Ten billion tomorrows
Subtitle: how science fiction technology became reality and shapes the future
By: Brian Clegg
Edition: First edition.
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Published: 2015
Language: eng
Number of pages: 307
ISBN-13: 9781250057853
Subjects: Science and civilization; Science; History and criticism; Influence; Science fiction; Literature and technology; Science fiction films; Popular works
Description: "Science fiction is a vital part of popular culture, influencing the way we all look at the world. TV shows like Star Trek and movies from Forbidden Planet to Inception have influenced scientists to enter the profession and have shaped our futures. Science fiction doesn't set out to predict what will happen - it's far more about how human beings react to "What if?..." - but it is fascinating to see how science fiction and reality sometimes converge, sometimes take extraordinarily different paths. Ten Billion Tomorrows brings to life a whole host of science fiction topics, from the virtual environment of The Matrix and the intelligent computer HAL in 2001, to force fields, ray guns and cyborgs. We discover how science fiction has excited us with possibilities, whether it is Star Trek's holodeck inspiring makers of iconic video games Doom and Quake to create the virtual interactive worlds that transformed gaming, or the strange physics that has made real cloaking devices possible. Mixing remarkable science with the imagination of our greatest science fiction writers, Ten Billion Tomorrows will delight science fiction lovers and popular science devotees alike"--
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (pages [277]-293) and index.
Table of contents: title: Through a glass, darkly; title: Blue pill or red pill?; title: Buy me; title: Feel the Force; title: Rossum's children; title: Dinosaur construction; title: Suit up; title: Ray gun ready; title: Take me to your leader; title: End of the world, part three; title: Atom world; title: Beam me up; title: Destination Moon; title: It's good to talk; title: Cyborg; title: Engage cloaking device; title: Open the pod bay doors; title: Never-ending story.