<p align="right"><font size="2" color="#FFFFFF" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">June
7, 2002</font>
<p align="left"><font color="#FFFFFF" size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Last
week, we touched upon Bill's new book with co-author
Chip Walter entitled I'm Working on That:
A Trek from Science Fiction to Science Fact
which is due to hit bookstores this August.
This week, we had the opportunity to talk to
Chip about the book and he was pleased to provide
the fan club with a preview.</font>
<p align="center">
<font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2" color="#3399FF">Above
Bill poses with the Carnegie Mellon University
team that helped create Flo, the original "nursebot."
Left to right, Nick Roy, Bill, Mike Montemero
and Sebastian Thrun. Photo courtesy of CMU.</font>
<p align="left"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2" color="#FFFFFF">Bill
and Chip traveled to major universities and
research institutions all over the country for
the better part of a year to research current
technology for the book. They visited places
like the MIT Media Lab, Caltech, NASA, The Foresight
Institute, Carnegie Mellon University's Robotics
Institute and Entertainment Technology Center
to talk with the world's leading experts in
robotics, advanced propulsion, artificial intelligence,
virtual reality, nanotechnology, and even time
travel. </font>
<p align="left"><font size="2" color="#FFFFFF" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">They
</font><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2" color="#FFFFFF">met
with scientists that are working on Star
Trek innovations like teleportation, talking
computers, genetic engineering, and androids;
and they explored the work now being done to
transform these concepts in to real working
technologies. Their conclusion? We may be living
in a very Star Trek-like world in the
21st century rather than the 23rd!</font>
<p align="left"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2" color="#FFFFFF"> Here,
left, is an example of one of the technologies
that they learned about from Josh Hall of The
Foresight Institute. These are foglets, layered
cell-sized, computer-driven machines that float
in space and interconnect to form virtually
anything!</font>
<p align="left"><font color="#FFFFFF" size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">The
book is broken down into four major sections:</font>
<blockquote>
<font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2" color="#FFcc33">?
Getting Around</font><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2" color="#FFFFFF">
- This section deals with everything from
warp drive and teleportation to time travel
and black holes. It features the work of scientists
Stephen Hawking and Kip Thorne (the world's
leading expert on time travel) as well as
NASA's work on advanced propulsion. </font>
<font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2" color="#FFcc33">?
Smart Matter </font><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2" color="#FFFFFF">-
Several chapters explore intelligent environments
and the current explosion of new portable
and wearable computers, not unlike those envisioned
in Star Trek (from communicators, tricorders,
the VISOR). Even implants. Is resistance futile?
</font>
<font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2" color="#FFcc33F">?<font color="#FFcc33">
Aliens Among Us</font></font><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2" color="#FFFFFF">
- This section delves into current efforts
to create machines and robots as intelligent
and mobile as we are. Great interviews with
leading thinkers like Ray Kurzweil and Hans
Moravec. </font>
<font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2" color="#FFcc33">?
Playing God</font><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2" color="#FFFFFF">
- Explorations of nanotechnology (with the
field's founder Eric Drexler), virtual reality,
cryonics (can we be placed in suspended animation?),
and genetic engineering are covered in this
section. </font>
</blockquote>
<font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2" color="#FFFFFF">The
book also features a lot of inside information
on the birth of many of Star Trek's most
famous technologies such as warp drive, teleportation,
virtual reality, androids and smart computers.
</font>
<font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2" color="#FFFFFF">
Chip (pictured left) says, "Star Trek
opened a big door for us on some of the wildest
woolliest science being done out there, a lot
of it predicted by and, in some cases, inspired
by the series. We walked through the door and
what we learned…well, I think readers will be
amazed. The science and technology is fascinating
enough, but I think what makes I'm Working
on That really different from other science
books is how fun it is! From the beginning,
Bill looked at the project as a kind of real
life mission to meet and talk with the truly
big thinkers who are inventing the future, the
people who are … 'working on that.'"</font>
<font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2" color="#FFFFFF">He
continued, "I like the way the book's prologue
puts it: 'To explore strange, new concepts;
to seek out new technologies and gadgets that
none of us comprehend a single wit. To explain
them in a way even a rock would understand.
To boldly (and with a light, self-deprecating
humor) go where few curious readers have ever
gone before.' We did too…and had a ball doing
it." </font>
<font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2" color="#FFFFFF">We're
all looking forward to it. </font><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2" color="#FFFFFF">And
for that preview we talked about, click
here for an advance look at the prologue
of the book.</font>
<font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2" color="#FFFFFF">I'm
Working on That will be published by the
Pocket Books division of Simon
& Schuster. For more information, visit
their website. </font>
<p align="center">
<p align="right"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2" color="#FFFFFF">
Jane Singer and </font><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2" color="#FFFFFF">
Sandy Moruzzi</font>
<p align="left"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2" color="#FFFFFF">P.S.
If you missed any of our past articles, you
can view them in the SFI
Archive. </font>
<hr />
<p align="center">
<blockquote>
<font color="#FFFFFF" size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">We
were saddened to learn that George Takei's
mother, Fumiko
Emily Takei, passed away on May 25, 2002
after a long illness. Our thoughts and prayers
go out to the Takei family at this difficult
time. </font>
<font color="#FFFFFF" size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">In
lieu of flowers, the family requests that
donations be made to the Japanese American
National Museum, 369 East First Street, Los
Angeles, CA 90012. </font>
</blockquote>
<hr />
<p align="left"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" color="" size="2"><font color="#FFFFFF"> Shatner
& Friends International is William Shatner's
official fan club. We are a community of friends
drawn together by an appreciation of William
Shatner, the actor and the man. </font></font>
<font color="#FFFFFF" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">O</font><font color="#FFFFFF" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">ur
first newsletter, The
Best of Times, is posted online. Each issue
features the latest news about Bill and his
activities, exclusive interviews, articles,
lots of candid photos, charity updates and much
more. The next one will be published in mid-June.</font>
<font color="#FFFFFF" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">
We will post time sensitive information concerning
Bill's appearance schedule within Bill's online
calendar. It's updated regularly, so keep
checking back. </font>
<p align="left"><font color="#FFFFFF" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2"> <font size="-1">If
you're interested in joining the Club, annual
membership includes a beautiful autographed
8x10 photograph of William Shatner as Captain
Kirk, a copy of Bill's credits, a short biography,
a subscription to The
Best of Times and the opportunity to participate
in our annual Shatner Weekend. Membership also
grants access to the Captain's Club, an exclusive
members-only part of WilliamShatner.com which
includes a bulletin board and Club merchandise.
Click here to join.</font></font>
<font color="#FFFFFF" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">We
are excited to be part of WilliamShatner.com
and we will be making regular updates to the
website. </font> |
