Future history

Not my usual territory, but I am fascinated by space, into which I think it is vitally important humankind continue to venture and, eventually colonise.

It was one of my standby topics in the days when I wrote far too many newspaper editorials in a year: "not all eggs in one basket", the need for adventure and frontiers, the technological spinoffs and understandings of our own planet ... etc etc - can write that one in my sleep and probably sometimes did.

Consequently I was really taking by a considerably better informed post, and great debate, at Cronaca, on Space tourism: (too) risky business?

As for books, it is many years ago now that I read the Red Mars, Blue Mars, Green Mars, trilogy, by Kim Stanley Robinson - terrible, clunky writing, but interesting ideas about science and society.