Comments on: World Science Festival: The Science of Star Trek http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/discoblog/2010/06/07/world-science-festival-the-science-of-star-trek/ Sat, 11 May 2013 22:50:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4.2 By: Andrew Planet http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/discoblog/2010/06/07/world-science-festival-the-science-of-star-trek/#comment-22117 Andrew Planet Wed, 09 Jun 2010 17:50:18 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/discoblog/?p=10027#comment-22117 Our anthropocentric impression of other alien species shows up to what extent human expectations are curtailed by the conscious knowledge of the present. For example George Orwell’s 1984 was riddled with what was deemed threateningly repressive then, not now. Evolutionary vertical encephalization, bipedal or not, relative to gravity might be repeated on more than one planetary scene, but to find that out we shall have to wait and see. Hopefully that shall be, at least robotically, our destiny. During the time I was a zealous Trekkie, many moons ago, (I used to live in a tent outdoors half of the time) I’d irrevocably decided that Tv was too full of trivia to be healthy for me or anyone and that it would therefore not exist in the future. It was then that I saw an episode in ‘’The Next Generation’’ series in which the android Data mentions retrospectively that popular fixed timetabled TV had ceased to exist in the past, so I carried on watching the ‘rectangularised’ crystal ball. In tandem, I am nowadays selective, mainly on demand, on what I view. Our anthropocentric impression of other alien species shows up to what extent human expectations are curtailed by the conscious knowledge of the present. For example George Orwell’s 1984 was riddled with what was deemed threateningly repressive then, not now. Evolutionary vertical encephalization, bipedal or not, relative to gravity might be repeated on more than one planetary scene, but to find that out we shall have to wait and see. Hopefully that shall be, at least robotically, our destiny.

During the time I was a zealous Trekkie, many moons ago, (I used to live in a tent outdoors half of the time) I’d irrevocably decided that Tv was too full of trivia to be healthy for me or anyone and that it would therefore not exist in the future. It was then that I saw an episode in ‘’The Next Generation’’ series in which the android Data mentions retrospectively that popular fixed timetabled TV had ceased to exist in the past, so I carried on watching the ‘rectangularised’ crystal ball. In tandem, I am nowadays selective, mainly on demand, on what I view.

]]> By: Scott Imbeau http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/discoblog/2010/06/07/world-science-festival-the-science-of-star-trek/#comment-22116 Scott Imbeau Wed, 09 Jun 2010 05:22:24 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/discoblog/?p=10027#comment-22116 Do you know if there's any video of this coming? Most of last years festival is on vimeo but only a few of this year are going to be by the looks of it and this isn't among them. Do you know if there’s any video of this coming? Most of last years festival is on vimeo but only a few of this year are going to be by the looks of it and this isn’t among them.

]]> By: QuestionAuthority http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/discoblog/2010/06/07/world-science-festival-the-science-of-star-trek/#comment-22115 QuestionAuthority Mon, 07 Jun 2010 21:01:10 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/discoblog/?p=10027#comment-22115 The question of whether there is intelligent life elsewhere in the universe quickly becomes complicated. Given the virtually infinite space and time available, will that life be in existence at the same time we are? Will it be within our communications range? Would we recognize it as such if we were to encounter it? The question of whether there is intelligent life elsewhere in the universe quickly becomes complicated.
Given the virtually infinite space and time available, will that life be in existence at the same time we are?
Will it be within our communications range?
Would we recognize it as such if we were to encounter it?

]]>