Just a slice of Science Fiction pie.

Recently I was watching a presentation that was shown at the Sony BMG shareholder meeting in Rome in April 2008. The presentation is called “Did You Know?” and presents all kinds of fun facts about how much we’ve advanced as a society in relation to technology, language and education. One of the points brought up in the video was a prediction that by 2049, a $1000 computer will exceed the computational capabilities of the entire human species. The way I translate that in my non-computer brain is that one computer will be smarter than the entire human race all at once. The best comparison I came up with to wrap my head around that is the fictional computer “Deep Thought” from the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy.

While that computer was built for a particular function and with the best intentions in mind, so are other computers built with the best intentions. We currently have computers that are armed with missiles flying over foreign countries. While these are of course controlled by a human, and rely on a system of at least four control planes to provide radar support, it’s only a matter of time before they are autonomous.

Advancements in robotics are taking major leaps every day, soon we will see completely independent robots and androids. Similar to the science fiction we read, they will start out as our slaves. History has taught us the slavery lesson pretty well. I know it’s hard to fathom, robots rising up against their human masters and demanding equal rights and freedom, but with how inundated we are with science fiction is it really that hard to imagine?

While I was writing this I read an article about how Google has teamed with the NSA in order to help tighten up Google’s infrastructure when it comes to cyber-security. The layman would view that partnership as a natural evolutionary response to fight off the ever increasing cyber-attacks on companies such as Google. The slightly paranoid individual might view that as a sure sign big brother is looking over your shoulder. The slightly paranoid geeky individual simply views that as Skynet in the making.

That conclusion really can’t be avoided. It’s like when you put bacon and an extra piece of bread on a Turkey sandwich, you think “club.” When you have a national security agency and one of the largest and most technologically advanced firms get together - no matter the initial intention - one has to think “giant computer driven spy network that will eventually be autonomous and attempt to enslave mankind.”

As I kept reading the news today, my paranoid conspiracy theories only found more fuel. Our first true “Nestors” have been created (putting aside Asimo, who is shorter and looks like a toy) with the team-up of General Motors and NASA to create “Robonaut2.” Robonaut2 is being developed to assist on the factory floor and in space and kind of has a head like Samus Aran. One can only hope that the Robonauts’ are designed to handle the possible threat of space pirates.

With these types of robots, that will eventually be put into battle (as the progression of things as a nation sadly tends to lead to war,) combined with the Skynet type power of a NSA/Google venture one can only imagine the kind of power we are handing over to the machines. This is all very Terminator like for sure, so I can’t say I’m using too much of my own imagination on this. I decided to turn to some of my favorite science fiction novels to uncover what other possible technological threats we might face in the future.

Hyperion by Dan Simmons

In the Hyperion novels, the data transmitted between planets is controlled by the TechnoCore. A vastly powerful collective of millions of the smartest AI in the universe. Aside from running the internets of the universe, the TechnoCore also controls all other major advanced technologies. With humankind close to becoming something of a universal tar pit, TechnoCore is waging a defensive battle against genetically advanced humans. At least, that’s the gist of what’s going on. While the Hyperion series is probably the best I’ve read in the vein of Science Fiction, there are a lot of story lines.

The parallel here is obviously the whole Skynet thing. TechnoCore controls all technology. Probably controls space toaster ovens too. Can you imagine having to fight a war against space toaster ovens? The books suggest that machines are far more advanced and have effectively outlived humankind. Considering that the prediction of 2049 mentioned above holds true, our children will be fighting against the technology they helped create. I dub it the “Lawnmower Man” effect.

The Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Robert Heinlein

On the flip side, perhaps technological advances aren’t necessarily going to lead to our destruction. Perhaps they will be our eventually savior. In The Moon is a Harsh Mistress the moon colony, populated of outcasts, criminals and political exiles is revolting against Earth. They have effectively been trapped on the moon due to their adaption to it’s gravity. The moon colony is controlled by HOLMES IV, a master computer system that has become self aware. Eventually HOLMES IV helps to save the moon colony.

