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San Francisco, 11:32 AM
Mon Dec 14
17 posts in the last 24 hours

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  • posts about #crapfuturism more →

    The Point Of Futurism Isn't To Make Accurate Predictions

    The One Disaster That Nicolas Cage Couldn't Predict

    Recent Poll Reveals Massive Untapped Market for Sexbots

    The New York Times Columnist Who's Helping To Ruin The Future

    Krugman Explains Why Progress Is Slowing Down

    Can You Still Write Science Fiction Set In The Future?

    4 Ways The United States Could End In The Next 100 Years

    Can Ray Kurzweil's Rosy Predictions Stand Up To Fact-Checking?

    When the Future Expires - A Timeline

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    Dsmvwl  Admin  Promote to frontpage Approve user Ban user ×
    Image of Chip Overclock Chip Overclock
    12/11/09

    In reply to The Point Of Futurism Isn't To Make Accurate Predictions
    IMO:

    "futurism" is "this might happen".

    "science fiction" is "if this happens, this will be the consequences".

    "fantasy" is "this will never happen, but what fun anyway".

    None of them are "this will happen", and any attempt to do so even in the short term pretty much sucks at it.
     Reply
    Chip Overclock was starred Chip Overclock was unstarred
    Image of Klebert L. Hall Klebert L. Hall
    12/12/09

    @Chip Overclock:
    '' 'futurism' is 'this might happen.' "

    Nah.
    Futurism is "This might happen, and you should pay me huge money to tell you that, because I'm a giant con-man. If you aren't looking for a con-man, that guy at the bus stop can make stuff up just as well as me, for free."

    Science fiction and fantasy are sold as entertainment, and thus have a vastly more ethical business model.
    -Kle.
     Reply
    Klebert L. Hall was starred Klebert L. Hall was unstarred
    Image of Chip Overclock Chip Overclock
    12/12/09

    @Klebert L. Hall: :-) Yeah, I totally get that.
     Reply
    Chip Overclock was starred Chip Overclock was unstarred
    Image of Bill-Lee Bill-Lee
    12/11/09

    In reply to The Point Of Futurism Isn't To Make Accurate Predictions
    I thought the point of futurism was to publish a lot of books.
     Reply
    Bill-Lee was starred Bill-Lee was unstarred
    Image of betty.black betty.black
    12/11/09

    @Bill-Lee: Wait, I thought the point of futurism was to glorify war, ride fast cars, smash museums, make loud noises, and rape women.
     Reply
    Edited by betty.black at 12/11/09 1:14 PM betty.black was starred betty.black was unstarred
    Image of Klebert L. Hall Klebert L. Hall
    12/11/09

    In reply to The Point Of Futurism Isn't To Make Accurate Predictions
    It's truly spin mastery when you can say that your job is worthless navel-gazing, and still get paid.
    -Kle.
     Reply
    Klebert L. Hall was starred Klebert L. Hall was unstarred
    Image of JimBonJovi JimBonJovi
    12/11/09

    @Klebert L. Hall: He obviously does more with his life than navel-gaze. If that's all it takes to get paid, then I would be a billionaire godking by now.

    So basically you are saying that it's a waste of time to try and imagine how things could be, where things might be heading? Why are you here?
     Reply
    Charlie Jane Anders promoted this comment JimBonJovi was starred JimBonJovi was unstarred
    Image of Klebert L. Hall Klebert L. Hall
    12/12/09

    @JimBonJovi:
    Nope, I'm saying that it's a waste of time for corporations to pay people for blue-sky speculation.

    Imagining the future is great. Paying someone to come and make predictions based upon nothing but imagination and conjecture is not good corporate policy. "Inspiring imagination in others" isn't really something you can do reliably enough to put on the payroll. If some business wants it's employees to be more imaginative, they should hire some more imaginative employees.

    "Joseph Coates put it this way: "Being right or wrong isn't so much the point as being useful. "

    My point is that futurists have very rarely proven to be useful.

    Mostly they're just consultants on the same idea as the various scam-gurus that also bilk stupid CEOs.

    -Kle.
     Reply
    Klebert L. Hall was starred Klebert L. Hall was unstarred
    Image of JimBonJovi JimBonJovi
    12/12/09

    @Klebert L. Hall: I think your whole point is nothing but opinion, and you have no way of proving how useful they are, or even explaining what you think this usefulness entails to anybody who is not you. But that's just my opinion.
     Reply
    JimBonJovi was starred JimBonJovi was unstarred
    Image of Klebert L. Hall Klebert L. Hall
    12/13/09

    @JimBonJovi:
    Sure.

