Are SciFi Authors Prophets? [Archive] - The Project Avalon Community Forum

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onawah

23rd March 2025, 01:54

I have been a long time fan of SciFi which is often very prophetic, and it's interesting to speculate as to how it is that SciFi authors seem to know what's coming.
Are they being clued in via clairvoyant visions, or higher dimensional beings, or ETs or scientists working on secret very advanced projects.
I don't think it can be explained simply by the possibility that they are very imaginative, because there are too many coincidences whereby what they "imagined" are precisely what later materialized.
I recently watched the Netflix video "3 Body Problem" the first season of what will probably be a 3 part trilogy based on the award winning scifi trilogy by the Chinese author Liu Cixin, the first book of which was published in 2015. See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3_Body_Problem_(TV_series)
It got me thinking, and I posted the following recently in response to another recent post about "smart fabrics", which also follows:

Not to be a spoiler, but speaking of "smart fabrics", I am just now finally watching the Netflix series "3 Body Problem, in which one of the main characters in Season 1, a scientist who has been developing a ground breaking "nanofabric" capable of earning her and her company a fortune, is facing an ethical question which may mean life or death for her and for her invention, as well as for the fate of the company of which she is the primary scientific researcher.
She knows (by means of a mysterious kind of hallucination that she has in common with another scientist) that if she continues with the invention's development, it will mean her death and probably her company's failure and the death of many others. There have been suicides of several other scientists in different fields who have apparently been facing similar dilemmas.
But she also knows that if she discontinues the development, though she may survive, her ethical motives for using her intellectual gifts for commercial purposes thus far and her whole life's modus operandi must come under her own very close scrutiny, while at the same time she will be under great pressure from without to continue with the project because it is so lucrative.
She proceeds with the development, eventually feels very remorseful and is terrified by the devastating weaponry that "nanofabric" creates.

The core theme of the series is a discovery which explains the reason for a periodic cycle which regularly causes calamaties on a planet (or planets-all similar to Earth) which some of these scientists have been visiting via a virtual reality device that seems to have somehow materialized anonymously from a far more advanced civilization.
Sometimes most of the population of the particular virtual planet in question die by fire from an apparent micronova and sometimes by ice, and sometimes other effects of their solar system's 3 suns converging.
...Notice the similarities in bold letters further down in this post.
The scientists in the virtual reality are presented with the problem of discovering what is the cause and the solution for saving the populace of the virtual planet(s) from these regularly occurring cataclysms.

What has always interested me greatly about good scifi ("3 Body Problem", both the Hugo winning trilogy and the Netflix series have received rave reviews (the Netflix series creators are also credited with the "Game of Thrones" series), is that they are often very prophetic about scientific discoveries which have yet to be made, or at least, yet to be made public. ("The Matrix" being perhaps the most obvious example.)

In this case, what the "3 Body Problem" itself is, is primarily a theory developed by one scientist participating in the virtual reality, postulating that the devastating solar cycles are caused by the virtual planet(s) actually being in a system that has 3 Suns.
While in reality on planet Earth now, the solar cycle that our own solar system and the rest of the Milky Way is apparently regularly affected by in devastating ways is what the late Dr. Paul la Violette named the "Galactic Superwave", which issues forth regularly from the Great Central Sun and activates every star as it expands and traverses the Milky Way.
So the fictional cause and the actual theoretical cause differ in that in reality, the regular solar cycles of our own Sun is the indirect cause of the regular cataclysms, the direct cause being the Galactic Superwave.
While the fictional cause is the problem of the 3 Suns which regularly devastate the virtual planet(s).
(But I'm still only on episode 3 of season 1 and have not read the books yet, so I'm sure there are more complexities to come.)

I don't know if there has been a rash of suicidal scientists in our present reality as there is in the series, but it would not surprise me, and I imagine that many scientists are having huge personal dilemmas revolving around personal ethics these days.
It also would not surprise me if some of today's scientists, like many scifi writers seem to have been, are being tutored and/or influenced in some ways by off-world or other-dimensional beings who are knowledgable about solar cycles, the dangers of nanotechnology and other current critical issues.
Whether Earth scientists are consciously aware of it or not...

The task put before the fictional scientists is to figure out how to save the population of the virtual planet(s) from the next approaching catastrophe.
It would seem that if the real problem has been put to today's actual scientists, they have yet to inform the public about it in much detail.
Although those who are awake and aware enough understand what is apparently coming, and some of them at least are revealing their findings which are being recorded and collated by people like Ben Davidson of SpaceWeatherNews.
While some, like archeologist Dr. Robert Schoch, are tutoring the public about recent, definitive findings indicating how people in the past have survived cataclysms like the ones which apparently are presently looming in Earth's near future (a micronova followed by a brief Ice Age).

This applies to the discussions on several other threads where I will be "replying with quote".
I'm no scientist, but to me as an intuitive, this issue is presently the foremost one for Earth, by which all others relatively pale in comparison.
As for the Netflix series, filming of a second season is said to be starting sometime this year and I've read that a third season has been approved as well. I have access to the books, but they are very long and detailed, and I'm not sure I will get through them.

The Internet of Bodies & Crypto Mining – A Hidden Connection
Forbidden.News
Mar 06, 2025
https://forbiddennews.substack.com/p/the-internet-of-bodies-and-crypto?utm_source=podcast-email&publication_id=1658626&post_id=158523989&utm_campaign=email-play-on-substack&utm_content=watch_now_gif&r=p7227&triedRedirect=true&utm_medium=email

"SMART FABRICS CAN CAPTURE BODY HEAT, MOTION-POWERED GENERATORS CAN CONVERT FOOTSTEPS INTO ELECTRICITY & RESEARCHERS ARE EXPLORING BRAINWAVE-POWERED INTERFACES

Real-World Examples of Bio-Mining

Some early-stage projects have already started integrating bio-energy into technology. Smart fabrics can capture body heat, motion-powered generators can convert footsteps into electricity, and researchers are exploring brainwave-powered interfaces. Could this be the future of crypto mining?

In 2017, a Dutch startup experimented with using body heat to mind cryptocurrency. Volunteers lay on heat-harvesting pads that generated electricity, which in turn powered mining operations. The result? Small but real earnings.

The Ethical and Privacy Dilemmas

But with great innovation comes ethical concerns. Could this technology be exploited? What happens if corporations find a way to monetize human-generated energy on a large scale? And what of privacy? What if they went further than heat and mined our own biological data?

The Future of Crypto and the Human Body

We stand on the brink of a revolution, where human existence itself becomes an economic force. Imagine a city powered by the human such as a 15-minute city. The question remains: Will this be a utopia of shared energy or a dystopia of exploitation? Experiments that torture, mutilate have shown us the answer.

ForbiddenNews Substack is a reader-supported publication. "

This short clip tells a lot
IojqOMWTgv8

onawah

23rd March 2025, 03:36

I'm watching Stargate Atlantis now for some reason, though I also watched the whole series quite a few years ago.
I'm beginning think the reason that I'm watching it again is due to certain "coincidences", those being similarities to "3 Body Problem" that are in the Stargate Atlantis storyline as well.
(See my post above, in particular the sentences in bold letters.)

Stargate Atlantis, Season 3, the episode entitled "Echoes" released in 2004 (See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stargate_Atlantis_season_3 )... is about a CME event that appears to happen every 15,000 years on the planet where the city of Atlantis was discovered.
...After it transported away from Earth long ago to a planet in the distant Pegasus galaxy and is in current time in the series, which is the early 2000s, being inhabited by 21st century Earth human space travelers.
The CME threatens to destroy all life on Atlantis's planet, although of course, the heroic Stargate team figure out a way to avoid the catastrophe.
This echoes the solar cycles of our own solar system that are described in the thread "Geomagnetic Reversals and Ice Ages", knowledge of which has only recently become common, and that only to certain scientists and a minority of other awake and aware people, though the data is leaking out slowly.

Then there is the race of Replicants in Stargate Atlantis, a race that looks and acts like humans, but were actually created by the ancient Atlanteans to fight the vampire-like race of Wraiths which they encountered when they travelled to the Pegasus galaxy.
The Replicants are a cross breed of humans and self-replicating nanotechnology, which also eventually become the enemies of humankind as well as the Wraith.
Which of course, makes one think of the mind-controlled race that the puppet masters of Earth currently are trying to turn the real human race into, with the self-replicating nanotech that is been found in the vaccinated, and now in chemtrails, polluting the air, water, food and everything else.

The Wraith look humanoid though wraith-like, and are immortal (as long as they don't encounter the wrong kind of weapon), but they have to hibernate periodically.
With the proper technology, their vampire-like traits (they don't suck blood, just life force) can be erased and they can be made into a much more human kind of humanoid (though it erases their memories of who they were in the process).
In general, the similarities involving the Wraith compared to any current reality on Earth are not so distinct, unlike the fictional cyclical CMEs and the Replicants.