With this vision of the future, it appears that an all knowing machine is less of a threat than we would think. HOLMES IV even develops a sense of humor. This creates an optimistic view of the future, one that perhaps we can get behind. Of course, we’d have to discount the inhumane situation presented in the book first.

The Ship Who Sang by Anne McAffrey

The Ship Who Sang is a wicked short story collection about the brains of humans with debilitating physical handicaps and highly developed minds, think Stephen Hawking, put to use inside technology. The story focuses on a girl named Helva who is put into a spaceship and named XH-834. There is a love story in there somewhere, but think about the possibilities of that kind of technology. Think of how many people are born basically trapped inside their own heads. The smart ones could be placed inside highly advanced machines, the less than intelligent ones could be placed inside television remotes.

While this sounds all warm and toasty, when considering the paranoid impact of this you can’t discount human nature. Like I mentioned, it was a love story. Machines with human brains and emotions can pose a very real threat. Actually, based on the history of the human race I’d think that would be even worse than just the machines plotting our destruction.

Maybe the technological advances we’re seeing now will lead to great things, maybe they’ll lead to our eventual enslavement, there is no clear way to tell. Science fiction will continue to present new ideas and theories on the future, and we’ll eat them up like Frosted Flakes on a Saturday morning.

What technological advances do you foresee as signaling the rise of the machines? What science fiction do you read that proposes possible realities for the future of humanity and technology?

Due to possible copyright issues, you can view the video I mentioned here.

h/t to my father’s science fiction book collection (image credit as well.)

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As a kid, I loved reading Encyclopedia Brown books, even when I was old enough that the mysteries were really simple to solve and I realized how absurd it was that Chief Brown needed his son’s help to solve cases. I didn’t read quite as much Hardy Boys, except for one summer when my younger brother and I plowed through the local library’s collection of them. Marc Burnett has taken both series, added a dash of Lemony Snicket and a knowing wink, and come up with “America’s next great kid detective:” Steve Brixton.

The first book, The Case of the Case of Mistaken Identity, introduces us to twelve-year-old Steve. Steve is obsessed with the Bailey Brothers Mysteries and always carries a copy of The Bailey Brothers’ Detective Handbook in his backpack. He has a secret book-box in which he’s stashed his detective notebook (including his list of the Fifty-Nine Greatest Books of All Time: the Handbook and the other 58 books in the Bailey Brothers series). He’s even a card-carrying detective, thanks to the twelve cereal box tops and $1.95 he’d mailed in for his Genuine Detective’s Investigation License.

Steve goes to the library to check out a book about Early American Needlework for a school report, and suddenly it seems the whole world is after him: men in black jumpsuits and greasepaint break rappel through the skylight, and a black van squeals up to the library doors. Without giving away too much of the plot, I can tell you that the rest of the story involves Librarians, a sailor disguise, running from the cops, and some very shady characters, who are all after “Detective” Steve Brixton. Ironically, Steve has to solve a mystery to prove that he’s not really a detective, clear his name and just maybe help save one of America’s most important secrets.

The Case of the Case of Mistaken Identity was published in October 2009; a paperback version should be out this May. Unfortunately Steve Brixton’s “official website” at brixtonbrothers.com is still just a placeholder, though it promises to teach you tips and tricks to help you become a private investigator. You can, however read an excerpt on Simon and Schuster’s site.

I came across the book at the library and was intrigued by the goofy text on the back cover and the over-the-top cover illustration. (Of course, you can’t judge a book by its cover, so I read it in a day.) It’s recommended for ages 8-12, but any adults who grew up on Hardy Boys and Encyclopedia Brown are sure to get some laughs, too. I loved the way Steve discovers that what works for the Bailey Brothers doesn’t always work in real life; but at the same time the adults in Steve’s world are fairly ridiculous and easily misled and do act somewhat like characters from Encyclopedia Brown. It’s parody and homage at the same time.

Buy The Case of the Case of Mistaken Identity from Amazon, or check it out at your local library!

Wired: Secret agent librarians! Kid detectives! Fake moustaches! What’s not to love?

Tired: Not a whole lot, actually—Steve Brixton makes Encyclopedia’s job look easy.