Tuesday, January 22, 2008

One Year of the Paleo-Future Blog

It was a year ago today that I started the Paleo-Future blog. With that first post I warned of my smarmy, cynical attitude toward the future.

I still believe everything I wrote in that first post so out of laziness, my first blog post appears below. And I sincerely thank you for reading.
I first came across the word "Paleo-Future" in a Flickr group of the same name. However, the topic first sparked my interest when I visited Walt Disney World's EPCOT Center, (now Epcot), and realized that Disney's version of the future was based upon what they thought the future would look like in the 1980s. As is important when depicting the future, your opinions must change with the times, unless you happen to be omnipotent, which means you have no need to revise your vision of the future and have probably used your powers for such noble endeavors as guessing my weight at the local carnival or writing horoscopes that tell me, "you should find time for yourself tonight."

While I might poke fun at the outlandish ideas of 1950s America, corporate puffery, or Jules Verne I do it with an admiration for the idealism we seem to be losing in our post-modern society. The belief that technology has the potential to improve the lives of everyone on Earth seems rare. Just remember that an optimism for the future and the attempt to better the world for all humanity is hidden somewhere within each sarcastic comment about flying cars and space farms. In that same vein, I will always remember that the dystopian societies depicted by George Orwell or Alan Moore are just as plausible if we surrender freedom in the name of security. Here's to a "great big beautiful tomorrow."

Thanks for reading,
Matt

See also:
Hello and Welcome

16 comments:

Jay Oatway said...

Congrats on your first year! I've been a subscriber since the summer, and have enjoyed you blog immensely.

I've linked to you on my blog, Portension.com today.

Keep up the good work.

Chris said...

It's important to make good natured fun of the visions of yesteryear - even as we admire them, in order to keep ourselves from becoming too deluded by today's visions. I LOVE this blog. Happy anniversary!

Rob said...

I only recently discovered this blog, but as a big fan of this type of stuff, I think what you're doing is awesome. Visions of the future are such a fascinating barometer of a culture's optimism, and it's strange to see how much it's changed from my parents' generation to my own. I hope some day everything comes full circle, and I can finally get that jetpack.

Unknown said...

Thank you for the first year and keep up the good work!

Anonymous said...

Look forward to the next year, I've enjoyed it immensely.

Tom

Rob Lang said...

Have been reading through Google Reader, thanks for putting a fascinating and inspiring blog together.

Happy Birthday and Congratulations! I'm looking forward to another year of retro-fantastication!

You're linked through Lack-Of.org on a regular basis. :-)

jayessell said...

Congrats on your first 365 days.

But...

I think you meant 'Omniscient'.

Unknown said...

Woo-Hoo. What a great first year. Definitely one of the best in the history of blogdom.

Please keep up the great work!

Ms. Bizarro said...

Great work - thanks for all you do here. I'm a regular visitor and often link to stuff on my blog.

Happy Anniversary!

shahn said...

congratulations!
it's always a pleasure to visit your blog.
thank you for your diligent postings.

Anonymous said...

Congrats on your first year. The blog is a daily read for me. Thanks!

Anonymous said...

As a neo-Luddite, I loathe blogs, the word "blog" and the whole concept of a blogoshpere. Your blog, however, I absolutely love. Congratulations on your first year! You give me hope that this Internet thing everyone's on about might not be a failure after all!

Isabelle said...

Congratulations on your first year! I must have been following you for most of the year. I love the blog, and I REALLY love the images large enough for backgrounds. I work in IT so they seem really appropriate. To more great stuff in the (paleo)future!

Isabelle said...

Congratulations on a year! I think I've been reading your blog for most of it. I love the articles but I REALLY love the great images that can be used in screen backgrounds. I work in IT so they seem quite appropriate. To more great stuff in the (paleo) future!!

Jay said...

I have to say that I've read your blog almost since the begininning--at least since I first heard of it on Boing Boing.

It's one of my bookmarked favorites and I read it regularly!!

Anonymous said...

I love this blog!