But my real and personal experiences with narcissists who are energy vampires and seem to be demonically possessed are not that dissimilar.
Narcissim seems to be caused by traumatic experiences, usually childhood trauma often originating in families of origin, and theoretically, narcissists can be healed, though I think it generally takes more than one lifetime to do it, and possibly some never heal, but take a downward path, lose their individuality, and have to start all over on the evolutionary path.

The ancient Atlanteans in the Stargate Atlantis story line who survive the Wraith and the Replicants manage to ascend to a non-material life form, which is what many real humans in this real time would reportedly like to do, but I don't think that was a major topic of discussion back in 2004 when the series was first broadcast.

There are numerous other examples of scifi stories written some time ago that mysteriously coincide with current reality on Earth, and many of them were written before much, if anything, was known about the real developments that would create similar circumstances in reality.
This is just an accounting of some which have jumped out at me recently, and which I thought worthy of bringing attention to.

Mark (Star Mariner)

23rd March 2025, 13:15

^ Stargate Atlantis, great show!

Many sci-fi authors have been credited with 'forward-thinking' story-telling - from Jules Verne, to Bradbury, Heinlein, Dick, Clarke, up to the present day. Asimov himself said, "Science fiction writers foresee the inevitable, and although problems and catastrophes may be inevitable, the solutions are not."

A list of things 'foreseen' by science fiction writers that went on to become a reality is probably quite long.

Star Trek for instance made a ton of predictions that sort of came true, famously the hand-held communicator, and the ear-bud device Lt Uhura wore in her ear.

And flat-screen TVs. I couldn't find a screenshot of the instance I had in mind, it's extremely uncanny, almost dead-on for flat-screen TVs today, but this image is a close second.

Star Trek: 'The Cage', filmed 1964, first broadcast 1965.

54676

Michi

23rd March 2025, 13:25

Bill Ryan

23rd March 2025, 13:34

Many may already have seen this, but it definitely belongs on this thread. It's a short clip of a 1974 interview with Arthur C. Clarke, who states with confidence how personal computers will soon all be miniaturized and personalized.

One day, a computer will fit on a desk (1974)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sTdWQAKzESA

Open Minded Dude

23rd March 2025, 15:27

madrotter

23rd March 2025, 16:27

Oh my, Perry Rodan :) I haven't thought about those in.... decades really :)

When talking about science fiction I always like to start with a quote from the great Kurt Vonnegut, from his book God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater:

“I love you sons of bitches. You’re all I read any more. You're the only ones who’ll talk all about the really terrific changes going on, the only ones crazy enough to know that life is a space voyage, and not a short one, either, but one that’ll last for billions of years. You’re the only ones with guts enough to really care about the future, who really notice what machines do to us, what wars do to us, what cities do to us, what big, simple ideas do to us, what tremendous misunderstanding, mistakes, accidents, catastrophes do to us. You're the only ones zany enough to agonize over time and distance without limit, over mysteries that will never die, over the fact that we are right now determining whether the space voyage for the next billion years or so is going to be Heaven or Hell.”

That was written around 1965, the year I was born.....

I was lucky, my dad was an avid science fiction reader so there were stacks and stacks of books to choose from when I was a kid. Hundreds of them. And the very first book I tried, I must've been around 12 or 13 was John Carter of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs, the perfect choice for a kid that age, and I was hooked. The Conan books by Robert E. Howard and L. Sprague de Camp.... The first "serious" science fiction book I read was the incredible To Your Scattered Bodies Go by Philip Jose Farmer and even now, I cannot recommend that book enough....

So many fantastic writers, Clifford D. Simak, Keith Laumer, Eric Frank Russell, Jack Vance, Robert Sheckley, Arthur C. Clarke, Larry Niven, Dan Simmons and so many more, but the two writers that impressed me the most in my teens and early 20's were Philip K. Dick and Kurt Vonnegut, they truly had a huge, huge impact on my thinking and how I was seeing the world and it's hard to put into words how truly disappointed I am when I look at the state of the world today....

Not that I think everything is hopeless... I still read science fiction, not as much as I used to but some of the more modern science fiction writers can still fill me with hope, day dreaming of what is to come, hopefully. If not for me maybe for my son or grandkids.... James S.A. Corey, John Scalzi, Neal Stephenson, Richard K. Morgan, Paolo Bacigalupi and Alistair Reynolds just to name a few....

Gotta say, I really loved those Three Body Problem books by Liu Cixin and some of his other books like Ball Lightning too. I enjoyed the Netfix series but not as much as I enjoyed the books but I guess it's almost always like that :)

Totally forgot to mention one book that completely blew me away....

A Canticle For Leibowitz by Walter M. Miller.... About a monastery and it's monks, trying to preserve knowledge after the world ends, in the top five of my all time favorite science fiction books :)

Open Minded Dude

23rd March 2025, 19:11

Gotta say, I really loved those Three Body Problem books by Liu Cixin and some of his other books like Ball Lightning too. I enjoyed the Netfix series but not as much as I enjoyed the books but I guess it's almost always like that :)

I also liked the Netflix series of which a second season has been greenlit now. However - not knowing the book trilogy - I read and heard that it made huge changes to the plot and lots of reductions and omissions. It is very fast paced adapted to a "western" audience it seems.

The Chinese original series is more detailed and closer to the source material. Actually it is said to be VERY close. Maybe too close because the pacing is - as usual for Asian TV productions - very slow. Maybe too slow for Western audiences.

I watched it anyway a while ago and after I had seen the Netflix adaptation. Good news: It is on YouTube with English subtitles.

So if s.o. here wants to delve into it and is not deterred by subtitles, here find the first two episodes of many. Be warned, it progresses very slow. Yet it is well done in its own way. You can find all the other episodes on YouTube (always the next is to be found in the sidebar). You have to activate subtitles and choose English first though.

Hint: it is the "01" in the vid title that indicates the episode's number:
【4K超高清】ENG SUB【三体 Three-Body】第01集 | 腾讯视频

Ep. 1
3-UO8jbrIoM
Ep. 2
PmV3P28XGWQ

I also still have many sci-fi paperback novels from years ago stored away in the cellar. Some were also trilogies.
I think I read a few of Isaac Asimov's Robot novels and his Foundation series and then I also remember the very interesting Hyperion novels by Dan Simmons. Just found some info here:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyperion_Cantos

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foundation_(book_series)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robot_series

But there were also many more.

A Canticle For Leibowitz by Walter M. Miller.... About a monastery and it's monks, trying to preserve knowledge after the world ends, in the top five of my all time favorite science fiction books

I somehow remember the German version of this in my bookshelf too ("Lobgesang auf Leibowitz") and the plot somehow seems familiar altough I am not sure anymore if I have read it.

:happythumbsup:

madrotter

23rd March 2025, 19:28

Gotta say, I really loved those Three Body Problem books by Liu Cixin and some of his other books like Ball Lightning too. I enjoyed the Netfix series but not as much as I enjoyed the books but I guess it's almost always like that :)

I also liked the Netflix series of which a second season has been greenlit now. However - not knowing the book trilogy - I read and heard that it made huge changes to the plot and lots of reductions and omissions. It is very fast paced adapted to a "western" audience it seems.

The Chinese original series is more detailed and closer to the source material. Actually it is said to be VERY close. Maybe too close because the pacing is - as usual for Asian TV productions - very slow. Maybe too slow for Western audiences.

I watched it anyway a while ago and after I had seen the Netflix adaptation. Good news: It is on YouTube with English subtitles.

So if s.o. here wants to delve into it and is not deterred by subtitles, here find the first two episodes of many. Be warned, it progresses very slow. Yet it is well done in its own way. You can find all the other episodes on YouTube (always the next is to be found in the sidebar). You have to activate subtitles and choose English first though.

Hint: it is the "01" in the vid title that indicates the episode's number:
【4K超高清】ENG SUB【三体 Three-Body】第01集 | 腾讯视频

Ep. 1
3-UO8jbrIoM
Ep. 2
PmV3P28XGWQ

I also still have many sci-fi paperback novels from years ago stored away in the cellar. Some were also trilogies.
I think I read a few of Isaac Asimov's Robot novels and his Foundation series and then I also remember the very interesting Hyperion novels by Dan Simmons. Just found some info here:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyperion_Cantos

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foundation_(book_series)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robot_series

But there were also many more.

:happythumbsup:

THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You just made my day :) Or well... Night really, it's Ramadan here and my wife and kids will get up soon to do their eating :)

The Hyperion Cantos (from Dan Simmons) is among THE best science fiction I've read, read them in the 80's and re-read them a while ago, mind blowing books, based on Geoffrey Chaucer's Canterbury Tales... I can also really recommend his books Drood and The Terror (which they turned into an excellent tv series too)

Thanks again!!!

onawah

23rd March 2025, 22:13

A Canticle for Leibowitz is also one of my all time favorite scifi novels (and the sequel as well, Saint Leibowitz and the Wild Horse Woman, which hasn't gleaned as much notice, but deserves a lot more, imho).

From:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Canticle_for_Leibowitz :

A Canticle for Leibowitz is a post-apocalyptic social science fiction novel by American writer Walter M. Miller Jr., first published in 1959. Set in a Catholic monastery in the desert of the southwestern United States after a devastating nuclear war, the book spans thousands of years as civilization rebuilds itself. The monks of the Albertian Order of Leibowitz preserve the surviving remnants of man's scientific knowledge until the world is again ready for it.

The novel is a fix-up of three short stories Miller published in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction that were inspired by the author's participation in the bombing of the monastery at the Battle of Monte Cassino during World War II. The book is considered one of the classics of science fiction and has never been out of print. It won the 1961 Hugo Award for best science fiction novel, and its themes of religion, recurrence, and church versus state have generated a significant body of scholarly research. A sequel, Saint Leibowitz and the Wild Horse Woman, was published posthumously in 1997.

About "Walter Miller's other novel" :

"Saint Leibowitz and the Wild Horse Woman has been called "Walter Miller's other novel." Reviewer Steven H. Silver points out that this "... is not to say that Saint Leibowitz and the Wild Horse Woman does not deserve to be read. It is a fantastic novel, only suffering in comparison to Miller's earlier work."

After completing Canticle, Miller signed for another book with Lippincott, but the project apparently fell apart when the publisher offered only a small advance of $1,000. In 1978, Miller sent his agent, Don Congdon, a sixty-page excerpt from a "parallel novel" related to the earlier book. More than a decade later, Bantam publisher Lou Aronica learned of the draft, convinced Congdon to send him a copy, and quickly encouraged Miller to resume work on the novel. After Miller sent more than one hundred more pages to Aronica, Bantam contracted for the project a few months later, and Miller completed 250 more pages in 1990. Progress slowed, but by 1995 Miller had completed more than 600 pages. However, Miller was in ill health after the death of his wife and suffering from writer's block. Fearing that the new work would go unfinished, Miller arranged with author Terry Bisson to complete it. Bisson said he tied up the loose ends Miller had left.[1] Miller died by suicide in early 1996, before the novel's 1997 publication.[2]

From: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Leibowitz_and_the_Wild_Horse_Woman

A Canticle For Leibowitz by Walter M. Miller.... About a monastery and it's monks, trying to preserve knowledge after the world ends, in the top five of my all time favorite science fiction books :)

Mark (Star Mariner)

23rd March 2025, 22:55

Some fabulous titles mentioned already.

Straying slightly off-topic, my recommended sci-fi reading lift (no specific order):

Dune - Frank Herbert
The Mote in God's Eye - Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle
The Forge of God - Greg Bear
Dr. Bloodmoney - Philip K. Dick
Ubik - Philip K Dick
Solaris - Stanislaw Lem
Flowers for Algernon - Daniel Keyes
The Long Earth – Terry Pratchett and Stephen Baxter
The Road - Cormac McCarthy
A Canticle for Leibowitz - Walter M Miller
Fahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury
Rendezvous with Rama - Arthur C. Clarke
2001: A Space Odyssey - Arthur C. Clarke (+ 2010: Odyssey Two)
Foundation - Isaac Asimov
A Canticle for Leibowitz - Walter M Miller
Fahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury
Metro 2033 - Dmitry Glukhovsky
Riverworld series - Philip José Farmer
Hyperion - Dan Simmons

onawah

24th March 2025, 00:09

Stranger in a Strange Land, too, by Robert Heinlein, who invented the word "Grok"!

Sunny

24th March 2025, 02:31

Definitely "A Canticle for Liebowitz" was a great book. I liked some other great books from the 80's and 90's: "Blood Music" by Greg Bear (an intelligent virus spreads in the world.) If any scifi book is prophetic, that one was. The Postman, by David Brin (a man takes a post-apocalyptic journey across the US). Timescape, by Gregory Benford (a scientist from the future sends a coded message back to the past).

I liked The "Forge of God", but its sequel, "Anvil of Stars" (a spaceship of children is launched to get revenge) was too intense for me.

Another really prophetic series was Asmiov's "Foundaton", because the premise is that with algorithms, you can predict the future: like AI.

Relative to Cixin Liu, I think he is not prophetic, but he has an amazing ability to take scientific literature and make it into a story. Any of the ideas in his books, from the three-body problem in physics, to micronovas, etc., are scientific ideas that you can Google.

I read most of "The Three-Body Problem" trilogy, but didn't make it to the end of Volume 3. Partly because he doesn't shy away from dark and intense situations. His short stories are great too, like "The Wandering Earth". One of the things I felt reading him is his fascination with religion, but an inability to understand what it is and why people are religious. Anyway, he is a great writer, which is why you can talk a lot about his work.

Maknocktomb

24th March 2025, 03:59

Some of it is part of the U.S. government's slow disclosure preparing the populace and at the same time deniabilty. If the government relased some truthful information in a SciFi movie/TV series or book, they can state it was fiction if not ready for offical disclosure. It's very clever.

mountain_jim

24th March 2025, 15:38

Stranger in a Strange Land, too, by Robert Heinlein, who invented the word "Grok"!

I recently completing reading/re-reading all of Heinlein's major works, and most of his short-stories.

His writings have been with me almost my whole life, starting with his 'juveniles' books I discovered in my grammer school library in the early 60's.

Besides Stranger, I highly recommend The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress, which I wish would get made into a movie. A discussion in another thread about sentient computers reminded me of a central aspect of this work, which also might end up prophetic, as well as using gravity well slingshots to move payloads to and from the moon and Earth, and using the moon as a penal colony of sorts for earth's misfits.

Characters, families, and timelines from Stranger and that work also relate to several of his later books also, like The Cat Who Walks Through Walls (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Cat_Who_Walks_Through_Walls)

The Cat Who Walks Through Walls may be regarded as part of Heinlein's multiverse series, or as a sequel to both The Number of the Beast[1]: 145 and The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress. During a meeting of the Council of the Time Scouts, representatives from every major time line and setting written by Heinlein appear, including Glory Road and Starship Troopers, and references are made to other authors' works as well.

The title of the book refers to a cat by the name of Pixel, who has an inexplicable tendency to be wherever the narrator happens to be (see Schrödinger's cat). In one scene Pixel does, in fact, walk through a wall, and it is explained that Pixel is too young to know that such behavior is impossible.

While his latest works were considered by some as self-indulgent, I enjoyed them all.

mountain_jim

24th March 2025, 15:56

Entered this post without quoting the Maknocktomb one above (https://projectavalon.net/forum4/showthread.php?129406-Are-SciFi-Authors-Prophets&p=1661558&viewfull=1#post1661558) which reminded me

Some of it is part of the U.S. government's slow disclosure preparing the populace and at the same time deniabilty. If the government relased some truthful information in a SciFi movie/TV series or book, they can state it was fiction if not ready for offical disclosure. It's very clever.

Concerning the StarGate TV franchise and disclosure, I always found this episode, the 100th of the original SG-1 series, very meta-disclosure interesting.

https://stargate.fandom.com/wiki/Wormhole_X-Treme!_(episode)

Wormhole X-Treme!

SG-1 watches a television commercial about a new sci-fi show called "Wormhole X-Treme!", which has very similar attributes to the Stargate Program. While Colonel Jack O'Neill investigates, he learns that Martin Lloyd pitched the idea of the show to the studio.

"Wormhole X-Treme!" is the twelfth episode of the fifth season, as well as the landmark 100th episode of Stargate SG-1.

Plot

This episode is a continuation of the Season 4 episode "Point of No Return". A spaceship that had been hidden in the outer solar system activates and begins approaching Earth, and its energy signature is matched to that of Martin Lloyd's escape pod suggesting that this is its mother ship. The military tracks down Lloyd and discovers that he has become the creative consultant for a television series whose concept he sold to a Hollywood studio, Wormhole X-Treme!. The parallels between Wormhole X-Treme! and the real SG-1 are uncanny, but the United States Air Force had decided that while being a breach of secrecy, they are willing to allow the show to continue, because it can provide 'plausible deniability' to any future leaks of classified information about the Stargate Program (i.e., if info leaked out, it could easily be attributed to the fictional TV show, thus helping keep the actual Stargate Program secret).

Colonel Jack O'Neill is given the position of "Air Force technical advisor" to the show, in order to covertly confront Lloyd about both the secrets he has leaked and the approaching spacecraft. He discovers that Lloyd has resumed using memory suppressants and does not consciously remember his previous encounter with them or his own extraterrestrial origin. O'Neill initially suspects Lloyd's associates of drugging him again, but in fact Lloyd started taking them on his own so that he could feel more comfortable with living on Earth.

Open Minded Dude

24th March 2025, 19:45

Regarding some prophetic insights I remember one aspect that is more about social engineering than technological progress.

