Since I (Mr. Dimantha Polwatte) was a child, I was amazed and was haunted by science fiction.
I used to read Sinhala translations of science fiction written by western English writers.
I was also able to read a Sinhala translation of a collection of short stories by Mr. Arthur C. Clarke (A.C.C.) himself. It was purchased to me by my father. (Mr. Prasad Polwatte)
During the time of 2007 after General Certificate Examination (G.C.E.) Ordinary Level (O/L) one of my cousin brother from my mother's side (Mr. Rajith Munasinghe) gave me "Rendezvous with Rama (1973)" to be read during the holidays after the examinations. Mr. Rajith himself is a big fan of Science fiction and English literature. The book was so tough and hard science fiction for me. But I read it anyway. And then I asked for "Rama II (1989)" from him as well to continue with the series. This, however, was not focused, precise and brilliant as the predecessor. Maybe because it was written as a collaboration with Mr. Gentry Lee.
Then after 3 months, I have received my results and it was evident that I have got through my G.C.E. O/L examinations with good results, leading my cousin brother (Mr. Rajith) to purchase me "The Garden of Rama (1991)". It was also a collaboration between Mr. Clarke and Mr. Lee. I read it for the pure joy, commitment, and curiosity of reading an A.C.C. science fiction.
And eventually, after 2010 I got myself the fourth installment of the book, "Rama revealed (1993)" using "eBay" to be sent to our home at Gampaha. In the end, Mr. Clarke and Mr. Lee close the story paying homage to the "RAMA quadrilogy" and it's characters.
And as time goes by at the end of 2017, I am a graduate, a half qualified banker of the Institute of Bankers of Sri Lanka (IBSL) and a member of Accounting Technicians of Sri Lanka (AATSL).
And also I was working as a trainee auditor at KPMG: Sri Lanka.
Anyway my elder brother Mr.Avantha, who is a big fan of "The Geek Club of Sri Lanka" mentioned to me that on 16th December 2017 there is an "Arthur C. Clarke Centennial Celebration" organized by The Geek Club of Sri Lanka at Calcey Technologies, Maradana, Colombo.
Me, my elder brother Mr. Avantha and my father Mr. Prasad decided to spend half our Saturday (16th) on this event. My brother invited our cousin brother (Mr. Rajith) also but, now since he's a lecturer at the University of Colombo, entrepreneur and a family man he was too busy to attend.
Before explaining the event which was an amazing experience and a brilliantly executed occasion, I must discuss the character Mr. Arthur C. Clarke briefly.
Sir Arthur Charles Clarke, CBE, FRAS (16 December 1917 - 19 March 2008) was a British Science Fiction writer and futurist, inventor, undersea explorer, and television series host.
He is famous for being a co-writer of the screenplay for the 1968 film "2001: A Space Odyssey", widely considered to be one of the most influential films of all time.
Clarke was a lifelong proponent of space travel. In 1934, while still a teenager, he joined the British Interplanetary Society.
Clarke emigrated from England to Sri Lanka (formerly Ceylon) in 1956, largely to pursue his interest in scuba diving. (wikipedia.com)
This occasion basically celebrated Arthur C. Clarke's 100th year anniversary of his birthday.
In a sense, the meaning of the word "centennial celebration" will be described as the "one hundred years" anniversary of a person or any occasion.
"The Geek Club of Sri Lanka" was able to gather the following resource persons to the event to make their contributions.
01. "Introduction to the event" by Mr. Naveen Weeraratne ( 10.00 A.M. to 10.30 A.M.)
02. "Forecasting the future in stories" by Mr. Terry Mixon and Mr. Paul Cooley ( 10.30 A.M. to 11.30 A.M)
03. "Silver Coin wreck at Great Basses Reef" by Doctor Kavan Ranathunga ( 11.30 A.M. to 12.05 P.M.)
04. "A.C.C.'s predictions for Global Positioning System (GPS) and Global Communication and how we use them now." by Mr. Sriganesh Lokanathan ( 12.10 A.M. to 12.45 P.M.)
05. "Economics and politics of the future" by Mr. Chris Dharmakirti
06. "The Ghost of HAL: Artificial Intelligence then, now and tomorrow" by Mr. Yudanjaya Wijeratne
07. "Big data in astronomy" by Mr. Thilina Heenatigala
08. "Educating with water Rockets" by Mr. Milan Perera and Mr. Yuneth Wijenayake
Due to our personal commitments, I and my family members were only able to participate in the first 04 sessions whose names are given above.
01. "Introduction to the event" by Mr. Naveen Weeraratne ( 10.00 A.M. to 10.30 A.M.)
The event started with an introduction from Mr. Naveen Weeraratne.
