tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-255765354647516808.post2884423338769514146..comments2024-02-19T00:39:49.642-08:00Comments on We Alone on Earth: "Nothing dates the past like impressions of the future"Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05279969393617122722noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-255765354647516808.post-53249666808736746732010-09-22T17:43:18.330-07:002010-09-22T17:43:18.330-07:00I remember the Babyeaters story having a line like...I remember the Babyeaters story having a line like "thats ridiculous, what possible harm could come from non-consensual sex"<br /><br />I don't think "It's not rape if you do it in the future" is actually a fair prediction, but they did use a dramatic shift in a fundamental cultural norm to illustrate that it was "the future".Mhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05279969393617122722noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-255765354647516808.post-38552095354820983502010-09-22T17:38:21.167-07:002010-09-22T17:38:21.167-07:00I think the important thing to take away from this...I think the important thing to take away from this is that Facebook ≃ robot butler.Mhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05279969393617122722noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-255765354647516808.post-4217067139185430862010-09-22T17:12:29.486-07:002010-09-22T17:12:29.486-07:00The Greeks and Romans didn't believe in progre...The Greeks and Romans didn't believe in progress, only deterioration. A student could not be better than his teacher, in the classical imagination. So the only things they wrote explicitly about the future were things like Revelations. Other ancient cultures are no better--in traditional Hindu and Buddhist cosmology, for example, there is a cycle (which lasts some untold number of years) Fhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13839876056962033224noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-255765354647516808.post-72589707657820979222010-09-20T03:40:27.418-07:002010-09-20T03:40:27.418-07:00The tone of voice in these movies is so bizarre, a...The tone of voice in these movies is so bizarre, as though he's trying to tempt you to eat a chocolate cake... "Look, behold, this truly, truly marvelous cake. It is a layer cake, constructed patiently and diligently by the finest chefs, moist layer upon layer mortared together with smooth, rich icing. Behold the ring of cherries adorning the top of the cake, each a tender morsel of Beckhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15623702114152344862noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-255765354647516808.post-7599709247820890052010-09-19T18:05:40.137-07:002010-09-19T18:05:40.137-07:00More Futurama failures
--assuming scientific progr...More Futurama failures<br />--assuming scientific progress will be universally accepted and integrated into society without hesitation or govt. red tape.<br /><br />--assuming govt. regulation and integration of technologies will be without its faults and operate logically<br /><br />--they don't account for the possibility of technological dead ends, but I guess that's pretty hard all Evannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-255765354647516808.post-2759579876894870002010-09-19T13:45:02.069-07:002010-09-19T13:45:02.069-07:00common points of failure in "Futurama" :...common points of failure in "Futurama" :<br /><br />-- their futures are very much "the present, only more resources"<br />-- this leads to unrealistic predictions for growth of energy, production, transportation speeds<br />-- they fail to account for how population growth can consume increased efficiency.<br /><br /><br />Those who assume that computational power can Mhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05279969393617122722noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-255765354647516808.post-40406861495783081812010-09-19T13:05:38.352-07:002010-09-19T13:05:38.352-07:00To play devil's advocate, maybe there is somet...To play devil's advocate, maybe there is something to "Nothing dates the past like its impressions of the future." Many genealogies of science-fiction begin with Francis Bacon's "Utopia", which envisioned a world ruled by alchemist-philosophers. Bacon is also usually nominated as the first Enlightenment thinker. The hero-engineer of Jules Verne and Golden Age sci-fi Michael BFhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16757274897589421838noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-255765354647516808.post-11446162772640684672010-09-19T10:27:32.643-07:002010-09-19T10:27:32.643-07:00@ Everett:
So its true that programming can be do...@ Everett:<br /><br />So its true that programming can be done in the nude, but actually so can most things. You could also have made pottery in your underwear, whittled, been a carpenter, stitched and sewn, cooked, driven a large truck... the list goes on and on.<br /><br />Most everything Lawyers do other than court appearances could easily be done in the nude without negative consequences of Beckhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15623702114152344862noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-255765354647516808.post-39549416866473507102010-09-19T09:23:45.200-07:002010-09-19T09:23:45.200-07:00The movie 2001 is not dated at all.
Many less-visi...The movie 2001 is not dated at all.<br />Many less-visionary visions of the future are like The Jetsons where it looks like the present except everyday items are made of new materials or have drastically altered properties. But paradigm shifts are rarely part of the fabric. I've never heard of a clearly articulated vision of the industrial revolution (or the web for that matter) before these Jake Lodwicknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-255765354647516808.post-32343972712355282662010-09-19T08:46:48.238-07:002010-09-19T08:46:48.238-07:00Do you think that the rise of digital economy in t...Do you think that the rise of digital economy in the 90s is responsible for facilitating the casual workplace ?<br /><br />After all, now we can build reputations with content alone. When I publish a journal article online no one needs to know that I'm just sitting naked in my room. Its true, you don't really need pants to write software. <br /><br />Contrast to the past : building your Mhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05279969393617122722noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-255765354647516808.post-46374444418586258522010-09-19T08:33:20.143-07:002010-09-19T08:33:20.143-07:00zippy one liner, mostly, but true.
hmm... imagini...zippy one liner, mostly, but true.<br /><br />hmm... imagining the science fiction of the Romans is a good exercise. My impression is that, in classical history, technology progressed much more slowly. Speculations of the future probably involved anticipating new political and social developments, rather than technological : can we unify this region and generate enough prosperity to build some Mhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05279969393617122722noreply@blogger.com