Ray Kurzweil has long been a cheerleader for the posthuman ideal, tirelessly championing what he sees as the almost limitless potential of human beings as we become increasingly merged with our technologies. Whether you believe he’s a delusional crank or a visionary prophet, there’s no denying that he talks
a good game – his latest essay for the Lifeboat Foundation examines the plausibility of transcending our biological limitations through technology, and it’s inspirational stuff.
Tag Archives: posthumanism
EXIT WITHOUT SAVING by Ruth Nestvold
Futurismic‘s resident purveyor of gender- and identity-bending fiction, Ruth Nestvold, brings us a story about the dangers of escaping your own skin – “Exit Without Saving”.
Exit Without Saving
by Ruth Nestvold
Spending credit illegally was difficult, but there were ways, if you were clever. There were always ways. Using a morph unit illegally was even more difficult, but to Mallory it was worth the risk.
Friends like Lorraine made it possible. Lorraine was a lab technician for Softec, and she was both clever and greedy; to make a little extra on the side, she allowed Mallory to use the units during off hours. Mallory had no idea if any of the other morph agents were also clandestine customers — Lorraine could be trusted to keep her mouth shut.
“I don’t understand why they don’t market these things for entertainment purposes,” Lorraine said as she adjusted the download cap on Mallory’s head. Continue reading EXIT WITHOUT SAVING by Ruth Nestvold
HIS WHORE THE VECTOR by David McGillveray
“His Whore The Vector” by David McGillveray is a dark tale about dictators, revenge and what violence wreaks.
[ IMPORTANT NOTICE: This story is NOT covered by the Creative Commons License that covers the majority of content on Futurismic; copyright remains with the author, and any redistribution is a breach thereof. Thanks. ]
His Whore The Vector
by David McGillveray
The palace was a monstrosity in poured concrete with clumps of antennae bristling from every roof. Nadine was driven to an anonymous side entrance guarded by militiamen and taken inside. The door groaned shut behind her.
Behind the walls, the gardens had been left to wither in the heat. Desiccated roses lay in mass graves and a fine covering of dust clung to every surface. Nadine was led into the cool gloom of the main complex. The slap of her escort’s boots echoed along the maze of corridors: always a different route, always the same destination.
Gerber was waiting: white, white skin untouched by the sun, shaven head and flat, colourless eyes that kept the world out. The European mercenary had been rewarded for his enthusiastic bloodletting a decade ago in the purges with a position heading security for the most notorious butcher of them all. Continue reading HIS WHORE THE VECTOR by David McGillveray