Category Archives: Science Fiction

Infinite 3D printer regress

Posted on February 17, 2017 by F. E. Guerra-Pujol
Posted in Questions Rarely Asked, Science Fiction | Leave a comment

Merry Christmas: a “Blade Runner” sequel is in the works

Posted on December 22, 2016 by F. E. Guerra-Pujol

We interrupt our sporadic Internet sabbatical with the following update: Forget the overhyped (and totally overrated) Star Wars franchise, because we just discovered that Blade Runner is coming back to the big screen. The “original” Blade Runner is one of … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Science Fiction | 1 Comment

Blade Runner as film noir

Posted on October 12, 2016 by F. E. Guerra-Pujol

Thanks to our colleague and friend Daniel Nina, we saw the movie Blade Runner for the first time in the spring of 2006 (Prof Nina had organized an open-air screening of the film at the Eugenio Maria de Hostos Law … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Culture, Science Fiction | Leave a comment

Reverse Turing Tests and Ethical Machines (part 1 of 3)

Posted on August 16, 2016 by F. E. Guerra-Pujol

Our colleague John Danaher recently pondered the possibility of a “Reverse Turing Test” in this intriguing blog post dated 21 July 2016. That is, instead of testing for a machine’s ability to think like a human, what if we tested for a … Continue reading →

Posted in Bayesian Reasoning, Philosophy, Science, Science Fiction | 1 Comment

Starfleet mafia?

Posted on July 27, 2016 by F. E. Guerra-Pujol

Although we haven’t seen the new Star Trek movie yet (Star Trek Beyond), in today’s post we want to pose the following question about the fictional world of Star Trek: who pays for Starfleet? According to Wikipedia, “Starfleet is a … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, Law, Science Fiction | Leave a comment

Blade Runner forever

Posted on June 23, 2016 by F. E. Guerra-Pujol

We are big fans of the movie Blade Runner. We even co-authored a scholarly paper titled “Clones and the Coase Theorem” in which we explore the problem of time-scarcity (the limited lifespans of the replicants in Blade Runner) in light … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Bayesian Reasoning, Culture, Questions Rarely Asked, Science Fiction | Leave a comment

We want one of these!

Posted on April 10, 2016 by F. E. Guerra-Pujol

Check out this short video featuring an assortment of volocopters or lightweight personal helicopters designed and manufactured by the German firm e-volo. Forget drones; we’d rather have our own personal “VC 200” to travel around our home state (Florida). Wow, … Continue reading →

Posted in Science Fiction, Web/Tech | 1 Comment

Coming soon: Star Trek stamps

Posted on March 28, 2016 by F. E. Guerra-Pujol
Posted in Art, Culture, Science Fiction | Leave a comment

Are Star Wars fans anti-Bayesian movie-goers?

Posted on December 31, 2015 by F. E. Guerra-Pujol

Does the theory of price elasticity of demand apply to cultural artifacts, like movies? On this question, we strongly recommend Harrison Searles’s in-depth movie review of the latest Star Wars flick The Force Awakens–a review we found via Marginal Revolution … Continue reading →

Posted in Bayesian Reasoning, Science Fiction | Leave a comment

Star Wars Simulcast

Posted on December 15, 2015 by F. E. Guerra-Pujol

The release of the new Star Wars movie “The Force Awakens” is just a few days away. In the meantime, here’s your chance to watch all six previous Star Wars flicks at the same time! (via Michael McNulty)

Posted in Culture, Science Fiction | 2 Comments