What if the future of economics is invented in science fiction?
nadia | 2023-11-26 21:50:51 UTC | #1
Hi everyone! We're launching a writer's residency in partnership with the Messina Community Foundation and EIT-Climate Kic. And we thought it would be nice to have a face to face meetup with the community.
Event time! :)
About this Event
A 30 minute event where we introduce a new program for people interested in imagining new economy worlds through science fiction. Update: we have now created an information sheet, find it here:
https://edgeryders.eu/t/writers-residency-come-lead-the-worldbuilding-academy/14502
đź’ˇThis event is for you if: You are interested in co-creating conceivable and actionable new models for a low carbon economy together with economists around the world.
Date, time and format
A video meeting, on October 16th at 2pm CET . We will send you the link in a private message, just leave a comment below telling us you want to attend!
A short presentation of the Sci Fi Economics Lab and our Residency Program, followed by an open, question and answer session. If you have a question to ask the speaker, ask it in the chat and the presenter will answer.
Everyone welcome .
How to register?
Leave us a comment below letting us know you want to attend. We will DM you the login credentials.
The event is organised by Edgeryders as part of our work to extend the space of economic models that are conceivable and deployable to build a successful, fair civilisation, while preserving the planet’s ecological balance. It is conducted with support from EIT Climate-KIC ,the European Union’s largest climate innovation initiative. More info: http://scifieconomicslab.net
This event is brought to you by
In partnership with:
With support from:
olliebm | 2020-09-28 15:19:55 UTC | #5
Hi, I would love to attend the info session to find out more about the residency program! Please forward me the login credentials :) Thanks!
waeljebri | 2020-09-28 23:28:05 UTC | #6
Hello, I really liked the topic and I would like to attend.
MelissaSterry | 2020-10-01 14:19:53 UTC | #8
Are you interested in exploring speculative futures or have even done so before? Tell us what inspires your thought experiments and where your interest originates:
Responding to the invite sent from @SciFiEconomics.
Have I done speculative futures before? Yes, for more than a decade, in among other contexts commercial advisories to executive level staff in corporations worldwide.
What inspires my thought experiments? The sum of my career has revolved around creating new approaches to problems, both in research and practice, and in contexts commercial, academic, and creative.
Where my interests originates? That's not something that can be answered in a sentence. But, in the context of this event, a large swathe of my research and practice activities involve developing new applications for scientific and technological tools. Some of this work is purely conceptual. Other works involve guiding the likes of software and other commercial companies to new and emerging markets. Though I already know this terrain very well, it's always useful to get a good idea where new talent and opportunities are opening, be it that projects and companies I'm involved with have relevance, or simply in my capacity as a mentor and advisor to up and coming talent in fields including speculative fiction, design, and futures more generally.
nadia | 2020-10-01 14:59:55 UTC | #9
ping @alberto
alberto | 2020-10-01 16:20:09 UTC | #10
Hello @MelissaSterry, welcome. Personally I do not know much about speculative futures, I approach similar issues through the lens of economics – in particular fictional economies. Maybe you would be interested in this writers residency: we have an info page up since a few hours.
https://edgeryders.eu/t/writers-residency-come-lead-the-worldbuilding-academy/14502
MelissaSterry | 2020-10-01 16:39:31 UTC | #11
Writers' residencies aren't compatible with my schedule or aligned with where my activities are. But, I'll bare your residency in mind for others whose interests are in that space. Ditto the SciFi Economics lab intro, which sounds more aligned to those just starting out in the field.
maiki | 2020-10-01 21:49:16 UTC | #12
Are you interested in exploring speculative futures or have even done so before? Tell us what inspires your thought experiments and where your interest originates:
I am a strategy consultant and sf writer. Last year I attended a conference in London on Economics in SF. In my presentation I sketched some scenarios where we as I society might go. I just published a climate fiction novella trying to sketch a way to an ecologically viable future which, in my opinion, is not possible without the „right“ economics, whatever they might be. I am very interested in persuing this topic and would consider myself extremely happy to become part of this group
kevinjunk | 2020-10-02 12:46:54 UTC | #13
Are you interested in exploring speculative futures or have even done so before? Tell us what inspires your thought experiments and where your interest originates:
I've been diving into nature writing and sci-fi driven poetry recently, and it's hugely inspiring. Also drawing information and intel from conversations around the connection between capitalism and nature conservation has been influential for my thinking.