Mr. Naveen Weeraratne is a Lanka Comic Con trustee, Lanka comic con was founded by members of "The Geek Club of Sri Lanka".
It is now managed by the Sri Lanka Comic-con trust, a non-profit, for the benefit of Sri Lanka's Geek Community.
He is a miniature painter, living in Sri Lanka. And also a renowned science fiction writer.
He wrote "The Hundred Gram Mission", "Burning Eagle", "Planet 9 (The Last stories of Humankind: Book 01)" and "The Ice Moon explorer".
He started his introduction around 10.00 a.m. and it went on till 10.30 a.m.
He discussed how "Arthur C. Clarke" impacted technology, modern lifestyle, science fiction literature and the disruption (In the business sense - https://www.tonyrobbins.com/career-business/what-disruption-really-means/) for future scientific innovations.
Then the first two speakers from the United States of America (USA) were about to be connected using Skype.
02. "Forecasting the future in stories" by Mr. Terry Mixon and Mr. Paul Cooley ( 10.30 A.M. to 11.30 A.M)
They were "Terry Mixon" and "Paul Cooley". It was 3 AM in the morning at the United States of America (USA) when we tried to connect with them on Skype.
Terry Mixon (born November 2, 1964) is an American science fiction author. He is the author of the "Empire of Bones" and the "Humanity Unlimited" series, as well as other works, and short stories. His work has appeared in several anthologies.
Mixon served as a non-commissioned officer in the United States Army 101st Airborne Division. He also works alongside the flight controllers at the NASA Johnson space center.
Mixon is a science fiction genre podcaster and co-host of the "Dead Robots Society" podcast. He is a proponent of authors releasing their work independent of traditional publishers, and advocates for the 'indie' model of book distribution regularly on the "Dead Robots Society" podcast and in interviews.
In 2014, Mixon released the first book in the "Empire of Bones series: Empire of Bones". (Wikipedia.com)
"Paul E. Cooley" or "Paul Elard Cooley" is an American contemporary speculative fiction writer, prolific podcaster and systems administrator from Houston, Texas.
Cooley has been writing since the age of 12 years old. In 2009, he began producing "free" psychological thriller and horror podcasts, essays and reviews available from "shadowpublications.com" and in "iTunes".
Cooley is the author of a number of series of stories (many interconnected) including his 'fiends Tales', 'Garaga's children', 'Tony Downs', 'The Street' series and 'The Black' published by "severed Press". He has also co-written an episode of "Scott Sigler", "The Crypt" audio anthology series as well as the novella, 'The Rider' set in Sigler's GFL universe. (To be released.)
Cooley's work has been published by "Severed Press", via Blue Moose press, e-published by Dark Overload Media and self-published. Many works of fiction are also available as digital audio downloads in podcast forms.
Cooley Co-hosts the "Dead Robots Society" podcast, a weekly roundtable discussion podcast examining issues related to writing with a speculative fiction focus and has lent his voice talent to many "podcast fiction productions." (Wikipedia.com)
During the initiation, the organizers had disturbances at the event due to technical issues. It was said from both sides. (Sri Lanka and the United States)
The two Sci-fi writers were told that there are "Sri Lankan Sci-fi fans" present so to maintain a connection throughout.
Paul Cooley was trying to link Terry also into the discussion using chat software separately.
This initiation was quite interesting.
Like when you learn "the theory or a model" it's just a few steps, but in implementation, there are "inherent and unforeseen" situations to face.
It took "1/2 hours" to get the connection among the two (02) ends of the forum to get the communication running.
In the initiation, Terry Mixon and Paul E. Cooley discussed the internet and its disruption.
Mr. Terry says that science fiction has not changed currently comparatively to Arthur C. Clarke's time.
Both the writers Mr. Terry and Mr. Paul reflected on the role of Sci-fi in literature and society.
According to them, science fiction is more like an alternate reality because they did not actually happen as per the predicted timeline parallelly to reality.
It is more like a "What if.." analysis.
Mr. Paul said RAMA is an inspiration to the "interstellar traveling" and for "space travel sci-fi fans".
Terry believes in Sci-fi as an optimistic perspective of humanity's future.
He believes that as per the commentary, Sci-fi writer tries to create in the book is just another aspect or another reality but the writer has characters and fiction and then it's still literature. Therefore it does not require to be highly accurate.
Paul is a "space" opera writer. He says he doesn't try to discuss current social issues in his writings. Therefore predictions and their accuracy will always be doubtful.
Terry believes in the future to be linked with Sci-fi to find social issues and problems to be mitigated. He thinks literature, especially sci-fi as a reflection of the thought process of people of the relevant field.
Then they discussed Arthur C. Clarke and his role in science fiction.
