Sunday, October 17, 2010

Flashforward





















Flashforward is set in what is ment to be present day America. In early April 2009 a science experiment is being performed on the borders of several European countries in an attempt to create the Higgs boson. When an unknown variable affects the experiment the entire world blackouts for a two minutes and seventeen seconds. This is no ordinary blackout as the entire world sees a glimpse of the future for those two plus minutes. The people of the world see twenty-one years into their future. The unexpectedness of the blackouts causes millions of people to die from car crashes and several other unavoidable accidents. Several theories arise as to what caused the blackouts but all signs point to the CERN science campus and scientists Lloyd Simcoe and Theo Procopides. Theo has no flashforward and learns through the Mosaic Project, an online database where people can record there flashforwards and they can be linked to other peoples flashforwards, that he will be murdered just days before the day the flashforwards showed. This in turn engulfs his whole world. After trying to prove they were'nt the only reason for the flashforwards Lloyd and Theo try the experiment again in order find out what may have caused them. The recreation attempt fails but their original goal for the experiment, finding the Higgs boson, is finally discovered. Several days after the failed recreation attempt the cause of the flashforwards is determined. The cause is a burst of neutrinos from a star that had supernovaed that lasted the same amount of time as the flashforward. As the day approaches that everyone saw Lloyd and Theo learn that a burst of neutrinos will arrive on earth and they may be able to recreate the flashforwards. Will the flashforwards be recreated? Will Theo be murdered as he was told?

Discussion Questions
1) The recreation of the flashforwards is a very contriversial topic. Some feel they it should be done and others don't. Should they recreate it or only allow people, even those with no visions, to see the future once?
2) Antother topic of dissucsion was who caused it. Do you think that CERN was responsible for it or was it just a freak and tragic accident?

4 comments:

Morgan O 7-8 said...

1) If i were in that situation I would not want to see the future. It would make it impossible to live in the moment. If you are always worried about what is going to come next you cannot possibly enjoy your life. The people who didn't see anything in there flash forward and have discovered that they will be dead, should be able to enjoy the time that they have left and not have to worry about when they are going to die or the cause of their death. They should not have to deal with the aftermath of another flash forward.

2)I don't think that CERN should be held responsible for the flash forward. They were not trying to make it happen nor were they the sole reason for the accident. If it were not for the supernova CERN would have succeeded in their original goal the first time and the flash forward would not have happened.

Sydney S. 1-2 said...

1. I agree with Morgan. If I was in this situation, I wouldn't want to see the future at all. In a way, it would be neat, but if you are too busy being worrying about, trying to prevent, or trying to change the future, then you would not be able to enjoy the present to its fullest.

2. I also do not think that CERN was responsible for the flash-forewards. The fact that they tried the experiment again to prove they wern't the reason shows that it wasn't intentional, nor was it only their fault.

Unknown said...

1. I also agree with Sydney and Morgan. I think that the people who could see the visions were meant to see them and those who can not see them were meant not to see them. If I was in their shoes, I would not want to see the future because it would control the decisions of my life, instead of having everything fall into place by itself.

2. I think that CERN did not cause it. I think they were just someone to blame. I believe that it was a tragic and uncontrollable accident.

Brandon Messner said...

1. I firmly believe that the time is much too complex to be tampered with, no matter what technology arises. I also firmly believe that the power to control time in any sense is way too much power for mankind (which has shown in the past to not handle power well). Nobody should be allowed to flashforward ever, time is just too dangerous.

2. I find myself siding more with the freak accident idea considering how unrealistic it is that a time paradox could occur from an experiment in a laboratory in the present day. All things on earth show no evidence to having such power; however, I believe that humans know very little about what else is out there in space. So, I do not think it was CERN's fault.