The Government's Science Fiction Advisers
Mar. 21st, 2008 09:15 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
julieandrewsScience Fiction Mavens Offer Far Out Homeland Security Advice
The group's name is SIGMA and I had heard of them briefly before. It sounds like a cool group. In theory. But when the aliens arrive on Earth, do we really want them being the government's go-to people? Here's some snippets:
Sounds to me like the panel organizers need to take a lesson in moderating from, well, any science fiction convention.
Anyone have a link to a video of this?
The group's name is SIGMA and I had heard of them briefly before. It sounds like a cool group. In theory. But when the aliens arrive on Earth, do we really want them being the government's go-to people? Here's some snippets:
The 45-minute panel discussion quickly deteriorated as federal, local and state homeland security officials, and at least one congressional aid, attempted to ask questions, which were largely ignored.
Instead the writers used their time to pontificate on a variety of tangentially related topics, including their past roles advising the government, predictions in their stories that have come to pass, the demise of the paperback book market, and low-cost launch into space.
Sounds to me like the panel organizers need to take a lesson in moderating from, well, any science fiction convention.
David Brin, keeping on the topic of empowering citizens with mobile phone technology, delivered a self-described “rant” on the lack of funds being spent to support citizen reservists to back up the military, homeland security officials and first responders in times of crisis.
“It is impossible for you to succeed without us!” he shouted at the assembled officials, while banging his fist on the table and at one point jumping off his chair to wave a mobile phone in their faces.
Anyone have a link to a video of this?
