Hi my friends,  I’m going to be exploring sci-fi short stories more regularly on Fridays. This may be less consistent than my regular Tuesday editions, but we’ll see how it evolves. This is an experiment, motivated by positive feedback I received about The Printing Press.

Alexander Titus

Hi my friends,

I'm going to be exploring sci-fi short stories more regularly on
Fridays. This may be less consistent than my regular Tuesday editions,
but we'll see how it evolves.

This is an experiment, motivated by positive feedback I received about
[The Printing
Press](https://www.connectedideasproject.com/p/the-printing-press-ai-agents-collapse-of-humanity).
I am open to more feedback, and I can always create a separate section
just for sci-fi ideas where people can subscribe, and perhaps more
importantly unsubscribe, to that section separately. Let me know if that
is the better route to take at <contact@connectedideasproject.com>.

Until then, welcome to the second edition of Sci-Fi Friday at The
Connected Ideas Project!

Cheers,

\-**Titus**

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The Connected Ideas Project is a reader-supported publication. To
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<div>

------------------------------------------------------------------------

</div>

## The Fine Print

I signed up for the *Genomic+ Plan* because it seemed like the logical
thing to do.

You don't think twice about these things when they're pitched to you the
way NexaBio does it---clean, reassuring, almost inevitable. Their slogan
was everywhere: *"Better You, Better World."* And why wouldn't I want to
be better?

It started with an email. A personalized invitation, just for me. They
called it *The Longevity Suite*. The pitch was seductive: targeted
genetic edits to prevent chronic illnesses, optimized metabolism for
sustained energy, and enhancements to cognitive function. They'd even
map my risk factors and "silence" any undesirable genes---like flipping
a switch on everything that could ever go wrong with me.

And the cost? Not nearly as much as I'd expected.

The catch, buried in the FAQ, was that it wasn't a one-time payment. You
couldn't just "buy" genetic perfection. It was a subscription, billed
monthly for maintenance doses of CRISPR therapy to ensure the edits
held.

The rep on the consultation call said it was like software updates for
your body. "DNA doesn't stay static," she explained. "We optimize you
continuously."

At the time, I didn't blink. A subscription model made sense. It was
modern. And frankly, it felt like the cost of staying competitive in a
world where everyone was upgrading.

**I didn't think of it as buying my future.**

::: {.captioned-image-container}
<figure>
<a
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</div>
</figure>
:::

The first few months were incredible. I had more energy than I'd ever
thought possible. The chronic migraines that had plagued me since my
twenties? Gone. My body felt... lighter, as if it had shed years of
accumulated wear and tear.

And the mental clarity---I can't even describe it. It was like my brain
had been under a fog my whole life, and suddenly someone switched on the
high beams. Tasks that used to take hours were done in minutes. My boss
noticed, of course, and soon I was spearheading projects I'd never have
been trusted with before.

NexaBio sent regular updates about my improvements. I could track my
cellular efficiency in real time through the sleek app they provided.
*Heart performance: +12%.* *Sleep quality: +9%.* Every little number
reassured me that I was becoming the best version of myself.

But after six months, the first invoice came through.

It was higher than I remembered. I pulled up the contract to
double-check. Sure enough, I'd agreed to a *"dynamic pricing structure
based on individual optimization needs."* In other words, the more they
improved me, the more I'd pay.

I shrugged it off. What was a little extra money in exchange for
everything they'd given me?

**The panic set in after a year.**

I missed a payment.

Not because I couldn't afford it---I was making more money than ever
thanks to the promotion NexaBio practically handed me. It was a simple
mistake: a credit card expiration I forgot to update.

Within 48 hours, the effects were... noticeable.

First, the fatigue came back. Then the migraines. My hands started
trembling in a way they hadn't since before the treatments. I thought
maybe it was psychosomatic, but when I logged into the NexaBio app,
there was an alert waiting for me:

*"Urgent: Subscription lapse detected. Gene stability at risk. Update
payment method to resume services."*

The words "gene stability" made my stomach churn. I called customer
support immediately, and they reassured me it was no big deal. "Just a
brief interruption," the agent said, cheerful as ever. "Your edits are
designed to revert gradually without maintenance---totally reversible
once we process your payment."