alberto | 2020-10-02 14:17:27 UTC | #14
[quote="maiki, post:12, topic:14460"] I am very interested in persuing this topic and would consider myself extremely happy to become part of this group [/quote]
Welcome then, @maiki! You just selected yourself to be part of this group, which is how it should work. The Lab's main artifact so far is our wiki, Econ-SF: a selection of works and authors. If you want to improve or add entries, that would be much appreciated. You can also just launch a discussion topic here in the Lab's forum space.
alberto | 2020-10-02 14:23:02 UTC | #15
Welcome to you too, @kevinjunk. Sci-fi driven poetry is a first for me, looking forward to knowing more about it.
melofrances | 2020-10-02 14:23:17 UTC | #16
Are you interested in exploring speculative futures or have even done so before? Tell us what inspires your thought experiments and where your interest originates:
I am a digital storyteller, creative mathematician and games designer. I like to create playful environments in which people can reimagine the future, and in particular how the systems of the present might be able to work differently to better serve us/help us live better lives/help us care for the planet better.
For me an act of collective imagining is a central part of exploring new futures together, especially in relation to areas and disciplines that present and are perceived as fixed and rigid.
I am interested in creating opportunities for us to explore speculative futures, to interrogate and play through what we think we want and why. At the moment I am working on two projects, which merge to provide the foundations in my interest here. The first is seer, an interactive digital sci-fi novel exploring the release of a new technology which claims to allow people to see into a new dimension. seer explores conspiracy theories, surveillance capitalism and how we use patterns to tell stories. The second project is donut/money, a series of live playable games which explore how the economy works now and how it could work differently.
I am interested in ideas of nostalgia, and progress, the work of Svetlana Boym, alternative economic structures, new imaginings of time, the work of Carlo Rovelli, the book Einstein's Dreams. Central to my work is thought experiments and experiment games, to think and play through what could be different.
nadia | 2020-10-03 12:15:08 UTC | #17
Ping @woodbinehealth :)
joshuaskov | 2020-10-04 06:49:42 UTC | #18
Are you interested in exploring speculative futures or have even done so before? Tell us what inspires your thought experiments and where your interest originates:
I'm interested in the threat at the intersection of climate chaos, economic inequality, and fraying democratic norms and institutions. I'm particularly interested in how global and regional oligarchies will seek to preserve wealth as they increasingly understand the necessity of climate action and ecosystem preservation.
I have begun worldbuilding for a dystopian future that, I believe, could be instructive as we think about the combined threat described above. I would like to explore the issue of an oligarchy's necessity of enlisting a small additional slice of humanity to help it preserve and regenerate the planet, along with maintaining its economic power. I worry that such a bargain could emerge around the successful pursuit of ecological imperatives, but at the expense of most of humanity.
I believe that exploring these issues will elucidate the dangerous systems that could arise if global society underinvests in democracy.
Hope to chat more about this!
ThomasOsdoba | 2020-10-05 13:17:56 UTC | #19
Are you interested in exploring speculative futures or have even done so before? Tell us what inspires your thought experiments and where your interest originates:
Long-time pondering of how the US current representative democracy and market capitalism model breaks down, and what emerges out of its ashes, which has been matched by an increasingly obvious need to contemplate governance and economics around SDGs and planetary sustainability. It means open ideas outside terrestrial constraints on thinking can open up social models.
nicoalcala | 2020-10-05 13:50:42 UTC | #20
Are you interested in exploring speculative futures or have even done so before? Tell us what inspires your thought experiments and where your interest originates:
Hazemasif | 2020-10-05 14:04:24 UTC | #21
Are you interested in exploring speculative futures or have even done so before? Tell us what inspires your thought experiments and where your interest originates:
As a multidisciplinary graphic designer, illustrator and social design activist based in Lahore, Pakistan; my research practice consists of speculative design, design fiction and world building. Such methodologies allows me to explore, alternate “what if” scenarios of our future. Through speculative design, I hope to inspire the present generation, assist them in critical thinking and push them to take positive social actions for the betterment of the future society.
Professorsanjayrout | 2020-10-05 14:35:03 UTC | #22
Are you interested in exploring speculative futures or have even done so before? Tell us what inspires your thought experiments and where your interest originates:
Yes
goraisundip | 2020-10-05 15:01:15 UTC | #23
Are you interested in exploring speculative futures or have even done so before? Tell us what inspires your thought experiments and where your interest originates:
I have written and spoken on science fiction films and novels too - have explored and have deep economic perspective on society, economic models, AI implications.