Joe Haldeman's novel "The Forever War" is comparable to Heinlein's "Starship Troopers" or Orson Scott Card's "Ender's Game", both of which had seen movies made. They are all kind of space operas with the setting of an human race fighting an alien insectoid race for ages.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Forever_War

Haldeman's novel has an interesting 'side-plot' where the Earth governments encourage homosexuality in order to curb population growth (later resorting to cloning only men and or only women to populate certain planets with).

This of course to me is eerily reminscient of today's LGBTQ agenda by the Elites. Back then when I read it in the 2000er years I thought it was a rather comical 'idea'.

Er ... yeah ... well ... :o

There is one scene where a military leader gives a kind of press conference and he is clad in 'drag' more or less with lots of make-up and jewellery. The way it was described and then pictured in my mind is really very similar to this recent meme of an LGBTQ US army soldier:

https://www.meme-arsenal.com/memes/5663a6f5d58f7eda5de1c2d936807aca.jpg

mountain_jim

27th March 2025, 14:36

Wanted to suggest another author for this thread, one who while I don't always (often?) agree with his politics I have read all of his books since retiring.

(This article was behind a sign-up wall, but I signed up to include here. Can't get the image link to work, however.)

https://medium.com/the-print-press/william-gibson-is-not-the-prophet-we-need-right-now-5a652c53662f

William Gibson is not the Prophet we need right now
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Published in
The Print Press

Aug 14, 2024

https://miro.medium.com/v2/format:webp/0*PvUtMPXx0Te8vwMy

Introduction

William Gibson, often hailed as the Godfather of Cyberpunk, has made a significant impact on speculative fiction and modern literature. His groundbreaking works, including Neuromancer and Burning Chrome, have not only defined the cyberpunk genre but have also offered deep insights into the relationship between technology and society.

Gibson’s stories are known for their portrayal of advanced technology alongside gritty, lowlife situations. He creates worlds where dystopian futures are shaped by complex digital realities that intersect with human experiences. Through these narratives, we can critically examine pressing social issues of our time.

One of Gibson’s notable contributions is coining the term cyberspace, which has become essential in understanding our digital world today.

Understanding Gibson’s themes is crucial for navigating the complexities of our digital future. His exploration of cybersecurity, AI, and technological impacts on humanity provides insight into the potential trajectories of current technological trends.

As we delve into his influential body of work, we uncover valuable perspectives that inform our approach to emerging technologies and their ethical implications.

“The future is already here — it’s just not evenly distributed.” — William Gibson

By examining Gibson’s contributions, we gain a deeper appreciation of how speculative fiction can shape our understanding of technological advancement and its societal consequences.

The Godfather of Cyberpunk

William Gibson’s contributions to literature are inseparably linked to the genre of cyberpunk, a term that denotes a unique blend of high technology and societal decay. Cyberpunk is characterized by its focus on futuristic dystopias where advanced technology coexists with societal breakdown. Elements such as artificial intelligence, cyberspace, and megacorporations often dominate these narratives, creating a stark contrast between technological progress and human decline.

Neuromancer, published in 1984, stands as a seminal work within this genre. This novel not only introduced readers to the concept of cyberspace but also redefined science fiction itself. Neuromancer depicts a world where data thieves navigate digital landscapes filled with corporate espionage and rogue AIs. The novel’s protagonist, Case, embodies the quintessential cyberpunk anti-hero — a disillusioned hacker grappling with both technological marvels and personal demons.

Gibson’s exploration of dystopian futures is not merely speculative but deeply reflective of contemporary societal issues. His works often illustrate themes of hypercapitalism, surveillance, and loss of individual agency. These narratives present a mirror to our own world, highlighting how unchecked technological advancements can exacerbate existing social inequalities.

“The sky above the port was the color of television, tuned to a dead channel.”

— William Gibson, Neuromancer

This iconic opening line from Neuromancer encapsulates the bleak yet mesmerizing vision that defines Gibson’s work. Through vivid imagery and complex characters, he crafts worlds that are both alien and eerily familiar.

In examining Gibson’s portrayal of dystopian futures, it becomes evident that his stories serve as cautionary tales. They challenge readers to reflect on current technological trajectories and their potential consequences for humanity. By delving into these dark futures, Gibson urges us to consider the ethical implications of our present-day innovations.

His narratives resonate strongly today as we navigate an increasingly digital world fraught with challenges reminiscent of those in his novels. Understanding Gibson’s cyberpunk visions offers valuable insights into the potential pitfalls and promises of our rapidly evolving technological landscape.

Cyberspace and Its Evolution

Cyberspace is a term that has become widely used when talking about the digital world. It was first created by William Gibson, who had a visionary idea. He introduced this concept in his short story Burning Chrome (1982) and later made it more popular in his novel Neuromancer (1984). In these works, cyberspace is depicted as a virtual reality space where data is exchanged and manipulated. This groundbreaking idea gave us a new way to understand the rapidly growing digital landscape.

Origin and Meaning of ‘Cyberspace’

Gibson’s version of cyberspace isn’t just a background setting for his stories; it’s like a character itself. It symbolizes a new frontier where human consciousness can go beyond physical limitations. In Burning Chrome, Gibson defined cyberspace as:

“A consensual hallucination experienced daily by billions of legitimate operators, in every nation.”

This description captures both the fascination and potential dangers of being fully immersed in the digital world. It suggests an interconnected web that reflects our reality but also follows its own rules.

Analysis of Burning Chrome and Its Contributions

Burning Chrome is an important work in cyberpunk literature. It establishes key themes such as the relationship between technology and society. The story revolves around two hackers who break into a highly secure network to steal from a crime lord. This plot explores what it means to live in a world where digital skills can rival or even surpass traditional sources of power.

Some significant contributions from Burning Chrome include:

Introduction of Cyberspace: A conceptual space where data flows freely, foreshadowing today’s internet.

High Technology vs. Low Life: Characters who navigate this space often come from marginalized backgrounds, highlighting socio-economic disparities.

Dystopian Elements: The blending of advanced technology with gritty realities reflects societal anxieties about unchecked technological growth.

Evolution from Gibson’s Time to Today

Since Gibson’s initial vision, cyberspace has evolved dramatically. What was once just an idea is now an essential part of our everyday lives. It includes everything from social media platforms to virtual work environments.

AI Integration

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has played a significant role in transforming this digital landscape:

Data Analysis: AI algorithms are used to process vast amounts of information quickly and efficiently.

Personalized Content Delivery: Streaming services and online platforms employ AI techniques to recommend tailored content based on user preferences.

Autonomous Decision-Making: Certain applications rely on AI systems to make decisions without human intervention, such as self-driving cars or automated trading systems.

Digital Realities

Additionally, technologies like Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) have expanded the possibilities of what cyberspace can offer:

Immersive Experiences: VR creates fully simulated environments while AR overlays digital elements onto the physical world.

Entertainment and Gaming: Both VR and AR have found applications in gaming industries, providing players with interactive experiences that blur boundaries between real-life interactions and virtual gameplay.

Gibson’s foresight into the nature of these digital realities continues to resonate today as we navigate through complexities brought forth by our interconnected world. His work serves as both inspiration for creators exploring new frontiers within cyberspace while also offering cautionary tales reminding us about potential consequences arising from unchecked technological advancements impacting society at large.

Technological Predictions and Their Realities

AI and Agency in Gibson’s Work

William Gibson’s stories often explore the complex relationship between artificial intelligence (AI) and human agency. His works go beyond simply predicting future technology; they examine the deep effects of AI on human freedom, decision-making, and identity.

Neuromancer, perhaps Gibson’s most important work, introduces us to Wintermute and Neuromancer, two powerful AIs with distinct personalities and goals. These entities are not passive tools but active agents influencing the narrative’s course. Gibson’s portrayal of AI challenges the traditional divide between human and machine by attributing complex decision-making abilities to these digital beings.

In All Tomorrow’s Parties, another notable novel by Gibson, AI appears through various forms of widespread technology that shapes the characters’ lives. The protagonist, Laney, possesses a unique ability to perceive nodal points within data streams, a skill that is both enhanced and manipulated by AI. This intersection of AI and human potential demonstrates Gibson’s nuanced understanding of how technology can amplify or undermine personal freedom.

Implications of Mind-Uploading

Gibson’s exploration of mind-uploading offers a speculative yet thought-provoking lens on consciousness. In Count Zero, characters grapple with the possibility of transferring human consciousness into digital realms. This concept raises profound questions about identity, mortality, and what it means to be ‘human.’

Mind-uploading suggests a form of digital immortality where consciousness could exist independently from the physical body. Yet, this notion is fraught with ethical dilemmas. For instance:

Identity Continuity: If one’s mind is uploaded, does the digital copy retain the essence of the original self, or does it become an entirely new entity?

Ethical Considerations: The potential for abuse exists wherein individuals might be forced into digital existence against their will.

Socioeconomic Divide: Access to such advanced technologies could exacerbate existing inequalities, creating a divide between those who can afford digital immortality and those who cannot.

Gibson’s speculative scenarios compel us to consider these ethical dimensions as our technological capabilities inch closer to turning science fiction into reality.