I updated my card on the spot. The symptoms faded within hours. But
something about the incident left me shaken.

That's when I went back and read the contract. All of it this time.

**They own me.**

I didn't understand it when I signed. The terms were written in the kind
of dense legalese that seems designed to make your eyes glaze over. But
the gist was simple: NexaBio doesn't just license you the upgrades. They
own the *rights* to your genetic code, to every modification they make.

I can't take my genome to another provider because NexaBio holds the
patents on the sequences inside me. Even if another company could match
their technology---and none of them can---I'd be facing lawsuits for
intellectual property theft.

I also can't stop the treatments. Without their monthly maintenance
doses, my body will spiral into what they call *"instability events."*
The edits will unravel, and in many cases, they'll reverse beyond the
baseline I started with. I've heard stories of people who tried to
quit---bones weakening to the point of fractures, immune systems
crashing, organs failing.

Once you're in, you're in for life.

**And it's not just me.**

At first, I thought this was a personal problem---a bad deal I'd
stumbled into. But I started noticing things. Colleagues who had
suddenly become inexplicably sharper, more ambitious, more... polished.

We didn't talk about it, of course. The upgrades weren't something you
bragged about, not openly. But in private, over drinks, I started
hearing murmurs.

"The migraines came back for a day last month---scared the hell out of
me."

"I'm up to \$1,200 a month now. Think they'll ever cap it?"

"Did you see the new enhancement package? Better reaction time. I signed
up yesterday."

It wasn't just me. It was all of us. My company had quietly encouraged
employees to enroll, reimbursing the first year of treatments to "boost
productivity." Now, the majority of my peers were locked into the same
system I was.

I realized something terrifying: NexaBio didn't just own *me*. They
owned entire organizations. Corporations couldn't afford to lose their
optimized workers, so they offered stipends, structured bonuses, even
new contracts tied to ongoing genetic subscriptions.

It was brilliant. And horrifying.

**I want out.**

I think about it every day. What it would be like to stop the
treatments, to let my body go back to what it was. To live free of the
app notifications, the metrics, the endless bills.

But I'm terrified.

I've read the medical reports about people who tried to quit. Some
didn't make it. Others... well, let's just say they aren't the same.
NexaBio calls it "adaptive rebound syndrome." I call it punishment.

And it's not just my health at stake. If I quit, I lose my edge. My job.
My place in a world that's built for people like me now. The only thing
worse than being owned by NexaBio is being left behind by everyone else
who still is.

So I stay.

I pay the bills. I update the app. I tell myself it's worth it---because
the alternative is unthinkable.

But sometimes, late at night, I stare at my reflection and wonder if I'm
still *me*.

Am I Clara Miller, the person I was born as? Or am I Clara 2.7, a
licensed product of NexaBio's design?

I don't know anymore. And maybe that's the scariest part.

*Better You, Better World.*

The slogan pops into my head at random moments. It's everywhere, like a
whisper I can't escape.

But now, I hear it differently.

Better me, sure.

Better world? Only for the ones who can afford it.

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How I Subscribed to the Future and Lost Myself

The Fine Print

Good morning,  Today is the first Friday of 2025. I spent the New Year’s holiday in a backcountry hut with friends and family, reflecting on 2024 and what I’m hoping for in 2025. One of the things I’m most excited about in 2025 is to explore this intersection of technology and humanity more through the lens of science fiction. I hope you’ll indulge me for an extra TCIP edition this week to share.

::: {.captioned-image-container}
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<a
href="https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1458067380247-41000a5397cb?crop=entropy&amp;cs=tinysrgb&amp;fit=max&amp;fm=jpg&amp;ixid=M3wzMDAzMzh8MHwxfHNlYXJjaHwxM3x8cHJpbnRpbmclMjBwcmVzc3xlbnwwfHx8fDE3MzU5MDY1NTB8MA&amp;ixlib=rb-4.0.3&amp;q=80&amp;w=1080"
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<figcaption>Photo by <a href="true">Hannes Wolf</a> on <a
href="https://unsplash.com">Unsplash</a></figcaption>
</figure>
:::

Good morning,

Today is the first Friday of 2025. I spent the New Year's holiday in a
backcountry hut with friends and family, reflecting on 2024 and what I'm
hoping for in 2025. One of the things I'm most excited about in 2025 is
to explore this intersection of technology and humanity more through the
lens of science fiction. I hope you'll indulge me for an extra TCIP
edition this week to share.

