I read a lot of futurism these days. It fascinates me. But if you absorb enough of the stuff, you start to expect everything you’ve known and loved about human civilization to disappear—and soon. I’ve reached that point. It’s hard to believe the world of 20 or 30 years from now (if I’m lucky enough to be around) is going to be something I want to see. BUT. I am no Paul Atreides. I’ve been wrong before, and I hope I'm wrong about this. Science fiction authors have been overestimating the pace of human change since H.G. Wells. Why should I be any different? To convince myself that … [Read more...]
We Should All Predict the Future
In 1935, Nikola Tesla predicted that “within a century coffee, tea, and tobacco will be no longer in vogue. Alcohol, however, will still be used. It is not a stimulant but a veritable elixir of life.” It’s hard to imagine us giving up coffee within the next 20 years (or finding it unfashionable to drink). Tesla was a technological visionary, but his dietary visions were always a bit off. In the last part of his life, he ingested only milk and honey, wasting away because he believed them the “purest form of food.” I once wrote about how some of the great sci-fi authors treated future … [Read more...]