Wednesday, September 18, 2013

18 September 2013

 Birthdays
Chris Riggi b. 1985 (Vampires Suck)
James Marsden b. 1973 (X-Men)
Jada Pinkett Smith b. 1971 (Matrix)
Jack Warden b. 1920 died 19 July 2006 (Twilight Zone)
June Foray b. 1917 (Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Twilight Zone)

The Picture Slot today belongs to my favorite actor on the list, June Foray, who turns 96. She is best known for her work on Jay Ward cartoons as the voice of Rocky, Natasha, Nell Fenwick and nearly every other female character, but she also worked for Warner Brothers and Hanna-Barbera and several other studios as well.

Many happy returns of the day to the living.


Predictor: T. Baron Russell in A Hundred Years Hence, published in 1905

Prediction: There is nothing to daunt the engineers of a hundred years hence in the project of erecting on the sea a vast floating city, fully as convenient as the present cities of terra firma, and, while vastly more healthful, quite substantial enough to resist storm and every motion of the sea, except the tides on which the city will rise and fall tides which will no doubt furnish the motive power of many conveniences in ocean cities.

Reality: Actually, there is plenty to daunt the engineers of the 21st Century to producing vast floating cities. Sea water does a great job over time of wearing away the things humans build and storms at sea can be much worse than storms after landfall. One big change from 1905 to today is the container ship, so there would be a chance for import and export from a floating city, provided that city could have a safe harbor big enough to take in a container ship and with waters calm enough to facilitate loading and off-loading.

I gotcher daunt right here, buddy.

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

For about a month now, the regular Thursday predictor has been pre-empted by exact dates and the like, but tomorrow we will hear again from one Mr. Herbert George Wells.

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!      

5 comments:

  1. Oil drilling platforms are essentially large floating cities, and everyone knows they're perfectly safe and "vastly more healthful," amirite!?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I was thinking about that and looked up the population of Sealand, the derelict oil platform/fake nation.

      27 people.

      Even working platforms only support a couple hundred folks, so I wouldn't call them "large cities" by any stretch.

      Delete
  2. Need I link to Archigram's "Walking Cities" again? Walking, swimming, what's the difference....

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Are you sure you linked it before? I just looked it upon Wikipedia and it was a first time experience for me.

      Delete
    2. I thought I did, but it's possible it was another blog. I am far too lazy to go look it up....

      but in any case, I am kind of amused and intrigued by the drug-frenzied hippie architects. Apparently it was possible to work without any actual clients back then.

      Delete

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