Flash Forward

Synopsis: Collaboratively compiled and co-edited by environmental scientists Nora Savage and Anita Street, "Flash Forward: A Series of Futuristic Vignettes" contains ten fascinating vignettes by experts in the field that depict future societies and the implications which increasing technological change has on society and the environment. The topics discussed include nanotechnology, medicine, computational science, biotechnology, synthetic biology, and cognitive technology, among others in science. In addition, social norms, attitudes, and policy are also featured. The upshot of this combination is an entertaining, educational, and thought-provoking volume of science based extrapolations.

The glimpses into future societies subsequent to the introduction and incorporation of various emerging technologies depict scenarios of how we view ourselves, how we view others, how we are viewed by others, how our surroundings are viewed, how our leaders and political structures are viewed, what our social and behavioral norms are, what our temperament/mood is, and so forth. The introduction features a focused discourse on current trends of the impacts of emerging technologies and the conclusion highlights where society should go from here.

Critique: Thoroughly 'reader friendly' in tone, commentary, organization and presentation, "Flash Forward: A Series of Futuristic Vignettes" is an informative, thought-provoking, compelling read and will prove to be a critically important addition to both community and academic library collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of students and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Flash Forward: A Series of Futuristic Vignettes" is also available in a Kindle format.

– Susan Bethany, Reviewer’s Bookshelf Magazine

Synopsis: Collaboratively compiled and co-edited by environmental scientists Nora Savage and Anita Street, "Flash Forward: A Series of Futuristic Vignettes" contains ten fascinating vignettes by experts in the field that depict future societies and the implications which increasing technological change has on society and the environment. The topics discussed include nanotechnology, medicine, computational science, biotechnology, synthetic biology, and cognitive technology, among others in science. In addition, social norms, attitudes, and policy are also featured. The upshot of this combination is an entertaining, educational, and thought-provoking volume of science based extrapolations.

The glimpses into future societies subsequent to the introduction and incorporation of various emerging technologies depict scenarios of how we view ourselves, how we view others, how we are viewed by others, how our surroundings are viewed, how our leaders and political structures are viewed, what our social and behavioral norms are, what our temperament/mood is, and so forth. The introduction features a focused discourse on current trends of the impacts of emerging technologies and the conclusion highlights where society should go from here.

Critique: Thoroughly 'reader friendly' in tone, commentary, organization and presentation, "Flash Forward: A Series of Futuristic Vignettes" is an informative, thought-provoking, compelling read and will prove to be a critically important addition to both community and academic library collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of students and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Flash Forward: A Series of Futuristic Vignettes" is also available in a Kindle format.

– Susan Bethany, Reviewer’s Bookshelf Magazine