How come we get our "future vision" so wrong most of the time?

[Overmind One]

We all know I'm pissed that we don't have flying cars yet. Clearly the Jetsons lied to us; damn Spacely Sprockets! Don't get me wrong, I can deal with the car issue -- for now -- but I'm most upset at the fact that our scientists have yet to perfect a lifelike sex bot, preferably a Chris Pine model.

View attachment 30671

Ahem.....https://secure.realdoll.com/?projects=michael-rd2-male-config-1



Yes, he is anatomically correct

 

[Overmind One]

Future vision is always a problem, and to me the biggest issue is we tend to approach it like we really can extrapolate the future from the past and the present with great accuracy. The problem with it is that human beings do not behave with precise predictability, and each time either large enough group or an individual with sufficient influence does not behave as projected that future vision gets blurred.

I LOVE the original Foundation series (the first three books, after that Asimov took a journey into the weirdland of Gaia-ism). But his concept of psychohistory did have this exact weakness that (to his credit) he himself built into the plot of the book Second Foundation.

I think it speaks a lot for the writers. It shows that they lack a vision of the future, but then again they are mostly writing fiction so they do not have to get it right. Still, somebody involved with Back To The Future thought that we would have hoverboards and flying cars in 2015? To me, all the scenarios where they have some "big brother" type organization running a fascist regime are unrealistic. People would destroy the government before becoming slaves to it. Geeks would take control of the digital infrastructure and turn it against the government. Paramilitary/military/Law Enforcement would not follow orders to exterminate their own people.

 

[shavedape]

Let us not forget the fiery issue of glass cockpits on futuristic spacecraft; the very issue that almost got Bluce stabbed to death by a certain "ravishing moddess".

 

[Jim of WVa]

Why did we get it so wrong? I think it's because we didn't realize man likes to move slowly...we moved very fast in the 20th century going from the first airplane to man on the moon in 60+ years- society then took a deep breath and started whining and bitching and moaning and we're still in that stage!

I have said before, that as a child who watched the moon landing, I expected man to have colonized the moon and begun our movement to other planets (and moons) in our solar system by 2000! In 1968, 2001 seemed plausable. But by 1984 (2010) it was more science-fictiony. Hell, in 1984 we didn't realize the USSR had only 8 years left! and it ended with a whimper not a bang.

As time has passed we find many of the predictions of the past are hilariously off-- in TOS trek there was the story of the Eugenics wars in the 1980's & 90's on earth! uh huh riiiiiiiiiight! although I found a trek author who did a good job incorporating that storyline into reality....Greg Cox; the Eugenics wars vols 1 & 2


It seems we either have a dystopian view of the future or a utopian view. it's neither it's just reality!


as for 1984-- Orwell was jost off by 30 years- maybe he scared society enough that we protected ourselves. But now - privacy is mostly dead.

The vast majority of privacy has been given up voluntarily.

 

[Gatefan1976]

The "group" thing has been seen before. Remember Knight Rider, from the eighties?
"Michael Knight, a lone crusader in a dangerous world, the world...of the Knight Rider."
And the repeated theme throughout the series.. "One man can make a difference".

Did you like the new K.R. at all?

When they remade that in 2008, it was no longer Michael out on the road alone, it was a group, in constant contact with him. And the group certainly did provide diversity. Changed the character of the show completely. It just wasn't the same.

Oh, and K.I.T.T is not a freakin' FORD. Ungh. one of the few times that product placement advertising has really pissed me off.

It's a FNORD!!

 

[Annoyed]

Did you like the new K.R. at all?

It's a FNORD!!

No, I didn't. I was glad when it got axed; it was like sacrilege to the original series, which I like enough to have purchased on DVD.

 

[Rac80]

No, I didn't. I was glad when it got axed; it was like sacrilege to the original series, which I like enough to have purchased on DVD.

the original series with the Hoff (David Hasselhoff) and the voice of John Adams (William Daniels ) as KITT was a fun show!

 

[Tripler]

I beat the crap outta an old girlfriends car which was a firebird . She had to replace the tires after 3 months of dating me ... It was the the knight riders fault lol ... It was more of late smokey and the bandit era car but I beat it just the same . Got some sweet air with it a few times . It's a wonder I never got caught ... .
Looked like this one only gold coloured

 

[shavedape]

I beat the crap outta an old girlfriends car which was a firebird . She had to replace the tires after 3 months of dating me ... It was the the knight riders fault lol ... It was more of late smokey and the bandit era car but I beat it just the same . Got some sweet air with it a few times . It's a wonder I never got caught ... .
Looked like this one only gold coloured

View attachment 30730

When I first met my ex he drove a red Firebird with T-tops just like the one in the pic. The rear-wheel drive was a bitch in winter but other than that it was a fun car. :encouragement:

 

[Jim of WVa]

When I first met my ex he drove a red Firebird with T-tops just like the one in the pic. The rear-wheel drive was a bitch in winter but other than that it was a fun car. :encouragement:

I knew someone who in high school would drive a Corvair (1960s rear engine car that was GM's answer to the Porsche) in WV winters. Traction was not a problem, but the car had a nasty of habit of going down hills backwards. Nothing beats 4WD.

 

[shavedape]

The cool thing about rear-wheel drive cars is that with a clear road on a dry Summer day you can turn the car into a rocket.