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Is Science Fiction About The Future Anymore?
An anonymous reader writes "A recent Globe and Mail article looked at the state of science fiction and concluded that the future is bleak. Fantasy and science fantasy are popular but near-future predictions are not. But author Robert J. Sawyer says, 'Science fiction has never been about the future, it's always been about the present day...' 'People are looking for a simplicity in their fictional worlds where good and evil are clearly delineated, that you can't find in the real world, and that provides an enormous comfort -- and that, I think, has an awful lot to do with the reason fantasy is so popular.'"
Troll? I'm not bashing Moore. I'm saying "documentaries" should be unbiased. Moores films are biased. If you think they're not, please do some research on the subject before judging me a Troll. Here are some links for you, Google hs more: http://slate.msn.com/id/2102723/ http://www.hardylaw.net/Truth_About_Bowling.html
DRM 'manages access' in the same way that a prison 'manages freedom'
My prediction is that historian in 50 or 100 years will say that the greatest terrorist group of the period 2000-2010 was be the Bush administration. Lots of correct predictions are ignored at the time they are made (e.g. Hubbert's Law or the Hubbert Curve, Wegener's 1912 book "The Origins of Continents and Oceans" and continental drift. ) and I do not care if people flame me. Within the next one hundred years, historians will know if there were terrorist cells in Iraq before the invasion (answer: none or essentially none, as the 9/11 commision found but the Bush-fanboys dispute), will terroristic threats be greater or lesser when Bush leaves office than when he entered (answer: greater), and lots of other details at which I cannot even guess right now. This is not the main reason the Bush administration will be labeled as the top terrorist group. The Bush administration and the Congress overreacted to an isolated terroristic attack. They imposed new laws, arrested innocent people, and helped/caused a cultural change which will have echos for the next 50 years. They will continue to press for laws which reduce individual rights and enhance the power of big business (e.g. RIAA). They will continue to use the police, the FBI, the (former) INS, etc. to move the US in the direction of a police state. They will eventually find reason to arrest their critics for criticism of their policies.
What was the alternative to the present situation?
1. We (the US) could have realized that 9/11 was carried out by a small group of crazy people and did not require the government to "go to war with the citizens of the US". "Bin-idiot"'s effect has been magnified greatly by the response of the Bush administration.
2. Attacking Afghanistan was the correct thing to do but we should have send mamy more troups there; the warlords are still in power, the terrorists have access to drug money, the country will fall to terrorists when Bush gets tired of the international terrorists "game" and decides to focus on terrorists in the US, etc.
3. Attacking Iraq was completely stupid unless we are going to invade every country that has an evil government and that we supported at some time in the past. (One could write long essays on this topic.)
4. We could begin to get off the oil addiction. We "have to" support evil governments which control oil because we are "drug"(oil) users who cannot kick our drug. (This is not just aimed at Bush; both parties have supported maintaining evil (mini)empires when they control oil.)
I have done my best to entertain you. Instead of hitting your wife/girlfriend or kids/younger brother, feel free to flame me. Just keep a copy of this post for your grandchildren and see who is laughing then. Happy Saturday.