Lighten up …

… The Optimistic Directive | Talking Philosophy. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)

Stephenson … seems to see the current situation as rather problematic because he worries that the current crop science fiction lacks the optimism about the future needed to inspire scientists, engineers and others. To be more specific, if science fiction stories predict an apocalyptic world, then the readers will not be inspired to do things such as inventing space ships or solving the fossil fuel problem.