Here is a bit about me https://www.linkedin.com/in/gorai/
andrewcox | 2020-10-05 15:26:18 UTC | #24
Are you interested in exploring speculative futures or have even done so before? Tell us what inspires your thought experiments and where your interest originates:
danohu | 2020-10-05 17:43:49 UTC | #25
I'd like to join!
Dani | 2020-10-05 17:54:43 UTC | #26
Are you interested in exploring speculative futures or have even done so before? Tell us what inspires your thought experiments and where your interest originates:
I explore speculative futures in my writing, as well as (on a much smaller scale) in my daily work with big data technologies and analytics. On a personal level, I am very interested in how humans are adapting to our technological environment and passionate about solving the problems of those left behind or disabled by individual technological advancements.
Jon_Nutzati | 2020-10-05 20:05:58 UTC | #27
Are you interested in exploring speculative futures or have even done so before? Tell us what inspires your thought experiments and where your interest originates:
I am interested in Solarpunk futures and space exploration.
One thought that deeply troubles me when I hear the opinion expressed that we should 'fix our own planet before we consider going into space or colonizing others'
I believe the opposite approach is key to solving all of our problems.
Mastering the technology to live on other planets is key to closed-loop living on Earth.
If we were to live on Earth in Mars-like colonies, climate change wouldn't be an issue for two reasons:
- We would stop contributing to climate change when we are able to tightly control storage, use and emissions in energy, biomass and material using modern technology
- If climate change has passed the point of no return, human life on Earth is more likely to survive if we have planetary colonization technologies available to us.
yosun | 2020-10-05 21:09:27 UTC | #28
Are you interested in exploring speculative futures or have even done so before? Tell us what inspires your thought experiments and where your interest originates:
Yes!
In 2008, I dropped out of a physics-philosophy-bioengineering triple major to focus on writing an urban fantasy novel with such speculative futures... I'd developed boxes and boxes of notebooks with backstories, mythos, economies... but ultimately, for financial reasons, I pivoted to building 3D augmented reality software. Some might say building future software, possible right now. I still often jot down random ideas for speculative sci fi economies. Might do something big with it soon :)
Sarit1046 | 2020-10-05 23:20:07 UTC | #29
Are you interested in exploring speculative futures or have even done so before? Tell us what inspires your thought experiments and where your interest originates:
Having authored several sci-fi short stories as well as science fiction novel, “Apex Five”, I am fascinated by humanity’s future in balancing overpopulation using solar energy. As a cyber security analyst at NASA, I am committed to studying the impact of advancing technology on humanity.
alberto | 2020-10-06 12:16:20 UTC | #33
Wow, @Sarit1046, this sounds amazing! I just bought your novel, very curious.
alberto | 2020-10-06 12:17:22 UTC | #34
@danohu! What a nice surprise, and what a pleasure to reconnect!
Sarit1046 | 2020-10-06 12:57:57 UTC | #36
Greetings, Alberto! Thank you so much, what an honor. I hope you are staying safe and well during these times.
alberto | 2020-10-06 13:00:45 UTC | #37
[quote="Sarit1046, post:36, topic:14460"] I hope you are staying safe and well during these times. [/quote]
Same to you. :-) Hopefully see you at the information session.
LeonardoWild | 2020-10-06 15:03:41 UTC | #38
Are you interested in exploring speculative futures or have even done so before? Tell us what inspires your thought experiments and where your interest originates:
Yes, I am interested in speculative futures—I am a published science fiction writer, among other genres, like Paradigm Shift Thrillers—and my own life has been lived exposed to different paradigms in education, health, economics, monetary design, among others. I was hired as a consultant by the Central Bank of Ecuador in 2010 to present and train personnel engaged in a national project (including the National and the Regional Banking Directors) for a different approach to help small and medium enterprises. The project, alas, never took off, due to other governmental interests.
