Comments on: Science Fiction Musings http://www.chrisweigant.com/2012/05/24/science-fiction-musings/ Reality-based political commentary Tue, 09 Jun 2026 05:31:16 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 hourly 1 By: nypoet22 http://www.chrisweigant.com/2012/05/24/science-fiction-musings/#comment-21761 nypoet22 Fri, 25 May 2012 19:27:35 +0000 http://www.chrisweigant.com/?p=5656#comment-21761 <i>All those word-shortenings and abbreviations were going to make English into a new and shorter language. It's exactly the same thing you hear today about texting and tweeting.</i> OMG idk lol. :D All those word-shortenings and abbreviations were going to make English into a new and shorter language. It's exactly the same thing you hear today about texting and tweeting.

OMG idk lol. :D

]]> By: Chris Weigant http://www.chrisweigant.com/2012/05/24/science-fiction-musings/#comment-21760 Chris Weigant Fri, 25 May 2012 19:05:11 +0000 http://www.chrisweigant.com/?p=5656#comment-21760 nypoet22 - That sounds interesting from the article, I will hunt the story down. The Machine Stops was written in 1928 by EM Forster. HawkOwl - What I find amusing is that there was a fear over 100 years ago that the telegraph would destroy formal English grammar. All those word-shortenings and abbreviations were going to make English into a new and shorter language. It's exactly the same thing you hear today about texting and tweeting. -CW nypoet22 -

That sounds interesting from the article, I will hunt the story down. The Machine Stops was written in 1928 by EM Forster.

HawkOwl -

What I find amusing is that there was a fear over 100 years ago that the telegraph would destroy formal English grammar. All those word-shortenings and abbreviations were going to make English into a new and shorter language. It's exactly the same thing you hear today about texting and tweeting.

-CW

]]> By: Hawk Owl http://www.chrisweigant.com/2012/05/24/science-fiction-musings/#comment-21755 Hawk Owl Fri, 25 May 2012 16:27:58 +0000 http://www.chrisweigant.com/?p=5656#comment-21755 Chris, this one set off 2 associations you'd perhaps find interesting: 1.) Tom Standage's 2007 book entitled "The Victorian Internet . . . the Telegraph and the 19th century's On-line Pioneers" which explores the impact of such a startling leap forward mearly 2 centuries ago and 2.) Thoreau's remark (in "Walden"- 1854) on the first Atlantic Cable: "Well it is now possible to stop by the telegraph office and find it posted from London that the Queen has a cold. I, for one, do not feel my life is significantly improved by such gossip" thereby portending our magnificently technological energies devoted to celebrities' doings in "real time." Chris, this one set off 2 associations you'd perhaps find interesting: 1.) Tom Standage's 2007 book entitled "The Victorian Internet . . . the Telegraph and the 19th century's On-line Pioneers" which explores the impact of such a startling leap forward mearly 2 centuries ago and 2.) Thoreau's remark (in "Walden"- 1854) on the first Atlantic Cable: "Well it is now possible to stop by the telegraph office and find it posted from London that the Queen has a cold. I, for one, do not feel my life is significantly improved by such gossip" thereby portending our magnificently technological energies devoted to celebrities' doings in "real time."

]]> By: nypoet22 http://www.chrisweigant.com/2012/05/24/science-fiction-musings/#comment-21750 nypoet22 Fri, 25 May 2012 11:52:11 +0000 http://www.chrisweigant.com/?p=5656#comment-21750 @CW, in case you haven't yet read about it, the internet was actually predicted by mark twain around the turn of the 20th century. http://thetyee.ca/Books/2007/01/08/MarkTwain/ @CW,

in case you haven't yet read about it, the internet was actually predicted by mark twain around the turn of the 20th century.

http://thetyee.ca/Books/2007/01/08/MarkTwain/

]]> By: Chris Weigant http://www.chrisweigant.com/2012/05/24/science-fiction-musings/#comment-21749 Chris Weigant Fri, 25 May 2012 08:52:09 +0000 http://www.chrisweigant.com/?p=5656#comment-21749 nypoet22 - I think the only thing I've read by them is "Vintage Season" from a collection of the best short stories and novellas from the era. It's a pretty good story, if a bit wistful, kind of like Bradbury in a way. My favorite for predicting things is "The Machine Stops" which has about the closest description of the Internet I've read from anywhere prior to about the 1970s-80s. -CW nypoet22 -

I think the only thing I've read by them is "Vintage Season" from a collection of the best short stories and novellas from the era. It's a pretty good story, if a bit wistful, kind of like Bradbury in a way.

My favorite for predicting things is "The Machine Stops" which has about the closest description of the Internet I've read from anywhere prior to about the 1970s-80s.

-CW

]]> By: nypoet22 http://www.chrisweigant.com/2012/05/24/science-fiction-musings/#comment-21748 nypoet22 Fri, 25 May 2012 04:56:48 +0000 http://www.chrisweigant.com/?p=5656#comment-21748 in terms of predictiveness, i sometimes come back to a few short stories by henry kuttner in the 1930's to 50's. kuttner (with CL Moore) tended to focus more on stories and characters than futuristic inventions, but one story sticks in my mind, 'Year Day.' it's a dystopia in which the entire world is flooded in multimedia advertising (not too far from the present). in 1953 he predicts the immediate application of virtual reality to virtual love, pornography and escapism, people ending relationships and ruining themselves economically because they refuse to leave their virtual world. that's also not too far from the present fact, though in the story you had to go to an indoor resort to "plug in," not your own apartment. it's far from kuttner's best from a story standpoint, but considering how long ago it was written, i find the similarities of the story to real life people and events in 2012 a lot more interesting than the differences. in terms of predictiveness, i sometimes come back to a few short stories by henry kuttner in the 1930's to 50's. kuttner (with CL Moore) tended to focus more on stories and characters than futuristic inventions, but one story sticks in my mind, 'Year Day.' it's a dystopia in which the entire world is flooded in multimedia advertising (not too far from the present). in 1953 he predicts the immediate application of virtual reality to virtual love, pornography and escapism, people ending relationships and ruining themselves economically because they refuse to leave their virtual world. that's also not too far from the present fact, though in the story you had to go to an indoor resort to "plug in," not your own apartment. it's far from kuttner's best from a story standpoint, but considering how long ago it was written, i find the similarities of the story to real life people and events in 2012 a lot more interesting than the differences.

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