Sunday, October 20, 2013

20 October 2013


Birthdays
Katie Featherston b. 1982 (Paranormal Activity)
Rose McIver b. 1987 (Hercules, Xena, Power Rangers, Once Upon a Time)
Sam Witwer b. 1977 (Being Human, Angel, The Walking Dead, Smallville, Battlestar Galatica, Star Trek:Enterprise)
Kenneth Choi b. 1971 (Captain America: The First Avenger)
Viggo Mortensen b. 1958 (Lord of the Rings, The Road)
Danny Boyle b.1956 (director, 28 Days Later)
Bill Nunn b. 1953 (Spider-Man)
George Harris b. 1949 (Harry Potter, Flash Gordon)
George Wyner b. 1945 (Spaceballs)
Anneke Wills b. 1941 (Doctor Who)
John Anderson b. 1922 Died 7 August 1992 (Star Trek:The Next Generation, Twilight Zone)
Rex Ingram b. 1895 died 19 September 1969 (The Thief of Bagdad)
Bela Lugosi b. 1882 died 16 August 1956 (Dracula)

Next year, it will be an interesting choice for the picture slot. This year it's Bela Lugosi, no question.

Many happy returns to the living on our list.
 

Prediction: February, 2002: Ninety thousand people now live on Mars.

Predictor: Ray Bradbury in The Martian Chronicles, published in 1950

Reality: This is one of the really short chapters, only two paragraphs long. As much grief as I give Bradbury, if you are of the opinion that writing is about sentences, you really should give The Martian Chronicles a read. He worked very hard at his craft and it shows.

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

An exact date from 2015 is going to preempt our regular schedule of predictions for most of this next week.

And, yes, there are flying cars.

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!

4 comments:

  1. I don't mind Bradbury being inaccurate, he never accepted the mantle of 'science fiction'. He was an author, and a superlative one.

    Asimov I judge more harshly. Although still a a superlative author, ostensibly more science-based. He was impressed with himself enough to make all those predictions. Should have known better and couched them in vague, impenetrable verse like Nostr-whoosits.

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    1. I have to agree with you, I always thought Bradbury as almost fantasy because even as a 13 year old (When I first read the Chronicles) I knew a rocket launch wouldn't thaw a whole geographic area. I think the best chapter is the Catholic missionary trying to evangelize the Martians. The spiritual beings give the priest a sort of pat on the head and tell him to run along. Great insight.

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    2. Asimov and the predictions. Let's recall that Clarke and Heinlein fell prey to the exact same temptation. Since people had been asking Heinlein his opinion since 1950, for Clarke and Asimov to be asked in 1964 must have felt like they had finally arrived.

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    3. at least Heinlein predicted the water bed.

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