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Tales from the future
Robert Billing, a software engineer with a taste for science fiction, speculates in these four tales on how the world may change over the next decade.
Girl power comes lo espionage in "Hunting the Sun", but uncovering too much skin in a world that's getting warmer has disastrous consequences, until Cindy realises just what nanobots can do.
Craig and Anna are trying to win a cookery competition by producing their own ingredients. In "Self-Drive Rent-a-Cow" they are given a beef steer, which forces them to rethink what they believe about food production.
In "Blood and the Wire" a woman dies in a burning wreck and officer Hunter must decide if this is an accident, terrorism, or if a very clever murderer has used the new technology to create the perfect alibi.
Global warming disrupts a centuries-old winemaking tradition. Can technology reverse the effects of the disaster? What if the price of "the very last bottle" of all isn't enough lo pay for the engineering?
At the end of each story, readers can get an idea of current innovations supported by the European Union.
Girl power comes lo espionage in "Hunting the Sun", but uncovering too much skin in a world that's getting warmer has disastrous consequences, until Cindy realises just what nanobots can do.
Craig and Anna are trying to win a cookery competition by producing their own ingredients. In "Self-Drive Rent-a-Cow" they are given a beef steer, which forces them to rethink what they believe about food production.
In "Blood and the Wire" a woman dies in a burning wreck and officer Hunter must decide if this is an accident, terrorism, or if a very clever murderer has used the new technology to create the perfect alibi.
Global warming disrupts a centuries-old winemaking tradition. Can technology reverse the effects of the disaster? What if the price of "the very last bottle" of all isn't enough lo pay for the engineering?
At the end of each story, readers can get an idea of current innovations supported by the European Union.
68 pages, Paperback
Published October 4, 2011
3 people want to read
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December 21, 2020
*Note: to read my review in English scroll down:
---ESPAÑOL:
Esta es la primera vez que voy a ser la primera reseña de un libro así que voy a intentar hacerlo bien.
Este libro fue escrito en 2010 y, a través de 4 relatos cortos, trata de explicar algunos de los proyectos que tiene la Unión Europea (UE) para los siguientes 10 años.
Es por eso que considero especialmente interesante hacer esta lectura en 2020. Vamos a ver juntos si esos proyectos eran demasiado ambiciosos o si por el contrario eran realistas y alcanzables.
Podemos decir que esta reseña "contiene spoilers" (o no). Tú mismo decides si seguir leyendo: Yo no voy a destripar los relatos pero sí hablaré de proyectos a los cuáles hacen referencia.
Bien, si has decidido seguir leyendo es porque quieres saber si los proyectos han llegado a realizarse o no. Entonces allá vamos:
El primero de los relatos nos habla de los nanorobots y de su uso en el ámbito de la salud, como por ejemplo para la regeneración de tejidos desde el interior del cuerpo y sobre todo para encontrar la cura del cáncer y otras enfermedades.
Nos explica cómo la UE está invirtiendo en investigación para la salud con materiales biológicos para la fabricación de sofisticadas prótesis, así como el tratamiento de enfermedades degenerativas.
Conclusión: En los últimos años hemos avanzado mucho en el campo de la salud. Sin embargo, teniendo en cuenta la situación actual en 2020 (covid-19), la saturación de hospitales, la carrera a contrarreloj por encontrar una vacuna, etc., podemos decir que vamos en la buena dirección aunque quede mucho camino por recorrer. El ejemplo más claro es el arduo reto de encontrar la cura para enfermedades terminales como el cáncer.
El segundo relato nos habla de la apuesta de la UE por una alimentación más segura y de calidad.
Conclusiones: El objetivo aquí estaba bastante claro: apostar por la independencia de recursos alimentarios en cada casa, cosa que está lejos de ser cierta, ya que pocos de nosotros podríamos vivir sin un supermercado al lado de nuestra casa.