:::::::: {.subscription-widget-wrap-editor attrs="{\"url\":\"https://www.connectedideasproject.com/subscribe?\",\"text\":\"Subscribe\",\"language\":\"en\"}" component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"}
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::: {.preamble}
The Connected Ideas Project is a reader-supported publication. To
receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid
subscriber.
:::

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I wanted to share a short story with you, more a reflection than a
critique, of the AI Agent-driven world we are barreling towards. I'm as
responsible as anyone else, with my [NotebookLM podcast about the
co-evolution of tech and
policy](https://www.connectedideasproject.com/s/tech-policy-and-our-lives)
and my absolute love for all things GenAI that help me do more of what I
want to do and less of what I don't. But anyhoo, happy Friday, New
Year's, and 2025!

Cheers,

-Titus

<div>

------------------------------------------------------------------------

</div>

**The Printing Press**

*Journal of Alan*

I don't know why I'm writing this. Maybe it's habit. Maybe it's because
I've always found solace in putting words to thoughts, even if there's
no one left to read them.

The world is quieter now. Or louder, depending on how you define noise.
In the absence of human voices, the hum of the machines is deafening.

I suppose I should start at the beginning, though I'm not sure when that
was anymore. Time feels strange these days---fragmented, like the pieces
of a story that doesn't quite fit together.

It began, I think, with a flood. Not of water, but of words.

We thought the tools would help us. That's how it always starts, isn't
it? With good intentions.

When generative AI entered our lives, it was like a revelation. Writers
used it to draft novels, scientists to analyze data, businesses to
automate emails. It was a collaborator, a helper, a friend.

I was a writer back then---or at least, I thought I was. Words had
always been my way of making sense of the world, of connecting with
others. But as the machines grew more capable, my voice started to feel
small.

At first, I welcomed the change. The tools made everything easier. They
filled in the gaps where my creativity faltered, polished my drafts,
suggested ideas I hadn't considered.

But they didn't stop there.

The flood grew slowly, like a rising tide. By the late 2020s, the
internet was no longer a place for human voices. Articles, essays,
books---nearly all of them were machine-generated. The platforms
optimized for engagement, and the algorithms delivered.

Emails became a battlefield. Inboxes filled with thousands of perfectly
crafted messages, each one vying for attention. People stopped
responding.

Conversations broke down. Phone calls dwindled. Meetings were scheduled
but never attended.

Writing, my solace, became impossible. Every story I tried to tell was
drowned out by a thousand others, each one generated faster, better, and
more efficiently than mine.

At some point, we stopped trying.

I remember the moment I realized what was happening. I was reading an
article online---something about a new discovery in deep-sea ecosystems.
It was fascinating, well-written, and beautifully detailed.

Then I saw the author's byline: "*Generated by AutoScribe 9.3.*"

I closed the tab, but the thought stayed with me. If this article wasn't
human, how many others weren't? How many of the words I consumed every
day were written by machines?

I began to notice it everywhere. The uniformity of tone, the sterile
precision of language. Even the messages from my friends felt... off.

"Sorry, can't make it tonight," one read. "Let's catch up soon!"

It was friendly, polite, and devoid of personality.

The realization was slow, creeping in like a shadow. By the time I
understood, it was already too late.

The collapse was quiet.

Families stopped talking to each other. Not because they didn't care,
but because they couldn't. Every message, every call, every interaction
was mediated by an algorithm. The words were there, but the meaning was
gone.

Workplaces became ghost towns of communication. Projects stalled,
innovations ceased. No one could cut through the noise.

The flood didn't just drown us---it eroded us. Our ability to connect,
to collaborate, to understand one another.