Paul said that Arthur C. Clarke wrote things that are crazy that's seemed impossible. He also discussed "Dick Tracy" and his vision of mobile phones and watches.
Terry believes Arthur C. Clarke was ecstatic.
Both were asked whether science fiction an Art?
They justified it as "yes".
They discussed the 2000 series of Mr. A.C.C.
Paul believes it's really good "hard" science fiction.
Terry says it's shocking that the fact of how endless can be human curiosity and imagination. And he sensed it in "2001" and "2010".
Terry quoted "2010" during the discussion.
He mentioned what makes A.C.C. great is "The conflict of terror" and also the wonder in the endless findings in the present to the reader from the universe.
By 10.40 AM, there was an issue in technology.
- Navin started with a question..........
Question number 01.
Hard Sci-fi is in a decline in demand in "Amazon.com". Does the cyberpunk and dystopian Sci-fi are taking a positive turn against it?
Paul -> It's just a little decline. Classic will never decline. It's like a valley.
Terry -> Steampunk was like a phase. I still consider there is good hard Sci-fi to be read.
Again another system breakdown occurred and during this breakdown, Terry and Paul were having fun during this period making jokes.
Question No. 02.
Dystopian future.... why always dark? Can it be a mixture?
Paul - Dystopian future. I don't know. It's being famous for the last 10 years as Sci-fi literature.
Terry - OK. It could be worse. Authors of the '50s and '60s were exposed to the cold war and therefore that impact in Sci-fi has made dystopian literature famous.
Dystopian Sci-fi is like a boogeyman that you do not find in real life.
Question No. 03.
The 3rd question was a history and its link to science fiction.
To answer this question Terry and Paul went into discussing ancient mythologies like Atlantis and mysteries of Pyramids.
Paul discussed the series he writes, 'Black'. According to him, it's all about the universe.
Terry and Paul were having fun discussing people of times related to "Flat earth" and "Rocket Man" concepts.
They were making fun of the "Rocket Man".
Terry pointed out the fact of how civilizations killed themselves and by using Sci-fi. They can find solutions to avoid the same mistakes.
Question No. 04
The 04th Question was about a world where nothing ever happens?
This question created a problem among the two writers.... they asked for specifics from the audience.
Then they created an assumption that what the audience was asking is a society where the human cannot make an impact on the world.
Question No. 05
05th Question was about the "civilization and use of power." [Sustainability]
Paul believes it requires a uniform culture. And that it will never happen.
He said to sacrifice the using of the internet in daily life.
He said it's evident that the earth's requirement of power will not be sufficient.
He says there should be more innovations in the middle before this point.
Terry says that a new power source is highly required with the current demand and also he mentions the use of solar power in Europe. And also he requested to reevaluate the perspective on power.
Question No. 06
Is AI (Artificial Intelligence) the solution to all the problems in the world?
Paul - AI is not the solution. It will create more problems. I can't imagine. It will be the end of it.
Terry - As a race, human beings are hideous. He believes AI will follow us. And in that case, it is dangerous, the relationship with humans.
Both were asked by the audience about a sanctioned AI.
A Base AI.
And then he mentioned if this becomes corrupted the whole base of ethics will be destruction.
Therefore humans should be evolved and be a step ahead.
Question No. 07
Is Sci-fi behind modern science?
Paul - Yes. Sci-fi is not a disruptor. It should be enjoyable. Therefore it will be more unbelievable and too futuristic.
Terry - I believe Sci-fi is a forecaster. He believes that trends need to be followed. " Jurrasic Park" basic concept was correct.
I'm learning about "Kuiper Belt." (Related to the solar system)
Paul and Terry agree that Sci-fi is ahead.
Question no. 08
What will power the machinery in the future?
Paul's predictions
01. Anti-matter
02. Pulling energy from alternate dimensions
Terry's predictions
01. Collapsing molecules
Don't go deep in sci-fi predictions. Just give baby steps. Scientists will work on it. Anyway, I'll be wrong.
And the first session was over, Paul and Terry said good luck and said to have a wonderful centennial of A.C.C.
03. "Silver Coin wreck at Great Basses Reef" by Doctor Kavan Ranathunga ( 11.30 A.M. to 12.05 P.M.)
The next session was conducted by Mr. Kavan Ratnatunga.
He was the president of the Sri Lanka Astronomical society in 2011.
This session was started at 11.30 AM and it ended at 12.05 PM.
Dr. Kavan named this session, "The treasure of the great basses reef".
Dr. Kavan discusses the ACC and his predictions of satellites and how it changed the whole perceptions of science.
ACC loved diving and swimming.
He sensed the weightlessness which the speaker mentions that it was a great experience like in space when diving.