I have also written a non-fiction book (Spanish) about monetary design (monetary engineering), and have been a pro-bono advisor to The Pachamama Alliance on the subject. I've also participated in real-life projects as well as discussions related to alternative/complementary currencies, and have given conferences and workshops on the subject of "Real Economy vs. Market Economy" in various countries, including Japan, Spain, and Ecuador.
dustiiii | 2020-10-06 17:29:30 UTC | #39
Are you interested in exploring speculative futures or have even done so before? Tell us what inspires your thought experiments and where your interest originates:
Hello,
Yes I am interested. I was a Science Fiction Writer at the Energy Futures Lab 2020, organized by Overlap Associates and co-sponsored by The City of Calgary, Alberta, Canada ( Feb-June, 2020). The Lab imagined scenarios of Canada's energy needs in the next 30 years then I and 7 other selected Writers synthesized our respective team's deliberations into gripping creative narratives; the others wrote brilliant short stories, I wrote a hilarious sitcom script. Facts, ideas, nature, traditions, fantasies inspire my thought experiments. My interest originates from studying the human condition and pondering over the higher purpose of existence.
LMWhitaker | 2020-10-07 01:54:16 UTC | #40
Are you interested in exploring speculative futures or have even done so before? Tell us what inspires your thought experiments and where your interest originates:
I have never taken part in an event such as this. To be honest, I had no idea anything like this existed, but I have been a long time believer in science fiction leading science technology.
I am a retail data scientist (PhD in Operations Research from Georgia Tech) by trade, and a science fiction author by passion. I am currently a VP at a small software company that creates SAAS applications using advanced data science and modern cloud computing technologies. I have decades of experience optimizing supply chains and managing inventory.
In a small way, I have personally been led by science fiction into fact. In 2004, I founded a software company with some colleagues, and we were inspired by Michael Crichton's book Prey to include agent based systems and genetic algorithms in our supply chain models. (This was quite novel at the time).
My interest in this event originates with my distress at the world's condition, and the development of advanced technologies that could alternately save or ruin us all. (My first novel centers around a secret society that plans to sterilize much of humanity using a retrovirus in order to save the planet -- not that I'm espousing this solution :-). I also believe that small changes, such as minor reductions in carbon emissions, are not the answer. True change is disruptive and often comes from the outside. I am not an economist, and must confess that I have little confidence in mankind's ability to make the required sacrifices to guarantee our future. But I would love to try.
tjdimacali | 2020-10-07 02:16:13 UTC | #41
Are you interested in exploring speculative futures or have even done so before? Tell us what inspires your thought experiments and where your interest originates:
I'm particularly fascinated by the emerging field of indigenous science, because it helps decolonize science by showing us that science could have evolved very differently if developed by different cultures. Speculative fiction helps flesh this out by offering a glimpse at what our world could be like through alternative scientific frameworks.
anders | 2020-10-07 07:16:22 UTC | #42
Are you interested in exploring speculative futures or have even done so before? Tell us what inspires your thought experiments and where your interest originates:
I've been covering the world of (digital) technology and how it affects our lives for more than 20 years - mostly as a radio/podcast producer. I also read a lot of scifi :-)
I am mostly conflicted and rather ambivalent, though - and this old quote is a favourite of mine: "Technology is neither good nor bad, nor is it neutral."
I must admit that I've mostly been working as a journalist, not doing "independent" exploration of future worlds or scenarios. But it's definitely something I'd like to dive into. There's no doubt were at a point in our history when something radical and very different needs to happen....
VismayHarani | 2020-10-13 03:39:21 UTC | #43
Are you interested in exploring speculative futures or have even done so before? Tell us what inspires your thought experiments and where your interest originates:
I have been exploring futures for ages now, though I have mostly done that within the purview of short stories.
Much like the industrial revolution in 19th and 20th century, that was not only dependent on technological innovation, but also financial - this sounds a great initiative to merge science and economics to come up with new models that are more inclusive.
Dreams inspire my though experiments, and currently I have been thinking of stock markets / commodities exchange in a socialist set-up and how that would work!
Visionofficer | 2020-10-07 14:22:43 UTC | #44
Are you interested in exploring speculative futures or have even done so before? Tell us what inspires your thought experiments and where your interest originates:
I grew up in Pasadena, CA. Did my first Co-op at JPL in 1972. Entered the Air Force in 73 and studied Electronics Engineering. I am the author of 11 books on science and science fiction and the host of X-Squared Radio, the nation's #1 scientific talk radio program on Sunday nights. I am a multi-patented scientist with ideas for upgrading our current power generation process that will change the whole world. The Helim3 fusion technology is just waiting on the kitchen counter for us, just 2 days from here. It may be fiction right now, but I have ideas that will make it science reality within a half-dozen years.
I am also the inventor of the Global Telescope Network that will employ thousands of amateur astronomers to form a meteor detection fence that could save the planet from destruction. I will attend, but my latest book "Asteroid Mining: The future of energy" is worthy of earning me a seat as a presenter.
