Via KurzweilAI: Changes brought about by the internet will be dwarfed by those prompted by the networking of everyday objects, says a report by a UN body. As anyone in new media can tell you, ubiquitous computing is not a new idea. Technologies like Bluetooth, nanotechnology, and the Big-Brotheresque RFID will allow us to begin [...]
Tag Archives | science fiction
Sf Over?
An interesting thread on Slashdot addresses a Globe and Mail article that speculates that sf might be coming to an unceremonious end like other historically situated literary genres. I would agree that golden age sf is perhaps on the decline, slowly being replaced by the likes of fantasy disguised as sf (Star Trek, Star Wars, [...]
Science Fiction Issue
This month’s Guardian has a special issue on science fiction, including the top ten sf films ever made, fantastic answers to universal questions, and scientists’ picks for best sf writers. I guess it’s no surprise that Asimov gets top honors in the latter, yet I’m not sure I’d have put Blade Runner over 2001: A [...]
South Again
Today, despite the cool weather, I donned my new jacket and, once again, headed south. My destination: the 25th annual conference for the International Association for the Fantastic in the Arts. Walter, Tom, and I are to give a panel on Lem’s Solaris at the conference in Ft. Lauderdale, and I decided that I needed [...]
Lem’s Solaris: Critique of Human Progress
Unlike either Tarkovsky’s or Soderbergh’s film versions, both of whom seem to have taken Muntius’ interpretation of Solaris to heart, Lem’s 1961 novel suggests that Solaris remains alien, something that humanity’s cataloging and ordering cannot explain.
We Want Mirrors
I watched Soderbergh’s Solaris again last night to try and get this paper going. I was again captivated by the visuals that seemed to pay homage to Tarkovsky’s love of flow. If Tarkovsky had had access to the latest in CG technology, would he have used it?
Tarkovsky’s Solaris
Tarkovsky’s Solaris portrays humanity’s attempt to understand that which is beyond the scope of our creation. The characters make contact with the truly alien and try to conceive of this presence in terms dictated by their science and ration understand, but fail miserably.