DISQUS

SolidSmack: There’s Cold Soup in My Technology: Two Sides of Yesterday’s Future Tech

  • Charles · 1 year ago
    I am currently reading a book by Robert Heinlein "For Us, The Living". I just started, but so far it contains some interesting tidbits. Written in 1939, it is a look into culture of the year 2086. The main character finds himself suddenly in that year; one of the quotes is "next you are going to tell me that watermellons don't have seeds!"

    The funniest things actually get implemented...
  • Matt Lombard · 1 year ago
    Uh, Josh,

    I'm just pointing this out because I think in your optimism, you have glossed over something important. The examples you cite are certainly pessimistic and optimistic, but more importantly, they are nearly correct and mostly incorrect. You would have no difficulty I'm sure in finding a crazy abundance of optimistic and incorrect predictions.

    Your insinuation seems to be that optimistic views of the future are always correct, or that only optimistic views are correct, or any number of ways you could play with combining words. I think this insinuation is both optimistic and incorrect.

    An example of a prediction that is pessimistic and correct would be "people will become wasteful, impatient, and disconnected with the world outside of that electronic box."

    I just think its important to see multiple sides of the same issue.
  • Josh · 1 year ago
    yeah, i gotcha, and actually I do mean to point out how each view has correct and incorrect aspects to it, and things recently have taken the nearly correct path of Berry.

    They were both wild hair opinions at the time and I find it interesting that most, including myself, would probably agree more with the pessimistic side rather than the optimistic side given we were standing there in the years they were said.

    Just looking at these two trains of thought in this age, however far-fetched or off-base they are, can put current tech and future possibilities in a new light.

    I think that quote is actually incorrect. I know I have been able to stay better connected with friends and family, what's going on in their life, plan trips together, find fly fishing spots (know you'll like that one :) ) and get my finances more organized (just in past few days!). I think that is two-sides one could look at as well and would be a great talk to have sometime. I'd definitely say people are online WAY too much though.