Science
What is science fiction? Science fiction (Wikipedia) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Science_fiction) Hard versus soft science fiction (Wikipedia) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Science_fiction#Hard_science_fiction) Why is science fiction so hard to define? (BBC) (http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20140729-what-is-and-isnt-sci-fi) How America's leading science fiction authors are shaping your future (Smithsonian) (http://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/how-americas-leading-science-fiction-authors-are-shaping-your-future-180951169/) What is science fiction good for? (Huffington Post) (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ed-finn/what-is-science-fiction-good-for_b_1569279.html) The underrated universal appeal of science fiction (The Atlantic) (https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2014/04/the-underrated-universal-appeal-of-science-fiction/360627/) Philip K. Dick (Wikipedia) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philip_K._Dick) An article that notes how Philip K. Dick almost starved to death as a premature infant (The Independent) (http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/on-another-planet-a7095781.html) Black Mirror (IMDb) (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2085059/) Johnny's recommended episodes of Black Mirror to start with: The Entire History of You, S01E03; White Bear, S02E02; San Junipero, S03E04 (Wikipedia) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Black_Mirror_episodes) Star Trek (Wikipedia) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Trek) James T. Kirk (Wikipedia) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_T._Kirk) Jean-Luc Picard (Wikipedia) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean-Luc_Picard) The economic lessons of Star Trek's money-free society (Wired) (https://www.wired.com/2016/05/geeks-guide-star-trek-economics/) List of science fiction universes (Wikipedia) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_science_fiction_universes) Dr Futurity by Philip K. Dick: The story Lucy was talking about where civilisation isn't fussed about death anymore (Wikipedia) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dr._Futurity) The Star Trek Prime Directive (Memory Alpha) (http://memory-alpha.wikia.com/wiki/Prime_Directive) 6 ways reading & watching science fiction makes you a more ethical person (Bustle) (https://www.bustle.com/articles/70708-6-ways-reading-and-watching-science-fiction-makes-you-a-more-ethical-person) Driverless trucks: Economic tsunami may swallow one of most common US jobs (The Guardian) (https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/feb/16/self-driving-trucks-automation-jobs-trucking-industry) A plan in case robots take the jobs: Give everyone a pay check (The New York Times) (https://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/03/technology/plan-to-fight-robot-invasion-at-work-give-everyone-a-paycheck.html) Ten inventions inspired by science fiction (Smithsonian) (http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/ten-inventions-inspired-by-science-fiction-128080674/) Sci-Fi inspires engineers to build our future (NPR) (http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=129333703) Why today's inventors need to read more science fiction (The Atlantic) (https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2013/09/why-todays-inventors-need-to-read-more-science-fiction/279793/) Isaac Asimov (Wikipedia) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isaac_Asimov) The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams (Wikipedia) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hitchhiker%27s_Guide_to_the_Galaxy) 5 books that predicted the internet (Barnes & Noble) (https://www.barnesandnoble.com/blog/5-books-that-predicted-the-internet/) The telescreen from 1984 by George Orwell (YouTube) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CCfW6HFP5cI) Brave New World by Aldous Huxley (Wikipedia) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brave_New_World) Flawed forecasting – when science fiction gets it wrong (The Guardian) (https://www.theguardian.com/science/occams-corner/2013/jan/24/science-fiction-sciencefictionandfantasy) Robert A. Heinlein (Wikipedia) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_A._Heinlein) Hyperion by Dan Simmons (Wikipedia) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyperion_Cantos) VALIS by Philip K. Dick (Wikipedia) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VALIS) The Turning Wheel by Philip K. Dick: The story Lucy mentioned where he takes a jab at L. Ron Hubbard's dianetics book, the foundation of Scientology (Wikipedia) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Turning_Wheel) L. Ron Hubbard (Wikipedia) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L._Ron_Hubbard) When L. Ron Hubbard briefly let down his guard & admitted Scientology was all a con (The Underground Bunker) (http://tonyortega.org/2016/09/30/when-l-ron-hubbard-briefly-let-down-his-guard-and-admitted-scientology-was-all-a-con/) "You don't get rich writing science fiction. If you want to get rich, you start a religion", L. Ron Hubbard (WikiQuote) (https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/L._Ron_Hubbard) The Star Trek 'PADD': Personal Access Display Device (Memory Alpha) (http://memory-alpha.wikia.com/wiki/PADD) Amazon unveils the $230 Echo Show, with a screen for calls, shipping June 28 (TechCrunch) (https://techcrunch.com/2017/05/09/amazon-unveils-the-230-echo-show-with-a-screen-for-calls-shipping-june-28/) Tiger Tiger Chardonnay (Collector Wines) (https://www.collectorwines.com.au/products/tiger-tiger-chardonnay-2015) Our DNA is 99.9% the same as the person sitting next to us & we're surprisingly similar to a bunch of other living things (Business Insider) (http://www.businessinsider.com/comparing-genetic-similarity-between-humans-and-other-things-2016-5/#and-while-the-egg-laying-and-feathered-body-are-pretty-different-from-a-humans-about-60-of-chicken-genes-have-a-human-gene-counterpart-7) Plasma aliens could live inside “Black Clouds”: Extraterrestrial life can be stranger than we even dare to imagine (Message To Eagle) (http://www.messagetoeagle.com/plasma-aliens-could-live-inside-black-clouds-extraterrestrial-life-can-be-stranger-than-we-even-dare-to-imagine/) Iain M. Banks (Wikipedia) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iain_Banks) The Culture series by Iain M. Banks (Wikipedia) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culture_series) Elon Musk names SpaceX drone ships in honour of Sci-Fi legend (Space.com) (https://www.space.com/28445-spacex-elon-musk-drone-ships-names.html) Data, the android from Star Trek (Memory Alpha) (http://memory-alpha.wikia.com/wiki/Data) Snowcrash by Neil Stevenson (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snow_Crash) Second Life (http://secondlife.com) The Matrix (IMDb) (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0133093/) The Holodeck in Star Trek (Memory Alpha) (http://memory-alpha.wikia.com/wiki/Holodeck) Euro Truck Simulator 2 (YouTube) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y6fkK0XS52I) Road Work podcast: Dan Benjamin & John Roderick (5by5) (http://5by5.tv/roadwork) Roderick on the Line podcast: Merlin Mann & John Roderick (MerlinMann.com) (http://www.merlinmann.com/roderick/) Where are you from? Send us a postcard! Strange Attractor, c/ PO Box 9, Fitzroy, VIC 3065, Australia Corrections Isaac Asimov coined the term 'robotics' & wrote the Laws of Robotics, but apparently the term 'robot' was first used by Czech playwright Karel Capek in the 1920s (Carnegie Mellon University) (https://www.cs.cmu.edu/~chuck/robotpg/robofaq/1.html) Check out our new Fireside home Find aaaaall the great episodes, show notes, Patreon link & handy instructions should you feel like leaving us a cheeky iTunes review ? (http://strangeattractor.random.productions) Image credit: BFI/YouTube