AlexanderTD | 2020-10-07 14:50:14 UTC | #45
Are you interested in exploring speculative futures or have even done so before? Tell us what inspires your thought experiments and where your interest originates:
I'm a consistent reader of speculative fiction in this space, with a particular interest in near-term alternative approaches to economics and governance. It's clear that we need new stories about the economy to inspire and enable change from a cruel and damaging status quo under climate change, and science fiction is (to my mind) a critical part of generating and sharing those stories.
I generally try to blend speculative fiction with local efforts and think about what the impacts would be for my community in the Boston metro area, or in exurban Pennsylvania where I grew up.
Nahun | 2020-10-07 17:09:02 UTC | #46
Are you interested in exploring speculative futures or have even done so before? Tell us what inspires your thought experiments and where your interest originates:
My interest of the futures is coming around politics issues, environments and values because i understand that futures finally like a political space where is really important that anyone have voice to purpose and keep a good debate for create better futures for everyone.
Like designer my process is base in signals of disruptive technologies and how our behavior and context would be change and is a provocative speculative impact.
More of my works speculative desing here:
https://www.nahunsaldana.com/Bichoenelcubo.html
JCCannon | 2020-10-08 15:33:10 UTC | #47
Are you interested in exploring speculative futures or have even done so before? Tell us what inspires your thought experiments and where your interest originates:
In my sci-fi writing I make a concerted effort to write stories of a future improved by technology and innovative ideas.
Observing bad behavior and the worsening of our climate and natural resources pushed me to show a better way.
Lark | 2020-10-09 07:38:05 UTC | #48
Are you interested in exploring speculative futures or have even done so before? Tell us what inspires your thought experiments and where your interest originates:
I want to attend the video meeting, please email me at: tomer@serenno-med.com
ereese15 | 2020-10-09 09:28:42 UTC | #50
Are you interested in exploring speculative futures or have even done so before? Tell us what inspires your thought experiments and where your interest originates:
I'm interested in attending the event to learn more.
Davide | 2020-10-09 09:46:09 UTC | #51
Are you interested in exploring speculative futures or have even done so before? Tell us what inspires your thought experiments and where your interest originates:
As a science journalist and fiction writer, I do believe that science fiction impacts the way the public sees certain scientific topics -- indirectly affecting the fundings allocated for research.
Christa | 2020-10-09 11:25:58 UTC | #52
Are you interested in exploring speculative futures or have even done so before? Tell us what inspires your thought experiments and where your interest originates:
It is clear that capitalism is a system that does not make sense or function well. I have managed for some years of my life to live better with much less money through wwoofing, where I help farmers and also don't need as much money for myself -- those years have been my greatest happiness so far.
I live in Canada where much of the food we could grow ourselves has been "outsourced" to be shipped in from far away places, which is the height of ridiculousness. We need to bring the economy back to something that makes sense, and if we can help people understand through fiction, then let's do it!
I am also a fiction writer, who has let capitalism beat me down and hence I haven't written all that I have written in my head, but within the next year I am to transition to writing much more full-time.
lidiazuin | 2020-10-09 14:13:14 UTC | #54
Are you interested in exploring speculative futures or have even done so before? Tell us what inspires your thought experiments and where your interest originates:
Yes! I have published science fiction short stories since 2010 and for the past years I have written fictional pieces for companies such as CloudWalk and ArmaSuisse, both in Portuguese and in English. This year, alongside Envisioning, I have created an interactive narrative called Legaco in which I explore the future of human-machine interaction by tackling technologies and concepts such as mind uploading, robotics, immersive technologies, and biotechnology. I have also written the first drafts of the interactive narrative on the future of privacy for L'Atelier BNP Paribas and helped with the research of emerging technologies in 2019.
My inspirations are mostly drawn from my research on emerging technologies but I also like to add philosophical and sociological questions to the narrative. In my PhD thesis, I explore how humans have been trying to achieve immortality through images since the beginning of history till the creation of VR avatars, and for that I have read authors such as Freud, Schopenhauer, Flusser, Bystrina, Belting, Ariès, Becker, and many others that address the subject of mortality but then combining with my research and foresight in recent research on consciousness, biotechnology, robotics, immersive technologies, and so on. Finally, I also aim to deliver a story beautifully written and with a rich and complex world building as one can find in the stories of Ursula K Le Guinn, Octavia Butler, Bruce Sterling, or Philip K. Dick, for instance, who are some of my favorite science fiction writers and an inspiration for me.
asifh | 2020-10-09 15:05:48 UTC | #55
Are you interested in exploring speculative futures or have even done so before? Tell us what inspires your thought experiments and where your interest originates:
Yes, most of my design research practice span mediums and range from world-building, speculative design, digital futures and design fiction. By utilising
design fiction as a strategy, I enjoy exploring probable futures that can create meaningful design solutions as a medium to stimulate discussion and solve complex challenges.
