When science and fiction collaborate

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I’ve been thinking about the science and fiction map again, and about a possible event looking at the connections between imagination and invention – and who exactly is influencing whom here?

Is it possible to write good science fiction without a good understanding of science and do the thoughts contained within academic institutions naturally permeate into the broader public consciousness, thereby creating a series of self-fulfilling prophesies? (if enough people think about something someone will write about it and then someone will eventually invent it). Perhaps a panel discussion one evening with a couple of academics and sci-fi writers?

Nice PBS (US) video on the subject here – 8 minutes.

Another nice link here.

2 thoughts on “When science and fiction collaborate

  1. Worh pulling this bit out..

    “Historical Footnote – Some readers might recall that this idea is not new. George Medhurst came up with the idea for a atmospheric railway in 1799. Isambard Kingdom Brunel – my boyhood hero and another person who could claim to have been the most visionary person of his time – actually built an atmospheric railway in Devon as part of the Great Western Railway. It was eventually abandoned as the technology of the day wasn’t up to it. I think Brunel and Musk are two of a kind…”

    So what else is ‘out there’ and old that could be made new?

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