Futurology is a branch of Eschatology, a discipline of study that examines the past in order to postulate probable futures using consensus views and the evolution of myths that underlie them. The debate is whether this discipline is philosophy, theology, science or mysticism.

Futures as its known by its practitioners is not prognostication, although it is often confused with foretelling the future by mystics who claim to have more then just five senses. Eschatologists use history to predict likelihoods by reconstructing the past and present to find systematic patterns that can explain trends much like forecasting the weather.

From a  scientific point of view we are taught that fate is nothing more than a convergence of probabilities that leads to one outcome; although there are infinite elements to consider at any given time to be sure of one particular result, accuracy is more about determining boundaries of possibilities then it is on being exact, and yet the assumption is that being “scientific” means completely testing every presumption before deciding whether its a fact or not.

Frequently, we have to make fast decisions based on preconceived notions and prejudices evoked from experience because things happen so fast in the real world that there is no time to process them or we’ll never get anything done. Does this mean that quick decisions based on gut instinct are unscientific?

If we view the future simply as the summation of all the steps it will take to get there, then the direction pursued to reach it is defined by some kind of horizon beyond which nothing can be seen, and the only reason to be concerned about what will happen in the future is because we are unhappy about the present and want to know that the future will be a happy one.

When The Avengers, issue #1, was first published in September 1963, a creation of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, it had a somewhat different cast then the movie version released on May 4, 2012. After the group’s classic battle cry, “Avengers Assemble,” an odd blend of Marvel’s most popular characters put aside their personal differences, but not without difficulty, to save Earth from global peril. In the comic book version they included Iron Man, Ant Man, Wasp, Thor, The Hulk and later, Captain America. Over time other members joined as some of the original members left.

Many of Marvels heroes had imperfections that tended to make them social outcasts, competitive and antagonistic towards each other and unable to combine their powers to unite as a group. Much of the 2012 film adaptation is spent on this same struggle, overcoming their ego’s to find common ground and save the planet. Picking Joss Whedon to write and direct the film was a brilliant choice as it brings him back to his creative roots.

Whedon is best known for his highly successful creation of Buffy The Vampire Slayer, another super hero trying to fit in and have a normal life as the chosen one with a destiny to rid the Hellmouth of demons. Buffy ran for seven seasons and became a cult classic. So Whedon brought a unique understanding of the misunderstood hero with a dark side trying to find a place in the world while carrying a burden. This is also one of the main themes of The Avengers movie, and it is reflected in a witty script with the right amount of humor and drama that is just as endearing as it was in the Buffy universe.

The Avengers movie is by far the most energetic of the Marvel films with outstanding special effects, but what makes it stand apart is that it is a fast moving action film with numerous character conflicts that make it more than just another summer blockbuster and proves that you can have both a high budget action film, ($220 million dollars), while bringing something new to the development of each character.

The ensemble cast includes some of the actors who already played their characters in a starring role in other films. Robert Downey Jr as Iron Man, Chris Hemsworth as Thor and Chris Evans as Captain America. Mark Ruffalo takes over as The Hulk, Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye, Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury, director of S.H.I.E.L.D and finally Scarlett Johansson who plays Black Widow with Kung Fu moves that resonates with some of the moves that Buffy used.

As he did as the villain of The Avengers, issue #1, Loki, the north god of illusion and mischief,  tries to reign supreme on Earth by causing mayhem between the heroes and stealing The Tesserat ( a fouth dimension analog of a cube with unlimited power), using it as a bargaining chip to bring an alien race from outer space to conquer Earth. Loki, portrayed by Tom Hiddleston plays the role with relish and a devilish grin that brings to mind Heath Ledger’s performance as The Joker in The Dark Knight. If he cant rule Asgard, then Earth will be his domain and humans will bow to him as the god he claims he is.

Once the ego’s of the Marvel heroes are put aside and saving the planet becomes the common goal, the action and special effects intensify with the alien attack directly over Stark Enterprises in Manhattan. The film is well acted as the ensemble cast first struggles to take the threat seriously. Iron Man plays it rogue up until the final battle begins. Dr. Banner is calm and tempered as he tries to control his transformation into The Hulk. Thor doesn’t seem particularly interested in working with mortals to defeat his half – brother, and Captain America is still trying to figure out his life in the twenty-first century after being frozen in suspended animation for sixty years.

What is so unusual is that rarely do we have a film with a complex combination of personality conflicts played out in the main characters with blockbuster action and special effects. This is largely due to Whedon who deserves much of the credit for the film’s success, as his ability to combine all of the elements in a solid script filled with just the right amount of humor makes it all work. The Avengers is highly recommended in 2D, 3D, or perhaps 4D when the technology becomes available.

