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<b>Progress Unbound by David Scheidl</b><br/> | <b>Progress Unbound by David Scheidl</b><br/> | ||
<br/>In the not too distant future, humanity has expanded into twelve other star systems. With this expansion has come a shedding of morality. Science has raced ahead, heedless of any consequences. Now, as each planet pursues its own goal of attaining genetic perfection, we have come full circle. | <br/>In the not too distant future, humanity has expanded into twelve other star systems. With this expansion has come a shedding of morality. Science has raced ahead, heedless of any consequences. Now, as each planet pursues its own goal of attaining genetic perfection, we have come full circle. | ||
Revision as of 06:06, 10 October 2010
Stories Featuring Synthetic Biology
Machmen by Kay Proctor
Read more here!
"Androids turn the tables and program humans to obey the Three Laws of Robotics - for better or for worse."
Late into the 23rd century, there exists an era of peace and honesty. The mere concept of war is nearly eliminated, the streets at night are safe for children, and there is no fear of a politician lying for money or power. But how?
In an underground facility just a century before, the first self-sufficient android was born, so to speak. Alpha was improved upon and its younger sibling, Beta, followed soon afterward. Mentored by Dr. Dorothea Calvin Parker, both Alpha and Beta grew in their understanding of the human race. They learned of human history, current affairs, strengths, and weaknesses, and came to one conclusion: Humans needed to be fixed.
All it took was a small chip in the brain, not unlike what was inside Beta, that made humans subject to the three Laws that they gave it. Chaos followed, but after one hundred years life has gone on. But has it improved?
Progress Unbound by David Scheidl
In the not too distant future, humanity has expanded into twelve other star systems. With this expansion has come a shedding of morality. Science has raced ahead, heedless of any consequences. Now, as each planet pursues its own goal of attaining genetic perfection, we have come full circle.
Basically Earth, after throwing away the religious morality that had been a part of Western civilization had managed to create numerous examples of augmented humans who then went out to colonize distant planets. These colonies continued the experiments as a means of being able to better survive in their new environments with the same heedlessness which had characterized Old Earth's scientific community in the late 21st century.
Earth meanwhile has experienced a kind of moral revival and is now determined to limit in some way the scientific excesses of her daughter colonies.
Brought to Life by Richard S. Crawford
Perfect Monster by Maggie Burns
NaNoWriMo
National Novel Writing Month is a fun, seat-of-your-pants approach to novel writing. Participants begin writing November 1. The goal is to write a 175-page (50,000-word) novel by midnight, November 30. Valuing enthusiasm and perseverance over painstaking craft, NaNoWriMo is a novel-writing program for everyone who has thought fleetingly about writing a novel but has been scared away by the time and effort involved. As participants spend November writing, they can draw comfort from the fact that, all around the world, other National Novel Writing Month participants are going through the same joys and sorrows of producing the Great Frantic Novel. Wrimos meet throughout the month to offer encouragement, commiseration, and—when the thing is done—the kind of raucous celebrations that tend to frighten animals and small children. In 2009, NaNoWriMo had 167,150 participants. 32,178 of them crossed the 50k finish line by the midnight deadline, entering into the annals of NaNoWriMo superstardom forever. They started the month as auto mechanics, out-of-work actors, and middle school English teachers. They walked away novelists.
