Alan N. Shapiro, Technologist and Futurist

Blog and text archive about media theory, science fiction theory, future design, social choreography, Computer Science 2.0, new media art, robots and androids, Star Trek, The Prisoner, Jean Baudrillard, Albert Camus, Michel Foucault, and Marshall McLuhan

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Star Trek: First Contact

April 14th, 2010 in Category: Faster-Than-Light Speed, Star Trek

The Vulcans knew previously of the existence of our life-sustaining planet, but considered human civilization too primitive and insignificant to be bothered with. But the invention of warp speed technology is the sign of a species sufficiently advanced to be worthy of interstellar attention.
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The Physics of Warp Drive

April 14th, 2010 in Category: Faster-Than-Light Speed, Star Trek

In 1994, Mexican physicist Miguel Alcubierre Moya published an important paper entitled "The Warp Drive: Hyper-Fast Travel Within General Relativity," which explains the principles of what has come to be known as the Alcubierre Warp Drive.
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“Threshold”

April 14th, 2010 in Category: Faster-Than-Light Speed, Voyager

Lt. Paris is not dying. He is experiencing hyper-accelerated genetic mutations simulating the future biological evolution of the posthuman species. He and Captain Janeway undergo millions of years of coming posthuman evolution in a few hours.