Today is National Science Fiction Day, and the 96th anniversary of the birth of science fiction writer Isaac Asimov. I admit I haven't read much science fiction. What I have read are nonfiction articles stating that some inventions we take for granted today were first dreamed up (in some form) by science fiction writers. That's pretty cool. Does that mean writers are the inventors or creators of the future? Or, do our words simply create a path toward it? Regardless, words have power.
In an earlier post, I wrote about accessing emotions through fictional characters. Science fiction, however, allows us to ask questions and explore the future. Albert Einstein said imagination is more important than knowledge. Our imaginations may be shaping the future in ways we never thought possible.
I've read that some day all homes will have a Virtual Reality (VR) Room like the Star Ship Enterprise had a holodeck for entertainment and training purposes. The holodeck came from the imagination of Gene Roddenberry, creator of Star Trek (1966-69), and Star Trek TNG (1987-1994). The future is now, my friends, because in a ranch house along a winding two-lane road, I stepped into a VR room and "lived" a scene from Star Wars.
I put on a VR headset connected to a computer by a single wire, and held two controllers in my hands. The world was black. Suddenly, I was standing on an empty planet when the Millennium Falcon appeared in the distance, flew toward me at astonishing speed, and landed. I literally leaned back because it was too close. Within seconds, R2-D2 rolled down a ramp lowered from the ship.
A fuel problem meant I had to work quickly to get the ship airborne again. I lowered a "dock" with the controllers, pushed the buttons in the sequence I was told, but didn't work fast enough. Storm troopers were appearing in the distance, and I needed a lightsaber to fight them. I used my controller to access one from R2-D2, and as the lasers came at me, I fought back.
The battle felt like the dodge ball games I played as a kid because the lasers were relentless, and I combined flinching with offensive moves in a battle that must have looked ridiculous to anyone watching. But because of the masterful use of my light saber, I defeated them. But I couldn't shake the fact that the battle seemed real, and I truly felt the need to defend myself.
From the imagination of Gene Roddenberry to a VR room in the suburbs, I would have to conclude that science fiction plus time equals reality. And in honor of writers and dreamers who helped shape our reality, what have you done lately that used to be considered science fiction?
Mary Horner is the author of Strengthen Your Nonfiction Writing, and teaches communications at St. Louis and St. Charles Community Colleges.
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In an earlier post, I wrote about accessing emotions through fictional characters. Science fiction, however, allows us to ask questions and explore the future. Albert Einstein said imagination is more important than knowledge. Our imaginations may be shaping the future in ways we never thought possible.
I've read that some day all homes will have a Virtual Reality (VR) Room like the Star Ship Enterprise had a holodeck for entertainment and training purposes. The holodeck came from the imagination of Gene Roddenberry, creator of Star Trek (1966-69), and Star Trek TNG (1987-1994). The future is now, my friends, because in a ranch house along a winding two-lane road, I stepped into a VR room and "lived" a scene from Star Wars.
I put on a VR headset connected to a computer by a single wire, and held two controllers in my hands. The world was black. Suddenly, I was standing on an empty planet when the Millennium Falcon appeared in the distance, flew toward me at astonishing speed, and landed. I literally leaned back because it was too close. Within seconds, R2-D2 rolled down a ramp lowered from the ship.
A fuel problem meant I had to work quickly to get the ship airborne again. I lowered a "dock" with the controllers, pushed the buttons in the sequence I was told, but didn't work fast enough. Storm troopers were appearing in the distance, and I needed a lightsaber to fight them. I used my controller to access one from R2-D2, and as the lasers came at me, I fought back.
The battle felt like the dodge ball games I played as a kid because the lasers were relentless, and I combined flinching with offensive moves in a battle that must have looked ridiculous to anyone watching. But because of the masterful use of my light saber, I defeated them. But I couldn't shake the fact that the battle seemed real, and I truly felt the need to defend myself.
From the imagination of Gene Roddenberry to a VR room in the suburbs, I would have to conclude that science fiction plus time equals reality. And in honor of writers and dreamers who helped shape our reality, what have you done lately that used to be considered science fiction?
