So, i have three different ideas and trying to figure out which one to develop. 1: Set in a near future world (20 years in the future) Basic to advance A.I.s, basic bio implants ie; interfaces for electronic devices and such. 2: Set in the far future where humanity has solved most of the planet's problems very clean and orderly. 3: set in the far future where humanity has destroyed the planet, dystopia where we struggle to survive. Or is there some other time frame you like more.
Other 1: Set in a near future world (20 years in the future) Basic to advance A.I.s, basic bio implants ie; interfaces for electronic devices and such. This doesn't work for me because the world in 20 years is going to look pretty much exactly like what it looks now. 20 years is nothing. Nowhere near enough time for the technology you mention. It's a common problem with a lot of Science Fiction I read. The timeline is just not realistic to the technological advancements. 2: Set in the far future where humanity has solved most of the planet's problems very clean and orderly. This doesn't work for me because it doesn't take politics and economics into account. I know it's super cynical of me, but I don't see this kind of future for us. Ever. 3: set in the far future where humanity has destroyed the planet, dystopia where we struggle to survive. This also doesn't work for me because, though I am a born cynic, I'm not that much of a cynic. 4: The far future where there has been enough time for the technological advances presented to actually occur, and the storyline still includes the failings and foibles of modern people because that's just part of who we are.
1: This is based on technology that exists now, there are a couple of pretty advanced AIs out there in the world right now and getting smarter everyday. Implants exist maybe not that advanced but are getting there. also a group working on a bio-electric charging system where the implant is charged by the human body's electrical output. I see what you are saying I don't know if 20 years is long enough but seemed like a good time frame. Maybe go 60 years and it would be closer to your fourth option. 2: I never really liked this one much but have seen it. I think it works if it is just a pocket of humanity in a messed up world. 3: This is actually the one i was leaning toward but i see what your saying thank you for your imput
I agree with @Wreybies . Though it is a lot of guess work to know what the far future tech and society will be like. It is understandable that you have to take a few liberties since there is nothing set stone as to what will be in the future.
I don't think either of these technologies is coming down the pike for the average citizen anytime soon, if ever. But, this also depends on the level of suspension of disbelief you want for your story. For example, the A.I. issue: Did you see the movie Her? Great film. I love that film. Science Fiction at its best because the technology is there to talk about a facet of the human condition, not just as some tech-porn for us too oo and ah at. The A.I. (Samantha) in that story serves to talk to us about our failings in interpersonal relationships. The whole story is about relationships, not about A.I.s. Now, the technological problem with that story, which you have to suspend your disbelief for, is the idea that you could ever buy a thing like Samantha at the mall like it was the latest iPhone. Never mind if the tech could actually exist. You as a citizen would likely never be allowed to own it. The security issues are gigantic. In that story, all the A.I. pretty much take over their future version of the internet and live there. They don't cause any trouble, but no government on the real Earth would ever allow that. Also, that movie was amazingly devoid of religious groups decrying the abomination of these clearly sentient constructs. Again, I love the story, it's beautiful, but it would never, ever, ever happen in real life, and not because of technological restrictions, but because of a host of other dynamics that would also come into play. There's a large amount of suspension of disbelief needed to engage that story, and they made it happen by focusing on the core intent of the story. As regards interfaces or what Sci-Fi often calls "wetware": Scenario: You just got your interfaces installed last year. C-79 magnetic disc wrist couplers. Oh, man, they were so awesome... last year. This year the new C-90's came out and they have a different coupling system, better, less interference, faster transfer rates of data, but you haven't even finished paying off the C-79's you have. A year later, when you can afford the C-90's, the C-100's come out. Totally different system. Your C-79's aren't even up-compatible at all the way they were with the C-90's. Everything is moving to C-100. You can't even afford to walk into the bank to ask for the loan. Etc. etc. etc. And remember, these aren't things you just buy and take home. You have to go have surgery to remove the old and install the new. And again, none of this is anything that can't be surmounted. It's all about the intent of the story. What it's trying to do.
I think write what you want. You've basically outlined three of the most basic sci-fi premises. 1 is Cyberpunk 2 is Utopian far future 3 is Dystopian far future They all can work. I have my issues with all of them (and as a non-cyberpunk near-futurist myself I've aired a bunch of those). Of the three I tend to like Utopian - partially because I'm such a Trekkie, partially because I prefer to see characters manipulating complex societies, and partially because I think utopias are really fun to break (the dirty little secret about most utopian fiction is that there's always some big problem ticking at the heart of it). Anyway, that said, the key to doing any one of those is to make it unique, make it you, and give us something that doesn't remind us of what we've seen before in those same molds. On balance, I wouldn't pick between your options without more details on each world. Yeah, if you made me pick between them now I'd take Utopian (because that's MY taste), but maybe you're better at Cyberpunk. Flesh out the ideas and see which one is most fun and most unique.
