Deviant Thinkers

By John Freeman on June 11, 2007

Over at Dave Langford’s wonderful SF news site Ansible, he reported last week that Greg Bear and other sf authors — Arlan Andrews, Larry Niven, Jerry Pournelle and Sage Walker — were asked to a US Homeland Security conference to provide anti-terrorism advice as “deviant thinkers”.

Together, the group makes up a group called Sigma, whose motto is “Science Fiction in the National Interest was formed 15 years ago by to advise government officials. The last time the group gathered was in the late 1990s, when members met with government scientists to discuss what a post-nuclear age might look like.

To join the group, you have to have at least one technical doctorate degree.

“Fifty years ago, science-fiction writers told us about flying cars and a wireless handheld communicator,” Christopher Kelly, spokesman for Homeland Security’s Science and Technology division told USA Today. “Although flying cars haven’t evolved, cellphones today are a way of life. We need to look everywhere for ideas, and science-fiction writers clearly inform the debate.”

Andrews says America’s anti-terorists “need people to think of crazy ideas,” while Pournelle admits “We’re well-qualified nuts.”

“We talk to a lot of strange people and read a lot of weird things,” Bear says. That research prompts all sorts of ideas the group would rather offer the government as a public service rather than work for some private think tank.

Dave Langford points out that once again sf proves eerily prophetic: wasn’t there just such an ego-boosting think tank in the Niven/Pournelle novel Footfall?

John Freeman

The founder of downthetubes, which he established in 1998. John works as a comics and magazine editor, writer, and on promotional work for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He is currently editor of Star Trek Explorer, published by Titan – his third tour of duty on the title originally titled Star Trek Magazine.

Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine, Babylon 5 Magazine, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics. He has also edited several comic collections, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”.

He’s the writer of “Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies” for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs” with Dave Hailwood.