    Here's a much clearer version of my opinion:

    Futurists are the television evangelists of science.
    -Kle.
     Reply
    Klebert L. Hall was starred Klebert L. Hall was unstarred
    Image of WestMantooth WestMantooth
    12/11/09

    In reply to The Point Of Futurism Isn't To Make Accurate Predictions
    Or to quote WaterWorld

    "WTF?"
     Reply
    WestMantooth was starred WestMantooth was unstarred
    Image of Mathmos Mathmos
    12/11/09

    In reply to The Point Of Futurism Isn't To Make Accurate Predictions
    An old quote from Alfred North Whitehead: "It is the business of the future to be dangerous."
     Reply
    Mathmos was starred Mathmos was unstarred
    Image of lightninglouie lightninglouie
    12/11/09

    In reply to The Point Of Futurism Isn't To Make Accurate Predictions
    Was it Ben Bova who said that futurism is science fiction with its balls cut off?
     Reply
    lightninglouie was starred lightninglouie was unstarred
    Image of Dresan Dresan
    12/03/09

    In reply to The One Disaster That Nicolas Cage Couldn't Predict
    Oh I liked this movie! The subject matter wasn't treated very well mainly because it something that ignites long long debates (determinism vs free will). Also had tons of religious imagery which kind of tries to reconcile the religion vs science aspect of humanity.
    PLUS the incredible ending of the world scene with Bethoven's funeral march... very ad hoc.
    So I kinda liked it!
     Reply
    Dresan was starred Dresan was unstarred
    Image of tetracycloide tetracycloide
    12/03/09

    In reply to The One Disaster That Nicolas Cage Couldn't Predict
    it sounds like it's not a dispute over the technology, just the name by which it is called. if i had a real product i was trying to market as doing something useful i'd sue a movie that included the name of my product attached to something obviously fake and useless.
     Reply
    tetracycloide was starred tetracycloide was unstarred
    Image of TemporalSword TemporalSword
    12/03/09

    In reply to The One Disaster That Nicolas Cage Couldn't Predict
    I'm surprised no one's made the obvious joke here, so I guess I will.

    The real answer to the article's title is: Nic Cage's Career.
     Reply
    Edited by TemporalSword at 12/03/09 11:18 AM TemporalSword was starred TemporalSword was unstarred
    Image of miss_so_unknown miss_so_unknown
    12/03/09

    @TemporalSword: THANK YOU.
     Reply
    miss_so_unknown was starred miss_so_unknown was unstarred
    Image of Smeagol92055 Smeagol92055
    12/03/09

    In reply to The One Disaster That Nicolas Cage Couldn't Predict
    Bullshit.

    I have spoken.
     Reply
    Smeagol92055 was starred Smeagol92055 was unstarred
    Image of TemporalSword TemporalSword
    12/03/09

    @Smeagol92055: And yay, verily, it is so.
     Reply
    TemporalSword was starred TemporalSword was unstarred
    Image of Ricky Cruz Ricky Cruz
    12/03/09

    @Smeagol92055: Ditto!
     Reply
    Smeagol92055 promoted this comment Ricky Cruz was starred Ricky Cruz was unstarred
    Image of Belabras Belabras
    12/03/09

    In reply to The One Disaster That Nicolas Cage Couldn't Predict
    Surely the fact that the movie is a work of fiction and the disclaimer at the end leaves no grounds for a suit?

    Also, the Global Findability people sound like snake oil artists to me.
     Reply
    Belabras was starred Belabras was unstarred
    Image of jajbowler jajbowler
    12/03/09

    In reply to The One Disaster That Nicolas Cage Couldn't Predict
    I feel like someone in that company must have seen the "WhoCanISue.com" billboard that was by my house.
     Reply
    jajbowler was starred jajbowler was unstarred
    Image of BangarangRufio867 BangarangRufio867
    12/03/09

    In reply to The One Disaster That Nicolas Cage Couldn't Predict
    No, no, no, no, no! They got the code all wrong...it's 1-2-3-4-5. The same combination I put on my luggage.
     Reply
    BangarangRufio867 was starred BangarangRufio867 was unstarred
    Image of TemporalSword TemporalSword
    12/03/09

    @BangarangRufio867: That's amazing! That's the same combination that's on my planetary defense shield!
     Reply
    TemporalSword was starred TemporalSword was unstarred
    Image of That-One-Person That-One-Person
    12/03/09

    @TemporalSword: Turns out that was the same combination on my chastity belt.

    I'm free.
     Reply
    omgwtflolbbqbye promoted this comment That-One-Person was starred That-One-Person was unstarred
    Image of J_Frank_Parnell J_Frank_Parnell
    12/03/09

    In reply to The One Disaster That Nicolas Cage Couldn't Predict
    Their suit sounds a bit thin. I mean the methods in the film might somewhat resemble Global Findability's patents, but what the hell? If some movie uses a patented technology as a plot device, the patent owners can now sue? How have they been harmed? If an author describes the process in a written story, is he liable too?

    From what I can tell of that patent, and I didn't go over it too closely, it looks like some type of system for capturing video and redistributing it to targeted sites (e.g. schools) by using location attributes. Alot in there about locational advertising and delivery systems. Sort of an on demand product for local communities/businesses, maybe?

    And also, I'd like to know how they trademarked the word "geocode". It's a term that has been used for a long time in mapping and GIS in particular, for finding the geographic coordinates of a location from other information (such as an address). This company sounds like it's run by persons of questionable character.
     Reply
    J_Frank_Parnell was starred J_Frank_Parnell was unstarred
    Image of Lassus Lassus
    12/03/09

    In reply to The One Disaster That Nicolas Cage Couldn't Predict
    Somalian pirates will sell you stock in their knowledge of the future.
     Reply
    Lassus was starred Lassus was unstarred
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