Have you ever wanted to step into another world? Coming up on Future Tense we’re going to give you that opportunity so stay tuned because we’ll be speaking to the producer of an alternate reality game called Bluebird AR.

INTRO

The other day while I was surfing the Internet I came across the blog of a young whistleblower scientist who wants to stop Project Bluebird, a scientific project which could halt climate change, but which also could also have disastrous consequences for the world.

This threw me into quite a spin. Suddenly I was on the verge of uncovering a global conspiracy. The future had become the present and fiction had become fact. Where was I? And what was Bluebird?

Well, it turns out I had inadvertently entered a new online alternate reality show for the ABC called Bluebird AR.

Today on Future Tense we’re speaking with Astrid Scott, the show’s producer and she’s not virtual, she’s real, and she’s here with me now.

Astrid welcome to the show. I’m hoping you’ll shed a little light on my virtual existence conundrum. Tell us about this world, the world of Bluebird AR.

1. How did you become involved in the show?

2. Now geoengineering is nothing new – it’s been around since the 1950s – but for those of us who might not have heard of geoengineering, can you tell us a bit about it?

3. There are many issues around geoengineering. It seems there is no general consensus that it’s safe, appropriate or effective. It would be extremely hard to control and it would cost billions. It also poses a moral hazard in that it might reduce the imperative to cut greenhouse gas emissions. Others say it’s a strategy to delay emissions reductions by the coal and oil industries. Conversely, those proponents of geoengineering strategies say it’s not an alternative to emissions control, but rather an accompanying strategy. Without giving too much away what position does Bluebird AR take on geoengineering?

4. Can you give us any hints of what “Bluebird” is and what the ramifications might be if it is unleashed?

MID INTERVIEW IDENT

For those listeners who have just tuned in, we’re talking to Astrid Scott, producer of a revolutionary new online alternate reality drama for the ABC called Bluebird AR.

5. Astrid, how do participants best enjoy and engage with Bluebird AR?
6. Some say the Internet has become a mass audience storytelling medium. How many people really are engaging with these interactive games and how do you measure the user engagement?
7. Nicole Brady, editor of The Age’s “Green Guide” said she doubted an already fragmented, time-poor audience would be all that interested in the show, adding the show’s $200,000 price tag means it could only be made at the ABC. She says you’ve been the most creative because you don’t have to turn a profit, you just have to find an audience, basically, which is a lot easier than making money out of television programs. What do you say to this?
8. Is there a substantial audience for this that exists outside of peer group, online social contacts and general web-browsing experiences? (Examples like Repo, Farmville).
Without giving too much away… How long will Bluebird AR be in our lives?

OUTRO

Thanks Astrid. You’ve been listening to Future Tense on ABC Radio National with Melanie Hailstone. We’ve been speaking with Astrid Scott, producer of the new online ABC alternate reality drama Bluebird AR. If you want to help solve the mystery and be a part of this revolutionary new drama as it unfolds go to:

http://www.abc.net.au/innovation/bluebird/