24 April 2013

Birthdays

Damon Lindelof b. 1973
Rory McCann b. 1969
Aiden Gillen b. 1968

Many happy returns to the folks on today's birthday list. Lindelof is a writer/producer who works with J.J. Abrams frequently, notably on Lost and the Star Trek reboot. McCann plays the Hound on Game of Thrones and Gillen plays Littlefinger on the same show.

No pretty girl on this list, so the picture slot goes to Gillen, who I loved on The Wire as Tommy Carcetti and is a favorite of my sci-fi buddy Jodi for his work on Queer As Folk.

Also... kitty.

I mean, this is the Internet and I wasn't born yesterday.

In the year 2000!

Prediction: How Children will be Taught. A university education will be free to every man and woman. Several great national universities will have been established. Children will study a simple English grammar adapted to simplified English, and not copied after the Latin. Time will be saved by grouping like studies. Poor students will be given free board, free clothing and free books if ambitious and actually unable to meet their school and college expenses. Medical inspectors regularly visiting the public schools will furnish poor children free eyeglasses, free dentistry and free medical attention of every kind. The very poor will, when necessary, get free rides to and from school and free lunches between sessions. In vacation time poor children will be taken on trips to various parts of the world. Etiquette and housekeeping will be important studies in the public schools.

Predictor: John Elfreth Watkins in The Ladies' Home Journal, published in 1900

Reality: This selection isn't the most prophetic work my man crush has produced, but it is very typical of Victorian era futurism both in the United States and Great Britain. Starting with Edward Bellamy's Looking Backward: 2000-1887, published in 1888, many writers believed deeply in socialism to improve the lot of the poor, especially when it came to education. Watkins is just the first of the turn of the century visionaries I've quoted, but we will hear from many more in the future! Besides Bellamy himself - I'm waiting until we get to exact dates quoted in his most famous work - weekly slots will be given to T. Baron Russell on Wednesdays when I have finally printed the last of Watkins' work. (sniff.) And as Arthur C. Clarke winds down, he will start sharing time with the best known science fiction writer of the era who produced a lot of predictions with dates attached, H.G. Wells.

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!
 
Arthur C. Clarke predicts the greatest invention in history. Make sure to have some Earl Grey tea (hot) by your view screen for this one.
 

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!