Comments on: What futurists actually do http://boingboing.net/2010/07/13/what-futurists-actua.html Brain candy for Happy Mutants Fri, 24 May 2013 18:11:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4.1 By: Anonymous http://boingboing.net/2010/07/13/what-futurists-actua.html#comment-835846 Anonymous Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-835846 What is futurism? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Futurism What is futurism?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Futurism

]]> By: Art http://boingboing.net/2010/07/13/what-futurists-actua.html#comment-833295 Art Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-833295 To quote Michael J. Fox in 'Back to the Future #2': "What happens in the future, Doc? Do we all become assholes?" To quote Michael J. Fox in ‘Back to the Future #2′:

“What happens in the future, Doc? Do we all become assholes?”

]]> By: Camp Freddie http://boingboing.net/2010/07/13/what-futurists-actua.html#comment-833864 Camp Freddie Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-833864 I'm still not sure what futurists actually do. I assume the answer is, "Think about the future then write it up in an mixture of po-mo language and middle-management twat-speak". For example, the quote from the article just says, "The future hasn't happened yet, so it isn't fixed. When we think about the future, we are thinking about different possible events. Some of those future events depend upon our own future actions. While we can't know the future, we can guess." Seriously, that quote is a terrible three paragraphs of tautologies and stating the bloody obvious. As a future project, I suggest an evaluation of "Can I haz cheezburger?" as a series of potential contingencies dependent upon the actionable events that may occur in Ronald McDonalds future design-space. I’m still not sure what futurists actually do.

I assume the answer is, “Think about the future then write it up in an mixture of po-mo language and middle-management twat-speak”.

For example, the quote from the article just says, “The future hasn’t happened yet, so it isn’t fixed. When we think about the future, we are thinking about different possible events. Some of those future events depend upon our own future actions. While we can’t know the future, we can guess.”

Seriously, that quote is a terrible three paragraphs of tautologies and stating the bloody obvious.

As a future project, I suggest an evaluation of “Can I haz cheezburger?” as a series of potential contingencies dependent upon the actionable events that may occur in Ronald McDonalds future design-space.

]]> By: Anonymous http://boingboing.net/2010/07/13/what-futurists-actua.html#comment-833353 Anonymous Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-833353 "What do Futurists Actually Do"? They think about the future like everyone else does, except they do so for money and with a inflated sense of importance. From the article, "Moreover, the future is not an end state. Tomorrow will someday be today, which will fade into yesterday." Whoa. That Futurist just blew my mind. Also from the site, Currently the most discussed article is "The 10 Best Foods for Your Looks", which is an interesting bit of Futurism, but I'm pretty sure I read it first in either Modern Housekeeping or O (also great Futurist rags). “What do Futurists Actually Do”?
They think about the future like everyone else does, except they do so for money and with a inflated sense of importance.

From the article,

“Moreover, the future is not an end state. Tomorrow will someday be today, which will fade into yesterday.”

Whoa. That Futurist just blew my mind.

Also from the site,
Currently the most discussed article is “The 10 Best Foods for Your Looks”, which is an interesting bit of Futurism, but I’m pretty sure I read it first in either Modern Housekeeping or O (also great Futurist rags).

]]> By: Xenu http://boingboing.net/2010/07/13/what-futurists-actua.html#comment-833143 Xenu Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-833143 <blockquote>"What Futurists Actually Do"</blockquote> Make shit up?

“What Futurists Actually Do”

Make shit up?

]]> By: Notary Sojac http://boingboing.net/2010/07/13/what-futurists-actua.html#comment-833927 Notary Sojac Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-833927 Freddie, brilliantly put, my prediction for the future is that you will be deemed the winner of this thread. Freddie, brilliantly put, my prediction for the future is that you will be deemed the winner of this thread.

]]> By: Scrotch http://boingboing.net/2010/07/13/what-futurists-actua.html#comment-833685 Scrotch Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-833685 David, the only question I have after learning you are a futurist is: How do I get a job like that? David, the only question I have after learning you are a futurist is:

How do I get a job like that?

]]> By: Notary Sojac http://boingboing.net/2010/07/13/what-futurists-actua.html#comment-833182 Notary Sojac Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-833182 The "Institute for the Future" per its website has been in existence since 1968. I think it would be very interesting to read some of your work product from forty years ago, and compare it with the current reality. The “Institute for the Future” per its website has been in existence since 1968.

I think it would be very interesting to read some of your work product from forty years ago, and compare it with the current reality.

]]> By: Notary Sojac http://boingboing.net/2010/07/13/what-futurists-actua.html#comment-833184 Notary Sojac Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-833184 And, with respect, the sentence below could be serious Buzzword Bingo fodder.... "We move from thinking we are heading toward an inevitable destination to seeing the world as a dependent, contingent, and therefore actionable, possibility space for us to design. " And, with respect, the sentence below could be serious Buzzword Bingo fodder….

“We move from thinking we are heading toward an inevitable destination to seeing the world as a dependent, contingent, and therefore actionable, possibility space for us to design. “

]]> By: Thaumatropia http://boingboing.net/2010/07/13/what-futurists-actua.html#comment-833445 Thaumatropia Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-833445 I take it you're not a Futurist in the fine art sense of the term? I take it you’re not a Futurist in the fine art sense of the term?

]]> By: David Pescovitz http://boingboing.net/2010/07/13/what-futurists-actua.html#comment-833190 David Pescovitz Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-833190 Yes, we do that frequently. For example, we had some of the earliest forecasts around the social impact of the Internet, did very early work on climate change, and looked at microscale sensors ahead of the game. We totally missed SUVs though, forecasting in the 1970s that big cars were on the way out. Yes, we do that frequently. For example, we had some of the earliest forecasts around the social impact of the Internet, did very early work on climate change, and looked at microscale sensors ahead of the game. We totally missed SUVs though, forecasting in the 1970s that big cars were on the way out.

]]> By: ultranaut http://boingboing.net/2010/07/13/what-futurists-actua.html#comment-833718 ultranaut Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-833718 I always imagined sitting around getting high on obscure new drugs and going, "dude, what if...?" I heard that's how Gibson and Sterling do things anyway; I figure why not learn from the masters...? I always imagined sitting around getting high on obscure new drugs and going, “dude, what if…?”
I heard that’s how Gibson and Sterling do things anyway; I figure why not learn from the masters…?

]]> By: Anonymous http://boingboing.net/2010/07/13/what-futurists-actua.html#comment-833208 Anonymous Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-833208 Didja catch Diffie-Hellman key exchange? I caught that one and have been living off the profits ever since. SSH and privately controlled keyspace is vastly better than SSL with 3rd party asshats controlling the keyspace, too - that's another one with money in it. I pegged jabber too, which was a good thing since I totally fscked up on enterprise backup strategy... wish I could go back in time and smack myself 15 years ago! (posting anon from the private sector) Didja catch Diffie-Hellman key exchange? I caught that one and have been living off the profits ever since. SSH and privately controlled keyspace is vastly better than SSL with 3rd party asshats controlling the keyspace, too – that’s another one with money in it.

I pegged jabber too, which was a good thing since I totally fscked up on enterprise backup strategy… wish I could go back in time and smack myself 15 years ago!

(posting anon from the private sector)

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