BRUCE STERLING, SCIENCE FICTION AUTHOR, TORINO

When is the visualization better than the thing? Under this headline American science fiction author Bruce Sterling questioned whether we still need physical objects at all, and whether visualizations or virtual objects might start giving us the same physical effects than real things. Sterling has been one of the founders of the 80's cyberpunk movement in science fiction, best known for his work on the "Mirrorshades anthology". He has been the instigator of various political and ecological projects such as the Dead Media Project - a collection of "research notes" on dead media technologies, the Viridian Design Movement - his attempt to create a "green" design movement focused on high-tech, stylish, and ecological sound design, or "Embrace the Decay" - an art piece commissioned by the LA Museum of Contemporary Art in 2003. Sterling has written for many magazines, including Newsweek, Fortune, or Wired, where he has been a contributing writer since its conception. He has appeared in shows like ABC's Nightline, BBS's The Late Show, CBC's Morningside, or on MTV.

blog.wired.com/sterling
www.well.com/conf/mirrorshades