In majority of my work, I aim to draw attention to a modern dystopia within a utopian environment and bring forward blurred realities in the form of imagined speculated world-building. For instance, in my MFA thesis, I explored a future dystopian world where privacy of data, becomes a dominant currency that is distributed according to social class and ranking mechanisms.
tjdimacali | 2020-10-09 15:43:54 UTC | #56
Are you interested in exploring speculative futures or have even done so before? Tell us what inspires your thought experiments and where your interest originates:
I'm a science writer by day and a science fictionist by night. I've written a small handful of stories that take a speculative look at the Philippines had it developed science on its own terms.
As a science writer, I'm interested in science fiction as a tool for driving public interest in science.
alberto | 2020-10-11 13:53:20 UTC | #59
[quote="tjdimacali, post:56, topic:14460"] stories that take a speculative look at the Philippines had it developed science on its own terms. [/quote]
Nice idea! Phil-sci-fi, as in "philosophy of science" fiction?
tjdimacali | 2020-10-11 15:10:55 UTC | #60
Hi, Alberto! Yes, "philosophy of science" is exactly what I had in mind. To a certain extent, we already see this kind of "what if" speculation in steampunk etc. but I think it's worth exploring from a non-Western perspective.
What might number systems and, by extension, computers and computer interfaces be like had these been developed by other cultures?
alberto | 2020-10-11 15:17:15 UTC | #61
[quote="tjdimacali, post:60, topic:14460"] but I think it’s worth exploring from a non-Western perspective. [/quote]
Hell yeah. Okrafor does this a bit, no?
Bill | 2020-10-12 13:56:42 UTC | #62
Are you interested in exploring speculative futures or have even done so before? Tell us what inspires your thought experiments and where your interest originates:
I am a published science fiction author so topics like this fill my brain daily.
poietic | 2020-10-12 17:07:59 UTC | #63
I'd like to be included on the details of the info session! Already submitted to the Worldbuilding Academy by email.
alberto | 2020-10-12 21:13:18 UTC | #64
Wow, so much interest, thank you everyone! I hope most of you will stay connected to the Worldbuilding academy, even if you can not all go to Messina for the residency (for now).
First of all, let me welcome you properly, @olliebm, @waeljebri, @ThomasOsdoba (we have met elsewhere, I believe! :slight_smile:), @nicoalcala, @Hazemasif, @Professorsanjayrout, @goraisundip, @andrewcox, @dani (great perspective on "those left behind"!), @Jon_Nutzati, @yosun, @LeonardoWild (impressive resumé!), @dustii, @anders, @VismayHarani,
[quote="melofrances, post:16, topic:14460"] I like to create playful environments in which people can reimagine the future, and in particular how the systems of the present might be able to work differently to better serve us/help us live better lives/help us care for the planet better [...] The second project is donut/money, a series of live playable games which explore how the economy works now and how it could work differently. [/quote]
@melofrances, with the Worldbuilding Academy we are doing a bit of these two, so you are right on target. :slight_smile:
[quote="joshuaskov, post:18, topic:14460"] I would like to explore the issue of an oligarchy’s necessity of enlisting a small additional slice of humanity to help it preserve and regenerate the planet, along with maintaining its economic power. I worry that such a bargain could emerge around the successful pursuit of ecological imperatives, but at the expense of most of humanity. [/quote]
That sounds a bit like William Gibson's Jackpot. Right on the money, welcome!