Mike Wilson a collaborator of ACC, made a photographic journey into the Great Basses Reef. This is called the 'great basses reef lighthouse', which is an offshore lighthouse in the south of Sri Lanka Ports Authority. It is located on a reef 13 KM off the coast of Yala national park. (Wikipedia.com)
In 1963 March 22nd they found a treasure initiating maritime archaeology for the first time in Sri Lanka.
This treasure was kept under the sea as per Dr. Kavan. He said it was "Indian Surat Rupee" which was sunk in 1701.
It was called the "Treasure of Taj Mahal" because this ship was sunk during the period of King Aurangzeb, a son of "Shah-Jahan", the creator of "Taj Mahal" of Agra, India.
Once it was found ACC gifted the coins to the Smithsonian in the USA and also to the historical archives of the United Kingdom (UK).
Dr. Kavan said that he struggled to get back the lumps that were leftover by ACC but it was impossible. He believes it's the "government" or "UNESCO" who needs to initiate on this matter.
Dr. Kavan was a very good friend of Mr. ACC since his days in Sri Lanka.
"HAL 9000", the AI robot played in 2000 series was added to "Robot: Hall of fame" in 2003. Dr. Kavan was fortunate to attend the event where he met actors who played "R2D2" and "C3PO", who also received the same status.
Dr. Kavan and his son's "Question & Answer" session with ACC was also shown. (A pre-prepared video was played during the session.)
01. Technology's role in lowering the gap of rich and poor?
Equipment becomes cheaper making affordable manufacturing.
02. Intellectual property
In a market-driven economy, motivation is based on monetary value.
03. Worst case scenario of a computer
Time spent on email or mostly in front of the screen.
04. Leisure, science, and work
Information communication technology has eased work making people more ambitious.
05. "The time machine by H.G. Wells" and its impact
Not among species but among machines.
06. What is the next stage after Machinery?
The universe is infinite.
A virtual reality. (Like in the film "Matrix")
People will become potatoes.
07. God Vs. Science
Man created the machine. Now there is a god.
And with that Mr. Kavan Ranatunga's lecture on the session came to a closure.
04. "A.C.C.'s predictions for Global Positioning System (GPS) and Global Communication and how we use them now." by Mr. Sriganesh Lokanathan ( 12.10 A.M. to 12.45 P.M.)
Session 04 was conducted by Mr. Sriganesh Lokanathan.
Mr. Sriganesh's session started at 12.10 PM and it ended at 12.45 PM.
He was an expert in ICT policy regulation and also a policymaker in the current Megapolis - Colombo project.
In the initiation, Mr. Sriganesh said that he was used to future gaze.
He said that he loved ACC and Asimov in his youth.
Mr. Lokanathan, in summary, explained the use of "GPS" as a tool for big data to understand the movement of consumers and people. He uses the movement of mobiles and accordingly use it to transportation policy, service provision policy and study how dengue and other viral flues being spread among people.
from 12.45 PM onwards there was a question and answer session among him and the audience.
Q01 - He stated that Mass surveillance is not an aspect of GPS. It is not highly required to do this. But with the use of higher regulation, Mass surveillance may provide an answer.
Snowden and wikileaks.com are definitive moments of mass surveillance.
Q02 - Dr. Kavan asked the concepts of GPS and it's linked with related to satellites?
Then Mr. Lokanathan justified that it was the initiation of the concept of GPS and therefore it may contain errors.
Q03 - Personal Credit Rating System is not good. And I'm happy it is happening in China so I could learn that it is bad and it will lead to danger and so I can avoid in such policy implementation in Sri Lanka.
The last question of the session among Mr. Lokanathan and Mr. Kavan was about the negatives of mass surveillance.
What Mr. Lokanathan suggested was that social groups and pressure groups in society has a big role in fighting against mass surveillance.
And after that, they offered a small beverage and a treat as lunch for every participant which later continued to a break.
We left the event after that, where we arrived at the home in Gampaha around 2 PM.
Overall it was an amazing event that allowed a great deal of science fiction and geeky stuff to be discussed among the ACC fans and also to celebrate a great Sci-fi writer's centennial celebration.
To end this writing I would like to add a small observation and a review I made on the RAMA quadrilogy. (1973 - 1993) Since it's been 8 years after reading the four books and I may not remember this sci-fi as well as I use to remember so there may be errors or misconceptions.
RAMA from the first book to the fourth is filled with endless curiosity and amazement of the universe. It's something you would enjoy if you read it with patience where it will take you to places you have never been to. A really good sci-fi quadrilogy enabling readers to experience a whole new perspective on humanity and the future.
Take your time and read.
Overall - 3.5/5
I used to read Sinhala translations of science fiction written by western English writers.
