16 April 2013

Birthdays
Sean Maher b. 1975
Jay O. Sanders b. 1953

Mr. Maher's best known role in genre is as Simon Tam on Firefly. He is also cast in Joss Whedon's Much Ado About Nothing, which will be released in late June. Mr. Sanders has a long career, his best known work in genre films being Green Lantern and The Day After Tomorrow. Many happy returns to both.

Films released
Kick-Ass, released 2010

Prediction: The cult of the phony in art will disappear. So-called "modern art" will be discussed only by psychiatrists.

Predictor: Robert A. Heinlein in 1950


Reality: Yesterday, I wrote that I'd try to dig up an accurate prediction by Heinlein.

Well... I tried. I have some more stuff of his in the book Expanded Universe that I haven't completely researched yet, but as of now, everything else I have of his is dead flat wrong.

To say something kind about Grumpy Old Bob, he was generally an optimist. He has many predictions that things he didn't like very much would go away in the future, and modern art and psychiatry are just two of them.

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!
 
Wednesday is John Elfreth Watkins Day, or at least will be until the middle of this year. As much as I love him, tomorrow's prediction falls as flat as Ridiculous Bob did today. 
 

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!

 

15 January 2013

Movie releases

The Book of Eli, released 15 January 2010
 

Birthdays

James Nesbitt b. 1965 (Bofur in The Hobbit)  
Robert Silverberg b. 1935
(won 1972 Nebula for A Time of Changes)

In the year 2000!

Prediction:  Freud will be classed as a pre-scientific, intuitive pioneer and psychoanalysis will be replaced by a growing, changing "operational psychology" based on measurement and prediction.

Predictor: Robert A. Heinlein in 1950

Accuracy: Not so much. Analysts still exist, most of them listen first and prescribe drugs second, Freud is not considered quaint. Heinlein didn't hate the field of psychology quite to the extent his fellow SF author L. Ron Hubbard did, but he did tend to sneer at it.

Then again, when I read Heinlein, I think his idea that really smart people in THE FUTURE would memorize the logarithmic tables to become math whizzes is sneer-worthy as well, so it all evens out in the end.

Next week, I promise to put up a Heinlein prediction that is right on the money.  I mock him, partly for his politics, partly for his math and science cluelessness, partly because his writing style isn't my cup of tea, but he did spot some trends remarkably accurately.

Looking one day... INTO THE FUTURE!  John Elfreth Watkins returns to tell us of the wonderfully fit and energetic people who live  ... in the year 2000!

Join me then... IN THE FUTURE!