17 September 2013

Birthdays
Neill Blomkamp b. 1979 (District 9)
Ian Whyte b. 1971 (Game of Thrones, Clash of the Titans, Prometheus)
Malik Yoba b. 1967 (Alphas)
Bryan Singer b. 1965 (X-Men)
James Urbaniak b. 1963 (The Venture Brothers)
Cassandra Peterson b. 1951 (Elvira)
Bruce Spence b. 1945 (Mad Max, Legend of the Seeker)
Paul Benedict b. 1938 died 1 December 2008 (Attack of the 50 Ft. Woman[1993], the Twilight Zone, The Addams Family)
Roddy McDowall b. 1928 died 3 October 1998 (Planet of the Apes, Twilight Zone)
Ib Melchoir b. 1917 (Angry Red Planet, Reptilicus)

The Pretty Girl = Picture Slot rule should go into effect with Elvira, Mistress of the Dark, but this year I'm on a Venture Brothers kick, so James Urbaniak's character Doc Venture (a.k.a Rusty) gets the picture slot instead.

Many happy returns to the living.
  

Prediction: One thought that occurs to me is that men will continue to withdraw from nature in order to create an environment that will suit them better. By 2014, electroluminescent panels will be in common use. Ceilings and walls will glow softly, and in a variety of colors that will change at the touch of a push button.

Predictor: Isaac Asimov in 1964, predicting what life would be like in 2014


Reality: Asimov's predictions have been published several places recently and many writers have described them as "uncanny". The word that springs to my mind is "spotty".

Luminescent panels exist but they are not in common use. Light bulbs are still the standard. The "withdraw from nature" tendency exists, but it is counterbalanced with a "back to nature" movement. As someone who was alive in 1964, I would say that people are more withdrawn from reacting with their environment now, particularly with cell phones, but we also understand the advantages of nature better, such as the effect of sunlight on treating depression. He gets points for the general premise, but not so much on the exact methods.

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

Instead of a prediction from 1964, we get our weekly does of the view of the future from 1905 by T. Baron Russell.

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!