Monday, December 29, 2008

The problem lies with Scientist. Could they be the solution?


Blame the scientist for the death of science fiction, for the decrease in people’s interest in science, for America becoming the next socialist state, and the eventually collapse of the United States of America.


I recently found a posting on Scientific America http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=south-pole-environment-antarctic-treaty , that went to explain how the sea life in Antarctica has been reduced by fishing, how the fragile environment is being destroyed by the thousands of tourist that visit the continent each year. The article ultimately states that allowing countries to lay claim to parts of Antarctica could stem the decline of certain marine life.


Once again we hear scientist raising the alarm that due to mans influence, we are destroying fragile ecosystems and something needs to be done. Unfortunately what this tells the youth is that unless you become an environmentalist you are just as criminal as a murderer.


This continual rhetoric of global warming and man destroying the environment has killed science fiction. Why, because there is no hope for a better world. We have been told for so many years now that the Earth is falling apart and that we are to blame. This inappropriate, irrational fear mongering has been forced on us to such an extent that no one can even imagine a future with space ships, flying cars or any of the host of cool technological leaps we were promised in the 50’s and 60’s. How can anyone imagine a science fiction future, if all you can imagine is growing up to be “one with nature.”


Yes the environment is important and it needs to be managed and USED to its fullest to lift up man and not bring him back to the hunter gatherer stage of evolution. Leading man to that end will surely destroy man and the planet in the process. What needs to happen is man needs to progress as quickly as possible to that science fiction future, to the future where near limitless power is not science fiction but science fact, where space elevators exist, where colonies on the moon and mars are thriving communities, and where mining the asteroid belt is a legitimate career choice for someone that is born today. Once we have put man at the forefront of science, placed our needs above all else, then we can look back to the planet Earth and turn it into a complete natural preserve. Unavoidably things will be lost along the way, but at the way we are going nothing will be saved.

Thursday, December 18, 2008

The dreadful Obazy and all his Zombie subjects


As the political juggernaut of the election circus ground to an end, and the Electoral College cast their votes in the District of Columbia, I sat back fearing to exhale for the uncertainty that a new presidency and new party will bring to Washington.


The top of my fear was that science and science fiction would take a back seat over the next four years. And to this end I would see it harder and harder to sell stories, or to find stories to read myself that were of good quality.


Suddenly, I let out my breath and realized things weren’t as bad as I had thought, in fact I was at once excited about what the future held, a kernel of hope popped in my head, hope like a stale rally cry, I saw something more than just a change political parties? I saw a world full of political intrigue, the central intelligence agency run unchecked throughout the world, Blackwater pulling the strings of third world countries, the dead walking the surface of the world. I realized that I was not about to embark on four bleak years, but I was paying witness to the beginning of a season of change, and not just a slight change but a drastic one, an earth shattering one. I was watching the birth of a new venue in science fiction, and horror, I was witnessing the dawn of the dreadful Obazy and all his zombie subjects.


Every administration has its cross to bear and that will be no different with the incoming administration. I look forward to hearing more about Obazy and his zombies, I hope to see Saturday Night Live pick up on “Obazy” (you can say you heard if here first), and do skits - Obazy taking a drag of his cigarette before sending his minions to suck the life out of companies – Obazy lurching across a field of arms and legs to board Marine One under a banner of peace – Obazy reaching out to shake hands with Mahmoud Ahmadinejad only to walk away his arm still firmly in the grasp of Ahmadinejad wearing a disgusted and horrified stare.


I hope over the next four years we are treated to more zombie movies mixing science fiction and humor, it seems it would be most appropriate for the time.