With the release of Putting the Science in Fiction, Jessie and I are having lots of fun talking to different scientists about their various fields.
On our latest episode of Conversations in Science, we spoke with Effie Seiberg about what technologies are just around the corner.
Effie is a consultant who works with the startup companies responsible for many of the latest technologies that are hitting the market. She in the perfect spot to tell us what is already out there (that we know nothing about) and what we can look forward to. Take a listen, just try not to laugh as hard as I did.
Convo Science: A Look at the Technology of the Future
(First aired on KLRNRadio, Tuesday, Oct 16, 2018)
On the show, we talked about:
- smart glasses, including Google Glasses, replacing the need to have a phone give us directions;
- just be careful of where you look with certain gestures
- how certain technology work well, but are not in common use, because of social norms, and the hilarity of some situations;
- social acceptability of how we might integrate technologies into our lives;
- how the smartphone has already taken leaps and bounds, and is now being used in apps like safe driver apps;
- certain technologies are not far off;
- Give me KITT from Knight Rider. We’re not there yet, but self-driving cars are here and being tested, but watch out jumping kangaroos.
- the technology that we wished existed from science fiction (like the replicator or the teleporter), and those technologies that we're praying never exist (like the thought police);
- and much more.
We also spoke about the new book, Putting the Science in Fiction. In this book, 39 different experts talk about various aspects of science and where fiction often gets it wrong. Even if you are not a writer, you will find this book fun to read, with everything discussed from dementia and nursing, through to space travel and power generations.
Effie's chapter in this book discusses how writers of science fiction need to make their cellphones of the future way out there, and go crazy with the imagination.
Putting the Science in Fiction
Expert Advice for Writing with Authenticity in Science Fiction, Fantasy, & Other Genres
Science and technology have starring roles in a wide range of genres—science fiction, fantasy, thriller, mystery, and more. Unfortunately, many depictions of technical subjects in literature, film, and television are pure fiction. A basic understanding of biology, physics, engineering, and medicine will help you create more realistic stories that satisfy discerning readers.
This book brings together scientists, physicians, engineers, and other experts to help you.
More info →About Effie Seiberg
Effie Seiberg is a fantasy and science fiction writer. Her stories can be found in the "Women Destroy Science Fiction!" special edition of Lightspeed Magazine (winner of the 2015 British Fantasy Award for Best Anthology), Galaxy's Edge, Analog, Fireside Fiction, and PodCastle, amongst others. Her stories include a finalist in the AnLab Awards 2016, an honorable mention in the Year's Best YA Speculative Fiction 2015, and inclusions in the Tangent 2016 recommended reading list. She is a graduate of Taos Toolbox, and is a member of SFWA and Codex.
When she's not writing, she's working as a consultant with start-up companies, who are developing some of the awesome technologies that we're seeing coming out of science fiction. She's really at the forefront of the latest and greatest.
Effie lives in the San Francisco Bay Area. She likes to make sculpted cakes and bad puns.
You can catch Effie on Twitter (@effies) or on her personal website.
Share this:
- Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
- Click to share on X (Opens in new window)
- Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
- Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
- Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)
- Click to share on Mastodon (Opens in new window)
- Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)
- Click to print (Opens in new window)