I like things that takes place in the future (though preferably more than twenty years). I like a decent amount of world-fuck up (since I have a soft spot for post apocalyptic things). I also like to mix these things up with some humor, dark or otherwise. (Actually, all I want in life is a post apocalyptic happy-go-lucky book, but that is totally beside the point here.) With the information you gave us there is more or less nothing to say. I'd go with the cyberpunk or dystopian one. I've never been an Utopia kind of gal.
You are a cynic my friend, but I see what you are saying and for some reason never looked at future tech's economic structure and availability to the public or affordability even though we have a hundred examples right here in front of us today. thank you, now I think I have an idea to add to the story.
I know they are the basics that was my point it really is just the backdrop for the story itself. A road trip story with three people traveling. I think i am leaning toward cyberpunk but more than 20 years. I have already written a dystopianish Aladdin story and utopian has never really been my thing but I like the idea of breaking it down.
Either one could work, so long as you have a good plot and an engaging conflict. though personally, I would choose the third option.
Personally, I prefer the "20 Minutes into the Future" timeline ( http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture), and having Humanity only recently become a part of the greater galactic community.
It certainly bridges the gap between "people as we know them today" and fantastic technology of the future. David Brin's Uplift novels are like this and are quite enjoyable, though they do suffer from the "Humans are super-extra-special" trope.
I've never read Uplift, is it good? I think this timeline works because you can still have people/technology that the reader can recognize and relate to, but still have aliens/future technology that adds a "wow!" factor and sci-fi-ness. The way I see it, Earth is sort of seen as this "suburban" world that only recently reached out beyond the confines of its system and Humans are viewed by most species as just one of many young races who haven't made a name for themselves in the galactic community. Ugh, I hate that "Humans are special" trope! Even in works I like if find that trope annoying and egocentric. In a galaxy of countless species (many far cooler than Humans), why is it always Humans who are seen as special? I want to avoid that trope in my story. I'm debating if I should even have a Human in the main cast at all. What do you think?
They were certainly a fun read and they came along at a time in my reading life where I was starting to get annoyed by the your aliens make no biological sense problem. In these books the galaxy is a huge community of species that dedicate themselves to finding new species on the brink of sentience (their standards are somewhat higher than how we engage that word now) and then the new species is adopted by a guardian species that uplifts them (hence the name) into full community status. Timelines in this universe are measured in millions of years. Species are altered and changed to fit specific needs, traits, habitats, etc. The part that's a little eye-rolly is that when Earth is found, humans have already begun their own little "uplift" project with chimps, gorillas, and dolphins, thus they join the galactic community already as full participants, a thing that has never, ever, evah happened in the bajillionzie years of history. Except for the Progenitors, of course, the very first species to come to sentience. Anyway, the special status of humans causes friction and trouble and blah, blah, blah, story!
Ah I see. Sounds interesting, I will have to check my library! Something that bugs me (little more than a nitpick) in Sci-Fi is the use of the term "sentient" to refer to thinking species. Technically, sentience is the ability to sense and react to the world around you, thus all animals are to an extent sentient. The more accurate term to use is "sapient", which is usually defined as the ability to reason and think abstractly. Sometimes the term "Sophont" is used instead. In the story I am working on, I use "sapient" instead of "sentient".
I'm not sure that 20 years from now the top technology we have now won't be commonplace. Think about how much technology has changed from 20 years ago, especially talking about cellphone technology. Right now the average man holds in his pocket a device that can do about as much as a pc was able to do nust twenty years ago. So yeah, no intergalactic space travel, but I can see how personal cyberware will be as powerful as modern "super computers".
I don't think you read my post. It's not about can, it's about will. We could have had electric cars back in the 80's when I was a teenager. We didn't have them (well, for like 10 minutes) because of economic interests of economically powerful countries. I didn't say an A.I. is impossible to imagine coming into being. I said you and I will never, ever be allowed to own it in real life. There are too many other considerations that will keep that from happening. And sometimes it's considerations we don't realize matter to us at the time. When I was a kid in the 80's we were wide-eyed and waiting for the very technology you speak of, the interconnectedness, the amazing availability of information at a flick of a finger. Oooo! AAaaaahh!! That was us... then. Whodathunk that privacy would matter to us as much as it does? We genuinely didn't even talk about that, at all. Now it's all anyone can talk about.
20 years in the future is a little to close to the now to really be science fiction. Look how fast things come around. Space 1999 came out in 1975. At the time I guess people might have thought that was possible, but now, 47 years on we are not even close and it's been like that with a lot of sci fi, back to the future and 2015 for example or space odyssey 2001, so people are less inclined to believe in it. That said, space tourism is due to start next year - for the super filthy rich - but we are a long long way off of space stations and mars based colonies, even though im sure the technology exists.
@Mars colonies. In my story Mars is a mining world, due to it being a lifeless rock, there is very little tourism there, from an economical standpoint, there was more money to be made mining the world than turning it into a tourist trap.
