Asimov's 1983 predictions for 2019

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Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2019/01/02/asimovs-1983-predictions-for.html

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It’s weird that of all people, Asimov didn’t predict how popular the current fashion for huge bushy muttonchops is in 2019.

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People making predictions about the future always seem to miss certain things which always seem to pop up:

  1. Perverts are usually the pioneers and most successful exploiters of any new media form.

  2. People tend to ignore or overlook the effects of agriculture. I doubt anyone could have guessed 30 years ago the Green Revolution would turn India and China into economic powers with food surpluses rather than endemic famines.

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Asimov’s whole literary career demonstrates a lack of understanding of human motivations. Why would you think he could predict the future?

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Did he predict we’d all be nostalgic for 1983?

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william gibson does some interesting items

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Have you seen music television? The 80s never ended there.

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“Exploit” in the most literal and most reprehensible way.
Gaps in Asimov’s predictions don’t surprise me. He was fairly accurate with forethought within his field of expertise, and not so good outside. What’s the surprise?

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Historians never want to talk about all those smutty versions of the Bible that Gutenberg sold under the table.

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One has to wonder if literacy would have spread faster had the church not held sway over media for centuries for exactly the reason you suggest. Sex is a big draw for everyone. The biggest.

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Have you read the Book of Genesis? It’s like the Arrested Development of holy texts. (“It was totally innocent! I thought she was a hooker!” —Judah)

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“Music Television???” What a strange future we live in.

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Hey, there used to be a national DJ who had a cooking segment on the radio. Missing 4 out of 5 of the useful senses but they persisted…

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Within a short period after the printing press took hold, people were already publishing smutty poetry and engravings. Several of which survive today only because the Vatican banned them and kept copies for their own records.

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I find nothing reprehensible about pornography provided the subjects are all adult, human and consenting.

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I’d say that the author of six volumes of pervy limericks would agree with you.

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I don’t really know Asimov’s politics, but the critique of automation as weapon used by capital against labour had mostly been banished from mainstream economics during that period.

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I can’t comment on the return of muttonchops, but thick, frumpy eyeglass frames are definitely back in.

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I don’t know; that seemed to be sort of predictor of Trump and his witless groupies.

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Remember: Star Wars was still at its peak. Everybody freaking loved robots in the 80s.

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