I was also able to read a Sinhala translation of a collection of short stories by Mr. Arthur C. Clarke (A.C.C.) himself. It was purchased to me by my father. (Mr. Prasad Polwatte)
During the time of 2007 after General Certificate Examination (G.C.E.) Ordinary Level (O/L) one of my cousin brother from my mother's side (Mr. Rajith Munasinghe) gave me "Rendezvous with Rama (1973)" to be read during the holidays after the examinations. Mr. Rajith himself is a big fan of Science fiction and English literature. The book was so tough and hard science fiction for me. But I read it anyway. And then I asked for "Rama II (1989)" from him as well to continue with the series. This, however, was not focused, precise and brilliant as the predecessor. Maybe because it was written as a collaboration with Mr. Gentry Lee.
Then after 3 months, I have received my results and it was evident that I have got through my G.C.E. O/L examinations with good results, leading my cousin brother (Mr. Rajith) to purchase me "The Garden of Rama (1991)". It was also a collaboration between Mr. Clarke and Mr. Lee. I read it for the pure joy, commitment, and curiosity of reading an A.C.C. science fiction.
And eventually, after 2010 I got myself the fourth installment of the book, "Rama revealed (1993)" using "eBay" to be sent to our home at Gampaha. In the end, Mr. Clarke and Mr. Lee close the story paying homage to the "RAMA quadrilogy" and it's characters.
And as time goes by at the end of 2017, I am a graduate, a half qualified banker of the Institute of Bankers of Sri Lanka (IBSL) and a member of Accounting Technicians of Sri Lanka (AATSL).
And also I was working as a trainee auditor at KPMG: Sri Lanka.
Anyway my elder brother Mr.Avantha, who is a big fan of "The Geek Club of Sri Lanka" mentioned to me that on 16th December 2017 there is an "Arthur C. Clarke Centennial Celebration" organized by The Geek Club of Sri Lanka at Calcey Technologies, Maradana, Colombo.
Me, my elder brother Mr. Avantha and my father Mr. Prasad decided to spend half our Saturday (16th) on this event. My brother invited our cousin brother (Mr. Rajith) also but, now since he's a lecturer at the University of Colombo, entrepreneur and a family man he was too busy to attend.
Before explaining the event which was an amazing experience and a brilliantly executed occasion, I must discuss the character Mr. Arthur C. Clarke briefly.
Sir Arthur Charles Clarke, CBE, FRAS (16 December 1917 - 19 March 2008) was a British Science Fiction writer and futurist, inventor, undersea explorer, and television series host.
He is famous for being a co-writer of the screenplay for the 1968 film "2001: A Space Odyssey", widely considered to be one of the most influential films of all time.
Clarke was a lifelong proponent of space travel. In 1934, while still a teenager, he joined the British Interplanetary Society.
Clarke emigrated from England to Sri Lanka (formerly Ceylon) in 1956, largely to pursue his interest in scuba diving. (wikipedia.com)
This occasion basically celebrated Arthur C. Clarke's 100th year anniversary of his birthday.
In a sense, the meaning of the word "centennial celebration" will be described as the "one hundred years" anniversary of a person or any occasion.
"The Geek Club of Sri Lanka" was able to gather the following resource persons to the event to make their contributions.
01. "Introduction to the event" by Mr. Naveen Weeraratne ( 10.00 A.M. to 10.30 A.M.)
02. "Forecasting the future in stories" by Mr. Terry Mixon and Mr. Paul Cooley ( 10.30 A.M. to 11.30 A.M)
03. "Silver Coin wreck at Great Basses Reef" by Doctor Kavan Ranathunga ( 11.30 A.M. to 12.05 P.M.)
04. "A.C.C.'s predictions for Global Positioning System (GPS) and Global Communication and how we use them now." by Mr. Sriganesh Lokanathan ( 12.10 A.M. to 12.45 P.M.)
05. "Economics and politics of the future" by Mr. Chris Dharmakirti
06. "The Ghost of HAL: Artificial Intelligence then, now and tomorrow" by Mr. Yudanjaya Wijeratne
07. "Big data in astronomy" by Mr. Thilina Heenatigala
08. "Educating with water Rockets" by Mr. Milan Perera and Mr. Yuneth Wijenayake
Due to our personal commitments, I and my family members were only able to participate in the first 04 sessions whose names are given above.
01. "Introduction to the event" by Mr. Naveen Weeraratne ( 10.00 A.M. to 10.30 A.M.)
The event started with an introduction from Mr. Naveen Weeraratne.
Mr. Naveen Weeraratne is a Lanka Comic Con trustee, Lanka comic con was founded by members of "The Geek Club of Sri Lanka".
