Deep beneath Yucca Mountain of south-central Nevada, construction of a nuclear waste repository was planned in the late 20th century to hold the collective nuclear waste of the United States: the deadly byproducts of numerous nuclear power plants and nuclear science research. Development of this underground vault has been shelved as of late, but the research that went into planning the difficult task of storing these malignant materials may yet live on in future projects of similar nature.

A segment of plans for the Yucca Mountain underground repository called for studies investigating the best way to warn future humans of the entrapped radioactive waste. These waste products would not decay to safe levels of radioactivity for at least 10,000 years, some not until one million years into the future.

This warning sent to our descendents, thousands of generations beyond the present, would need to contain the location of this deadly vault and the consequences of interference with its contents, whether intentional or unintentional. The message must instruct the future receivers to its purpose and clearly express the warnings. Additionally, this message must persist for millennia, transcend social or cultural shifts and survive any calamity that might damage or degrade the message our generation sends.

To meet this challenge, an interdisciplinary team of nuclear scientists, linguists and futurists were formed to develop different approaches. The proposals that resulted from the study each called for unconventional methods to transfer information across time scales longer than the history of human civilization. A successful method of communicating with the far future inhabitants of Earth may allow our current era to pass on not just warnings, such as those of nuclear waste repositories, but also words of wisdom and guidance or monuments to our accomplishments as a species.

Megaliths

A straightforward approach to warning of the dangers associated with the nuclear waste repository location would be to construct megalithic monuments around the site. These megaliths, like the ancient Stonehenge and other standing stones of human prehistory, would last far beyond any language, culture or religion. Engraving warning messages in various languages and pictographic symbols would supply the specifics of the monuments’ message of caution. Re-translation of the megaliths’ engravings into the languages of the present time would be required periodically to ensure the warning message is maintained.

Standing nearly six meters in height, the cryptic Georgia Guidestones assembled in 1980 in the rural American southeast, is a modern megalith that seems designed to withstand the assault of time. The continued anonymity of the monument’s sponsors only further mystifies the strange and sinister “commandments” that are listed in several modern and ancient languages. (Image: http://weburbanist.com)

Earth Orbiting Satellites

Earth orbiting satellites, powered by solar energy or nuclear reactors, could transmit via radio frequencies the location of the nuclear waste repository and the dangers of interfering with its contents. The satellites could remain in orbit for millennia and serve as an effective reminder to humans assuming they still possess means to receive and decode radio transmissions.

The Arecibo radio message (left) was transmitted to a star cluster 25,000 light years away with encoded pictographic messages that demonstrate the intelligence of its creators. The Voyager 1 and 2 spacecraft each have a golden record on board (center), as well as a record player, with various recordings of messages from humans and sounds from Earth to serve as a greeting to anyone who might find it. The Pioneer 10 and 11 spacecraft contain a plaque (right) with pictographic images detailing the origin of the message and the species that sent it. All four of the Voyager and Pioneer spacecraft are currently drifting to beyond our solar system with these messages. (Images: http://www.nasa.gov, http://wikipedia.com)

DNA Encoding

Genetically modified plants could contain messages to future humans within their DNA. These DNA encrypted messages would be naturally propagated into the future as the plants grow, reproduce, and spread. This method requires future humans to have technology capable of decoding the messages hidden in the organisms’ genetic code.

Genetically modified plants have already become commonplace within the agricultural industry. With genetically modified plants that can survive drought, disease, floods and pests An encoded message within their DNA could persist for millennia. (Image: http://althealthworks.com)

Genetic Engineering and Folklore

Another application of genetic engineering would not require that future humans have the capability of decoding DNA. Domestic animals such as cats or dogs could be engineered to react visibly, such as changing fur color, to levels of radioactivity approaching deadly limits. This method of radiation detection would only depend on humans continuing to have contact with these domestic animals in the future, as well as correct interpretation of the visible signals of radiation. By propagating manufactured myths and fairy-tales to describe the function behind these animals’ color changes, and the inherent danger it represents, correct interpretation of these signals could be ensured to last generations into the future regardless of technological progress or regression.

Genetically modified animals have been used in medical studies as was this fluorescent cat for HIV research (left). When Japan was hit by the devastating earthquake and tsunami in 2011, residents of one area knew to avoid a certain hilltop when seeking higher ground. Local legend tells that the shrine that is on the hill (right) was built to commemorate the victims of a tsunami one thousand years ago. This legend corresponds with scientific and historical accounts of an earthquake in the region in 869. Living, breathing messengers combined with the collective memory of folklore, information could be conveyed to humans hundreds and thousands of generations from now. (Images: http://theguardian.com, http://latimes.com)

The Atomic Priesthood

An elite council made up of intellectuals, scientists, and historians could be tasked with maintaining knowledge of the dangerous nuclear sepulcher and associated technical information. This council would serve as an “Atomic Priesthood”, electing new members to replace the old and to carry on their wisdom. Rituals and myths would be created to help preserve this information using the model of religious traditions that transcend political and linguistic shifts. But this Atomic Priesthood could be plagued by the same traps that any elite group possessing concentrated knowledge may succumb to: tyrannical subjugation of the ignorant by the elite, conflicts arising from the desire to possess the esoteric knowledge, and fragmentation of the true message into competing factions.