Respecto a la investigación, sí creo que hemos llegado a reducir la cantidad de contaminantes y aditivos en los productos y hay una clara tendencia hacia un alimentación sostenible y de calidad.
Sin embargo, me ha faltado un enfoque hacia los movimientos sociales actuales como el (ovolacto-) vegetarianismo y veganismo, que promueven la disminución del volumen de carne que consumimos o incluso optar por no consumirla.
En el tercero de los relatos encontramos un futuro en el que los vehículos son eléctricos y autónomos.
La UE mira hacia un futuro en el que los coches hayan aprendido de los hábitos de conducción humanos y sean capaces de transportarnos sin necesidad de una persona que los dirija.
Conclusión: Aunque en los últimos años el dinero invertido en este área ha aumentado de forma exponencial, estamos realmente lejos de alcanzar el objetivo de tener unos vehículos autónomos.
En especial, la UE se ha centrado más en la promoción de vehículos híbridos y ecosostenibles. Es decir, ha cambiado el tratamiento que damos al CO2 emitido por los vehículos actuales, al transformarlo por ejemplo en Hidrógeno.
Sin embargo, no hemos conseguido darle un papel protagonista a los vehículos eléctricos, para acabar con el uso de gases contaminantes de la atmósfera en la conducción.
Y por último, el cuarto relato nos muestra cómo el cambio climático puede llegar a afectar a la agricultura, y hacer que lo que consideramos en la actualidad "alimentos básicos" se conviertan en escasos y preciados.
Aunque este relato muestre un futuro algo distópico, tiene algunos puntos interesantes.
Conclusiones: La UE invierte en una eficiente distribución del agua dulce y en la promoción del impacto positivo que supone un uso sostenible del agua disponible.
Asimismo, hay proyectos más ambiciosos, como pueden ser la fabricación de robots con materiales ignífugos que puedan ayudar en el rescate de personas durante incendios, así como el análisis y control de calidad del aire y del agujero de ozono existente en la Antártida.
Como visión global, ya de por sí la Unión Europea tiene muchos retos internos, debido a la fragmentación de mercados y las diferencias culturales entre los países miembros.
Por esta razón creo que este libro cumple su objetivo: informar sobre sus proyectos en forma de 4 pequeñas novelas que hacen referencia al dinero que invierte la UE en materias de investigación e innovación.
Como el autor nos cuenta al final del libro, Europa representa uno de los mayores mercados del mundo, pero invierte menos que otras potencias como EEUU y China en investigación y desarrollo.
Es por eso que, aunque en 2020 no se hayan alcanzado todos estos objetivos, considero importante mirar hacia un futuro sostenible, en el que seamos conscientes de que este planeta es nuestra primera casa.
En general puedo decir que el libro me ha hecho pensar que la UE apuesta por proyectos comunes a muchos países, que hemos avanzado con respecto a hace 10 años pero aún así que queda mucho por hacer.
Como curiosidad este libro fue distribuido gratuitamente en 2010 en una universidad española, específicamente en un stand relacionado con la Unión Europea que formaba parte de unas jornadas de recepción de estudiantes. Además, está disponible para descarga legal y gratuita en inglés en la "Publication Office of the European Union (op.europa.eu)".
---ENGLISH:
This is my first time being the first review of a book so I'll try to get this right.
This book was written in 2010 and, through 4 short stories, tries to explain some of the projects that the European Union (EU) has for the next 10 years.
That is why I consider it especially interesting to do this reading in 2020. Let's see together if those projects were too ambitious or if, on the contrary, they were realistic and achievable.
We can say that this review "contains spoilers" (or not). You decide whether to continue reading: I'm not going to gut the stories but I'll talk about projects to which they refer.
Well, if you have decided to continue reading it's because you want to know whether the projects have been achieved. So here we go:
The first story tells us about nanorobots and their use in the field of health, such as for the regeneration of tissues from inside the body and especially to find a cure for cancer and other diseases.
