Bud Sparhawk writes to tell us of the most recent SIGMA outing. (Sigma is a group of future-thinking science fiction authors, organized by Arlan Andrews, who serve as a think-tank to advise the US government on formerly unthinkable possibilities.):
Arlan Andrews and six other members [Mark O’Green, Yoji Kondo, Jerry Pournelle, Michael Swanwick, Bud Sparhawk, and Walter Jon Williams] of Sigma, a science fiction think tank providing pro bono futurism insights to government agencies and others, were invited to attend the emerging technology World’s Best Technologies (WBT) showcase in Dallas, Texas, on March 16-17, 2010. Over the course of the two-day showcase, Sigma members interviewed emerging technology inventors, developers, and supporters, and inspected the latest and best technologies being developed. They also sat in on numerous six-minute presentations on the new technologies, their potential markets, and the amount of funding necessary to bring them to market within a two- to five-year window.
At the conclusion of the presentations and exhibits, Sigma members presented their views of what they had observed at a one-hour panel discussion attended by nearly half of the conference attendees. Later, Sigma founder Andrews provided the after-dinner keynote speech, “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Future.” During his talk, he introduced works by Sigma members, covered a brief history of science fiction, and explained how the present, which was the future at one time, turned out differently than expected, even if some of the features were accurately predicted. In both cases the Sigmans tried to convey how SF writers think about the future and the results of technological application. The relevance to new entrepreneurs is that imaginative science fictional thinking will help them prepare for whatever events and technologies the future holds.
The WBT Conference is an annual gathering where preselected emerging, but unfunded, technologies and innovations are showcased to venture capitalists, technology transfer organizations, and other sources of both technology support and capital provision. At this year’s conference, devices employing technologies at the nanometer range (1-100nm scales) were prevalent, as well as a variety of medical, security, and translation devices.
Related articles previously published on SFScope:
Sigma’s efforts now in a glossy document, presented at WorldCon (13 August 2008)
Greg Bear on The Daily Show (22 June 2007)