It is now managed by the Sri Lanka Comic-con trust, a non-profit, for the benefit of Sri Lanka's Geek Community.
He is a miniature painter, living in Sri Lanka. And also a renowned science fiction writer.
He wrote "The Hundred Gram Mission", "Burning Eagle", "Planet 9 (The Last stories of Humankind: Book 01)" and "The Ice Moon explorer".
He started his introduction around 10.00 a.m. and it went on till 10.30 a.m.
He discussed how "Arthur C. Clarke" impacted technology, modern lifestyle, science fiction literature and the disruption (In the business sense - https://www.tonyrobbins.com/career-business/what-disruption-really-means/) for future scientific innovations.
Then the first two speakers from the United States of America (USA) were about to be connected using Skype.
02. "Forecasting the future in stories" by Mr. Terry Mixon and Mr. Paul Cooley ( 10.30 A.M. to 11.30 A.M)
They were "Terry Mixon" and "Paul Cooley". It was 3 AM in the morning at the United States of America (USA) when we tried to connect with them on Skype.
Terry Mixon (born November 2, 1964) is an American science fiction author. He is the author of the "Empire of Bones" and the "Humanity Unlimited" series, as well as other works, and short stories. His work has appeared in several anthologies.
Mixon served as a non-commissioned officer in the United States Army 101st Airborne Division. He also works alongside the flight controllers at the NASA Johnson space center.
Mixon is a science fiction genre podcaster and co-host of the "Dead Robots Society" podcast. He is a proponent of authors releasing their work independent of traditional publishers, and advocates for the 'indie' model of book distribution regularly on the "Dead Robots Society" podcast and in interviews.
In 2014, Mixon released the first book in the "Empire of Bones series: Empire of Bones". (Wikipedia.com)
"Paul E. Cooley" or "Paul Elard Cooley" is an American contemporary speculative fiction writer, prolific podcaster and systems administrator from Houston, Texas.
Cooley has been writing since the age of 12 years old. In 2009, he began producing "free" psychological thriller and horror podcasts, essays and reviews available from "shadowpublications.com" and in "iTunes".
Cooley is the author of a number of series of stories (many interconnected) including his 'fiends Tales', 'Garaga's children', 'Tony Downs', 'The Street' series and 'The Black' published by "severed Press". He has also co-written an episode of "Scott Sigler", "The Crypt" audio anthology series as well as the novella, 'The Rider' set in Sigler's GFL universe. (To be released.)
Cooley's work has been published by "Severed Press", via Blue Moose press, e-published by Dark Overload Media and self-published. Many works of fiction are also available as digital audio downloads in podcast forms.
Cooley Co-hosts the "Dead Robots Society" podcast, a weekly roundtable discussion podcast examining issues related to writing with a speculative fiction focus and has lent his voice talent to many "podcast fiction productions." (Wikipedia.com)
During the initiation, the organizers had disturbances at the event due to technical issues. It was said from both sides. (Sri Lanka and the United States)
The two Sci-fi writers were told that there are "Sri Lankan Sci-fi fans" present so to maintain a connection throughout.
Paul Cooley was trying to link Terry also into the discussion using chat software separately.
This initiation was quite interesting.
Like when you learn "the theory or a model" it's just a few steps, but in implementation, there are "inherent and unforeseen" situations to face.
It took "1/2 hours" to get the connection among the two (02) ends of the forum to get the communication running.
In the initiation, Terry Mixon and Paul E. Cooley discussed the internet and its disruption.
Mr. Terry says that science fiction has not changed currently comparatively to Arthur C. Clarke's time.
Both the writers Mr. Terry and Mr. Paul reflected on the role of Sci-fi in literature and society.
According to them, science fiction is more like an alternate reality because they did not actually happen as per the predicted timeline parallelly to reality.
It is more like a "What if.." analysis.
Mr. Paul said RAMA is an inspiration to the "interstellar traveling" and for "space travel sci-fi fans".
Terry believes in Sci-fi as an optimistic perspective of humanity's future.
He believes that as per the commentary, Sci-fi writer tries to create in the book is just another aspect or another reality but the writer has characters and fiction and then it's still literature. Therefore it does not require to be highly accurate.
Paul is a "space" opera writer. He says he doesn't try to discuss current social issues in his writings. Therefore predictions and their accuracy will always be doubtful.
Terry believes in the future to be linked with Sci-fi to find social issues and problems to be mitigated. He thinks literature, especially sci-fi as a reflection of the thought process of people of the relevant field.
Then they discussed Arthur C. Clarke and his role in science fiction.
Paul said that Arthur C. Clarke wrote things that are crazy that's seemed impossible. He also discussed "Dick Tracy" and his vision of mobile phones and watches.