It explains how the EU is investing in health research with biological materials for the manufacture of sophisticated prostheses, as well as the treatment of degenerative diseases.
Conclusion: In recent years we have come a long way in the field of health. However, taking into account the current situation in 2020 (covid-19), the saturation of hospitals, the race against time to find a vaccine, etc., we can say that we are going in the right direction although there is still a long way to go. The clearest example is the arduous challenge of finding a cure for terminal diseases such as cancer.
The second story tells us about the EU's commitment to safer and quality food.
Conclusions: The objective here was quite clear: to bet on the independence of food resources in each house, which is far from being true, since few of us could live without a supermarket next to our house.
Regarding research, I do believe that we have managed to reduce the amount of additives in products and there is a clear trend towards sustainable and quality food.
However, I have lacked an approach towards current social movements such as vegetarianism and veganism, which promote the reduction of meat consumption or even choose not to consume it.
In the third story we find a future in which vehicles are electric and autonomous.
The EU looks to a day in which cars have learned from human driving habits and have become driverless.
Conclusion: Although in recent years the money invested in this area has increased exponentially, we are really far from reaching the goal of having autonomous vehicles.
In particular, the EU has focused more on promoting hybrid and eco-sustainable vehicles. In other words, the treatment we give to the CO2 emitted by current vehicles has changed, transforming it, for instance, into Hydrogen.
However, we have not managed to give a leading role to electric vehicles, to put an end on the use of polluting gases from the atmosphere in the field of driving.
And finally, the fourth story shows us how climate change can affect agriculture, and make what we consider today "staple foods" to become scarce and precious.
Although this story shows a somewhat dystopian future, it also has some interesting points.
Conclusions: The EU invests in an efficient distribution of fresh water and in promoting the positive impact of a sustainable use of available water.
Likewise, there are more ambitious projects, such as the manufacture of robots with fireproof materials that can help in the rescue of people during fires, as well as the analysis and control of air quality and the existing ozone hole in Antarctica.
As a global vision, the European Union already has many internal challenges, due to the market fragmentation and cultural differences between the member countries.
This is the reason why this book fulfills its objective: to inform about its projects in the form of 4 short novels that refer to the money that the EU invests in research and innovation.
As the author tells us at the end of the book, Europe represents one of the largest markets in the world, but invests less than other big Economies such as the US and China in research and development.
That is why, although all these objectives have not been achieved in 2020, I consider it important to look towards a sustainable future, in which we are aware that this planet is our first home.
In general, I can say that the book has made me think that the EU is committed to projects common to many countries, that we have made progress compared to 10 years ago but there is still much to do.
As a curiosity, this book was distributed free of charge in 2010 at a Spanish university, specifically at a student reception conference related to the European Union. Furthermore, it is available for legal and free download in English at the "Publication Office of the European Union (op.europa.eu)".
(Read in English)
---ESPAÑOL:
Esta es la primera vez que voy a ser la primera reseña de un libro así que voy a intentar hacerlo bien.
Este libro fue escrito en 2010 y, a través de 4 relatos cortos, trata de explicar algunos de los proyectos que tiene la Unión Europea (UE) para los siguientes 10 años.
Es por eso que considero especialmente interesante hacer esta lectura en 2020. Vamos a ver juntos si esos proyectos eran demasiado ambiciosos o si por el contrario eran realistas y alcanzables.
Podemos decir que esta reseña "contiene spoilers" (o no). Tú mismo decides si seguir leyendo: Yo no voy a destripar los relatos pero sí hablaré de proyectos a los cuáles hacen referencia.
Bien, si has decidido seguir leyendo es porque quieres saber si los proyectos han llegado a realizarse o no. Entonces allá vamos:
El primero de los relatos nos habla de los nanorobots y de su uso en el ámbito de la salud, como por ejemplo para la regeneración de tejidos desde el interior del cuerpo y sobre todo para encontrar la cura del cáncer y otras enfermedades.
