Saturday, July 6, 2013

6 July 2013

 Birthdays
Jennifer Saunders b. 1958 (Shrek 2, Coraline)
Geoffrey Rush b. 1951 (Pirates of the Caribbean)
Sylvester Stallone b. 1946 (Demolition Man, Dredd, Death Race 2000)
Burt Ward b. 1945 (Batman)

Except for Burt Ward, all these actors are better known for their work outside the genre. I often fail to include actors whose only work is in voiceover, which is the situation for Jennifer Saunders, but I have a soft spot for Absolutely Fabulous.

Many happy returns to all concerned.



Prediction: The Americans will not get into outer space until 1962, though the project was first presented to Congress in 1944.

Predictor: James Blish, They Shall Have Stars, published in 1956

Reality: I can't find the evidence of presentation in 1944, but 1962 is a damned good prediction. Alan Shepard gets into space in 1961, but the first earth orbit by an American is by John Glenn in 1962.

It should be noted that Blish is making this prediction a year before Sputnik.

Blish wrote a series of books about the future, but only They Shall Have Stars deals with years that have already passed or are just a few years away. The rest are centuries away, so not interesting as predictions we can verify or disprove.

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

Blish makes another remarkably close prediction, this time about demographics in 2010. He then screws the pooch by misinterpreting the numbers, but the first part is really top notch.

 Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!

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Traveler! Have you news... FROM THE FUTURE?