Tuesday, February 4, 2014

4 February 2014

 Birthdays
Brandy Ledford b. 1969 (Stargate, Andromeda, Smallville, The Invisible Man, Demolition Man)
Jenette Goldstein b. 1960 (Star Trek: Generations, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Max Headroom, Aliens)
Mitchell Kosterman b. 1958 (Stargate SG-1, Smallville, Dark Angel, The X-Files, Sliders)
John Schuck b. 1940 (Star Trek: Enterprise, Star Trek: Voyager, Babylon 5, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Star Trek VI, Star Trek IV, Holmes and Yoyo)
George A. Romero b, 1940 (director, Survival of the Dead, Diary of the Dead, Land of the Dead, Day of the Dead, Dawn of the Dead, Night of the Living Dead)
Gary Conway b. 1936 (Land of the Giants, I was a Teenage Frankenstein, The Viking Women and the Sea Serpent)
Russell Hoban b. 1925 died 13 December 2011 (author, Riddley Walker)
William Phipps b. 1922 (Twilight Zone, Cat-Women of the Moon, War of the Worlds[1953], Invaders from Mars)

George A. Romero likely counts as The Big Name on today's birthday list, though I do have a soft spot for Russell Hoban as a writer. I could have gone with Gary Conway from Land of the Giants in the Picture Slot, but instead it's Jenette Goldstein in her first role on film in Aliens as the tough and buff Private Vasquez.

Many happy returns of the day to all the living on the list, and to Russell Hoban, thanks for all the memories.


Predictor: Ray Kurzweil in the 1999 book The Age of Spiritual Machines

Prediction: By 2009, people can talk to their computer to give commands.

Reality: This one was fairly accurate, though I would say it depends on what people define as "their computer". Voice commands to a music list existed in 2009, but I'm not sure most people would think of a music database as "their computer". On the other hand, everyone would count Siri as "talking to a computer" and that app was released in 2011.

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

Tomorrow, our weekly schedule is interrupted by the exact date of a virus coming to Earth from outer space.

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!

6 comments:

  1. I can't help but imagine Kurzweil talking into a mouse, like Scotty in Star Trek: The Voyage Home.

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    1. There's a lot of his stuff that is only off by a few years and other stuff that hasn't happened even now. He's a more serious technologist that even Arthur C. Clarke, but like Clarke he decided to stretch a little so as not to look timid.

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  2. Being a youngster you forgot to list Gary Conway's major role (At least to me), the creature in "I Was a Teenage Frankenstein." Saw it as a first run at the drive-in with a bunch of other B&W sci-fi's.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks, Mr. Driscoll. I added his other credits to my Word document, but I spaced and didn't add it to the list on the blog. That has now been fixed.

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  3. I loved Russell Hoban, and so did my son. From Frances the Badger to Ridley Walker and beyond.

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    Replies
    1. Hi, Susan. Thanks for stopping by. It's always nice to know people are reading.

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