stay ahead of popular and developing technology? Scientists are often pursuing breakthroughs based on sheer speculation. Authors in turn come across these theories and use those ideas to fuel their own works. Whether it’s shark skin technology (scientists hope to use it for recreation, medical, and aeronautic purposes), genomic imprinting, or Hymenoptera training (similar to Antman or Fran Wilde’s “Like a Wasp to the Tongue”) any theory in development can open the door for an authors imagination. When nine writers were invited to Microsoft’s research lab’s, the result was an anthology of scifi stories. Read more about that HERE.

  4)      Likewise, writer’s imaginations can open the door for scientific discovery. Just look at all of the gadgets used in episodes of Star Trek. Many of them fueled the drive for scientists to create the technology we use today. Check out these other sciences stimulated by fiction HERE, or the books that motivated Steve Jobs HERE.

All of these examples show how science, technology, and art can inspire and feed each other.

WHAT SCIENCE DRIVES YOU?



13 comments:

  1. Great post, Sylvia. Loved WIN. Makes you think....

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  2. Thank you Sandra! I'm looking forward to reading your story as well.

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  3. Wonderful post! That's really fascinating about the anthology of stories from viewing Microsoft's research lab.

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  4. This is a great post! Also, I loved WIN! You're a wonderful writer!

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  5. I'm totally down with the steam punk trend. And as far as science goes, I'm constantly slapping the whip on the scientists locked in my Floridian basement. The cloning device they built was stolen by a ninja (I'll let you reach your own conclusions as to who that was...) and I had to temporarily damage the teleportation device to keep them from escaping, I mean, getting off schedule, so I'm without either at the moment, but I've debating having them fix the teleportation device. Debated.

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  6. LOL! Thanks Cheri, L.G., and Crystal. I'm so glad to have the support system with this anthology. Now, if I can just finish my current project so I can begin reading our review copy!

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  7. I think steampunk is the only genre I haven't read...yet.
    My scientifically-challenged brain is trying to wrap itself around the idea of "past-present-future blending". We learn something new...every day...

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  8. I've never written any steampunk, but I love reading it--and speaking of reading...I loved WIN--very creative.

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  9. Thank you Melanie! I can't wait to read yours. I'm hoping to dive into it this weekend. It's hard to find uninterrupted time :-)

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  10. I'm new to the steampunk idea but think I would enjoy it. The major thing I liked about the new Star Wars movie was getting up close and personal with the X-wing fighter and Tie fighter. They were gritty and Real and literally gave me goosebumps.

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  11. Thanks Sylvia, this is a wonderful post - full of great information!

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  12. When William Shatner appeared using a Motorola clamshell mobile phone a fan enthusiastically pointed out "hey, didn't Captain Kirk have one of those! Awesome memories, thanks!

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  13. James - thanks for stopping by. You should really try a few steampunk tales. Let me know what you think.

    Yolanda and Spacerguy - thanks so much for the support!

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Your comments are most appreciated!