I use short, SF (science fiction or speculative fiction) stories (1,000 words or less) to explore how our world might change with changing technology. The week after, in an Exploration, I dig into how realistic the Microfiction might be.
Here in reverse chronological order are the newsletter issues (please subscribe; it’s free!) where I’ve included Microfictions and Explorations:
The Digital Cyrano (September 8, 2024) — How realistic is the idea that an AI-driven “digital intimacy assistant” could help a shy man woo somebody he finds attractive?
Flyrt, a Microfiction (September 1, 2024) — Can an AI-powered digital intimacy assistant help a shy man finally talk with the woman of his dreams?
Who Are We? (July 14, 2024) — When technology enables us to change our personalities to help us achieve our goals, what duty does the first personality have to the second and vice versa?
Mr Hyde’s Letter, a Microfiction (July 7, 2024) — A man takes medication to change his personality, only to learn that his new personality has his own opinions.
Democratizing Digital Deception (May 19, 2024) — Will bad actors use digital duplicates of our dead loved ones against us?
Hacking the Dead: a Microfiction (May 12, 2024) — When a company planning an IPO wants to influence a skeptical analyst, they go about it in a sneaky way that involves Generative AI.
The End of Filter Failure? (March 24, 2024) — How realistic is the idea that technology will soon start working for users rather than big tech companies when it comes to information overload?
Fleeing the Emerald City (March 17, 2024) — What happens when you sign up for a hi-tech digital behavior modification program to get healthy, but you don’t much enjoy the experience?
Dueling Intelligences (December 17, 2023) — How realistic is the idea that flesh and blood actors will soon find themselves performing alongside long-dead movie stars?
The Only Living Boy, a Microfiction (December 10, 2023) —What happens when real and virtual actors join forces in a new production of Shakespeare’s “Othello” on Broadway?
Truth in a Filtered World, Exploration (November 19, 2023) — We already live in a polarized society, so what happens when technology makes our filters even stronger?
Filtered, a Microfiction (November 12, 2023) — If you never had to deal with your partner’s annoying verbal tics because your AI could just edit them out, would you do it? (“Tribal Shopping” discussion here.)
Tribal Shopping, Exploration (November 5, 2023) — How realistic is the idea that economic incentives will coax people to choose a single digital ecosystem?
Bubbles, a Microfiction (October 29, 2023) — What happens when economic incentives coax people to choose a single digital ecosystem?