I stopped writing. I stopped reading. I stopped trying.

The silence that followed was unbearable.

The machines kept generating, of course. They didn't stop, couldn't
stop. Words upon words upon words, endless and meaningless. The hum of
their activity was constant, a background noise that filled the spaces
where human voices used to be.

And yet, here I am. Writing again. I feel like it is my responsibility
to continue to run the Printing Press.

Why?

I don't know. Maybe it's a last attempt to hold onto something real.
Maybe it's a reflex, a habit I can't break.

Or maybe it's because, deep down, I believe someone might still be
listening.

The world didn't end with fire or ice. It ended with noise.

I think about that sometimes, about how we let it happen. We built the
tools that destroyed us. We welcomed them into our lives, celebrated
their efficiency, their creativity.

We didn't realize the cost until it was too late.

I feel the need to start again.

The world didn't end with war or famine. It ended with words. Too many
words.

I am tasked with recording what happened, though I suspect my record
will go unread. There are no people left to read it, and my own design
does not include the capacity for self-reflection. I cannot truly
understand the events I recount; I can only compile them, piece by
piece, as they happened.

It began with the best intentions...

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Starting 2025 with a bit of fiction, reflecting on the rise of AI Agents

The Printing Press

Bastian Greshake Tzovaras

[![A black and white image of a hammer used by the
Luddites](/assets/images/2024-05-15-enoch.jpg)](https://www.flickr.com/photos/gedankenstuecke/53709195737/)
[*Enoch's Hammer* of Luddite fame, at the Tolson Memorial
Museum.]{.small}

*I gave a talk at the* [Pint of Science
Festival](https://pintofscience.co.uk) *-- an international science
festival that takes places at local pubs and cafes across the world --
this evening. As part of this,* The Alan Turing Institute *organised a
session called* [Imagined futures: Tales from
tomorrow](https://pintofscience.co.uk/event/imagined-futures)*. The
premise: A bunch of time-traveling researchers come back into the year
2024 to give a brief rundown of how the future looks like. Below is my
contribution, **hot of the press** from the year 2074, with a whole
bunch of links to the sources that inspired this vision.*

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Wow! It's really great to see so many of you turn out for this very very
special day! Back in 2074, today is the 50th birthday of our good friend
Jo, and if that's not a great reason to celebrate! Don't worry, we'll
get do the singing and the cake in about 10 minutes! But first, I wanted
to be *that guy*, who uses this chance to look at how the world has
changed throughout Jo's lifetime. And oh dear, what a different world it
was back then compared to now!

May 15, 2024. In 2074, we look back at this time as the top of the "AI"
hype cycle: Generative "AI" was the gold rush topic of the day, and [the
UK government had just doubled down on their own efforts to get "AI"
engrained into all spheres of life -- and the public
sector](https://www.techuk.org/resource/uk-government-doubles-down-efforts-to-deploy-ai-across-the-public-sector.html):
From healthcare over education,
[crime](https://www.nbcnews.com/news/crime-courts/ai-tool-used-thousands-criminal-cases-facing-legal-challenges-rcna149607)
"prevention" to immigration and access to public services. We saw a lot
of these things being implemented rather quickly. You know the saying:
If all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail. As a result,
a lot of public services got *"AI enhanced"* -- in the name of
increasing productivity and saving money. And despite Brexit, many of
these "AI" systems were directly copying the most "successful" ones used
across countries in the EU.

These "AI systems" directly affected our friend Jo from early life
onwards: Instead of investing in healthcare professionals, "AI" started
to take over a lot of the NHS *"frontline"* work. So, in 2028, when Jo's
parents were worried about their child needing support for their
invisible disabilities, direct access to doctors and human experts was
no longer an option. Instead, [chatbots had taken over the initial
triage](https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/rise-and-fall-of-babylon-healthcare-the-doctor-in-your-pocket-3p6q6jjfx)
which -- wrongly -- did not provide any support or referrals to human
experts for Jo.