Terry believes Arthur C. Clarke was ecstatic.
Both were asked whether science fiction an Art?
They justified it as "yes".
They discussed the 2000 series of Mr. A.C.C.
Paul believes it's really good "hard" science fiction.
Terry says it's shocking that the fact of how endless can be human curiosity and imagination. And he sensed it in "2001" and "2010".
Terry quoted "2010" during the discussion.
He mentioned what makes A.C.C. great is "The conflict of terror" and also the wonder in the endless findings in the present to the reader from the universe.
By 10.40 AM, there was an issue in technology.
- Navin started with a question..........
Question number 01.
Hard Sci-fi is in a decline in demand in "Amazon.com". Does the cyberpunk and dystopian Sci-fi are taking a positive turn against it?
Paul -> It's just a little decline. Classic will never decline. It's like a valley.
Terry -> Steampunk was like a phase. I still consider there is good hard Sci-fi to be read.
Again another system breakdown occurred and during this breakdown, Terry and Paul were having fun during this period making jokes.
Question No. 02.
Dystopian future.... why always dark? Can it be a mixture?
Paul - Dystopian future. I don't know. It's being famous for the last 10 years as Sci-fi literature.
Terry - OK. It could be worse. Authors of the '50s and '60s were exposed to the cold war and therefore that impact in Sci-fi has made dystopian literature famous.
Dystopian Sci-fi is like a boogeyman that you do not find in real life.
Question No. 03.
The 3rd question was a history and its link to science fiction.
To answer this question Terry and Paul went into discussing ancient mythologies like Atlantis and mysteries of Pyramids.
Paul discussed the series he writes, 'Black'. According to him, it's all about the universe.
Terry and Paul were having fun discussing people of times related to "Flat earth" and "Rocket Man" concepts.
They were making fun of the "Rocket Man".
Terry pointed out the fact of how civilizations killed themselves and by using Sci-fi. They can find solutions to avoid the same mistakes.
Question No. 04
The 04th Question was about a world where nothing ever happens?
This question created a problem among the two writers.... they asked for specifics from the audience.
Then they created an assumption that what the audience was asking is a society where the human cannot make an impact on the world.
Question No. 05
05th Question was about the "civilization and use of power." [Sustainability]
Paul believes it requires a uniform culture. And that it will never happen.
He said to sacrifice the using of the internet in daily life.
He said it's evident that the earth's requirement of power will not be sufficient.
He says there should be more innovations in the middle before this point.
Terry says that a new power source is highly required with the current demand and also he mentions the use of solar power in Europe. And also he requested to reevaluate the perspective on power.
Question No. 06
Is AI (Artificial Intelligence) the solution to all the problems in the world?
Paul - AI is not the solution. It will create more problems. I can't imagine. It will be the end of it.
Terry - As a race, human beings are hideous. He believes AI will follow us. And in that case, it is dangerous, the relationship with humans.
Both were asked by the audience about a sanctioned AI.
A Base AI.
And then he mentioned if this becomes corrupted the whole base of ethics will be destruction.
Therefore humans should be evolved and be a step ahead.
Question No. 07
Is Sci-fi behind modern science?
Paul - Yes. Sci-fi is not a disruptor. It should be enjoyable. Therefore it will be more unbelievable and too futuristic.
Terry - I believe Sci-fi is a forecaster. He believes that trends need to be followed. " Jurrasic Park" basic concept was correct.
I'm learning about "Kuiper Belt." (Related to the solar system)
Paul and Terry agree that Sci-fi is ahead.
Question no. 08
What will power the machinery in the future?
Paul's predictions
01. Anti-matter
02. Pulling energy from alternate dimensions
Terry's predictions
01. Collapsing molecules
Don't go deep in sci-fi predictions. Just give baby steps. Scientists will work on it. Anyway, I'll be wrong.
And the first session was over, Paul and Terry said good luck and said to have a wonderful centennial of A.C.C.
03. "Silver Coin wreck at Great Basses Reef" by Doctor Kavan Ranathunga ( 11.30 A.M. to 12.05 P.M.)
The next session was conducted by Mr. Kavan Ratnatunga.
He was the president of the Sri Lanka Astronomical society in 2011.
This session was started at 11.30 AM and it ended at 12.05 PM.
Dr. Kavan named this session, "The treasure of the great basses reef".
Dr. Kavan discusses the ACC and his predictions of satellites and how it changed the whole perceptions of science.
ACC loved diving and swimming.
He sensed the weightlessness which the speaker mentions that it was a great experience like in space when diving.