Nos explica cómo la UE está invirtiendo en investigación para la salud con materiales biológicos para la fabricación de sofisticadas prótesis, así como el tratamiento de enfermedades degenerativas.
Conclusión: En los últimos años hemos avanzado mucho en el campo de la salud. Sin embargo, teniendo en cuenta la situación actual en 2020 (covid-19), la saturación de hospitales, la carrera a contrarreloj por encontrar una vacuna, etc., podemos decir que vamos en la buena dirección aunque quede mucho camino por recorrer. El ejemplo más claro es el arduo reto de encontrar la cura para enfermedades terminales como el cáncer.
El segundo relato nos habla de la apuesta de la UE por una alimentación más segura y de calidad.
Conclusiones: El objetivo aquí estaba bastante claro: apostar por la independencia de recursos alimentarios en cada casa, cosa que está lejos de ser cierta, ya que pocos de nosotros podríamos vivir sin un supermercado al lado de nuestra casa.
Respecto a la investigación, sí creo que hemos llegado a reducir la cantidad de contaminantes y aditivos en los productos y hay una clara tendencia hacia un alimentación sostenible y de calidad.
Sin embargo, me ha faltado un enfoque hacia los movimientos sociales actuales como el (ovolacto-) vegetarianismo y veganismo, que promueven la disminución del volumen de carne que consumimos o incluso optar por no consumirla.
En el tercero de los relatos encontramos un futuro en el que los vehículos son eléctricos y autónomos.
La UE mira hacia un futuro en el que los coches hayan aprendido de los hábitos de conducción humanos y sean capaces de transportarnos sin necesidad de una persona que los dirija.
Conclusión: Aunque en los últimos años el dinero invertido en este área ha aumentado de forma exponencial, estamos realmente lejos de alcanzar el objetivo de tener unos vehículos autónomos.
En especial, la UE se ha centrado más en la promoción de vehículos híbridos y ecosostenibles. Es decir, ha cambiado el tratamiento que damos al CO2 emitido por los vehículos actuales, al transformarlo por ejemplo en Hidrógeno.
Sin embargo, no hemos conseguido darle un papel protagonista a los vehículos eléctricos, para acabar con el uso de gases contaminantes de la atmósfera en la conducción.
Y por último, el cuarto relato nos muestra cómo el cambio climático puede llegar a afectar a la agricultura, y hacer que lo que consideramos en la actualidad "alimentos básicos" se conviertan en escasos y preciados.
Aunque este relato muestre un futuro algo distópico, tiene algunos puntos interesantes.
Conclusiones: La UE invierte en una eficiente distribución del agua dulce y en la promoción del impacto positivo que supone un uso sostenible del agua disponible.
Asimismo, hay proyectos más ambiciosos, como pueden ser la fabricación de robots con materiales ignífugos que puedan ayudar en el rescate de personas durante incendios, así como el análisis y control de calidad del aire y del agujero de ozono existente en la Antártida.
Como visión global, ya de por sí la Unión Europea tiene muchos retos internos, debido a la fragmentación de mercados y las diferencias culturales entre los países miembros.
Por esta razón creo que este libro cumple su objetivo: informar sobre sus proyectos en forma de 4 pequeñas novelas que hacen referencia al dinero que invierte la UE en materias de investigación e innovación.
Como el autor nos cuenta al final del libro, Europa representa uno de los mayores mercados del mundo, pero invierte menos que otras potencias como EEUU y China en investigación y desarrollo.
Es por eso que, aunque en 2020 no se hayan alcanzado todos estos objetivos, considero importante mirar hacia un futuro sostenible, en el que seamos conscientes de que este planeta es nuestra primera casa.
En general puedo decir que el libro me ha hecho pensar que la UE apuesta por proyectos comunes a muchos países, que hemos avanzado con respecto a hace 10 años pero aún así que queda mucho por hacer.
