Sometimes when we’re writing sf we have to stop and think—why are my characters using tablety projector things instead of having images imprinted digitally in their vision—or something like that.
Technology cropping up that would seem conspicuously absent in a futuristic universe is a common issue for science fiction writers—especially in a world where technological advances come quicker than the average novelist can crank out a fresh pile of steaming genius.
There are a lot of ways to address this issue: 1)you can give that technology to you characters and deal with the consequences
2)you can not give it to them and ignore the issue
3) you can explain why that technology never worked, OR
4)you can explain why that tech exists but nobody uses it.
The choice the author makes should depend on the story—what feels natural and what befits the plot. Every new piece of tech an author introduces will undoubtedly change the story—just think of how many old movies would fall apart if you gave all the characters cellphones (or if you don’t feel like thinking google it).
If you find that you cannot include the tech without destroying a beautiful and dramatic tale, I’m all for explaining it away (3or4). In some cases the explanations are more interesting than the tech itself—one of the better examples being D.F.W.’s explanation for the non-use of video phones in Infinite Jest.
There’s an added perk of picking option 4 (addressing the tech and then explaining why nobody uses it anymore), namely the author can still use that tech later in the story. Or, perhaps you could have one kookie character that still has rental implants and thinks they’re great despite the weird looks he gets when he interfaces with screens that only he can in the grocery store (much like people talking loudly into their Bluetooth earbuds).
Of course if you pick option 3 that sets up the possible discovery of the functional technology later in the story as either a legit bit of foreshadowing or to throw off your reader just a little bit (which all readers enjoy).
That’s where I’m at. Give me a couple years and you can read all about why people don’t wear digital contacts in Tinkertown. Until then feel free to share your favorite explained away bits of tech.
-d
I was talking on the phone with my mom. She was testing a hearing aid to see if she wanted to buy one. Her trial hearing aid, as turns out, is equipped with blue tooth. This means she can pipe audio from her TV or Computer directly into the hearing aid. So, for example, while she watches reruns of the Gilmore Girls she can leave the room and come back without missing any of those delicious bits of motherly witticism.
In addition to piping in her devices, she can actually answer her phone on her hearing aid as long as she’s somewhere within a reasonable distance from the thing—which I also imagine means a hacker could listen to everything she does and says (if they had the interest). Also a government could use the microphones in a entire population of ageing baby boomers to keep log of a large swath of conversations in their country—there are countless interesting ways that information could be used—but maybe I’m getting ahead of myself.
My first reaction was of course closer to “Awesome” than “I wonder what the ramifications of this technology will be within my lifetime.” But last night I was at the Cyborg Cabaret at the New Hazlet theater, and one of the MCs (a robotics phd student at Carnegie Mellon University) talked briefly about robots’ use for elderly mobility and monitoring and I wondered how many people had seen the film Roujin-Z in the audience.
The image to the right may give you a quick impression. It’s a film about robots for the elderly (more or less). The film addresses an issue that is slowly becoming more real. While gameboys and Ipods are marketed toward young people, a lot of high-end technology has a target audience over 50.
Some of that technology has impressive power. The hearing aid my mom is using will not turn int a robot and fight tanks—but I think they are powerful enough of a tool to make you think (for a moment) about where we are and where we are going.
A Film About Billy: For Us By Us Juvenile Fiction -
We’re doing layout work for A Film About Billy right now, and it’s taking me back a bit.
I’ve hardly put this project down my entire adult life. I started the story when I was a teenager, and on the 6th of next month I’ll be 25. It’s hard not to feel crazy when I think about it—about how I…
Wrote A Pop City article about Cyberpunk's move -
It’s a short article about the move. It is nice to keep putting out little things.
I pulled this one randomly from the bins that currently hold the Cyberpunk Apocalypse take-a-book leave-a-book library, and was put off at first at the seeming chintzy space fantasy, but it quickly grows past that into a complex and well thought out world (not just knights and kings with laser-guns and space beasts).
It all developed together, an kept you on your toes—all the way up to the end.
I’m definitely going to check out more work from Mr. Banks.
Matter by Iain M. Banks
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
View all my reviews
It’s official. A Film About Billy is going to be printed by local publisher Six Gallery Press. We haven’t formalized a timeline yet, but I’m trying to get as deep into my next novel as possible before I need to work on promotion for this one. I’ll keep you all in the loop.
-d
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I made these stairs with my friends.
Post-Apocalyptic online radio drama -
I totally fell upon this while doing grant writing work. I haven’t even listened to it yet, I’m just excited about it.
-dan
Ian Page -
Here is an article I did for CBS local about Ian Page.