Mike Wilson a collaborator of ACC, made a photographic journey into the Great Basses Reef. This is called the 'great basses reef lighthouse', which is an offshore lighthouse in the south of Sri Lanka Ports Authority. It is located on a reef 13 KM off the coast of Yala national park. (Wikipedia.com)
In 1963 March 22nd they found a treasure initiating maritime archaeology for the first time in Sri Lanka.
This treasure was kept under the sea as per Dr. Kavan. He said it was "Indian Surat Rupee" which was sunk in 1701.
It was called the "Treasure of Taj Mahal" because this ship was sunk during the period of King Aurangzeb, a son of "Shah-Jahan", the creator of "Taj Mahal" of Agra, India.
Once it was found ACC gifted the coins to the Smithsonian in the USA and also to the historical archives of the United Kingdom (UK).
Dr. Kavan said that he struggled to get back the lumps that were leftover by ACC but it was impossible. He believes it's the "government" or "UNESCO" who needs to initiate on this matter.
Dr. Kavan was a very good friend of Mr. ACC since his days in Sri Lanka.
"HAL 9000", the AI robot played in 2000 series was added to "Robot: Hall of fame" in 2003. Dr. Kavan was fortunate to attend the event where he met actors who played "R2D2" and "C3PO", who also received the same status.
Dr. Kavan and his son's "Question & Answer" session with ACC was also shown. (A pre-prepared video was played during the session.)
01. Technology's role in lowering the gap of rich and poor?
Equipment becomes cheaper making affordable manufacturing.
02. Intellectual property
In a market-driven economy, motivation is based on monetary value.
03. Worst case scenario of a computer
Time spent on email or mostly in front of the screen.
04. Leisure, science, and work
Information communication technology has eased work making people more ambitious.
05. "The time machine by H.G. Wells" and its impact
Not among species but among machines.
06. What is the next stage after Machinery?
The universe is infinite.
A virtual reality. (Like in the film "Matrix")
People will become potatoes.
07. God Vs. Science
Man created the machine. Now there is a god.
And with that Mr. Kavan Ranatunga's lecture on the session came to a closure.
04. "A.C.C.'s predictions for Global Positioning System (GPS) and Global Communication and how we use them now." by Mr. Sriganesh Lokanathan ( 12.10 A.M. to 12.45 P.M.)
Session 04 was conducted by Mr. Sriganesh Lokanathan.
Mr. Sriganesh's session started at 12.10 PM and it ended at 12.45 PM.
He was an expert in ICT policy regulation and also a policymaker in the current Megapolis - Colombo project.
In the initiation, Mr. Sriganesh said that he was used to future gaze.
He said that he loved ACC and Asimov in his youth.
Mr. Lokanathan, in summary, explained the use of "GPS" as a tool for big data to understand the movement of consumers and people. He uses the movement of mobiles and accordingly use it to transportation policy, service provision policy and study how dengue and other viral flues being spread among people.
from 12.45 PM onwards there was a question and answer session among him and the audience.
Q01 - He stated that Mass surveillance is not an aspect of GPS. It is not highly required to do this. But with the use of higher regulation, Mass surveillance may provide an answer.
Snowden and wikileaks.com are definitive moments of mass surveillance.
Q02 - Dr. Kavan asked the concepts of GPS and it's linked with related to satellites?
Then Mr. Lokanathan justified that it was the initiation of the concept of GPS and therefore it may contain errors.
Q03 - Personal Credit Rating System is not good. And I'm happy it is happening in China so I could learn that it is bad and it will lead to danger and so I can avoid in such policy implementation in Sri Lanka.
The last question of the session among Mr. Lokanathan and Mr. Kavan was about the negatives of mass surveillance.
What Mr. Lokanathan suggested was that social groups and pressure groups in society has a big role in fighting against mass surveillance.
And after that, they offered a small beverage and a treat as lunch for every participant which later continued to a break.
We left the event after that, where we arrived at the home in Gampaha around 2 PM.
Overall it was an amazing event that allowed a great deal of science fiction and geeky stuff to be discussed among the ACC fans and also to celebrate a great Sci-fi writer's centennial celebration.
To end this writing I would like to add a small observation and a review I made on the RAMA quadrilogy. (1973 - 1993) Since it's been 8 years after reading the four books and I may not remember this sci-fi as well as I use to remember so there may be errors or misconceptions.
RAMA from the first book to the fourth is filled with endless curiosity and amazement of the universe. It's something you would enjoy if you read it with patience where it will take you to places you have never been to. A really good sci-fi quadrilogy enabling readers to experience a whole new perspective on humanity and the future.
Take your time and read.
Overall - 3.5/5
Images
Navin Weeraratne, Format: (Jpg.). Available at: https://www.goodreads.com/photo/author/14052522.Navin_Weeraratne (Accessed date: 5/11/2018)
Websites
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