Como curiosidad este libro fue distribuido gratuitamente en 2010 en una universidad española, específicamente en un stand relacionado con la Unión Europea que formaba parte de unas jornadas de recepción de estudiantes. Además, está disponible para descarga legal y gratuita en inglés en la "Publication Office of the European Union (op.europa.eu)".
---ENGLISH:
This is my first time being the first review of a book so I'll try to get this right.
This book was written in 2010 and, through 4 short stories, tries to explain some of the projects that the European Union (EU) has for the next 10 years.
That is why I consider it especially interesting to do this reading in 2020. Let's see together if those projects were too ambitious or if, on the contrary, they were realistic and achievable.
We can say that this review "contains spoilers" (or not). You decide whether to continue reading: I'm not going to gut the stories but I'll talk about projects to which they refer.
Well, if you have decided to continue reading it's because you want to know whether the projects have been achieved. So here we go:
The first story tells us about nanorobots and their use in the field of health, such as for the regeneration of tissues from inside the body and especially to find a cure for cancer and other diseases.
It explains how the EU is investing in health research with biological materials for the manufacture of sophisticated prostheses, as well as the treatment of degenerative diseases.
Conclusion: In recent years we have come a long way in the field of health. However, taking into account the current situation in 2020 (covid-19), the saturation of hospitals, the race against time to find a vaccine, etc., we can say that we are going in the right direction although there is still a long way to go. The clearest example is the arduous challenge of finding a cure for terminal diseases such as cancer.
The second story tells us about the EU's commitment to safer and quality food.
Conclusions: The objective here was quite clear: to bet on the independence of food resources in each house, which is far from being true, since few of us could live without a supermarket next to our house.
Regarding research, I do believe that we have managed to reduce the amount of additives in products and there is a clear trend towards sustainable and quality food.
However, I have lacked an approach towards current social movements such as vegetarianism and veganism, which promote the reduction of meat consumption or even choose not to consume it.
In the third story we find a future in which vehicles are electric and autonomous.
The EU looks to a day in which cars have learned from human driving habits and have become driverless.
Conclusion: Although in recent years the money invested in this area has increased exponentially, we are really far from reaching the goal of having autonomous vehicles.
In particular, the EU has focused more on promoting hybrid and eco-sustainable vehicles. In other words, the treatment we give to the CO2 emitted by current vehicles has changed, transforming it, for instance, into Hydrogen.
However, we have not managed to give a leading role to electric vehicles, to put an end on the use of polluting gases from the atmosphere in the field of driving.
And finally, the fourth story shows us how climate change can affect agriculture, and make what we consider today "staple foods" to become scarce and precious.
Although this story shows a somewhat dystopian future, it also has some interesting points.
Conclusions: The EU invests in an efficient distribution of fresh water and in promoting the positive impact of a sustainable use of available water.
Likewise, there are more ambitious projects, such as the manufacture of robots with fireproof materials that can help in the rescue of people during fires, as well as the analysis and control of air quality and the existing ozone hole in Antarctica.
As a global vision, the European Union already has many internal challenges, due to the market fragmentation and cultural differences between the member countries.
This is the reason why this book fulfills its objective: to inform about its projects in the form of 4 short novels that refer to the money that the EU invests in research and innovation.
As the author tells us at the end of the book, Europe represents one of the largest markets in the world, but invests less than other big Economies such as the US and China in research and development.
That is why, although all these objectives have not been achieved in 2020, I consider it important to look towards a sustainable future, in which we are aware that this planet is our first home.
In general, I can say that the book has made me think that the EU is committed to projects common to many countries, that we have made progress compared to 10 years ago but there is still much to do.
As a curiosity, this book was distributed free of charge in 2010 at a Spanish university, specifically at a student reception conference related to the European Union. Furthermore, it is available for legal and free download in English at the "Publication Office of the European Union (op.europa.eu)".
