Ethical Matters:
Why is Tomorrow’s Technology Still Not Here?

For decades we’ve delighted in dreaming about a sci-fi utopia, with flying cars and bionic humans. Why are we living in a future that is more flat-pack than jet-pack? Building a better world – be it a free-flying commute or an automated urban lifestyle – is a worthy dream. Given the pace of technological change, nothing seems impossible anymore. But why are these innovations always out of reach?

Delving into the remarkable history of technology, Nicole Kobie, author of The Long History of the Future introduces us to the clever scientists, genius engineers and eccentric innovators who first brought these ideas to life and have struggled to make them work since. These stories reveal a more realistic picture of how these technologies may evolve – and how we’ll eventually get to use them. By looking to the past and the future, Nicole shows how history consistently proves us wrong, and how what lies ahead may not be what we imagine, but so much better.

Nicole Kobie is a London-based technology and science journalist. Her bylines appear in Wired, where she is a contributing editor, PC Pro, where she’s the futures editor. Nicole specialises in debunking government and startup PR around future technologies.

Nicole’s book, The Long History of the Future: Why Tomorrow’s Technology Still Isn’t Here, will be available to buy in person from Newham Bookshop on the day.

Age Recommendation:

16+

Price: *All ticket prices below include a £1 booking fee*

In person: Standard £10 • Living Support £7 • Students £7 • Members FREE
Online: Standard £7 • Members FREE

Access Information

Due to the age and Grade Il listing of the building, there is no lift access to rooms above the ground floor.

All the ground-floor rooms are fully accessible by wheelchair. Main Hall (street access, step-free), Brockway Room (street access, step-free), Bertrand Russell Room (street access, shallow ramp), Hive Cafe (street access, step-free), There is also an accessible toilet on the ground floor opposite the Brockway Room.

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