A Book Launch Like No Other: Imaginary Futures Debuts

Dr. Richard Barbrook is a British original - a lecturer at the University of Westminster, a former 1970s punk rocker who once ran from cops for setting up pirate radio stations with friends on the rooftops of London's council flats and a

respected academic author. Known around the world in certain intellectual circles, and a popular guy among his Nottinghill Carnival mates who are musicians, DJs, producers and singers. Barbrook is never afraid to speak his mind, always cuts his own cloth, and is never seen in public without his signatory touch of personal style - a traditional workman's cap.

Last night he unleashed his newest book Imaginary Futures: From Thinking Machines to the Global Village, a detailed political history of the Internet, to a packed venue of about 300 people in London's nightclub venue Madame JoJos, a very unlikely environment for a book launch, but entirely suitable for a not-so-typical academic. As the crowd of well-wishers came into the celebration - professors, literary critics, journalists and political activists -  many were in wonder about the nightclub and the evening the author had planned for them. DJ KCC filled the meet and greet early evening with a selection of mellow lounge beats, including a re-mix of the Dr. Who soundtrack, as guests nibbled on sushi, sipped wine and enjoyed the bitter ale provided by the author's beer sponsor Fuller's London Pride. They browsed, and bought, the new book, met the artist Alex Veness who produced 16 artworks for Imaginary Futures, and mingled among a varied selection of people, including technology professionals, artists, writers, professors, entertainers and many of Richard's students.

Richard joined Simon Schaffer, a BBC 4 documentary television presenter and Cambridge University professor, onstage to give an overview of Imaginary Futures, and debate with Simon about the merit of his book. I was on the stage as well, being Richard's Publicist, and serving as the night's MC to keep the evening moving along from academic discussions to late night entertainment. Compelling  commentary from both Richard and Simon demonstrated how America invented the Internet, and who, how and why the political ideological leaders of the time put together a powerful vision of what Richard defines as the imaginary future, including promises of automated home appliances that would, like Robbie the Robot do all the boring tasks of laundry, dish washing and moping the floor. Richard's account of the political history of cybertechnology, tied in closely with explorations of artificial intellgence, begins at the 1964 World's Fair in New York City, where IBM and NASA showed off computers, space rockets and what futuristic robots could do, all with the shiny gleaming optimisim of the Atomic Age, and unquestioned belief that America was not only the global power, but also the just and right leader of democracy and the free world, in battle against its Cold War enemy the Russians.

Richard introduces readers to Norbert Weiner, the father of cybernetics, economist Walt Rostow and philosopher Marshal McLuhan, who coined the term global village and was named the patron saint of Wired magazine. These three, and others, the author shows, built the foundation for what was to become the Internet and shows how their  ideologies  served as the blueprint for this powerful communication channel. Imaginary Futures, as Simon Schaffer explains, is an important book for anyone using the Internet today, because as world leaders define futures for humanity, it is global citizens who need to recognize that they can use the technological tools at their fingertips to invent a better future than what has been dictated by history.

Today Open Democracy published an overview of the book from Richard, where he states:

The prophecy of the information society comes closer to fulfilment with the launch of each new piece of software and hardware. The present already contains the future and this future explains the present. What is now is what will be one day. Contemporary reality is the beta version of a science-fiction dream: the imaginary future.

Just as Imaginary Futures mixes, or as Richard likes to put it re-mixes poltics, technology and pop culture, the author's book launch did just the same - keeping guests entertained until 2 am with DJ KCC, and DJ Ray Franklin spinning house music, joined by Chicago House-style peformer Robert Owens.

Imaginary Futures is now available in UK and USA book shops, or can be ordered online through Pluto Press.

I invite you to check out the author on MySpace, YouTube and to sign up for his newsletter at the Imaginary Futures website to find out when he may be speaking in your town.

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Hey, for something special for Vox readers - let me know if you want the author to sign a copy just for you! We'll get a personlized copy of the book off to you from Pluto Press.

If you have interest in having Richard make an appearance, please email me at lisa@imaginaryfutures.net and we'll try to book something soon.