(Read in English)
September 1, 2020
Billing's collection of short stories take place in 2020, and I thought it would be interesting to reflect on each story as a commentary on the technological advancements that have been made throughout the last decade, as well as the environmental problems that came with them.
Billing's predictions about technological advancements seem rather optimistic, but for me that is not a big issue - it is perfectly understandable considering the pace that we've been advancing our technology. Nobody criticizes "Back to the Future" for having flying cars in 2016!
Instead, my main issue with these short stories is the storytelling.
As an example, let's take the first story, "Hunting the Sun", a story about how nanobots save an action film actress's life from skin cancer. According to Billing, the main focus of this story was about cancer treatment, but somehow it did not stand out nearly as much as the main character's repeated demands about how the treatment should not damage her skin (does she prioritize her looks or her life?). I believe that a more interesting narrative could have been built upon the premise that more people are suffering now from skin cancer due to increased exposure to raw sunlight, but it is only mentioned in passing in the actual story. In addition to this, there is no real sense of urgency in the fact that Cindy (the actress) is dying from cancer; it's certainly not helped by her (rather selfish) demands about the treatment process, nor by Billing's descriptions of her in a bikini straddling an atomic bomb.
Moreover, the story cuts from scene to scene so frequently that it's difficult to follow a narrative; I think it would be much more dramatically effective if Billing just focused on one scene. Of course it is fine that the work is nothing like Hemingway's, but it would be nice as well if any of the characters were understandable or sympathetic people.
One last thing that I would like to point out, is that the ending, which in my opinion should be a kind of punchline or resolution to the story arc, does no such thing. Instead, it makes a trivial comment on how a young man tried to shoot Cindy for misunderstanding a scene in her film. It was just severely disappointing that in a scene where Billing could have driven the nail home, he instead hammered it somewhere completely irrelevant.
All of these things are prevalent throughout the entire collection; the stories move too fast, the reader remains unemphatic to all of the characters presented, and the narratives ultimately just miss the point.
However, this does not mean that these stories are unenjoyable by any means. Give it a read if you'd like a collection of sci-fi stories that are not too far fetched.
Billing's predictions about technological advancements seem rather optimistic, but for me that is not a big issue - it is perfectly understandable considering the pace that we've been advancing our technology. Nobody criticizes "Back to the Future" for having flying cars in 2016!
Instead, my main issue with these short stories is the storytelling.
As an example, let's take the first story, "Hunting the Sun", a story about how nanobots save an action film actress's life from skin cancer. According to Billing, the main focus of this story was about cancer treatment, but somehow it did not stand out nearly as much as the main character's repeated demands about how the treatment should not damage her skin (does she prioritize her looks or her life?). I believe that a more interesting narrative could have been built upon the premise that more people are suffering now from skin cancer due to increased exposure to raw sunlight, but it is only mentioned in passing in the actual story. In addition to this, there is no real sense of urgency in the fact that Cindy (the actress) is dying from cancer; it's certainly not helped by her (rather selfish) demands about the treatment process, nor by Billing's descriptions of her in a bikini straddling an atomic bomb.
Moreover, the story cuts from scene to scene so frequently that it's difficult to follow a narrative; I think it would be much more dramatically effective if Billing just focused on one scene. Of course it is fine that the work is nothing like Hemingway's, but it would be nice as well if any of the characters were understandable or sympathetic people.
One last thing that I would like to point out, is that the ending, which in my opinion should be a kind of punchline or resolution to the story arc, does no such thing. Instead, it makes a trivial comment on how a young man tried to shoot Cindy for misunderstanding a scene in her film. It was just severely disappointing that in a scene where Billing could have driven the nail home, he instead hammered it somewhere completely irrelevant.
All of these things are prevalent throughout the entire collection; the stories move too fast, the reader remains unemphatic to all of the characters presented, and the narratives ultimately just miss the point.
However, this does not mean that these stories are unenjoyable by any means. Give it a read if you'd like a collection of sci-fi stories that are not too far fetched.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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