For a complete list of characters and credits for choreography, score and special effects, click on the IMDb link. It has a running time of 2 hours and 22 minutes and is rated PG-13.

Why The Incredible Hulk is Green

A year is not a long time to wait to find out what will happen, if anything, on December 21, 2012. The Mayans calculated it as the end of the cycle we are now in and the beginning of another. From their experiences natural disasters such as earthquakes, floods, and volcanic activity surrounded the passage from one cycle to the next, and all of them they noticed, tended to be on a cataclysmic level. There was no reason for the Mayans not to think that this cycle would be any different.

Some fatalists point to metaphysical texts such as those from Nostradamus and others throughout history, usually scripted in archaic language and open to interpretation, about this date. Their range of credibility is wide, and conventional thinkers discount coincidences as any more predictable than seeing chaos within order, or visa versa.

Many scientists point to convincing evidence which does support the claim that the climate change now occurring is from human manipulation of the environment. The disagreement is about how close we have come to the point of no return, and what needs to be done to restore the balance, resulting in essentially no action.

Some within occult circles see this change as a tangible point in the evolution of consciousness. They claim a spiritual alteration will occur, and its effects might not be immediately perceived. How this will manifest is still left uncertain.

Perhaps this will be the day extra-terristrials will make contact with Earth, possibly to offer their help in solving our environmental problems. Will we accept it? or will it lead to suspicion and mistrust?

We only have to look back and recall , “To Serve Man,” a third season episode (#89) of The Twilight Zone, based on a short story of the same name by Damon Knight. It was first published in the November 1950 issue of Galaxy Science Fiction. The story was adapted by Rod Serling for television and directed by Richard L. Bare. It was the episode that everyone was talking about the next day.

The story told in 25 minutes is narrated in flashbacks by Michael Chambers, a linguist who is now on a space craft on its way to an alien planet. The Kanamits, a race of nine foot tall aliens came to Earth, a year earlier. Speaking telepathically to the United Nations, they offered their technology to help us solve our environmental and social problems, during the height of the cold war. The outline of their offer is presented as a book entitled, “To Serve man”, and given to the world freely. The initial reaction is skepticism and suspicion. Soon, by ending famine, showing us how to achieve energy efficiency cheaply and by  curing all sorts of diseases, the Kanamits  earned humanities’ trust. In less than a year an exchange program had begun, transporting humans to the Kanamits home planet.

As he is boarding the steps of the spacecraft, Chamber’s assistant who is helping him translate the text, runs up to gate and yells, “To Serve Man, its a cookbook.” But its too late for Michael Chambers who is being fattened up for the menu.

A year is not a long time to wait to find out what will actually happen, if anything, on December 21, 2012. But the countdown has begun and all eyes will be focused on unusual events that may occur in the coming year leading up to December 21, 2012, including first contact with alien life.

As the release of The Twilight Saga, Breaking Dawn, Part 1 continues to dominate box office receipts, it has earned over 250 million in the first seventeen days since its premier on November 18th, 2011. Its difficult to assess which of the four installments, based on Stephanie Meyer’s love story between Bella, a teenage mortal and Edward, an immortal vampire, is best. I suppose it depends on which part of the story resonates most with the person reading the book; beginning, middle or the end.

My preference still remains the second book, New Moon. In this part of the story Edward decides on his own that it is best for Bella that he remove himself from her life. Rather then treating her as an adult and letting her participate in the decision, he disappears for the rest of the book then re-emerges at the very end. Although this suggests they had a co-dependent relationship, it merely implies that vampires can be as insensitive as mortals.

Bella’s depression, crushed from his rejection is visceral to anyone who has had a similar experience; withdrawing from life unable to utter his name and flirting with danger in the hope of somehow capturing his attention. A vulnerable place to form a close friendship with Jacob, two years her junior, another kind of immortal being, a Native American who can change into a wolf, and has the ability to pull her back from isolation by mending the broken pieces of her heart, then falling in love with her. Its the suffering that is so identifiable that makes the reader care for Bella and the way she grapples with her pain.

All the important arcs in the novel develop from this place, where her despair emanates and hope seems lost until Edward, thinking that Bella has committed suicide, decides to end his own existence, later proclaiming, “I couldn’t live in a world without you.” Bella puts the rejection aside an flies to Italy, in a plane,  to save him from suicide and confronts the gods that rule the underworld, the Volturi offering her life in exchange for his. Only when it is agreed that Bella will become a vampire, does she escape death.

Rising Dawn captures the last stage of Bella’s transformation into an immortal. The film, directed by Bill Condon and screenplay by Melissa Rosenberg chronicles her marriage, honeymoon and unexpected pregnancy. Although vampires have sex, and enjoy it, they have not been known to breed. It sympathizes, as does the book, with the issues surrounding a mothers right to make the choice to continue a pregnancy even at risk of her own life; everyone else seems to know whats best for Bella and treats her like a child so much so that she needs a bodyguard, Rosalie, to protect her decision.

