Latest Stories
Most recently published stories in Futurism.
Review of Twin Peaks: The Return 1.13
Twin Peaks may not always be comprehensible or comprehendible (well, almost never), but it's always good for a laugh, with a variety of visual, acoustic, and linguistic punchlines, and just some good old-fashioned gags (and I don't just mean scenes that make you feel like gagging).
By Paul Levinson9 years ago in Futurism
9 Signs We’re Already Living in a Dystopian Universe
Totalitarianism. Fascism. Authoritarianism. It is safe to say that times are looking fairly bleak in the year of 2017. These are all words that have surged in use by the media this past year and much of it is due to the dark political climate sweeping across the planet as of late.
By C.E. Zulin9 years ago in Futurism
Potentially Hazardous Asteroids
The term potentially hazardous objects (PHOs) means near-Earth objects (NEOs) like meteoroids, asteroids, and comets whose orbits will come very close to the orbit of the Earth. Meteoroids are composed of minerals and rock and have a diameter of less than one meter. Comets are composed of dust and ice. Meteoroids with a diameter of greater than one meter are called asteroids.
By Danny Fleming9 years ago in Futurism
Review of Westworld Season 1 Finale
Here's what we learned in the excellent season 1 finale of Westworld, and the possible questions raised: The Man in Black is the new majority owner of Westworld. The Man in Black is William, much older. This is one of the first fine twists -- a sequence of turns and revelations of events that cut deep. What we've been seeing of Dolores during these ten episodes are not just skips and jumps and loops in her mind, but time itself chopped up, that is, earlier and more recent events in her life. Which means, regarding William, that every scene we've seen with him happened in the pretty distant past -- i.e., decades ago. Nice touch. Dolores dying in Teddy's arms by the sea is actually the entree to the new narrative Ford has been promising. I actually realized this a few moments before it was revealed, but it was still memorable to see. Maeve, despite her best efforts, was never going to leave Westworld. I was actually thinking this, too - the essence of Westworld is that, like the Hotel California, you can check in if you're a host (be created), but you can never leave. But the pursuit of her daughter being the reason is an effective touch -- because, after all, not only does love conquer all, but it's an all powerful component of what makes us human. The path towards consciousness is knowing thyself. In the Jaynesian bicameral mind -- at least, as portrayed in Westworld -- this means one half of your brain listening to the other. Two millennia prior to Jaynes, Socrates urged the same thing: know thyself. This makes Westworld not only Jaynesian but Socratic, a very good thing in my book. I never bought that Socrates drank the hemlock, though (and my best-known novel tries to explain what may really have happened back then) -- but, with that in mind, I wasn't happy to see Dolores blow out Ford's brains at the end, just as she had done years earlier with Arnold (even though suffering that real-guilt pain is said to be the only way she can achieve true consciousness).
By Paul Levinson9 years ago in Futurism
We Might Actually Live in a Simulation
Elon Musk is constantly both shocking and fascinating the world with visionary concepts and contraptions. In the last decade, he’s re-invented the electric car and developed groundbreaking battery technology, which if properly invested, is poised to have a grand impact on the world’s shift away from fossil fuels.
By Nathaniel Everfriend9 years ago in Futurism
Best 'Star Wars' Saga Video Games
In a galaxy far, far away, there are blasters, x-wings, TIE fighters, ion cannons, and light sabers that we wish could be a part of our real lives. Unfortunately for us, those wishes seem to be just as far away from reality as the galaxy that they belong to. But do not worry young padawans! There have been multiple video games added onto the Star Wars gaming franchise since the 1982 release of Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back for the Atari 2600. Although that specific title might not have been the most technologically advanced of games, it video game coders on a mission to create some of the best Star Wars video games.
By Corey Gittleman9 years ago in Futurism