The University of Bologna (left) and the University of Oxford (right) were both founded in the 11th century, are administered by councils of intellectuals and have remained centers of human knowledge for nearly a millennia. (Images: http://wikipedia.org, http://britannica.com)

Although the specific plans for the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository have not come to fruition, these concepts of transmission of warnings to future generations from our own era may yet be brought into use especially considering other ecological and environmental dangers humans face now, or could face in the future. Climate change, excessive environmental pollution, groundwater depletion, genetic engineering and artificial intelligence gone awry, orbital debris, solar storms, meteor impacts, and remnants of nuclear, chemical, or biological warfare, might all call for warning messages to be sent to future generations of humans to either help them cope with the disasters and to continue to survive or to teach them lessons we have collectively learned as a species.

Though the most meaningful message we might be able to transmit to future humans is an apology, and well wishes that they have continued to survive and thrive despite our transgressions against them.

Yucca Mountain Johnny, the official US Department of Energy mascot for the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste site project, guides students through the “Science, Society and America’s Nuclear Waste” online education program.

(http://web.archive.org/web/20090603205752/http://www.ocrwm.doe.gov/youth/index.shtml)

Information sources

http://www.mat.ucsb.edu/~g.legrady/academic/courses/01sp200a/students/enricaLovaglio/pandora/Pandora.html
http://www.osti.gov/scitech/servlets/purl/6799619

Interview With a Time Traveler from James Cooper on Vimeo.

Produced & Directed by James Cooper (@cooper_jim)
Written by Peter Rowley (@typingfaster)
Director of Photography: Pasha Patriki, csc

Starring
Eric Johnson as the Time Traveler (@EricJJohnson79)
Elias Toufexis as Paul (@EliasToufexis)

The MegaCorps by country/continent

"NewSpace"

Several recent trends in technology, and timing with balancing economic and military interests has given a jump-start to high tech industry including the realm of spaceflight. The advent of smaller more efficient electronics coming out of the consumer and mobile computing industry, software technologies from robotics and automation to big data analysis, new manufacturing processes and materials including 3D printing and carbon-fiber composites have all contributed to the increasing inertia of the new spaceflight industry, or newspace.

An influx of money into the pockets of internet entrepreneurs and silicon valley startups, and a combination of government efforts to both lower costs and at the same time increase capability and reliability of space systems has resulted in new spaceflight technology innovations. New companies with young talent, money from software engineers-turned-investors and experience of veteran spaceflight visionaries are beginning to sprout up in competition with the old established MegaCorps.

Domination of the Solar System

The current spaceflight environment is dominated by the same megacorps that arose out of the tensions of the 20th century and since then have only further consolidated their assets into monopolies to control spaceflight access in their respective political regions. Left unchecked, these current megacorps could end up dominating the entire solar system as traditional government systems are left behind on Earth and corporate governance rules in space. As new companies arise to challenge the established megacorps, the hurdles they will have to overcome will be more than technological innovations but also political unwillingness to change and the massive amount of money that supports the current players. These new companies may have to resort to the same cutthroat tactics their predecessors have used to stay in power, leading to the ushering in of a new generation of megacorps to dominate the Solar System.

(X-47 First Catapult Flight, U.S. Navy, 2012)

The word “drone” itself carries with it a negative connotation which has been exploited by the world’s media. It has become synonymous with the death and destruction caused by unmanned aircraft engaged in conflicts across Africa and the Middle East. Just as worse, their primary role as surveillance aircraft has led many to believe that their only purpose is to serve as a sinister spy, a tool to be used by corrupt governments to control their people.

Lending credence to this dystopian belief is the idea of a shroud of limited responsibility created by the use of autonomous weapons. Removing the human face from behind a weapon creates a level of uncertainty as to who or what is responsible for initiating lethal strikes carried out by unmanned systems. Placing this lethal responsibility on a government entity as a whole, rather than an individual or organization, is an idea which can lead to disastrous consequences. Should this become the case, incidents resulting in the injury or deaths of innocents would hold no ground when seeking justice from a world power.

With such disastrous possibilities, why should we ever allow for the creation and use of autonomous aircraft? Once again, we come back to the point that war drives innovation. Demands created by our human conflicts have led to the development of technology with progressive solutions. Should we be able to look past the UAV’s use as a weapon, we may catch a glimpse of a better future for all. What many fail to see is the progress that can be achieved by expediting the inevitable acceptance and integration of these tools into our society.

