Making the world a better place through bigger tomatoes and free public education, that sort of thing?

My friend My dad I've a friend who is into all that sort of thing as well. Very keen on improving society. The invisible guiding hand and so forth.

Kim Stanley Robinson wrote all those Mars books, yeh?

You can't go wrong with the great oldies, either- Jules Verne and H.G. Wells, or Arthur C. Clarke, for that matter.

We're havin' our own space odyssey! Hopefully Siri won't go off her rocker, though.

You could bring your mate round for a drink sometime if you like.