[quote="LMWhitaker, post:40, topic:14460"] In a small way, I have personally been led by science fiction into fact. In 2004, I founded a software company with some colleagues, and we were inspired by Michael Crichton’s book Prey to include agent based systems and genetic algorithms in our supply chain models. (This was quite novel at the time). [/quote]
Wow, this is an impressive testimony, @LMWhitaker, welcome :smile:
[quote="tjdimacali, post:41, topic:14460"] I’m particularly fascinated by the emerging field of indigenous science, because it helps decolonize science by showing us that science could have evolved very differently if developed by different cultures. [/quote]
We discussed it a bit on Twitter, I believe, where we called it "philosophy of science fiction". Should be naturally close to economics, which after all emerged from moral philosophy in the 18th century. Welcome!
alberto | 2020-10-12 21:15:46 UTC | #65
[quote="Visionofficer, post:44, topic:14460"] I will attend, but my latest book “Asteroid Mining: The future of energy” is worthy of earning me a seat as a presenter. [/quote]
There may be a misunderstanding here, @Visionofficer. As far as I know, this is not a conference with presentations, but simply a Q&A session about a small writers' residency we are helping organize (infosheet).
alberto | 2020-10-12 21:20:12 UTC | #66
Also welcome to @nahun, @JCCannon, @Lark, @ereese15, @Davide, @Christa, @lidiazuin, @asifh, @poietic!
[quote="AlexanderTD, post:45, topic:14460"] I generally try to blend speculative fiction with local efforts and think about what the impacts would be for my community in the Boston metro area, or in exurban Pennsylvania where I grew up. [/quote]
Makes plenty of sense, Alexander, both from a narrative point of view and from an economic-theoretical one: we want our macro structures to be founded on micro behavior!
lidiazuin | 2020-10-12 21:52:12 UTC | #69
Looking forward to the info session on this Friday! :)
denisoakley | 2020-10-13 11:58:34 UTC | #71
Are you interested in exploring speculative futures or have even done so before? Tell us what inspires your thought experiments and where your interest originates:
I think about it all the time as I specialise in business model innovation.
How did it all start? HG Wells or Robert Heinlein
waeljebri | 2020-10-13 21:47:18 UTC | #72
I would like to join!
UriAviv | 2020-10-14 04:14:23 UTC | #73
Are you interested in exploring speculative futures or have even done so before? Tell us what inspires your thought experiments and where your interest originates:
“Moon” was my first word (“Ya-Re-Akh” in Hebrew). My mom tells me I was 7 months old, on the Tel-Aviv beach promenade and I was looking excitedly at the night sky, pointing at the Moon. That was my first step in a journey of exploration, inspiration and awe.
The second step was a foray into the world of Star Trek (age 5, to this day) and then all manner of science fiction, soon thereafter came a fascination with space, scientific research, tech innovation, alongside history, philosophy, ethics, politics, speculative creativity and utopian thinking.
Over time fascination transformed into professional occupation. ​ At Utopia, Israel's International Festival for Science Fiction and Fantastic Film (which I co-founded and direct), we merge an international film festival (established in 2005) with an events program emphasizing the mutual inspiration between science and science fiction and the social and philosophical impact of speculative thought – academic conferences, public science talks, tech meetups, workshops, art exhibits etc. More about Utopia here, or on the Utopia Festival website.
​Utopia introduced me to more and more amazing thinkers and doers in a myriad of disciplines. Over time a community of like-minded “Futures Practitioners” has emerged, and I am proud to be associated with the many smart and savvy friends and colleagues of this "Future/s" emerging community.
LeneRachelAndersen | 2020-10-15 09:58:28 UTC | #76
Would like to participate the 16th of October Kind regards, Lene Rachel Andersen
Alessandro | 2020-10-16 07:40:09 UTC | #77
Are you interested in exploring speculative futures or have even done so before? Tell us what inspires your thought experiments and where your interest originates:
The current economic models I barely understand ...actually I don't, but what I understand even less is the end game of the people that are supposedly winning at this global economic game: the biosphere is deteriorating to possibly irrecoverable levels, the science is been long warning us, so what's the point of the techno-plutocrat for pressing on with business as usual?
To attempt to answer to this question, and possibly a lot more, maybe a year or so ago I started creating an answer for myself. I am no writer, nor a scientist, nor dungeon master (I was always on the other side or role playing, but I see the commonalities of this world-building task...), but I quite liked the idea of laying out some questions and digging up some answers; I mostly ended up opening cans of worms and exposing my ignorance to the complexity of the world we live in. But it's fun to draw maps and timelines, and even though I am not planning to apply for the residency, I thought it will be very interesting to hear from other world-building people that are actually doing this more seriously than I.
For tonight, I just registered through Eventbrite, maybe I should let you know here too?
