Anyone up for a Gengiscon Science of SciFi panel?

[alias_sqbr]

So, I'm on the "Science of Science Fiction" panel at Gengiscon weekend after next, and it turns out that while I thought I was simply on the panel I'm actually running the panel, and thus have no other panelists unless I organise them.

Which is ok, Cam's agreed to be on it with me, but I thought I'd put the word out and see if anyone else who's going (or might consider going, it's 7pm on Saturday which looks like a fun day and it's only $10 for the day(*)) is interested in going on it with us. Or even just has suggestions. I was thinking only one or two people (I say on the very off chance I get 3+ volunteers)

I've done a first draft of an outline here. I was thinking of having as much audience involvement as possible anyway. Another section I just thought of to add is the stuff that everyone always gets wrong.

(*)It's possible that you get free day membership for being on the panel, but I haven't checked so wouldn't count on it :)

Comments

[meljane.livejournal.com]

I just thought of someone that could go on the panel with you , amazing even in this heat my brain is still working just a little bit slow .

How would you feel about working with Dr Chris Creagh?

I haven't asked her yet but she may say yes .

[wolfhound.livejournal.com]

awesome she got her doctorate did she? (shows how long Ive not spoken or seen her)

[meljane.livejournal.com]

Yeah Chris has her doctorate and so does Katrina Lyons at Murdoch , I know too many dr's and only two of them are medical .

It would be weird if we had three doctors on a panel .

[alias_sqbr]

Cam isn't a Dr but he is married to one :)

[alias_sqbr]

Yeah, actually, she'd be pretty good.

[fred-mouse.livejournal.com]

exactly who I was going to suggest! She was teaching a course in that, so good for ideas, even if she isn't available/interested in being on the panel.

[ataxi.livejournal.com]

It's a cool idea. Couple more authors (in addition to those already on your outline page) to talk about would be Alastair Reynolds and David Brin, perhaps.

Also, it'd be interesting to discuss writers like Olaf Stapledon and Theodore Sturgeon, whose work, although rather light-on in the science department, is obviously inspired by the aesthetics of contemporary scientific discoveries / newly proposed scientific theory.

One typical pattern seems to be:

1. Scientists claim something might be possible.
2. Science fiction writers write books in which that claim is "made flesh".

e.g. Asimov making nuclear fusion the power source for the handheld consumer devices of the future in the Foundation series, or practically any cyberpunk author plus random ideas about nanotech.

It's interesting to consider how much value the plausibility of speculation in speculative fiction has to readers. Is it important that a "what-if" is a "could-happen"? Does constantly speculating about things that are vanishingly unlikely to ever happen dull the impact of speculation about things that are quite possible (e.g. catastrophic climate change)?

Well, anyway, blah blah. It's a cool topic.

[alias_sqbr]

Those are all good points. Hmm. Yes, there is a real difference between scientific writing (where all consequences follow on logically from the initial premises, which may not be unbased on any current science) and writing which uses science as a source of inspiring cool ideas but just chucks them all together based on what suits the story. And then of courser there's sf which is about science as a discipline, often as either a Force for Good or a Force for Bad.

[warpwind.livejournal.com]

If you'd like a geologist/chemist on your panel I'm up for it. I'd probably be going to genghiscon anyway.

[alias_sqbr]

Sure! Though now it looks like there is someone else organising who's on the panel, so I'm not so sure what's going on! Still, I'll put your name forward to them.

[meljane.livejournal.com]

I agree with ataxi that David Brin would definely be a good author to add .

[alias_sqbr]

Mmm, "The Practice Effect" is a really good example of scientifically extrapolating a completely implausible premise to it's logical conclusion, and while I haven't read much of his other stuff I'm sure other people will have things to say if I bring him up.

[infamyanonymous.livejournal.com]

It might be interesting to look at how it works the other way around, too.*

Eg. hovercraft, teleporting, lazers, hibernation/cryogenisis, travel at speed of sound/light, space travel etc.

*(Remembering I am a layman, but if the content gets too hard core, it gets really boring for about half the audience.)

[alias_sqbr]

You mean the way sf inspires/predicts science? I agree.

I also agree re "not getting too technical". And I'm going to try not to focus just on the hard sciences, there's some interesting "social science fiction".