The 1973 book 1994: the World of Tomorrow, published by U.S. News & World Report, starts with a preface that is optimistic yet thoughtful and measured. "Like George Orwell's work, 1994: The World of Tomorrow, offers a warning that the future cannot be taken for granted. The future is forseeable. Unless, as Orwell cautioned, we anticipate future problems, begin the search for alternative solutions, and stake a claim on our long-term future, we may lose what it has to offer."
However, like any book of futuristic projections we quickly get to the fanciful visions. And let's be honest, would you read this blog without the spectacle of absurd, often wrong, predictions? Stick around, because 1994 was a much cooler year than any of us ever knew.
Hopefully, the movies in the book are much better because I don't remember anything in 1994 that was all that spectacular. I bet that when you are reading through all these great books, that it tells you more about the time when it was written then what really would come to pass. I would be interested in seeing your pick of the most accurate prediction book out there. 1984 did get a lot of things right, but there may have been others who got some things right?
ReplyDeleteNow if Orwell had taken a little longer to finish writing 1984 the year would have been 1949 and not 1948 and the title would have been "1994".
ReplyDeleteThink about that! :-)
Davis: I was going to say "Whoomp! (There it is!)," but I looked it up and that was 1993.
ReplyDelete