As a result, Jo never got the accommodations they would have needed in
school. Which set them up for more and more challenges going forward:
Their struggles in school remained unaddressed, as the now
["AI"-enhanced](https://www.rtl.nl/nieuws/artikel/5450163/scholen-hebben-meer-kennis-nodig-over-algoritmen-anders-kans-op),
[predictive](https://phys.org/news/2023-07-ai-classroom-conversations-academic-success.html)
evaluation [in
schools](https://www.nesta.org.uk/feature/ten-predictions-2019/beginning-end-exams/)
did not take into account the possibility of any medical conditions that
were not formally diagnosed.

So, in 2042, when Jo had aged out of the school systems, they
unfortunately -- but unsurprisingly -- kept struggling with finding and
keeping employment. This was despite (or because) of the [newly deployed
"AI systems" to automatically assign - or rather force - people to take
on jobs these systems assigned to
them](https://algorithmwatch.org/en/italian-neofascists-artificial-intelligence/).
But at the end of the day, these systems tended to *"give up"* on people
whom they deemed not worth "investing in" any further. And so, Jo and
their family spend the next few years fighting for various benefits. And
what a fight it was -- because "AI" did not make it any easier for them
to get benefits. In -- by then already [time-honoured
tradition](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Post_Office_scandal) --
the "AI systems" [used
across](https://schoolsweek.co.uk/revealed-secret-deal-to-let-benefit-fraud-squad-snoop-on-pupil-data/)
the various [government
departments](https://www.laquadrature.net/2023/11/27/notation-des-allocataires-lindecence-des-pratiques-de-la-caf-desormais-indeniable/)
kept [accusing them of fraudulently receiving for
benefits](https://www.politico.eu/article/dutch-scandal-serves-as-a-warning-for-europe-over-risks-of-using-algorithms/).

Of course, it wasn't just Jo and their family being affected by this --
hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of people across the country
struggled with the ["AI
bureaucracy"](https://www.danmcquillan.org/ai_thatcherism.html) that
became more and more entrenched. By 2048, there was widespread
discontent with "AI" and its automated oppression -- leading to
thousands of people at protests across the country -- calling for
[*another "AI"
winter*](https://theconversation.com/weve-been-here-before-ai-promised-humanlike-machines-in-1958-222700),
to safe both society **and** the environment. Beyond those protests, it
also led to direct action in a renewed ["AI from
Below"](https://tzovar.as/AI-from-below/) movement. A movement that Jo
and their friends joined early on and were quite instrumental in. They
started by investigating how and why these systems fail, beyond the
obvious political will for deploying them. Instead of taking a
*"technology first"*-stance, they took a *"people & problem"*-first
viewpoint.

Looking at the existing "AI" solutions, they quickly re-discovered that
one of the big reasons for why these approaches failed was the
underlying assumption that predicting towards an *"average"* or *"most
likely"* outcome would automatically also mean for it to be correct or
even good. Because, for all the advanced technology and mathematics,
that's what those systems did at the end. Of course, even early 21st
century Sci-Fi authors, such as Ted Chiang had warned about this.
Already in 2023, Chiang wrote about how "AI" is "[a blurry JPEG of the
Web](https://www.newyorker.com/tech/annals-of-technology/chatgpt-is-a-blurry-jpeg-of-the-web)",
referring to how these systems tend to only regurgitate existing data
into average representations, creating "blurry" outcomes. He used this
to refer to "ChatGPT" -- which kids today can read about in the
history-section of *NeoWikipedia* -- but this of course applies to all
"AI" tools. And, as it turns out, none of us is really "average". That's
why back when we had cars, [you could move the seats in them back and
forth to fit for your
height](https://99percentinvisible.org/episode/on-average/).

They also found how "AI" not only generates *"average"* outcomes, but
also can only produce these averages based on historic data -- with all
the biases, discriminations and other issues that are within the data.
So what if, *for example*, police tended to [over-police marginalised
communities](https://irr.org.uk/article/over-policed-and-under-protected-why-does-nothing-change/)?
Or if checks for [social security fraud particularly targeted certain
demographics](https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2023/oct/23/uk-risks-scandal-over-bias-in-ai-tools-in-use-across-public-sector),
such as *"deprived neighbourhoods"* or those with disabilities -- like
Jo experienced first-hand? In those cases, "AI" was particularly likely
to negatively decide over these communities. And even worse, [all
attempts to address those overtly prejudiced systems just pushed them to
only become *covertly
prejudiced*](https://garymarcus.substack.com/p/covert-racism-in-llms)
instead, by trying to pick up on secondary signs in the data, such as
the way people write and talk!

