Does Sci-Fi Influence the Future? February 8, 2011

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Tech Nation's Moira Gunn and science fiction author Paul Levinson explore the influence of sci-fi on technological breakthroughs of the future, from space exploration to time travel.

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On November 30th and December 1st, 2010, at the TIME Conference Center in New York City, many of the most innovative people and organizations in the science and technology world came together for an historic gathering - the 2010 World Technology Summit & Awards, the eighth Summit and ninth Awards thus far! - to celebrate each other's accomplishments; to explore what is imminent, possible, and important in and around emerging technologies; and to create the kinds of serendipitous relationships that create the future.

The majority of Summit participants were either current WTN members (primarily winners/finalists from previous World Technology Awards cycles, as selected by their peers as those doing the innovative work of "the greatest likely long-term significance") or 2010 World Technology Award nominees. A combination of keynote talks, panel discussions, and breakout sessions... and potentially-career-altering-networking opportunities over two days concluded with a gala black-tie Awards ceremony on the second night. - The World Technology Summit and Awards

Moira Gunn is host of the radio programs "Tech Nation" and "BioTech Nation," aired by National Public Radio. "Tech Nation" episodes are normally based on an interview with the author of a science- or technology-related book. "BioTech Nation" is based on interviews with significant figures in the field of bio-technology, as well as regular discussions with science journalist David Ewing Duncan.

Paul Levinson, PhD, is Professor of Communication & Media Studies at Fordham University in New York City. His eight nonfiction books, including The Soft Edge (1997), Digital McLuhan (1999), Realspace (2003), Cellphone (2004), and New New Media (2009) have been the subject of major articles in the New York Times, Wired, and the Christian Science Monitor, and have been translated into ten languages. His science fiction novels include The Silk Code (1999, winner of the Locus Award for Best First Novel), Borrowed Tides (2001), The Consciousness Plague (2002), The Pixel Eye (2003), and The Plot To Save Socrates (2006). His short stories have been nominated for Nebula, Hugo, Edgar, and Sturgeon Awards.