29 July 2013

Birthdays
Wil Wheaton b. 1972 (Star Trek: The Next Generation, The Big Bang Theory)
David Warner b. 1941 (Tron, Planet of the Apes (reboot), Star Trek: The Next Generation, Babylon 5)

No disrespect to Mr. Warner, whose career in front of the camera now spans fifty years (!), but this first 29th of July on the blog the Picture Slot goes to Mr. Wheaton, who is now a major force in nerd circles by being a proponent of being a nerd and enjoying it.

Many happy returns of the day to both gentlemen.

Movies released
Cowboys & Aliens, released 2011  

In the year 2000! (or sooner)

Predictor: The Royal Society of Medicine in the OMNI Future Almanac, published 1982

Predictions (reality): Medicines that will be available by 2000 or sooner

Aggression control achieved (Oh, no, you dint!)
Drugs available that safely heighten perceptions, alter emotional experience and generate unique hallucinations (Well, there are some drugs that do all those things, but they existed in 1982 as well. The most debatable word in the prediction is "available".)
Extension of childhood to delay adolescence (Great idea, but the historical trend has been going in the opposite direction since at least 1840.)
Guilt provoked or relieved by drugs (If these drugs exist and Dick Cheney is using one of them, make him use the other one.)
Maternal behavior turned on and off at will (What does that make this set of predictions now, zero for five?)
Memory increased or shortened (If you really need it shortened, watching TV and drinking alcohol are pretty reliable, both in the long term and the short term)

This is the last of this set from OMNI Future Almanac. Next week, Monday goes back to the other member of the tag team, the Popular Mechanics predictions.

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!



Can there be any Heinlein predictions left that aren't ridiculous? Signs point to no, as the Magic Eight Ball used to say.

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!