Tony Thorne Mbe

Artificial (General) Intelligent robots will be cleverer than us, able to do anything we can do, better, and faster, for twenty four hours a day, with no time off demanded either, except perhaps for an occasional self-service. Most of the jobs only humans could do before will be gone, and this situation will soon seriously begin to happen, well before the end of the next decade. What will that do to government unemployment figures? Some experts believe 80% is possible. Fully automated companies, with minimal labour costs, will probably do well financially, at first, but how will unemployed people buy their products? Some alternative, a guaranteed permanent Basic Allowance for example, will have to be introduced well before we reach that state of unemployment... or will we still need money by then?Later when ASI, Artificial Super Intelligence, arrives some experts even fear humanity may be facing extinction. The consequences, of this Singularity, this unprecedented hard to appreciate situation, are going to be devastating, even if the relevant authorities start planning for it immediately... and that is unlikely, knowing them the way we do. Will the subject even be mentioned in the next government's manifesto?This updated edition, for general readers of all ages, explains what experts believe will happen in only a few years from now. They do not all agree with each other. Their predictions range from A New Golden Age for us all, through Uncertainty, to Total Disaster. Readers must decide for themselves who will be proved correct.

In Book One, blind young Londoner, Horace Mayberry, always wanted to be a secret agent, but could only dream about being one. Persuaded to be fitted with intelligent nanotronic eyes, and then recruited as an apprehensive assistant to an experienced secret agent, Captain Aubrey Jackson, he took part in a series of exciting adventures and hazardous missions. His experiences affected his dreams and personality, and caused his amazing eyes to develop superhuman properties when he needed them. In this first sequel, Professor Freeman has been designing, and testing, a new type of weapon, using the intelligent nanotechnology developed for Horace's eyes, but five of the first six prototypes have been stolen Horace, Aubrey Jackson, and a new team member, Harry Jenkins, face deception, intrigue and dangerous adventures as they travel through England, Scotland, Ireland, France and Austria in their quest to recover the weapons and discover who was behind the robbery. Horace's new experiences cause his dreams to become even more vivid, his personality to further evolve, and his eyes to develop even more amazing abilities, as he needs them, including the ability to interact with the weapons..

This unusual work ranges from hilarious to controversial ... and possibly even disturbing to some sensitive readers. It's about the meetings a group of intelligent youngsters hold, to discuss Life, the Universe, and everything. The subjects discussed include Parents, Faith, Creation, The Supernatural, Miracles, The Future, Politics, Computers and Robots etc. Most parents however will find these subjects, and the youthful views on tham, fascinating, as well as useful in dealing with their own children. Things today are not as they were and will never be again. Knowledge is power, remember, and children nowadays have immediate access to it, far more than we ever did. Read it and perhaps review your own views..?

Tony Thorne MBE's new 'fact against fiction' book is about THE SINGULARITY, and the resulting Artificial Intelligence Explosion. So what is a singularity? It's easiest described as a one way event, something which once it occurs cannot be reversed. So what kind of singularity phenomenon is explored in this book?Many scientists claim it poses a far greater threat to humanity than global warming, and it may be no more than ten years away.. This singularity, the creation of machines that are far cleverer than we are, and the runaway consequences that will follow, will change our way of life... completely. They will follow on from the Artificial Intelligence devices we already have today. More incredible developments will emerge after them, and then after that, and so on... until it happens.

The hero is a young blind teenager, named Horace Mayberry, who gets fitted out with some nanotronic eyes. They are intelligent and can develop various functions to assist in whatever situations he experiences. Horace is a cautious lad, and each situation he encounters causes his eyes to develop something new, and enable his introvert personality to evolve too. He becomes impulsive and somewhat headstrong, at first.He is recruited into a secret government agency as an assistant to an experienced agent and embarks on a series of adventures, including being abducted twice by an international gang of crooks led by Rudolph Beckman, an international billionaire financier who is after the secrets of the laboratory that developed the nanotronic eyes. He uses a trio of henchmen to do his bidding.The finale covers an attack on the crooks hideout in the Canary Island of Tenerife.

Top award in the (SF category) New York 'Best Read on the Beach' Festival contest.. A collection of seventeen speculative SF and Macabre Tales by English writer Tony Thorne MBE, set on, in and even under that magical Spanish Canary Island. The contents include: SMALLER THAN LIFE - Modifying DNA can produce problems. EVOLUTION - Things change, so what might come next? HOLOGHOSTS - A spooky tale, with a scientific explanation? SALVAGE - Underwater exploration is fascinating around the island. ARTEFACT - What might be hidden in a Tenerife cave? BAGGAGE INCLUDED - An unwelcome visitor has to get home. HILLYBOOTS - Are there too many hills here, for oldies? RETIREMENT PLAN - It s always a good idea to look ahead? INFORMAL CONVERSATION - A glimpse into the near future? BLACK HOLE - Where do they put all the garbage nowadays? HIDDEN RECALL - We all have secrets we want to hide. MANSLAUGHTER - A very different kind of 'Who-Done-It' tale. DO-IT-YOURSELF - Beware of unusual second hand garments. LONG TERM SURVIVAL - An extended look into the far future. Introduction by Harry Harrison, the legendary author of more than 20 novels, several film scripts, and many collections of short stories. His books have been translated into over 30 languages. "Tony Thorne has the mind of a scientist and the soul of an artist. His science and technology are correct, his extrapolations wonderful and ingenious. But then - surprise A blackness may descend - or a brilliant flash of black humour. Read and enjoy ... " Review by Rhetta Akamatsu, USA, author of Ghost to Coast, a paranormal handbook. She is the assistant editor of The NexusWorld Journal of Anomolous Sciences. "An exotic island, one of the Canary Islands, Tenerife seems like an appropriate place for adventure; and when a scientist and design engineer with a taste for Science Fiction decides to set his speculative tall tales there, amazing adventures do, indeed, ensue. Set, for the most part, in the near future, the tales use very believable twists on emergent technology. What Thorne creates in Tenerife is a world where the reader never knows what to expect under the sea, in caves, on the land and in the air. The island becomes, in various tales, a land where animals act as intelligently as humans, where attempts to handle environmental issues have very unexpected results, where exotic locations and experimental science create sometimes dark, sometimes humorous, and always amazing and utterly intriguing results. Tony Thorne's grasp of the science that looms just over the horizon and his love for Science Fiction come together, in these stories, to create speculative fiction of the very best kind." Review by Autumn Conley, American author of two novels, numerous articles, and reviews for many USA magazines and newspapers. "With all the fervor and creativity an author can muster, Tony Thorne MBE has put together a remarkable collection of short stories, inspired by the island he loves and the genre of shadowy imagination that he is so very good at capturing. Thorne's stories are meticulously laced with a perfect concoction of urban legend, scientific precision, and his own edgy yarns to be almost believable, yet far beyond the imaginations of what we know as reality. Anyone who enjoys good fiction with a tinge of daunting possibility should consider Tenerife Tales a must for their reading list" Review by Dr. Tami Brady, Canada "At first glance, Tenerife sounds like a vacation paradise. Who wouldn't want to visit a breathtaking isle nestled in the Canary Islands? But you've never been to a place like this. No tales of sunbathing. No cold drinks served while enjoying the warm weather. It would seem that the island has a few secrets. Tenerife Tall Tales with a Twist in the Tail is a collection of witty, ironic, and hilarious short stories"

Clever kids discuss Life, the Universe and just about everything ...including Computers, Aliens, the Future, Time Travel, Politics, Religion etc.