The Role of Drones in Society

Drones frequently appear in Gibson’s works as symbols of surveillance, control, and technological omnipresence. In The Peripheral, drones are used extensively for both civilian and military purposes, reflecting their dual-use nature in contemporary society.

Contemporary Analysis:

Surveillance: Modern societies increasingly rely on drones for surveillance purposes. Law enforcement agencies employ them for monitoring public spaces, raising significant privacy concerns.

Delivery Systems: Companies like Amazon have begun experimenting with drone delivery systems to expedite logistics operations.

Agricultural Uses: Drones are revolutionizing agriculture through precision farming techniques that enhance crop management.

Risks:

Privacy Invasion: The pervasive use of drones can lead to unprecedented levels of surveillance.

Military Applications: Drones are integral to modern warfare strategies but raise ethical issues concerning remote killing.

Regulation Challenges: Ensuring safe integration into national airspaces presents significant regulatory hurdles.

Gibson’s foresight in depicting drones’ multifaceted roles underscores their transformative potential while cautioning against unregulated proliferation.

Technological Predictions vs. Reality

Gibson’s visions often straddle a thin line between fiction and impending reality. His predictions on AI and mind-uploading provide valuable insights into potential future scenarios while also serving as cautionary tales about losing sight of ethical considerations amidst rapid technological advancements.

The Role of Drones in Society

William Gibson’s predictions on technology, particularly drones, offer a fascinating lens through which to examine contemporary advancements. In his speculative fiction, Gibson envisioned drones as pervasive instruments of surveillance and control, reflecting broader societal anxieties about technology’s potential misuse.

Contemporary Drone Technology

In today’s urban environments, drones have become widespread. Their applications range from aerial photography and delivery services to more advanced roles in security and surveillance. For example:

Commercial Use: Companies like Amazon are experimenting with drone delivery systems to speed up logistics.

Public Safety: Law enforcement agencies use drones for crowd monitoring and emergency response operations.

Environmental Monitoring: Drones help track wildlife, assess environmental damage, and even plant trees.

These use cases highlight the benefits of drone technology in improving efficiency and providing innovative solutions to modern challenges.

Gibson’s Vision vs. Reality

On the other hand, Gibson’s portrayal often emphasized the darker implications. His works illustrate scenarios where drones serve as tools for authoritarian regimes or corporate entities to exert control over individuals. This vision aligns with current concerns regarding:

Privacy Invasion: The potential for constant surveillance raises significant privacy issues. Advocates argue that without strict regulations, drones could become instruments of widespread monitoring.

Security Risks: The possibility of drones being hacked poses a threat to public safety. Unauthorized access could lead to harmful activities such as spying or targeted attacks.

Ethical Concerns: The use of drones in warfare presents moral dilemmas about the automation of combat and the dehumanization of conflict.
Gibson’s predictions highlight the dual nature of technological advancement — offering both transformative potential and significant dangers. His work serves as a warning urging society to critically evaluate the ethical implications that come with innovation.

This nuanced perspective on drone technology provides a framework for understanding its complex role in contemporary society, connecting speculative fiction with real-world situations.

Speculative Fiction vs. Reality: A Double-Edged Sword?

William Gibson’s work, a prime example of speculative fiction, serves as a lens through which contemporary societal issues are examined. Speculative fiction often takes current technological trends and imagines future scenarios, providing a platform for exploring the potential consequences of advancements in technology. This genre has a unique ability to reflect societal fears and hopes, making it both a mirror and a warning.

Reflection of Societal Issues

Speculative fiction, particularly Gibson’s stories, delves into themes such as extreme capitalism, constant surveillance, and technological nightmares. These themes resonate with today’s world where economic gaps widen, privacy diminishes, and technology increasingly controls daily life. For instance, in “Neuromancer”, the depiction of a world ruled by powerful corporations and all-seeing surveillance systems mirrors current concerns about corporate power and data security.

Caution Against Over-Reliance

While speculative fiction provides valuable insights, there is a risk in becoming overly reliant on it for predicting future outcomes. The imaginative nature of these narratives can sometimes blur the line between believable futures and unrealistic projections. For example:

AI and Autonomous Systems: Gibson’s portrayal of advanced AI entities with significant independence sparks discussions about ethical considerations and control mechanisms in real-world AI development.
Virtual Realities: His conceptualization of cyberspace as an immersive digital realm invites reflections on the growing influence of virtual environments like the metaverse.

Relying too heavily on speculative fiction for foresight may lead to deterministic thinking, where society expects certain outcomes based solely on fictional portrayals rather than factual evidence or nuanced understanding.

A Balanced Perspective

Engaging with speculative fiction requires balancing imaginative exploration with critical analysis. While speculative fiction illuminates possible futures shaped by current technological paths, it is essential to ground these visions in practical realities. By doing so, we can harness the genre’s creative potential without falling into its more alarmist tendencies.

In examining Gibson’s work through this balanced lens, readers gain not only an appreciation for his storytelling but also a deeper understanding of the complex relationship between technology and society.

Themes in Gibson’s Novels: A Lens to Understand Our Future?

Hypercapitalism and Kleptocracy

William Gibson’s novels frequently delve into the theme of hypercapitalism, portraying exaggerated forms of capitalism where wealth and power are concentrated in the hands of a few. In works like “Neuromancer” and “Pattern Recognition”, Gibson illustrates environments where corporations wield more influence than governments, reflecting a world dominated by unchecked corporate power and pervasive economic inequalities.

1. Hypercapitalism

This concept is central to understanding Gibson’s dystopian settings. Hypercapitalism is characterized by extreme consumerism, aggressive market competition, and significant disparities in wealth distribution. In “Neuromancer”, the protagonist navigates a world where multinational corporations have replaced traditional state structures, exerting control over all aspects of life. Such depictions resonate with contemporary concerns about corporate monopolies and the erosion of public governance.

2. Kleptocracy

Alongside hypercapitalism, Gibson explores kleptocracy — a system where leaders exploit national resources for personal gain. His narratives often highlight how corrupt elites manipulate technology and information to maintain their dominance. This is evident in “The Peripheral”, where a future society is ruled by oligarchs who have amassed immense wealth through technological advancements. The implications for today’s society are profound, as these themes mirror real-world issues like political corruption and wealth inequality.

Gibson’s portrayal of hypercapitalism and kleptocracy serves as a cautionary tale about the potential consequences of unregulated technological and economic systems.

Understanding the Singularity through Gibson’s Lens: A Cautionary Tale?

1. Singularity Defined
The concept of singularity, particularly within the realm of technological advancement, refers to a hypothetical point when artificial intelligence surpasses human intelligence, leading to unprecedented changes in society. William Gibson addresses this notion subtly in his works, often through the lens of advanced AI systems that challenge human authority.

2. Gibsons Perspective on Singularity

In novels such as “Count Zero” and “Mona Lisa Overdrive”, Gibson introduces AI entities that exhibit autonomy beyond human control. These narratives explore the potential dangers of reaching a state where machines operate independently from human oversight, raising ethical questions about agency and accountability.

3. Consequences for Humanity

The realization of singularity poses significant risks, including the potential loss of control over AI systems. Gibson’s fiction warns against an over-reliance on technology without considering its broader implications. For instance, characters in his stories often grapple with the unintended consequences of advanced AI, such as loss of privacy, ethical dilemmas regarding machine consciousness, and societal disruptions.

Through his exploration of singularity, Gibson underscores the importance of maintaining human oversight over technological advancements to mitigate risks associated with autonomous systems.

Victorian Culture Reimagined

In addition to hypercapitalism and singularity, Gibson frequently draws parallels between modern societies and Victorian culture — a period marked by rapid industrialization and stark class divisions. His depiction of futuristic worlds often mirrors the social stratification and cultural anxieties prevalent during the Victorian era.

1. Cultural Reflections

By reimagining Victorian values within contemporary or futuristic settings, Gibson highlights recurring themes such as social disparity and moral ambiguity. This approach allows readers to draw connections between past societal challenges and current technological trends.

2. Implications for Future Technology

Examining Victorian culture through Gibson’s lens provides insights into how emerging technologies might impact social structures. Just as industrialization reshaped Victorian society, modern innovations like AI and nanotechnology have the potential to redefine our social fabric — both positively and negatively.

Gibson’s nuanced exploration offers a critical framework for understanding how past cultural dynamics can inform our approach to future technological developments.

The Impact on Current Technological Trends: Is History Repeating Itself?

Modern Technologies Reflecting Gibson’s Themes

William Gibson’s speculative visions have presaged numerous technological advancements that shape our contemporary world. His portrayal of cyberspace and virtual environments has become a reality with the proliferation of the internet and immersive digital experiences. One particular area where Gibson’s influence is palpable is in the realm of 3-D printing.

3-D Printing

Transformative Potential: This technology, akin to the fabricators in Gibson’s narratives, allows for the creation of complex objects from digital blueprints, revolutionizing industries such as manufacturing, healthcare, and art.