Although it only lasts for three weeks, its a difficult pregnancy characterized by severe malnutrition, broken bones and an irregular heart beat. Only then, Edward is forced to change her into a vampire. After a bloody Cesarean section he injects a syringe of his venom directly into her heart and proceeds to encircle her lifeless body, biting her arms legs and neck.

Bella lies motionless as the venom heals her body, changing her into a new born immortal; a life she felt she belonged to throughout the three previous books. Memories pass in reverse using flashbacks from the previous movies as her      heart slows, then stops. Surrounded by the Cullen clan, her eyes open and they are now red. This is where the movie, Breaking Dawn, Part 1 ends.

How will Bella adjust to immortality? The fans will have to wait until December 2012 to find out. Already filmed, it wont be released until then. But, If anything can be said about the last installment using the book as the basis, it will most certainly include all the events that will happen from now before the words, …”and she lives happily ever after,” are uttered.

The film has a running time of 117 minutes and is rated PG-13 and although it remains faithful to the novel, it was not my favorite part of the story.

The recent execution of Troy Davis, convicted of murder twenty-two years ago in Georgia has  reawakened the issue of the death penalty and brought it to public consciousness. Does termination of life constitute a rational way of averting murder, a form of retribution felt to be based more on revenge than justice.

Many who support the death penalty are also pro-life when it comes to abortion. Mr. Spock would submit that this is illogical. Life is life, whether it’s a sinned life or an innocent one. Kirk might respond, “But life is not logical, Mr. Spock, the truth lies somewhere between instinct and unknowable forces that come to play when conditions are right.”

Scotty would say in a heavy Scottish accent, “Aye, but ya gotta look at this as a mechanical problem. Society is like a star ship floating around with all the  gravitational forces pulling the hull in all sorts of directions. If one system in the ship fails to work the way its supposed to, then it can run adrift and get caught up in unidentified cosmic things like a wormhole, losing control of navigation, pulled into that black demon and spit out in an alternate reality where people are put to death because of overpopulation. How do you choose who lives and who dies?”

Gandalf might say, “Many that live deserve to die. Some that die deserve life, can you give it to them Frodo? Do not be so eager to deal out death and judgement. Even the very wise cannot see all ends.”

The Bible says in Matthew 5:38-40 “You have heard that it was said, ‘eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well.”

If a child asks , “But suppose the person who was struck on the right cheek hit someone else first, where does it begin and where does it end?  Society might say, “Listen to the sermon and when you grow up, you can be the one to decide what is the truth and what is not.” On the other hand a wise person might add in a calm reassuring tone, “But keep all hailing frequencies open.”

Putting aside the criminal justice system and its flaws, many would agree, if not swayed by prejudice or anger, and in the privacy of their own thoughts,  that putting someone on trial for murder with the death penalty as an option for the jurors to choose isn’t the best way insure that justice is served. The only thing worse is executing someone without a fair trial even if they are innocent. “Someone has to pay for this.” In this instance, guilt or innocence becomes less important than the process of putting the whole thing to rest until another compelling case again reawakens the issue once again.

According to Gene Roddenberry, the creator of Star Trek, teleportation was used as means of quickening up the pace of the storyline by getting the actors from one place to another and conserving resources (money). He left the task of explaining its basis in science to the writers,  although academics have already identified the challenges.

Scientists use the hydrogen atom as the simplest model. At its center, is the proton with one circulating electron. In two dimensions, the electron’s path is described as a circle with a central point. In three dimensions the path is far more irregular. Plotting its course from where it had traveled at any given measured instant reveals the form of an asymmetrical cloud. Perhaps the force of magnetism exerted on the electron’s path isn’t equal at all time or maybe there are smaller, much tinier elements that also effects the electron’s course.

In order to teleport a person from one place to another, the location of every electron of every atom and all the other unseen particles would have to be charted, then rematerialized without interrupting their velocity, to another place.

If this could be done, it would reaffirm one of the fundamental laws of science: matter can neither be created nor destroyed; whatever exists now is what existed millions of years ago, just in different form. This balance would have to be maintained. So, in order to teleport someone, they would have to be dematerialized (killed) and the atoms rematerialized in another place and hopefully the person would be brought back to life. But how would all this relate to the soul? where would it go when the body is between the state of dis-assembly and reconstruction?