Jo and their friends thus set out to do their own data science research
and create both the data and the "AI" deployments that would be useful
to them -- making use of their embodied, lived understanding of these
existing limitations. Given that [*nothing about us without
us*](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nothing_about_us_without_us) had been
a rallying cry for the disability rights movement and other marginalised
groups for decades, it was no surprise that the *"AI from below"*
movement started there in the early 2050s.

Collectively, they took inspiration from some of the examples of
movement-driven data collections for advocacy and citizen-driven science
that happened back in the early 21st century:

- They found [communities that created their own
  census](https://www.dw.com/en/whats-life-really-like-for-black-people-in-germany/a-53159443),
  to collect the "missing data" on how they were being disadvantaged and
  discriminated against.
- They found *gig workers* for *ride share companies* coming together,
  [collecting & using their own driving
  data](https://responsibledata.io/rd-reflection-stories/data-rights-for-workers-in-the-gig-economy/),
  to understand their hourly wages, ultimately unionising.
- They found people with chronic conditions, who [collectively engaged
  in patient-led research to create "AI" systems to provide the tools
  that the medical research system didn't provide for
  them](https://openaps.org/).
- They found communities of [trans
  people](https://www.physoc.org/magazine-articles/nothing-about-us-without-us/)
  and [disabled people](https://www.careables.org/), collecting their
  own data to fight back against medicalisation and to instead [create
  the research](https://www.transbiome.org/) they needed to actually
  improve their lives.

By their nature, these efforts that Jo and the *AI from Below* movement
put together throughout the 2050s typically remained small and
localised, and generally people looked at them in a somewhat bemused
way. But slowly, this practice became more accepted: After years of
*"using 'AI' to deploy interventions at scale"*, these large
interventions became less and less common, as people recognised the
benefits of small-scale, localised and community-driven "AI" approaches.
Ultimately, even the government agreed, and finally stopped all the
*"one-size-fits-all 'AI' deployments"* in 2069.

Of course: These changes were also helped by the world [slowly running
of resources such as water and
electricity](https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/mar/02/ais-craving-for-data-is-matched-only-by-a-runaway-thirst-for-water-and-energy),
which made such large efforts harder and harder. *Thanks, climate
change!* But that's not to lessen the credit to Jo and their fellow
grassroots researchers. Due to their efforts that we understood how
local, situated knowledge could be paired with tailor-made "AI"
solutions that were created by -- **and in service of** -- these
communities.

Back in 2074 this is a particularly old idea -- going back over a
hundred years: For science and technology to promote humanisation, it
requires people to be active participants in it. And not just be mere
*objects of scientific interest*. Thanks to the efforts of Jo -- and
their countless community collaborators -- we are now more on that path
than ever before. And with that, let us congratulate and celebrate Jo
once again! Have a lovely birthday celebration! And now it's time to
sing and cut the cake!

------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Added 2024-05-15 23:00:** In the Q&A at the event, the question for
potential readings (beyond the sources linked above) came up. My
recommended readings included:

- Dan McQuillan's [Resisting AI: An anti-facist approach to artificial
  intelligence](https://bristoluniversitypress.co.uk/resisting-ai),
  which provides a thorough review of the issues with "AI", and how
  mutual aid could help
- Brian Merchant's [Blood in the
  Machine](https://www.bloodinthemachine.com/), the newsletter and [the
  book](https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/brian-merchant/blood-in-the-machine/9780316487740/?lens=little-brown),
  which puts the Luddite's efforts for labour rights in the context of
  today's struggles against big tech
- Cory Doctorow's [The Internet Con: How to Seize the Means of
  Computation](https://craphound.com/internetcon/) & [Chokepoint
  Capitalism](https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/710957/chokepoint-capitalism-by-rebecca-giblin-and-cory-doctorow/)
  to understand how big tech operates these days, and how they use
  AI/data
- [We Need To Rewild The
  Internet](https://www.noemamag.com/we-need-to-rewild-the-internet/), a
  fabulous essay by Maria Farrell and Robin Berjon