A prime example of how we can turn these killers into a workforce is the much talked about Amazon company delivery drone. While only in a very basic research phase, a program utilizing small, pilotless aircraft to conduct deliveries is the first step in the acceptance of autonomous machines as a global workforce. In this case, machines will only be supplementing the current human workforce, not replacing it. The not too distant future could look very well like that of Iain Bank’s “Culture” series, where increased uses for machine labor can allow us to focus on other ventures, such as space travel.

(Amazon Deliveramazon-y Craft, AP Photos, 2013)

Amazon’s most recent venture is not the first time that UAVs have been considered as more than a weapon. Currently, these aircraft are conducting scientific research in dangerous weather systems and navigating territory otherwise impassible in support of emergency rescue operations across the globe. Our aerial creations are truly capable going where no man has gone before.

Despite the endless possibilities created by such a concept, our current mistrust in technology and the change it brings may prevent any significant advance in the near future. This mistrust has manifested in several Science Fiction settings, in which either machines become semi-enslaved tools at the mercy of their human masters, or they rise in rebellion against their creators.

Unfortunately for the United States, many bids to push the use of unmanned aircraft into the civilian sector are failing. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) banned the commercial use of pilotless aircraft in 2007, and refuses to repeal the act any time soon. Why is there such a push by the government to limit drone proliferation? How is it that private companies can manage piloted aircraft, but drones are out of the question? Is this a bid by the government to keep drone technology in military hands to allow for the further creation of a surveillance state?

It is possible that the Science Fiction genre has itself has instilled mistrust in the full cooperation we could achieve with our creations. Some conspiracy theorists almost instinctively mention lessons learned in the Terminator series or the Battlestar Galactica universe when the subject of autonomous robots is mentioned. The fear of a creation with capabilities that far surpass our own is very real. Over several thousand years, humans have established their role as the dominant force on this planet. Any perceived threat to that position, whether it be organic or not, will be met with resistance.

Will the drone forever remain a weapon?
(Raider Ship from Battlestar Galactica, 2011)

“Science fiction is the great opportunity to speculate on what could happen. It does give me, as a futurist, scenarios.”
– Ray Kurzweil

PTP – Show Me Your Spine

Starring: Paul Reubens, Janina Gavankar, Fay Masterson, Jon Sklaroff, and Pete Chekvala
Writer/Director/Producer: M.Francis Wilson
Executive Producers: Jonathan Krauss, Joan Sweeny, and Frank Sweeny
Producer/Editor/VFX Supervisor: Scott M. Davids
Producer: Neil Ellice
Co-Producer/VFX Producer: Seth Kleinberg
Co-Producer: Andrew Cava
Director of Photography: Brett Pawlak
Production Designer: Gustaf Aspegren
Editor: David Cory
Composer: Deane Ogden
Costume Designer: J.R. Hawbaker
Visual Effects: Level 256 – www.level256vfx.com

The original novel, “Ender’s Game” is an extremely popular book, loved by both hardened scifi fans and other readers alike. Needless to say that when it was announced that there was a $100m+ film adaptation coming, a lot of sensitive nerves were hit. To make success even more difficult, there has also been calls for a boycott by LGBT organisations around the world – not for any content in this film, but because the novel’s writer is a particularly horrible homophobe. I discovered this after seeing it and decided to continue writing the review for reasons which I will detail later.

The story revolves around the adolescent character Ender, who is recognised as a child gifted in strategic thinking and is recruited by a desperate military to become a space warfare commander. Ender naturally sees (and plans to win) games on every level of his life – including the military training and the relationships he has with his peers and teachers. A large part of the cast are children but this is by no means a film aimed specifically at a younger audience. The young characters are realistic so will definitely be relatable by younger people, but this is not “Harry Potter in space”.

The acting is good throughout and Ben Kingsley’s performance as the half-Maori war hero Mazer Rackham is particularly memorable. There is a lot of CG (as you would expect from a big-budget film set mainly in space) but thankfully eye-candy never detracts from the story and the director has kept narrative first. The film deals well with some quite powerful themes and by the end it feels like a lot of the spectacle was just a backdrop, which is refreshing. The only real problems I had were with the general rushed pacing and the number of un-ignorable plot holes which rear their heads in the last few minutes.

Overall I would definitely recommend seeing this film. It has a lot of strong characterisation, and Ender’s journey is intriguing without becoming a standard boy-becomes-hero yarn. If you need some reasons not to boycott it, look up the credits – you’ll see a list of great people who worked on the film and aren’t outspoken homophobes.