PS: @alberto, how the heck is it possible that so many weird things I love or tinker about, are living topics, with expert knowledge, within the Edgeryders community?! :sweat_smile: I love this place!
alberto | 2020-10-16 09:11:43 UTC | #78
[quote="Alessandro, post:77, topic:14460"] PS: @alberto, how the heck is it possible that so many weird things I love or tinker about, are living topics, with expert knowledge, within the Edgeryders community?! :sweat_smile: I love this place! [/quote]
This made my day, @Alessandro :slight_smile:
moe | 2020-10-16 12:00:35 UTC | #79
hi all, is this happening now? I had registered on Eventbrite yesterday, last minute, but didn't get any zoom detail...
Alessandro | 2020-10-16 12:01:32 UTC | #80
Same here, I can't see the link. What are we missing?
MariaEuler | 2020-10-16 13:09:21 UTC | #83
Hello @moe, did you get the link in the end?
The event just concluded. You can find the informations about the residency here:
you can post any questions you there as well.
https://edgeryders.eu/t/writers-residency-come-lead-the-worldbuilding-academy/14502
moe | 2020-10-16 13:22:57 UTC | #92
hey @MariaEuler, yes I got it, thank you. I also read through the main information already but, much like @Alessandro, I was more interested in lurking a bit, as I won't be able to take 2 weeks off from work unfortunately. It was good to hear that there's an option for us to follow the project anyway, though, even if not actively participating in the residency. I will try and attend the next webinar as well but it'll be trickier for me, time-wise. It would be nice if next time you could record the session.
Great initiative, as usual, BTW :)
alberto | 2020-10-16 13:24:50 UTC | #93
Heads up, everyone: following a question asked at the information session of October 16th, we added a paragraph about intellectual property rights to the information sheet. Thank you to @LeneRachelAndersen for raising the issue.
[quote="andreja, post:1, topic:14502"]
Intellectual property rights
After the information session of October 16th, a clarification on IPRs:
- The Worldbuilding Bible or Worldbuilding Canon , the world itself, is the intellectual property of its author(s), but must be licensed with a Creative Commons – Attribution license.
- Any actual work set in the world described thereby (novel, or short story, or film, or game, or economics paper or whatever), is the intellectual property of its author(s), who license(s) it or not any way they want. Since the world is open source, these rights are not tainted by claims over the creative input that went into making the world. [/quote]
alberto | 2020-10-16 13:23:51 UTC | #94
I saw you in the call, Stefano... good to see you, as always!
futuretester | 2020-10-16 16:46:58 UTC | #97
Are you interested in exploring speculative futures or have even done so before? Tell us what inspires your thought experiments and where your interest originates:
I was a professional speculative designer at the Institute for the Future in Palo Alto, California for 10 years, generating future-fictional products, postcards, videos, first-person narratives, immersive shops, and many more formats.
gceh22 | 2020-10-16 21:10:26 UTC | #98
I am very interested in this program. I am working on project maplesync. It is about the futures of economic coordination and deals with the question: "How might we inclusively coordinate, allocate, and plan our economies for mutual prosperity through collective intelligence?"
Project Maplesync is a platform initiative, inspired by the field of cybernetics, to form indicative plans and other information integration functions at different economic scales and contexts.
Maplesync is in its early stages as an open-source project to inspire new thinking on this topic and to generate new experiments in the field, and we are looking for collaborators!
Find out more at www.maplesync.ca, or contact me through twitter @gceh
waeljebri | 2020-10-18 14:44:33 UTC | #99
Have you been able to record the sesssion? Unfortunately, I missed it !
alberto | 2020-10-19 12:37:59 UTC | #100
Hello all, thanks for joining the information session, that was fun. Documentation from the session is here. This answers your question, @waeljebri :slight_smile:
Welcome, @futuretester and @gceh22! To the latter: I looked up Maplesync, but I do not yet understand what phase you are in, can you say more about that?
owen | 2020-11-03 11:45:52 UTC | #102
Are you interested in exploring speculative futures or have even done so before? Tell us what inspires your thought experiments and where your interest originates:
sdasaddas
Participate
I'm new I already have a username
To register for this event you'll need an account on the event forum hosted by Edgeryders - where you can access materials, connect with other participants and get updates. Fill in the fields below and your account will be set up for you. Check your inbox for a confirmation message. Your comment will be sent to the original event tread on the forum and serve as your registration.
Your Email
Desired Username
Are you interested in exploring speculative futures or have even done so before? Tell us what inspires your thought experiments and where your interest originates:
In partnership with
