Forecast Friday: Subhuman

“Captain, although your abilities intrigue me, you are quite honestly inferior. Mentally, physically. In fact, I am surprised how little improvement there has been in human evolution. Oh, there has been technical advancement, but, how little man himself has changed.” – Khan Noonien Singh, Star Trek: Space Seed Khan is referring to man’s progress under … Continue reading →

Meandering Monday about What I Miss

We all get used to how things are NOW, and sometimes forget that they weren’t always this way (much as Global Warming fanatics think we must prevent current temperatures from rising, even though it was much warmer in the Middle Ages (that was a while before SUV’s, so go figure).) I’m sure many of you … Continue reading →

Forecast Friday: Digital Domineering

“Open the door, HAL.” “I can’t do that, Dave.” – 2001, A Space Odyssey (I remember Star Trek out-takes with cast members running into doors over and over again. Of course, that was when there were people hiding off to the side and pulling the doors open. Machines wouldn’t cause any problems on their own, … Continue reading →

Meandering Monday about Hope

With the latest jihadist attacks in Britain, the rattling of North Korean missiles, the unrest throughout the world, and the panic in the streets (even though it’s often staged panic), it may be hard to think of a brighter future, but I’m a HOPEFUL person. Terrible things happen each day, somewhere in the world, even … Continue reading →

Forecast Friday: Living Through More Change

An analysis of the history of technology shows that technological change is exponential, contrary to the common-sense ‘intuitive linear’ view. So we won’t experience 100 years of progress in the 21st century—it will be more like 20,000 years of progress. – Ray Kurzeil, “The Law of Accelerating Returns” (2001) (I know it’s not Monday, but … Continue reading →

Forecast Friday: What’s Privacy, Grandpa?

We get lots of glimpses into possible futures from books and movies. I remember in the The Minority Report how Anderton (Tom Cruise) is walking through a mall, and all the storefronts are identifying him by quickly scanning his eye as he walks by. I found this very disturbing – not because of the painful … Continue reading →

Meandering Monday about Willful Blindness

“There are none so blind as those who will not see.” “You can make up a lot of those. There are none so deaf as those who will not hear…” – Butterflies Are Free I think – hey, let’s pretend I actually looked it up instead of relying on a four-decades-old memory. Let’s stick with … Continue reading →