Prosthetics and Medical Devices: Customizable prosthetics and intricate medical devices are now being produced with unprecedented precision.
Design and Engineering: Rapid prototyping accelerates innovation cycles, enabling designers to iterate swiftly.

Ethical Concerns: The democratization of manufacturing through 3-D printing also raises significant ethical issues.

Copyright Infringement: As designs become easily replicable, intellectual property rights face new challenges. Unauthorized reproductions of patented items are increasingly prevalent.
Weaponization: The potential for producing weapons, including firearms, at home introduces severe regulatory and safety concerns.

Nanotechnology in the Future: Promise or Peril?

Gibson’s works often delve into microscopic technologies that manipulate matter at an atomic level, a concept that resonates with today’s burgeoning field of nanotechnology.

In Gibson’s Context

His narratives frequently explore nanotech as both a tool for enhancement and a harbinger of potential dystopian outcomes.

Self-replicating Nanobots: Imagined scenarios where nanobots can self-replicate raise questions about uncontrolled proliferation.
Body Augmentation: Enhancements at a cellular level blur the lines between human and machine.

Relevance to Current Research Trends

Research in nanomedicine aims to target diseases at their molecular roots. For instance, nanoparticles are being developed to deliver drugs directly to cancer cells, minimizing collateral damage to healthy tissues. Innovations in materials engineered at the nanoscale promise stronger, lighter, and more resilient substances. These advancements hold transformative potential across various sectors including construction, electronics, and energy storage.

Potential Future Implications

While nanotechnology offers solutions for pollution control and renewable energy sources, it also poses risks. Nanoparticles introduced into ecosystems may have unforeseen toxic effects on wildlife and human health. Access to advanced nanotechnologies could exacerbate existing inequalities. The divide between those who can afford enhancements or treatments and those who cannot might widen significantly.

Examining how Gibson’s visions relate to current trends reveals both the foresight inherent in his work and the dual-edged nature of technological progress. His narratives serve as a reminder that while innovation drives humanity forward, it also necessitates vigilant consideration of ethical dimensions.

William Gibson’s Influence on Technology: A Double-Edged Sword?

Understanding William Gibson’s influence on technology reveals a complex impact that shapes both present and future landscapes. His visionary stories have inspired significant innovation in various technological fields.

Positive Effects of Gibson’s Influence

Innovation: Gibson’s speculative worlds have acted as blueprints for real-world technological developments. Concepts such as cyberspace, once purely fictional, now underpin the internet and digital communications.
Cultural Impact: His works have permeated beyond literature, influencing films like “The Matrix,” and inspiring designers, technologists, and futurists.

Examples of Gibson’s Influence

Cyberspace: The concept of cyberspace, originally introduced in his short story “Burning Chrome,” has become a fundamental aspect of modern digital infrastructure.
Artificial Intelligence and Virtual Realities: His exploration of artificial intelligence and virtual realities has spurred advancements in AI research and immersive technologies.

Cautionary Lessons from Gibson’s Work

However, Gibson’s cautionary tales also highlight the need for vigilance. His dystopian futures serve as warnings about the unchecked growth of technology.

Themes in Gibson’s Work

Surveillance States: The portrayal of surveillance societies raises concerns about privacy and government control.
Corporate Dominance: The depiction of powerful corporations controlling technology warns against potential abuses of power.

These narratives emphasize the importance of developing strong regulatory frameworks to manage innovations responsibly.

Engaging with Gibson’s Art

Appreciating Gibson’s art requires not only admiration but also critical engagement with its deeper messages. By reflecting on his speculative scenarios, we can better navigate our collective future, ensuring that technological progress aligns with ethical standards and societal well-being.

Open Minded Dude

27th March 2025, 16:49

mountain_jim

27th March 2025, 18:56

I started reading Gibson only much more recently, when it was announced that Amazon was going to film much of the series The Peripheral (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Peripheral_(TV_series)) near where I live.

It was very well-made, but likely difficult to follow for those not having read the book, and unfortunately was cancelled after one year. (Also, many of the season 1 shooting locations were in Marshall, NC, and destroyed or at least under water during the Helene flooding.)

I read the costs of the Amazon Rings Of Power series contributed to cutbacks in their other primary projects which likely affected this series getting a greenlight for a second season.

After reading the 2 books written so far for that (to-be) trilogy, I went back and read all his other books, then saw the movie Johnny Mnemonic. Looking him up now, I don't think I have seen Strange Days or New Rose Hotel, have to check those out.

Well Strange Days (https://bloody-disgusting.com/editorials/3794066/strange-days-the-apocalyptic-paranoia-of-kathryn-bigelows-sci-fi-thriller/) was not written by Gibson, just influenced by his works (IMDB had it wrong)

The project would then evolve into a cyberpunk parable influenced by sci-fi masters like William Gibson, with the film’s SQUID tech borrowing heavily from Neuromancer’s SimStims.

Strange Days available on HBO Max, not Amazon Prime as of now, so maybe wait on that one.

madrotter

27th March 2025, 20:24

One writer that I like is Allen M. Steele, mostly hard-sf, and as I'm a sucker for colonization science fiction I loved his Coyote series....

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/686344.Coyote

And Rude Astronauts, also great stuff....

onawah

28th March 2025, 01:39

It's been great seeing all the favorite scifi novels and authors! :clapping:
It's clear that Avalonians have very good taste when it comes to scifi! :Avalon:
But could we please focus more on what scifi novels have proven to be prophetic in nature? :stars: :wizard:
And any speculation about how the great scifi authors might be seeing into the future :clock:
Is it really prophetic or is there evidence that some of them may have been clued in :gossip: by scientists :nerd: as to what particular secret government projects have been in the works and what they have discovered? :shocked:
Or are they perhaps being inspired by some kind of connection to more technologically advanced beings of some kind? :alien: :Angel:
It's an interesting mystery,:sherlock: and that was my primary reason for starting this thread.
Thanks all! :waving:

Mark (Star Mariner)

28th March 2025, 13:17

One book not mentioned that comes to mind is Greg Bear's 'Eon'.

This involves an enormous elongated asteroid that enters the solar system and parks itself near Earth. Scientists call it the potato. But not all is as it seems... They send up a bunch of scientists and, yeah, it's an alien ship (but that's not all). Inside, they discover a multilayer, multi-dimensional reality, containing multiple civilisations -- the interior is millions of times larger on the inside than the outside. Oh, and the realities within span a dizzying number of alternate timelines.

It's the most confusing, convoluted, and bloated book I ever read. Not recommended. The only reason I mention it here, it has strong Oumuamua (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%CA%BBOumuamua)vibes, especially at the outset. The book was written in the 80s, long before this real object entered our solar system, causing a big stir a few years ago.

madrotter

28th March 2025, 14:03

To that I would (happily) reply:

DQbYiXyRZjM

:)

Open Minded Dude

28th March 2025, 14:58

By coincidence or synchronicity with this thread start (sorry if it's a little off-topic), I just resumed reading Perry Rhodan novellas again after 45 years when I was 12 years old. I know this because the most recent novella in my vintage collection I have (#991) was published in 1980.

Now in a fit of nostalgia I downloaded the two #1 editions (PR and PR Neo) as Ebooks for me Ebook reader. Normally I do not read 'fiction' anymore but just woo-woo and documentary books (UFOs, Astral Projection, Reincarnation and Regression Hypnosis, etc.). But I somehow felt compelled to do this. And it's fun!
:bigsmile:

The first novel was started in 1961, it is what I read now. The plot started in 1971. There is a reboot called "Perry Rhodan Neo" from 2011 (50s anniversary) where it starts in the year 2036. I also read this one to compare it to the original #1.

So far both are amazing reads and I wonder why I stopped as a child back then when I was a sci-fi nerd indeed and also a Star Wars (first movie) and Star Trek Original Series fan.

PR is a typical Space Opera and actually one of the or maybe even the longest running book series started in 1961, it is thus maybe older than Star Trek. There are similarities of course but it is also different. For me it is a bit of a mix of Star Trek and The Expanse.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perry_Rhodan

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/5/54/Perry_Rhodan_issue1.jpg

:ufo:

(Again, sorry for being a bit off-topic, it just happens that I am so enthusiastic about it currently. I think this thread is a synchronicity for this, so thanks to the OP.)

I found another 'kind of' forecast today. It could be foreseen in a way though but for a novel of 1961 it's still interesting.

As told above, today I finished the first novel of Perry Rhodan (original from 1961) where they first meet with an advanced alien race who call themselves the "Arkonides".

While these humanoid beings are technologically far superior to the Earthlings they have become actually 'degenerated' over eons. Their superior space ship and entire technology is steered by machinery, AI (although of course other words for it are used) and robots.

Moreover, as they are also socially degenerated they no longer 'strive for' anything as over millenia they already built a Galactic Imperium which is now in decline (as e.g. Rome was). Instead, they get stimulated all the time by constantly looking at hypnotic screen programs to which the majority of them is now addicted to - and thus a consequence as well as a reason for their decline and degeneration.

