Fractopian Fiction tells human-condition stories that happen to take place in a near-future world, extrapolating from current trends and technological developments to create realistic images of what life in the developed nations might be like just a few generations down the road. Its worldview is ontologically conservative, involving neither the singularity nor the apocalypse. It represents neither a utopia nor a dystopia, but may include aspects of both.
by Tod Foley
FOODIEMARTTM says: Welcome, New Citizen! Stop by one of our local FoodieMart outlets for a free Lunch Kit! Did you know that FoodieMart features the world's most advanced SmartShopping system? Signal MORE for more info!
An excerpt from "Surrounded by Dolphins" by Adrian McCauley, read by Tod Foley, with music by David Szesztay. The next episode of Fractopia is about The Future of Food.
A conversation with Lauren Teffeau, author of the recently-released near-future science fiction novel "Implanted." Topics covered include digital convergence, neural implant technology, online privacy, climate change, the law of digital recency, and the future of capitalism. Includes an excerpt from "Implanted," and occasional interjections by my attention-seeking cats.
by Jens Durke
"I didn't say people want to smell corpses all the time, but every once in a while it's healthy, and there are folks out there paying good credits for experiences like that. It's really off the charts with augmentation apps and, believe me, there's shit to smell in virtual realities no real nose could comprehend. Bestselling shit, no less. It's called ‘benign masochism.' Look it up, Karyn."
An Augmented Reality can be understood as a digitally-produced “layer” or “display screen” interposed by specialized hardware between you and the physical world. The potential of this emerging technology to enhance the ease and quality of life is enormous, and it will affect nearly everything in the coming informational age. Story excerpts from “Dork Knights of Harohbakh” by Shawn Koch, and “The Master Key” by L. Frank Baum.
by Tod Foley
Bots swish quietly up and down the sterile halls of the New Citizen In-Processing Office. As a newly-approved immigrant to Union City you've been scanned, digitized, analyzed and treated to a wide range of innoculants via an injection of nanobots now swarming around within your bloodstream. You've never felt healthier in your life.
A look at the uses of Science Fiction to predict and influence the future, featuring insights from Yuval Harari, Berit Anderson, Douglas Rushkoff, Pat Cadigan and Stephen Oram. Story excerpt from "The World Set Free" by H.G. Wells.
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by Levi Kornelsen
I'm here with Jason Wright, the leader of the Federalist party. Jason, your new book is titled “The Evitable City,” which I and no small number of my readers find a little baffling. Could you start with that?
Happy to, Mrs. Ruis.
Oh, call me Maria, please.
A discussion with writer and interactive media consultant Michael Utvich, examining the future of labor, employment, identity, and Capitalist Realism, in the age of advanced automation.
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