the Hollywood connection
the POSTMAN, the movie
The experience of having a novel transformed into a major Kevin Costner film was a mix of major highs and lows — including Costner's choice to bring it out the very same weekend as Titanic! His film is easily one of the dozen or so most visually and musically beautiful works of cinema... and kind of incoherent in places. The kicker has to do with whether he was faithful to the HEART of The Postman. To find out what Brin thinks, read his essay about The Postman: The Motion Picture.
David Brin's take on other science fiction films can be found on his movie page.
charismatic?
A team of brilliant cinematographers have forged ahead on the production of Neo, a film about humanity's future. Their first announcement trailer (featuring David Brin) won the 'Future-Maker Award' at Beijing's 2016 Global Innovator Conference.
reality tv appearances
Star Trek: Secrets of the Universe
Watch a vivid History Channel show "Star Trek: Secrets of the Universe." Brin was one of the pundits illuminating both scientific and dramatic themes of the wonderful Star Trek cosmos.
The ArchTECHS
"The ArchiTECHS" was a boldly innovative show that challenged "five geniuses" to solve an impossible design problem in 48 hours. In the first pilot, a four-star general challenged our design team to come up with a 21st Century replacement for the Humvee. (A design far better than the awful MRAP.) The second pilot — which aired October 2006 — saw former FDNY Commissioner Thomas Von Essen, one of the heroes of 9/11, call upon the group to innovate more than a dozen new fire rescue and evacuation tools for skyscraper disasters.
Life After People
Brin was also top pundit on Life After People (most popular show ever on The History Channel).
graphic novels
The Life Eaters
Based on Brin's Hugo nominated novella, "Thor Meets Captain America," THE LIFE EATERS asks: what might the Nazis have really been up to? Perhaps a hidden agenda that nobody knows about even to this day? The theme is explored with stirring imagery by the great Scott Hampton.
Forgiveness
FORGIVENESS is set in the famed Star Trek universe, with approval from Paramount Pictures and DC Comics. The inventor of the technology that will give the Earth the transporter and the holodeck is beamed into space toward a dangerous rendezvous three hundred years in his future, as the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise tensely prepares for an encounter that may erupt in new waves of interstellar war. What the Federation doesn't need right now is a distraction — or another crisis.
Tinkerers
What if America lost its knack and desire to make things? TINKERERS, set in 2024, posits a version of the United States where manufacturing has declined precipitously, young people head into service careers, and nearly all innovation comes from overseas. After a catastrophic failure, our protagonist searches for answers... and a way America might come back.
uplifting the comic strip
See a recent spread that features a BRIN novel, in a popular literary comic strip — the "Unshelved Book Club."
games
Tribes!
Tribes!, a realistic role-playing game, designed by Steve Jackson and David Brin, has long been a legend among gamers. Play-tested at select conventions under the name "Darwinopoly", Tribes! delivers loads of fun for six to eight players, who follow simple rules to simulate life as it must have been for our ancestors, 50,000 years ago — hunting, foraging, mating, and occasionally fighting. Can you figure out how to survive — and have successful offspring — in a world where only your own wits stand between you and harshness of nature? Tribes! was created with the advice of several prominent anthropologists, as well as one of the most experienced game designers on the planet. For more information see the web site for Steve Jackson Games.
GURPS Uplift
Steve Jackson Games has also re-issued GURPS Uplift, updated and expanded by the original author-designer, the incredible Stefan Jones! This long sought-after game (high bids on eBay!) is a perfect match for Contacting Aliens: The Illustrated Guide To Aliens In David Brin's Uplift Universe. To purchase GURPS Uplift, contact Steve Jackson Games.
Ecco the Dolphin
Brin wrote the storyline, scenario and opening sequence to the famous Dreamcast game (now ported to Playstation 2!) Ecco the Dolphin: Defender of the Future. The scenario is special for its emphasis on an interesting science fictional back story. But the real excitement lies in Appaloosa Inc.'s vivid new 3-D worlds and rendering-on-the-fly technology. The underwater worlds of Ecco are truly wonderful to behold, and the game playing is outtasight. The wonderful old Dreamcast game has been re-issued as a downloadable for the Nintendo Wii. For a great (and impartial) review of Ecco the Dolphin, see the GameSpot review.
talking inspirations
TED talks
TED Talks reach millions around the globe. Here are David Brin's.