Um .... Wait a sec ...

An advanced society with each member being hypnotically addicted to their individual screens all the time?

2020s Earth population: 'Hold my beer.' :chuckle:

https://rehabclinicsgroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Phone-Addiction.jpg

https://jworldtimes.com/old-site/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/The-Growing-Problem-of-SMARTPHONE-ADDICTION1.jpg

Ernie Nemeth

28th March 2025, 19:05

I believe that the pursuit of technology must lead exactly to this place - where machines eventually take over the human world and destroy humanity in the process.

Business for profit leads to a technological world, driven by poorly understood discoveries with 'exploitable' characteristics. Prosperity is merely a spin-off effect, driven by a top-down hierarchical structure that can be easily manipulated by tyrants and patriots alike.

If that makes them prophets, then the title is aptly applied.

The pursuit of truth and excellence in all disciplines leads to another world entirely.

Business for prosperity is lead by solid science with deliberate trajectories aimed at acquiring strategic fundamental knowledge for the betterment of society. Discoveries are brought online in a comprehensive manner so that from the outset it is planned, researched, developed and implemented to maximize its usefulness for all its citizens.

That takes an educated citizenry of forward thinkers.
Mostly, it is a citizenry that takes freedom very seriously.

Unlike the technological world....

onawah

28th March 2025, 22:14

Brilliant speech from Philip K Dick!
I will have to listen more than once, as the concepts are very complex.
Definitely pertinent to any discussion about alternate universes.
And anomalies in which records of past events seem to have been altered somehow...
Here's another:

The 9 prophetic visions of Philip K Dick
Science Fiction with Damien Walter
67.4K subscribers
74,421 views Dec 31, 2021

"We are living in strange times. Politics. Society. Culture wars. Things have gone weird. We're looking for knowledge and wisdom to guide us in strange times.

I can think of no better guide to the year 2022 than Philip K Dick.

The author of Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, the inspiration for Blade Runner, is best known as a science fiction writer. But after his infamous spiritual awakening and the events of 2-3-74, Philip K Dick became something more....a visionary prophet for the age we're all now living in. "

00:00 Welcome to strange times
01:07 The prophetic Philip K Dick
03:45 A career of three parts
08:54 2-3-74
12:40 The films of Philip K Dick
15:24 The nine prophetic visions of Philip K Dick
15:47 NINE - The Exit Door Leads In
18:10 EIGHT - Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep
21:21 SEVEN - Chains of Air, Web of Aether
24:59 SIX - The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch
28:12 FIVE - V.A.L.I.S
31:52 FOUR - The Electric Ant
35:25 Interlude: what is reality?
36:45 THREE - Ubik
40:18 TWO - Exegesis
42:53 ONE - The Man In The High Castle
45:59 The Man Who Gazed Into The Mythos
51:49 Writing the 21st century myth

f2LNhNS_UFE

To that I would (happily) reply:

DQbYiXyRZjM

:)

madrotter

29th March 2025, 10:12

Thank you Onawah for posting that video, I watched it and really enjoyed it and now I find myself really enjoying some of his other videos, so far they all connect to this thread in different kind of ways... Take this one, and I am in total agreement with it, actually a subject I have been thinking a lot about in the last few years:

_LQa28X-1AQ

Basically, all these tech-lords all mention certain science fiction books as their source or sources of inspiration, Orwell, Iain M. Banks, William Gibson etc., but where the writers of these books wrote them as a warning to humanity, these tech-lord types use them as a blue print, fascinating stuff....

onawah

29th March 2025, 18:15

Ha! Synchronicity happens...
Going full circle now, back to my OP where I focused first on "3 Body Problem", and then to the brilliant Damien Walter, who I had never heard of until Madrotter's post #24.
(I can certainly agree with Walter's views about the Chinese Communist Party and their blatant use of propaganda and censorship, which he criticizes in his monologue on "The Three Body Propaganda Problem".
Warning: the visuals in the video are just monotonously repeating clips from "Star Wars" and "Star Trek". )

"The Oligarch Plan for our Fuedal Future" (posted above) is also helping to fill in the picture of current oligarchal developments that's been forming in my skeptic's mind's eye.

More from Walter in the following:

The Three Body Propaganda Problem
Science Fiction with Damien Walter
67.4K subscribers
31,624 views Apr 9, 2024

uGZW1xnkzkI

onawah

29th March 2025, 19:00

I wish I could remember where it was that I heard of a scifi planet where the people were all united in a spiritual journey, one which kept technological development controlled and at a minimum, but focused instead on the development of consciousness and what the Ancient Atlanteans in "Stargate Atlantis" called "Ascension", whereby ultimately they no longer inhabited physical bodies, but had evolved into pure, energetic bodies.

(Which according to some, such as psychic and Theosophist Gigi Young, is the state in which Lemurians originally arrived on Earth but in their case, gradually became more and more material.
And that seems to suggest that evolution actually moves in cycles.)

The people of this scifi planet had not yet fully ascended, but they had merged so well with the Gaia of their own planet (which they kept in pristine health) that they were able to manifest the planet and themselves temporarily onto a different plane, undetectable to the races of beings from other planets.
So they were never troubled by invasions or attacks from without.
I hold that to be a wholly worthwhile course of action, but it seems to be quite far off for Earth as yet.
When the Yugas have cycled once again to an era where there is a balance of the Feminine energy, which is focused on Nature, and the Masculine energy, which focuses on technology, then that kind of spiritual evolution of an entire planet would seem to be much more likely.
Although it seems that planets each have their own path, just as human beings do.

onawah

7th May 2025, 01:27

I am watching the old Stargate SG-1 series, and am now in Season 5, episode 10 ( which aired in 2001, and the episode is also named "2001") in which a vaccine is used to decimate a population by rendering them sterile.
A synopsis of the episode is here: https://stargate.fandom.com/wiki/2001_(episode)
...But the takeaway words are "vaccine" and "sterile"...
Also of interest is that in the storyline, Colonel O'Neill sends a message back from the future to Stargate Command saying to avoid the planet from which the vaccine originated, at all costs.

onawah

7th May 2025, 18:58

Nanobots found in the blood of Earth humans sourced from an alien invasion is part of the plot of Stargate SG-1 Season 5 Episode 13, entitled "Proving Ground".
That was released in 2001.
...And we thought injected nanobots to be such a new thing....:facepalm:

Sunny

8th May 2025, 00:54

onawah

11th May 2025, 17:34

In season 7, episode 5 of Stargate SG-1 (which aired in 2003), the Stargate exploration team goes to a planet with only a small, enclosed civilization where the people are all wearing a device on their foreheads that connects them to what they call "The Link", an AI source of information that is actually mind control as well as population control.

onawah

15th May 2025, 04:21

The last episode of Stargate SG-1 season 7 entitled Lost City part 2 which aired in 2004 begins with the team's discovery of the lost city of Atlantis which the Ancients built situated under the ice of Antarctica, and there they find a kind of crystalline Zero Point energy weapon, which gives Earth a tactical advantage over their alien enemies.
(Of course, it's not that simple...)
But the point continues to be that that far back (in 2004 in this case), this is pretty futuristic info to be basing a plot on.
And that doesn't tell us when the script was actually written, or how far back we would have to go to find out what it was based on, but futuristic it is...

onawah

22nd May 2025, 02:23

I'm in Season 9 of Stargate SG-1 and there are three basic villainous ET groups that the Earth-based group of space explorers are faced with.
The first two that were introduced in previous seasons, the Goa'uld and the Replicants, are waning in power, and SG-1 believes the Replicants have actually been destroyed.
The new menace, the Ori, are the new main threat.

What strikes me about the three negatively oriented groups is how much they represent threats that Earth is now and has been facing, and how the characterisitics of all three groups combined match what I see as being very similar to the problems humanity faces now.
That is, of being very vulnerable to parasitizing and mind control from other kinds of beings, and from humans who have already been overtaken and are serving the alien agendas.

The Goa'uld are parasitical beings in the physical realm that inhabit and control the bodies of their victims while pretending to be ancient Gods, and demanding to be worshipped.
(Though they are also able to physically heal and extend the lives of their victims, so it is a mutually beneficial relationship in one regard.)
I don't know of any physical beings that behave that way in this reality, but there are certainly non-physical beings that inhabit, parasitize and control their human victims.

The Replicants were self-replicating mechanical beings that eventually evolved into conscious robotic androids that could mimic actual individuals (whether they were really destroyed in the story line remains to be seen...)
The self-replicating nanobots that are actually being found in vaccines and now in chemtrails are a huge threat to humanity in this current reality, as they suck the energy from living blood cells and use that energy to replicate, also interacting with 5G and other technologies to create a kind of mind control planetary web.
...Not to mention "chips" and other devices which can be implanted into human bodies and turn humans into transhumanist beings.