Trailer

But technology is not the culprit. Technology is neutral, or rather indifferent, since without consciousness, our tools do not make decisions based on right and wrong or a moral code, but upon the set of instructions or purposes intended by the creator or user of the technology. No technology is good or bad, only its use by humans can be judged as good or bad. The use of technology by both Elysium’s ruthless Secretary of Defense Jessica Delacourt (and her bloodthirsty mercenary Kruger), and by our hero Max and his cohort, demonstrates that the same technology can be used both in malice and in benevolence.

Kruger and Max face off in combat with their exoskeleton suits, giving Max strength more equivalent to his fierce opponent.

Medical pods limited to citizens of Elysium prevent other humans from using them to heal their ailments, unless the definition of ‘citizen’ is re-designated.

Robot guards that usually harass the downtrodden population on Earth’s surface later refuse to detain or harm Max’s cohorts after clever re-programming of Elysium’s core software systems. We see examples of existing technology in our world today, used both for nefarious and benevolent purposes.

(Result of atomic weapons; Peaceful use of atomic technology)

Controlling the power of atomic forces allows both the annihilation of entire cities, or provides them with energy to last generations.

(MQ-1 Predator with missile armament; NASA RQ-4 Global Hawk re-configured to conduct climate science research above dangerous hurricanes)

Controversial air-to-ground strikes are made by unmanned military aircraft. But similar drone technologies are entering the civilian world through science applications, aerial photography and surveying, communications and emergency response.

Since our creations are indifferent to their use, we must be careful as to how we’re using them. The creators of new technologies must consider their own intentions and how that translates into a technology’s design. Greed, short-sightedness and lack of understanding may lead new technologies to be used in dreadful activities, whereas forward-thinking, compassion and communication enable technology to help humans and improve our world.

Director: Cole Drumb
Producer: Jennifer Wai-Yin Luk
Production company: Colliculi Productions
Animation studio: Humouring The Fates
Voice of Kali: Tricia Helfer
Voice of Terrence: Ulric Dihle
Original Music: Neill Sanford Livingston
Post Production Sound: Kid Dropper Sound
Final Post Production Sound: Bad Animals
Final Video Post Production: Lightpress

http://posthumanthemovie.com/
https://www.facebook.com/PostHumanTheMovie
https://twitter.com/PostHumanFilm
https://twitter.com/JenWLuk
https://twitter.com/ColeDrumb
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2091950/
http://posthumanthemovie.tumblr.com/

Ever since his outstanding debut film in 2009, “District 9”, Neill Blomkamp has been a name to watch amongst scifi filmmakers. With that film, the young South African director was able to wrap up a compelling human story in a larger-than-life universe which was a throwback to the golden age of hard scifi where bold social commentary and shock gore were standard practice. Needless to say, as news began to circulate that his sophomore film was in production with a budget of $120million, he quickly became labelled “the man who will save scifi”. After such a long wait, it’s with a heavy heart that I have to report “Elysium” absolutely does not deliver.

As with any big films, I did my best to clear my head of all the hype and make sure I watched it with an open mind, clear of any exaggerated expectations. Despite that, there is no way around the fact that this is just not a good film. At the very least, don’t we get some incredible effects and action sequences? No, we don’t. The trailers hint at armies of military robots, which we do not see. The actual screen time for the small number of robots in the film must be less than ten minutes. The action is so shaky that these sequences are uncomfortable to watch (note: I am one of the few people who actually like shaky cam shots).

The only redeeming aspect is Sharlto Copley who plays the film’s villain, Agent Kruger. Blomkamp has done a good job in creating such a vile character, and he is brought to life perfectly by Copley. Aside from him, the rest of the leading cast are unconvincing at best. I have given up trying to decipher the accent which Jodie Foster is failing to impersonate, and the development of Mat Damon’s character seems to consist of him being a small Spanish-speaking boy who grows up to be the only middle-class white American who is stuck working in a dangerous factory. He has tattoos and a shaved head though, so I suppose that’s not a problem.

One of my favorite aspects of District 9 was it’s unapologetic attitude towards delivering blatant messages about human nature, racism and segregation. Elysium seems to attempt the same type of social commentary in such a clumsy fashion that it falls flat on it’s face. Whether they were exaggerated or not, District 9 had believable characters doing what seemed to be natural and acceptable to them. Elysium gives us some bloated stereotypes with legs walking around shouting “Hey you should relate to me” or “I am a typical bad person”.

For the first thirty minutes or so, this is a believable introduction to an interesting universe in which we care about the characters, but by half way it has already spiraled off into ridiculousness and is completely predictable (unless you are predicting amazing battles and a big showdown, because you won’t get those). After trawling through the millions of posts arguing about the messy political themes, I’ll leave you with the most valuable sentence I found – “The wait for Blomkamp’s next film will be much easier”.

Trailer