Many comic books have been based on the adventures of hero’s gifted with super powers marked by limitations to illustrate some of their weaknesses that show them mortal; focusing attention on their ingenuity to defeat a foe with moral resolve. Whatever the powers are, one effect on the reader is to imagine that if it were possible to have the same abilities, how could it change their lives; perhaps by creating fantasies about wielding great power or enhancing their observation of existing in an extraordinary reality.

Of all the hero’s of the DC universe, the one no one ever wanted to be was Matter Eating Lad, the fifteenth initiate admitted to The Legion Of Superhero’s, an organization founded in the thirtieth century to protect Earth and the Galaxy. Each member had a power, which had to be innate, and a flight ring, provided by the three original leaders, Lightning Lad, Saturn Girl and Cosmic Boy. The ring was allegedly invented by Brainiac 5 who had super intellect, green skin and blond hair.

Matter Eating Lad‘s real name was Tenzil Kern, a son of the planet Bismoll, the only known place where microbes made all native food poisonous to its human inhabitants, provoking mutant genes to adapt their digestive system to eat any known substance at super speed  without harm or weight gain. Although this was considered an evolutionary change consistent with the biological principle of adaptation, it doesn’t explain why the poisonous food remained the exception. Perhaps Tenzil should have come back in time to serve as a representative of Weight Watchers, since his unique ability had little super power significance except to eat his way to save members of the Legion held in jailed captivity. Even his standing in the Legion was challenged by Calorie Queen who had the ability, like him, to eat anything no matter how large but also the power to convert  the calories into super strength. He was rarely featured in adventures and spent a great deal of time in politics on his home world using his membership in the Legion as an advantage to win a seat in the senate.

It was reported by an unknown source that Matter Eating Lad once saved Superboy when he was exposed to Kryptonite by digesting the green glowing meteorite, but the claim has remained unsubstantiated by any reputable source, although Krypto, the Dog Of Steel, had been quoted by the The Future National Enquirer, a highly respected periodical based in the former Great Britain as saying, “These reports are over exaggerated and highly suspect.”Krypto further explained in a separate statement, “since exposed to Red Kryptonite, I am now able to speak English with a German accent.” When pressed by the newspaper for a response, Matter Eating Lad was quoted as saying, “Krypto is still angry because I ate his bone while he was napping.”

When thinking about The Singularity, the image of Astronomy, Astrophysics, Black Holes and Einstein comes to mind, yet another notion defines it as a point on the path of technological acceleration, where convergence of everything is at its fastest, and creating an emergent technology with its own version of sentience to challenge our own appears credible.

Perhaps in a parallel universe synthetic life will be created by humans to serve us as workers or soldiers, an effort supported by the business sector looking to reduce labor costs and maximize profits, or governments with designed warriors at their disposal; empowered with the ability to expand its capabilities by surpassing the intelligence of its creators.

It could also be argued that this has already happened in another reality where imagining this is  leant credence by physics, defining the Cosmos as multi-universes separated only by unique  signatures in the form of vibrations, allowing for all possibilities that can happen do happen in an alternate quantum reality and where an infinite number of potential outcomes are determined not only by our actions, but our thoughts as well.

Science Fiction has been a perfect medium for presenting scientific theories with contemporary social overtones in a format that is more acceptable by society; culturally relevant and easily digestable and yet distant enough to be non-threatening. A form of literature frequently misunderstood, Science Fiction has often had as its basis a future where advancements often begin with developments in medical technology that expand the boundaries of life in unpredictable ways.

Battlestar Gallactia was about the creation of artificial life, a milestone that has already begun in our reality. But, in theirs, the Cylons choose to exterminate their creators and almost succeeds. In yet another popular series, Star Trek – The Next Generation, a seventh season episode Parallels explores the theory of traveling from one reality to another. The events begin when  Lt. Worf, in a shuttle craft, inadvertently causes a spacial rift between quantum alternate universes, tearing the fabric of space, shifting from one reality to the next, experiencing some of the infinite outcomes that were determined by his choices.

The acclaimed series took a metaphysical approach when it explored the legal status of artificial life and the criteria for self awareness in the thought provoking trial of Data in Measure Of A Man, a second season episode that points out that although self awareness has been demonstrated, no one has been able to find a way measure consciousness, let alone judge it.

It has always been easy to dismiss Science Fiction as a fantasy, but it has been hard to ignore the numerous inventions that were first thought by writers that have now become science fact and changed our culture. Who would have thought that in this alternate reality, a computer named Watson would compete and win on Jeopardy as a contestant against Ken Jennings and Brad Rutter, two human challengers and all time champions of the show.

Perhaps this is our first step towards realizing The Singularity – a future time when the confluence of  scientific, societal and economic conditions move so fast making it impossible to reflect or even predict what will happen from our current perspective, leaving all possibilities open until someone perceives them from whatever place the source of all possibilities exists and puts them within grasp.