The Question of Existence (TEDx Del Mar)
Reinventing Civilization Across Half a Century (TEDx Brussels)
Indignation, addiction and hope — does it help to be mad as hell? (TEDx UCSD)
Making Gods: Will That Bother Anyone? (TEDx NYC)
GOOGLE talks
At this Google Talk, titled "Third Milennium Problem Solving," Sheldon Brown and David Brin discuss how much better we might be doing at communicating online if actual human discourse ever got anywhere near the priority given to sexy bod-mods!
At this Google Talk, Brin has a thing or two to say about EXISTENCE.
And at this Google Talk, Brin expounds on positive-sum technologies and the age of amateurs.
MTV interview
See MTV's interview of David Brin during the 2012 WorldCon, where he talks about why more earth species haven't uplifted naturally. Is there a sentience "glass ceiling"?
Singularity Summit
Here's a talk I gave at a recent Singularity Summit addressing the question: How can an optimistic futurist reassure those alarmed by talk of transcendence and life extension?
media disquisitions
what is science fiction?
Trekspertise just released a beautiful, image-rich video accompaniment of a talk I gave about "What Is Science Fiction?"
will we discover free will?
The Arthur C. Clarke Center for Human Imagination at UCSD recently held a panel discussion on "The Physics of Free Will," with David Brin, Brian Keating, and Andrew Friedman.
can we create a neo-enlightenment?
In September 2012, David helped dedicate a new Engineering Building at UCSD, along with luminaries from as far away as Bauhaus University. His talk focused on the building's deliberate collaboration between science and art, a melding predicted 50 years ago by CP Snow and essential to our Enlightenment. Watch the video — or read the speech.
can we SnapChat and forget it?
On KCRW's "To The Point" Brin joined a panel of experts to discuss SnapChat and the Future of an Erasable Internet."
where will we be in 40 years?
In this YouTube video, two renowned futurists, David Brin and John Smart, discuss what inventions and adventures await us in the next 40 years.
can we rely on the kindness of crowds?
Here's a podcast interview of David Brin one on the subject of "Kickstarter and other open-source methods for dream-funding." Interesting sub-topics around the notion that creativity will open all sorts of new opportunities for all of us.
Continue to read DAVID BRIN's articles and interviews about media.
a brief intro to science fiction author DAVID BRIN
To learn more, visit his books page, or see his "about me" page or detailed biography.
novels
David Brin's science fiction novels have been New York Times Bestsellers, winning multiple Hugo, Nebula and other awards. At least a dozen have been translated into more than twenty languages. They range from bold and prophetic explorations of our near-future to Brin's Uplift series, envisioning galactic issues of sapience and destiny (and star-faring dolphins!). Learn More
shorter fiction
Short stories and novellas have different rhythms and artistic flavor, and Brin's short stories and novellas, several of which earned Hugo and other awards, exploit that difference to explore a wider range of real and vividly speculative ideas. Many have been selected for anthologies and reprints, and most have been published in anthology form. Learn More
Contrary Brin blog
Since 2004, David Brin has maintained a blog about science, technology, science fiction, books, and the future — themes his science fiction and nonfiction writings continue to explore. Learn More
social media influencer
Who could've predicted that social media — indeed, all of our online society — would play such an important role in the 21st Century — restoring the voices of advisors and influencers! Lively and intelligent comments spill over onto Brin's social media pages. Learn More
scientist
David Brin's Ph.D in Physics from the University of California at San Diego (the lab of nobelist Hannes Alfven) followed a masters in optics and an undergraduate degree in astrophysics from Caltech. Every science show that depicts a comet now portrays the model developed in Brin's PhD research. Learn More
transparency expert
Brin's non-fiction book, The Transparent Society: Will Technology Force Us to Choose Between Freedom and Privacy?, continues to receive acclaim for its accuracy in predicting 21st Century concerns about online security, secrecy, accountability and privacy. Learn More
speaker & consultant
Brin speaks plausibly and entertainingly about trends in technology and society to audiences willing to confront the challenges that our rambunctious civilization will face in the decades ahead. He also talks about the field of science fiction, especially in relation to his own novels and stories. To date he has presented at more than 300 meetings, conferences, corporate retreats and other gatherings. Learn More
future/tech advisor
Brin advises corporations and governmental and private defense- and security-related agencies about information-age issues, scientific trends, future social and political trends, and education. Urban Developer Magazine named him one of four World's Best Futurists, and he was appraised as "#1 influencer" in Onalytica's Top 100 report of Artificial Intelligence influencers, brands & publications. Past consultations include Google, Microsoft, Procter & Gamble, and many others. Learn More
