Okay! Diving right in....

Sci-fi makes us all look to the future - it is in my opinion one of the most poignant forms of social commentary. Many of the things sci-fi writers envision are formed into projects that scientists actually try to achieve - i.e. Georgia Tech's communicator from Star Trek (the original) where your badge is your locator and communication device. I can imagine tapping a broche on my collar bone *tweak tweak*, "Navie here - the sam-hell is going on?" (yes I will live over 200 years and will still use sam-hell)

Some things however, just aren't practical or typical - I'm not even going to get into possible - as in the government's long defunct projects on trying to develop a flying saucer - supposedly first suggested in a comic book (I ain't touchin' area 51).

Conspiracy theory:
Many sci-fi writers entertain the idea of some socio-political overlord controlling lives in the future (1984), and certainly we can see similarities in our lives today that would seem to point in that direction. I am encouraged by people who don't believe in the formation of some ominous over-powering all-seeing eye (Mos Def: "they could never really do that") but I think we don't realize that some of these threats we could be inducing - basically by our inaction toward a possible overlord (2000 election) and our willingness to forget, i.e. sleep while history is revised before we're even middle-aged. The problem of supremacy plagues current world leaders, and this is the reason the current operational policy of the US lessens its shot at longevity.

To contemplate the future - let's go back in the past. Ancient Egypt... do we know much about this society? It's mostly speculation over what we can piece together from what's remaining. One thing is certain - even through it's different ruling dynasties - the culture, the social structure, the civilian habitation - lasted a really really loooonnnng time. What societies today have a record like that?

The historical socio-political constructs that are responsible for America's current existence will basically contribute to its demise - I don't see it lasting as long as the Greco-Roman empire much less Kemet. For instance, people like to debate the issue of slavery in ancient civilizations - I'm sorry - but there is no people that will tolerate (or possibly survive) chattel slavery for thousands upon thousands of years. Granted slavery didn't go on here for thousands of years, but it has pervaded this short history. Obviously longevity doesn't come from marginalizing, brutalizing, feudalizing, or de-humanizing any portion of your population. America's new - perhaps it hasn't yet learned this lesson in the past 225+ years ... but maybe its leaders are stupid enough to think "this time we're gonna master supremacy - others before us just didn't know how to do it".

So what are the realistic socio-political factors that will contribute toward our future existence (granted of course that our current leaders don't get into a pissing contest & blow us all up):

Transpo/living space - I do not believe we'll be zipping through cyberspace - I do believe that magnetics will pervade transpo ops - afterward - electron polarization (magnetics on molecular level) - I see us in floating capsules. I do believe the US as we know it will crumble if they insist on burning oil while the rest of the world leaves us behind breathing cleaner air. NYC will live however - corporations will finally take over operations in mega cities - skyscraper cities even (these are currently in design) and will leave behind those in rural areas - the poor being pushed back out to the stix. There will be no homeless nano-styro-tempo-cribbo. They will not be allowed into the city (Octavia Butler's Parable of the Sower - or hell - even Judge Dred).

Genetics - you already know how I feel - but to address the issue of a super-virus getting out - I have to respectfully hope that doesn't happen but at the same time know that it could happen any moment just like nuclear bombing.

Education - I believe we'll ultimately be educating ourselves - as education (interesting about the information "market") becomes a high demand item but only in the interests of an individuals marketability. Teachers and others in the "education industry" will be top dog. The only way a "market" of information could be formed is if there is demand. If our current interest in politics and society is any indication... seems we'll be happy enough with revised history every other week or so. "Pure" information will be relegated to readin', writin' & arithmetic.

Entertainment - we will always have a human version of this - I too have seen MIT's movie-machine and it still leaves much to be desired - so do most Bruckheimer films but that's another discussion. At any rate there will always be a layman's version of entertainment - it's the nature of entertainment! People will always want to gather to hear some beats and/or rhymes. This is one thing that has survived all the dynasties - all across time - the only relative variance has been its social importance (and the fatness of the beats & rhymes).

Finally - inequality - there will be a time when class is the singular populus' divide... I think unfortunately that won't be because supremacist minds will become greater minds as the writer suggests of our former witch-hunting past.

"Internet killed the video star" - Sifl & Olly

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