August 1, 2006 Episode

Authors Alan Dean Foster, Spider and Jeanne Robinson, David Drake and John Ringo are joined by Doctor Travis S. Taylor (rising author and noted scientist) and Peter Stampfel (professional editor and performing musician). Hosted by Stephen Euin Cobb, this is the August 1, 2006 episode of The Future And You. [Running time: 150 minutes] ---

Topics include:

[1] News briefs on: an invisible form of online shopping fraud; the fact that this program The Future And You is now a finalist for a Parsec Award; and two paragraphs from Cory Doctorow's brilliant commentary entitled: Science Fiction is the Only Literature People Care Enough About to Steal on the Internet.

[2] Alan Dean Foster describes his view of the future and how it relates to his many novels of science fiction and fantasy. He also reveals how you can find a secret Easter egg hidden on his website.

[3] Spider and Jeanne Robinson describe their courtship and collaboration, as well as their vision of the future which is distilled in their Hugo and Nebula award winning Stardance trilogy; a vision which embraces and expands upon transhumanism by describing what we as a species may transform ourselves into next. Spider also explains how he expects humanity to create Heaven retroactively.

[4] Peter Stampfel (submissions editor at DAW books and a performing musician) provides an unflinching insider's look at the terrible and wonderful trends within the music business; especially concerning recording contracts and performing live before an audience. As a bonus, we also hear another song from his album: a bouncy Glenn Miller number called Elmer's Tune.

[5] Chapter nine in our serialization of the novel Bones Burnt Black.

[6] David Drake who reads and translates ancient Latin for fun and relaxation, discusses lessons from antiquity; similarities between the USA and ancient Rome; and one of the host's (Stephen Euin Cobb's) favorite British miniseries: I Claudius. Stephen also asks David how he thinks the USA might meet its eventual and inevitable end. After all, someday the USA, like the Roman Empire, will no longer exist.

[7] John Ringo makes a serious case for his conviction that global warming is a scientific hoax perpetrated by the desperate need of researchers for grant money, sustained through academic coercion, and fed to an accepting public by media outlets locked in an endless competition for the most sensational headline.

[8] What if someone invented a Faster Than Light Drive before the end of this year? What if astronauts could get to the nearest star in a week; or any of the thousand nearest stars in a month? How would that change our world and global politics? Granted it's not likely to happen so soon. Most people figure it will take centuries before we invent FTL; if it can be done at all. But if Doctor Travis S. Taylor is correct, we may have FTL within 32 years. Within yours or your children's lifetime someone could be on their way to the stars. But then the question becomes: will these explorers speak English or Russian or Chinese?