Jim Baen's Universe

What's New in The Future And You

Columns

The Future and You December 2006

Written by Stephen Euin Cobb

I am pleased to announce that your beloved online magazine, Jim Baen's Universe, has teamed with the award-winning podcast The Future And You, in an effort to benefit the patrons of both. While each of these are very different, and innovative, forms of media, this is a particularly natural alliance because the creative people behind both share passions and optimism for many of the same things, such as science fiction & fantasy and the real future in which we all hope to live.

This alliance will take the form of a mild sharing of content. The host of The Future And You (that would be me) will have a regular column here within Jim Baen's Universe in which to write about the future as well as to mention which of your favorite authors you will have the opportunity to hear, and what topics you will hear them discuss, by downloading the show.

In addition to the opportunity to hear interviews with some of your favorite authors, each monthly episode of The Future And You, beginning December 1, 2006, will contain a ten minute segment devoted exclusively to the goings on here at Jim Baen's Universe. These ten minute segments will feature the voices of Bananaslug & Stoney (Walt Boyes & Stoney Compton) JBU's own Frick & Frack. Also featured in each of these segments will be one of JBU's many famous authors reading a sample of his or her fiction.

Perhaps you're wondering:

what is The Future And You?

The Future And You is an award-winning podcast about the future which you may download for free. Each episode contains several interviews with authors, scientists, celebrities and innovators about what they expect in the future. These forward-thinking people describe their widely differing ideas of the future and often go beyond what they expect into what they hope and what they fear.

David Drake, Greg Bear, Toni Weisskopf, Alan Dean Foster and Kim Stanley Robinson have all been guests; as have John Ringo, Spider Robinson, David Brin, Joe Haldeman, Vernor Vinge, Nancy Kress, Sarah A. Hoyt, Catherine Asaro and Travis S. Taylor.

Less famous guests have included Rudi Hoffman (a cryonics insurance agent), Mike Treder (CEO of the Center for Responsible Nanotechnology), Doctor Greg Matloff (an astronomer) and Lionel Vogt (a transhumanist and TV battle-robot builder).

Subjects have included: nanotechnology and molecular manufacturing, computers wired directly into the human brain, cryonics, exoplanets, faster-than-light travel, wormholes and black holes, cloning and stem cell research, global warming and the current interglacial period, genetic engineering of humans and other biotechnology, as well as transhumanism and the technology of living more-or-less forever.

What's in the latest episode?

The current episode contains all the following and more:

Eric Flint (author and editor-in-chief of Jim Baen's Universe) describes how, as a web based "e-magazine," Jim Baen's Universe compares to and competes with traditional SF&F magazines printed on paper.

Toni Weisskopf (the new head of Baen Books) describes her take on the singularity, technological immortality, global warming, the next fall of civilization, the Chinese going to the moon, faster-than-light travel, cryonics and SETI (the search for extraterrestrial intelligence).

Sarah A. Hoyt (author and polyglot) in her beautiful and exotic accent, explains why the future is proving to be weirder that we ever expected, and also talks about how increasing longevity will dramatically alter society.

David B. Coe (author and environmentalist—with a PhD in environmental history) risks his environmentalist street creds by insisting that passionate environmentalists—like himself—need to admit that nuclear power is the only logical compromise solution to the world's energy needs.

Catherine Asaro (author, physicist and former ballerina) who personally homeschools gifted children, provides surprising insights into the rising popularity of homeschooling.

Lucienne Diver (one of SF&F publishing's top agents) describes the trends within the publishing industry as well as her worries & hopes for the future outside the biz.

Marjorie M. Liu (N.Y. Times best selling author and former lawyer) describes several of the inevitable legal and judicial problems everyone will face, such as the growing temptation for parents to use eugenics technologies to drastically improve their own children—beginning, of course, in the womb. She also startles the host with her revelation that there are judges sitting on the bench right now who have not passed the bar, have never been lawyers and have no degree in law.

What about the old episodes?

All past episodes of The Future And You will remain available for your downloading pleasure for many, many years to come (at least if your host has anything to say about it). Here are a few randomly selected items from past episodes which you may listen to at your whim.

Cryonic SWAT teams, and what you should do before the body of your friend or loved one rots. David Pascal describes what to do in those critical hours between an unexpected death and