Microsoft let a bunch of top sci-fi authors into its research labs — and the results are amazing

Source: ncwtv.com --- Friday, January 01, 2016
In late 2015, Microsoft published a free e-book anthology of science fiction stories called “ Future Visions: Original Science Fiction Stories Inspired by Microsoft .” I know. I was skeptical, too. It came out in early November, but now that I’ve actually had a chance to read “Future Visions,” it’s actually super great! Featuring stories from Elizabeth Bear, Greg Bear, David Brin, Nancy Kress, Ann Leckie, Jack McDevitt, Seanan McGuire, Robert J. Sawyer — all big names in the world of science fiction — each story revolves around one of the weird science projects that Microsoft Research is working on . Microsoft Research, the company’s R&D skunkworks, leads the development of some of Microsoft’s most far-out ideas. The Kinect sensor was born from Microsoft Research, and so were the Microsoft HoloLens holographic goggles. Other projects include machine learning technology “ Project Oxford ,” artificial intelligence , and more. “The authors all had the opportunity to visit with our researchers to hear about their latest thinking and see their leading-edge work, and to create fiction inspired by that work,” writes Microsoft’s Harry Shum, who oversees Microsoft Research, in the book’s introduction. Seanan McGuire’s anthology-leading story, for instance, deals with real-time translation, as of the kind used by Microsoft’s Skype Translate. Like a lot of the stories, it has a twist I won’t spoil here, but it raises interesting questions a ...

from Microsoft http://ift.tt/22CRnM3