The Age of Networked Matter

June 28, 2013 5:45 PM

An Aura of Familiarity: Visions from the Coming Age of Networked Matter. The Institute for the Future commissioned six science fiction writers to create short stories for their Age of Networked Matter research project. "We asked our collaborators to envision a world where humans have unprecedented control of matter at all scales, and to share with us a glimpse of daily life in that world. It was a process meant to make the future tangible." Three of the stories have appeared so far.

"By His Things Will You Know Him" by Cory Doctorow.
"Apricot Lane" by Rudy Rucker.
"Social Services" by Madeline Ashby.

More stories are coming from Warren Ellis, Ramez Naam, Bruce Sterling and artist Daniel Martin Diaz.

posted by homunculus (9 comments total)

I'll just leave this here.
posted by belarius at 2:45 AM on June 29, 2013 [3 favorites]

Social Services is my favorite. Listening to the interview with the author, I agree with her that ubicomp will make ordinary objects feel alive. "Haunted" is an interesting way to frame it.
posted by Monochrome at 9:33 AM on June 29, 2013

The Internet of Actual Things
posted by homunculus at 9:46 AM on June 29, 2013

"Water" by Ramez Naam.
posted by homunculus at 9:35 AM on July 9, 2013

"From Beyond the Coming Age of Networked Matter" by Bruce Sterling.
posted by homunculus at 12:57 PM on July 16, 2013

Homunculus is my Frodo.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 2:45 PM on July 18, 2013

But who will be my Sam?
posted by homunculus at 5:08 PM on July 18, 2013

Probably Sam.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 6:31 AM on July 20, 2013

The IFTF has a video about Warren Ellis's "Lich House" up, but no link to the story. He said that it would show up on Boing Boing at some point, but this thread might be closed by then.
posted by homunculus at 11:54 AM on July 24, 2013