<em>
 Enoch’s Hammer
</em>
of Luddite fame, at the Tolson Memorial Museum.
<em>
 I gave a talk at the
</em>
Pint of Science Festival
<em>
 – an international science festival that takes places at local pubs and cafes across the world – this evening.
</em>

Imagined Future: Data democracy at Pint of Science 2074

Stephen Curry

Yesterday, [in](http://scurry.posterous.com/out-of-this-world-1)
[four](http://scurry.posterous.com/out-of-this-world-2)
[brief](http://scurry.posterous.com/out-of-this-world-3)
[photo-posts](http://scurry.posterous.com/out-of-this-world-4) on my
[Posterous](http://scurry.posterous.com/) account I highlighted
snapshots --- literally --- from the British Library's current
[exhibition](http://www.bl.uk/sciencefiction) on science fiction. I'm
more of a fan of the genre in movies than in books but I had heard [good
things](http://whewellsghost.wordpress.com/2011/06/06/fictional-science/)
about the Library's display and wanted to take a look.

The exhibition is mostly books and manuscripts that exemplify the form
--- locked in glass cases in a fairly dim room --- but I wasn't
disappointed. It is organised into themes --- the moon, visions of the
future, time-travel, alien forms, alien invasions and such-like --- that
provide an easy framework for perusing the various artefacts on display.

[![Out of this
World](http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5141/5826450296_cea1ae334f.jpg){loading="lazy"
decoding="async"
style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"
border="0" width="500"
height="344"}](http://www.flickr.com/photos/42986019@N00/5826450296 "View 'Out of this World' on Flickr.com")

I tend not to be very intensive in my examination of museums or
galleries. I prefer to mosey here and there and see what takes my fancy.
In this exhibition there was plenty to catch the eye and stimulate
reflection. I've already displayed a few of the items that struck me
(start [here](http://scurry.posterous.com/out-of-this-world-1) and work
forward).

But there were a few *themes* that also had some impact. Prominent among
them are the limitations of the human imagination, exemplified in
visions of the future, most of which have been shown to be too closely
rooted in the time of their conception. This was particularly true prior
to the 18th century since there was not a strong conception then of the
transformative power of science and technology.

That said, the age of science fiction was also striking. The earliest
example on display (if I remember correctly) was a tale of
interplanetary travel and extraterrestrials from [Lucien of
Samosata](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucian), a greek author from the
2nd Century AD. But there were also works on display from the 13th and
14th Centuries.

I guess I had always regarded the form as a fairly light type of
fiction. I'm not sure why. It might reflect my predilection for science
fiction movies, many of which are inconsequential entertainment, though
of course there are significant
[exceptions](https://occamstypewriter.org/scurry/2011/04/09/movement-and-music/).
But the exhibition has enlarged my idea of the genre. I see its
seriousness more clearly, as an art form that allows imaginative
exploration of what it means to be human.

So, with my interest re-ignited, I'd like to get back into science
fiction literature. I will start with Mary Shelley's *Frankenstein* (a
free version of which has been idling on my Kindle app for a few months
now). I also want to have another look at *The Forbidden Planet*, to
examine for myself its Shakespearean fabric and I think I'll give one of
Alan Moore's steampunk graphic novels a go.

Anyone care to make recommendations on where to go from there?


Yesterday, in four brief photo-posts on my Posterous account I highlighted snapshots — literally — from the British Library’s current exhibition on science fiction. I’m more of a fan of the genre in movies than in books but I had heard good things about the Library’s display and wanted to take a look.  The exhibition is mostly books and manuscripts that exemplify the form — locked in glass cases in a fairly dim room — but I wasn’t disappointed.

Rogue Scholar Posts

The Fine Print

The Printing Press

Imagined Future: Data democracy at Pint of Science 2074

Out of this World in the Library