X-Message-Number: 28897
From: "Chris Manning" <>
References: <>
Subject: Re: Postponing "the future" to the 22nd Century 
Date: Sat, 13 Jan 2007 14:36:48 +1100

Another way of looking at it might be to cast our minds back to 1907. How 
would the 20th century have looked then?

People then might have thought the 20th century looked pretty lame so far.

I don't need to tell you all the developments in science and technology that 
occurred during the remaining 93 years of that century.

How many people then foresaw the very medium by which you are reading this 
message?

One thing people envisaged when I was a child in the 60s, which has *not* 
become a reality, is the video phone. I would be grateful if anyone can 
explain, in not-too-technical language, why that is so.

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "CryoNet" <>
To: <>
Sent: Thursday, January 11, 2007 9:00 PM
Subject: CryoNet #28868 - #28871


> CryoNet - Thu 11 Jan 2007
>
> Message #28871
> From: "Mark Plus" <>
> Subject: Postponing "the future" to the 22nd Century
> Date: Wed, 10 Jan 2007 21:03:02 -0800
>
> I guess because the 21st Century looks pretty lame so far, futurists have
> started to project all the science-fictional stuff into the 22nd Century.
>
> Case in point: The upcoming PBS show, "22nd Century":
>
> http://www.pbs.org/22ndcentury/
>
> "Many scientists and futurists believe we are on the verge of a
> technological revolution that will look like a page ripped directly from a
> scifi novel.
>
> "22nd Century dives head-first into this brave new world on Wednesday,
> January 17, 2007, at 8 pm."
>
> This despite all the propaganda I've heard since my childhood in the 
> 1960's
> about "future shock" and the wonders of life in the 21st Century. (Maybe
> F.M. Esfandiary should have renamed himself "FM-2130" instead.) Indeed, 
> the
> world in 2007 looks a lot like the world I remember from my teens.
>
> The non science-fictional appearance of early 21st Century life probably
> adds to the perception that cryonics' view of "the future" has 
> increasingly
> diverged from reality.
>
> Mark Plus
>

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