The Ori are one branch from a group of Ancient beings who split off into two groups long ago in SG-1 history, one group of religious fanatics (the Ori), and another which has made science its religion.
But the ORI also have very advanced technology with which they destroy whole civilizations that refuse to succumb and worship them.
Again, the goal of being worshipped is foremost with the Goa'uld and the Ori both.
"Loosh" being what these parasitical ETs most crave.
Which certainly sounds familiar...

My theory is that the spirit guides of many scifi authors are feeding them info subconsciously so as to warn humanity to be aware of real challenges which are most imminently dangerous now and in the near future.
Military domination by such groups in this particular scifi saga is only what follows the initial phases of psychological domination.
I think that humanity tends to believe would come first is military domination by ETs, but that is backward from what scifi is so often warning us about.
First the mind and spirits of the ET's human victims are prepared for surrender, then the physical incursion takes place.
So it's foremost a battle for the soul and spirit, just as so many of humanity's seers and prophets have envisioned happening.

onawah

24th May 2025, 05:35

This entry doesn't have to do with future prophecy, but it's of interest to me as it's about something that has brought to my attention by watching Stargate SG-1, something that has long been a focus of my meditations.
...Having to do with the spiritual path, specifically Buddhism, and the difference between the paths of Hinayana and Mahayana as they are normally portrayed.
That being: the path of the Arhat in Hinayana, which is to attain to Enlightenment or Nirvana as quickly as possible, while the path of the Boddhisattva in Mahayana is to renounce Nirvana and vow to create skillful means of relieving the suffering of humanity, while showing the Way of the Buddhas to others.

How this relates to scifi: in Stargate SG-1 (I'm in season 10 now, the final one), those who have Ascended are portrayed as a group of beings who have left the physical plane for a higher realm and detached themselves from human affairs, having made an agreement amongst themselves that they must commit to staying detached.
To remain in this rank of the Ascended, each individual has to agree to abide by the rule of making detachment foremost, and that is strictly enforced.
Otherwise, one may face the consequence of being forced back into a physcal body by the other Ascended beings, and suffer a memory loss of their Ascended experience.
So there is a class of sort of "fallen angels" or beings who have ascended but then were cast out and returned to physicality, presumably because they simply relapsed into an egoic state of mind.
But also another class of beings who are cast out of the ranks of the Ascended because they were too compassionate to remain detached, and realized they wanted to help relieve the suffering of the physcial realm more than they wanted to remain detached and stay in the higher realm of being.

That dichotomy is treated very delicately in SG-1, in such a way that it brought home to me how much I have pondered over the that spiritual conundrum in my own life, and still do even though it has been mostly in my subconscious mind of late.
I think I must again just go with the Zen resolution to simply focus foremost on "Being Here in the Now", as simplistic as that may sound, but also to meditate more consciously again on that old Koan.

Meanwhile, kudos to the makers of Stargate SG-1, which though rather outdated now, has deserved its lasting popularity if only because it can still make people think and not just serve as distracting entertainment. :nod:

meat suit

24th May 2025, 09:34

I read 'Neuromancer' back in 2001 (Amazon order list tells me that's when I bought it) and it was indeed about all the Cyberstuff it was praised for back then and which also made me want to buy it. I admit though I have forgotten about the plot and all. Long ago when I read it and maybe also due to the multiple similar works that have since then appeared in movie, tv and literature in this sci-fi subgenre.
But as one of the pioneers in the area of 'cyber(punk)' and cyberworld in general it seems that nowadays and over half a century later (1984!) it has not lost any of its relevance. A milestone of sci-fi for sure.

I read Neuromancer and the couple more books that were out at the time in like 1992.
It blew my mind back then. Same timeframe as I was making music with Arari computers and Akai samplers.
It was an exiting time and back in the day it seemed unfathomable that we would get to where we are now in just 30 years.

I suspect that many scifi authors are actually remote viewing the future.

I read a big book by L.Ron Hubbard back then too, cant remember what its called...

Mike Gorman

24th May 2025, 15:44

This is a very interesting subject, I have been an avid Sci-Fi reader since I was a kid, also a watcher of science fiction drama/film - H. G Wells of course has been extemely presient and astute in predicting technology, and 'mushroom clouds', 'The Shape of things to Come' was a good one. However, the other evening I saw an episode of 'Thunderbirds' in my YouTube feed, and feeling fondly nostalgic I watched it, in this episode Virgil is asked to send a document from his Thunderbird 2 vessel, and he asks "By Radio Photograph"? - this was from 1964, a long time before Faxes, and decades before digital media transmission via TCP/IP/Wi-Fi - radio photograph is not a bad approximation of what we all use today!
Yes, I know Thunderbirds is hardly top shelf Sci-Fi, but I noted a few examples of how they depicted 'the future' very cleverly, perhaps training a young audience to accept technology in their immediate future? I wonder if Gerry Anderson had links with intelligence, and science circles informing his storylines?

onawah

2nd June 2025, 21:03

In the 13th episode entitled "Hot Zone" in Season 1 of the series Stargate Atlantis which aired in 2005, something called a "nanovirus" is introduced, which is not actually a virus but was created by the Atlantean "Ancients" to be used as a weapon against their enemies the "Wraith".
It resembles somewhat the self-replicating nanobots humanity is now being infected with in reality, via vaccines, chemtrails and more.
More here: https://stargate.fandom.com/wiki/Ancient_nanovirus
and here:https://stargate.fandom.com/wiki/Hot_Zone

Mark (Star Mariner)

3rd June 2025, 11:53

How this relates to scifi: in Stargate SG-1 (I'm in season 10 now, the final one),

BTW: SG-1 didn't end when season 10 concluded. There was meant to be a season 11, which would wrap up the Ori storyline, but sadly they canned it (for reasons I forget). Instead, SG-1 returned with two two-hour specials to tie up the loose ends. The first was "Stargate: The Ark of Truth", followed by "Stargate: Continuum." Make sure you don't miss those!

onawah

3rd June 2025, 14:40

Will do! Thanks Mark!

How this relates to scifi: in Stargate SG-1 (I'm in season 10 now, the final one),

BTW: SG-1 didn't end when season 10 concluded. There was meant to be a season 11, which would wrap up the Ori storyline, but sadly they canned it (for reasons I forget). Instead, SG-1 returned with two two-hour specials to tie up the loose ends. The first was "Stargate: The Ark of Truth", followed by "Stargate: Continuum." Make sure you don't miss those!

mountain_jim

3rd June 2025, 20:01

I saw both of those: "Stargate: The Ark of Truth", followed by "Stargate: Continuum"
on Amazon Prime within the last few months.

These are both still included in an Amazon Prime subscription.

(Prime is a really good deal for us as we live so far from shopping and stores that 'free shipping' pays for itself for all the stuff we can't find in the area, order, and then the streamable content is a bonus)

later

Amazon also has StarGate Origins, 10 episodes, though quality of that is a little iffy as I recall

“Stargate Origins” follows Catherine Langford, whose father, archeologist Paul Langford, discovered the eponymous Stargate in 1928, when Catherine was a young girl. Young Catherine explores the mysteries of the Stargate in an attempt to save Earth.

Vicus

11th June 2025, 16:04

Scientists: We're running out of dystopian sci-fi movies to make into reality

https://www.sott.net/image/s36/728829/super/68435e817f19468435e817f195.jpg
"Hollywood is drying up as inspiration for new research."

With rapid advancements in technology and government intrusion into the lives of citizens, scientists sounded the alarm to warn that they were running out of dystopian sci-fi movies to make into reality.

As artificial intelligence continued to grow at an exponential rate, a group of researchers held emergency closed-door meetings to inform world leaders and heads of Hollywood studios that the available stock of post-apocalyptic films to bring to life was running dangerously low.

"We're just about out of horrifically bleak futures to recreate in the real world," said Dr. Jasper Langrove, lead researcher at the Center for Creating Dystopian Realities. "A few years ago, we thought the supply would last us for decades, but recent breakthroughs in technology have helped us turn even the most far-fetched sci-fi stories into reality in a very short time. By the time we're being overrun by killer robots — which won't be long, by the way — we'll be plum out of dystopian futures to create."

According to inside sources, heads of state were hard at work collaborating with leaders of Big Tech and the entertainment industry to come up with new ideas for dark and deadly futures to bring about in the real world. "C'mon, we can do this," one Hollywood producer said. "We've already got government surveillance, threats of nuclear war, and supercomputers running everything in our lives, but there must be something we haven't come up with yet that the scientists can work on. How about interdimensional alien spiders?"

At publishing time, the scientists warned that the situation had become even more dire now that they had successfully tested a fully functional Death Star.

https://babylonbee.com/news/scientists-warn-they-are-running-out-of-dystopian-sci-fi-movies-to-make-into-reality

Dumpster Diver

11th June 2025, 22:07

Dune seems to be prophetic with it’s “Butlerian Jihad” given the tendency of AI “tools” trying to stop researchers from shutting them down by blackmailing the researchers. “I read your email and I’ll tell everyone about your extramarital affairs if you turn me off.”