There's some old guy opening this page on his Ipad. Somebody else is probably, doing the same thing with his cell phone. And still it is a certainty, many folks are viewing this blog on their laptop and desktop PCs.
Isn't science awesome?
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| Science fiction museum Photo credit: pelican |
The genre or subgenre (depends from which side you view it) of fiction popularly called science fiction was not always known by that name. Like lots of stuff in art and life, inspiration and invention come first and then, the naming. It's never the other way around.
Maybe I ought to let you in on a secret from the onset so you don't end up getting disappointed by the end of this write up; this is not a term paper on the history of science fiction. Do not expect an overdose of quotes and proofs. Believe me, you don't need the attention. Rather, try to see how this wonderful and amazing genre has evolved over time to become for us what fantasy was for folks of the Dark Ages.
We've left behind the age when science fiction was primarily a work of speculation as more discoveries and inventions are brought to the fore. Especially, inventions predicted in the writings of several scifi writers. The people of the Middle Ages were up to their neck in tales of dragons, enchanted forests and talking animals. Literally, swarming with stories of evil stepmothers and witches, of poisoned apples and frog princes, of ogres and magic mirrors (who needs magic mirrors when you have Google's internet glasses?).
In modern times-our time-we grew up with tales of computer crashes; hacked Facebook accounts; Bluetooth transfers, tethering, email... Today's folklore is communicated through Cable. Who needs a crystal ball when Google Search gives you access to the world's information with a few keystrokes? Nobody needs worry about preserving ancient scrolls for future generations, just PDF, XPS, DOCX or whatever it. And if the message is for a chosen individual who's got to slaughter a dragon to prove his mettle? No problem, encrypt the document and give him the password. Easy.
Take a look around you and see the reality which for a time was fiction, science fiction.
We talk science, breathe science, eat science, sleep science. Why combat dragons when unmanned drones can go to work for you? The internet, exploration in space, the eBook, air travel (remembering Icarus of blessed memory); we talk about this kind of stuff day after day, it's become a way of life for us, our culture and tradition.
Much of the credit for this technological advancement goes to the literary genre of science fiction, the folklore of the computer generation.
Keep your pen bleeding.
Akpan
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