On a crisp January morning in the year 2002, George Smith climbs into his Gravi-Car for the 15-minute trip from Greenwich, Connecticut into the New York Metroplex.
The sleek silver craft rises high into the bright blue sky on invisible lines of magnetic flux until the Eastern Seaboard Compu-Trans takes control of the flight.
Mr. Smith looks forward to seeing the city again. Like most senior management personnel he rarely comes into the office, communicating instead with colleagues and staff via HoloVid — the revolutionary combination of television, telephone, facsimile transmission, and holographic imaging.
Mr. Smith's HoloVid is connected to an enormous world-wide network of such devices, known as "The HoloGrid," or more simply "the grid." The grid facilitates instantaneous transmission of written communications, voice, pictures and even three-dimensional holograms of its users.
To those of us in the relatively primitive year of 1962, the world of 2002 may appear miraculous. But the men of the future will take these wonders for granted, as surely as we do such modern marvels as color television and the transistor.
Soon the New York skyline comes into view. The NY Metroplex is the jewel in the diadem of the Eastern Multiopolis, a continuous corridor of shining steel and concrete stretching from Maine to Florida.
Mr. Smith smiles as he thinks of the city's former reputation as a dirty and unsafe place. The streets of the 21st century are pristine and, of course, totally secure — thanks in large part to the network of street-watching devices to be found on every corner and rooftop, and monitored continuously by the superabundant cadre of the Domestic Defense Corps.
The pervasive decrease in criminal behavior is also due to steady progress in the behavioral sciences. Practitioners of the discipline of Psycho-Modulation have by now virtually eradicated such previously incapacitating mental diseases as schizophrenia, depression, homosexuality and paranoia,.
Along with developments on the psychological frontier have come equal advances in the medical sciences. Gone are such scourges as cancer, the common cold, senile dementia, and even such once dreaded social diseases as syphilis and gonorrhea (aided greatly by increased moral responsibility). Life in the year 2002 floats on a sea of tranquil well-being.
When he arrives at his office, Rosie, his office assistant, has the morning NewsVid and a cup of hot synthe-cafe waiting for him. As he scans the holoscreen, Mr. Smith is pleased to note that his investments continue to do well. For the first time, the Dow has topped 5000, and his United States Steel, Philco and IBM stocks are at all-time highs.
IBM's dominant position in the field of information sciences has been enhanced by the widespread popularity of the Home Computer, which in turn has benefited from advances in transistor technology. The tiny "solid-state" devices — now reduced to a quarter of their original size — have completely replaced the relays and vacuum tubes of today's computing devices. Computer scientists have succeeded in shrinking the powerful machines to fit in a space no larger than an ordinary bedroom, and many upper-income families have specially-designed rooms for family computers that handle check-writing, recipe-storage, and many other formerly tiresome household chores. The once complex machines are now easy to operate and require only a few months to learn to program.
These advances have been accompanied by sweeping improvements in storage technology. A novel the size of "Gone With the Wind", for example, now fits on a single reel of data tape the size of an ordinary long-playing record album.
Mr. Smith dials to an article about the upcoming Mars mission to be launched from Moon Base Kennedy — named in honor or the President who initially proposed, and was crucial to the success of, the first moon landing late in his second term. The still relatively young former chief executive will be on hand to address the Martianauts.
The international news is also good. As usual, the world remains at peace. After the former Soviet Union collapsed of its own illogical weight in the 1980s, the surviving fragments of the Communist bloc formed the pro-democracy Eastern Republic, later joining China and the United States in the World Alliance for Progress. With no one left to fight, the United States and its new partners destroyed their nuclear armaments and launched the long reign of worldwide peace and prosperity. Today the American Ambassador to China is to make a State of the Alliance speech in the Chinese capitol of Taiwan.
And wonderful scientific news: the Economic and Scientific Consortium of Israel and Pan-Arabia have today announced the success of their joint sea-water desalinization project. This is the fruition of work begun 35 years ago with the signing of the 1967 peace accord. Shortly thereafter, Israel volunteered to assist in improving the economic and social infrastructure of its neighbors — a masterstroke of diplomacy that completely undercut Arabic militarism and guaranteed a lasting peace in the long-troubled region.
The Israeli and Arabian Prime Ministers — staunch friends for years — are today hinting at progress in the expected confederation of their two states, which would make them the third largest economic power in the world, next to the United States and the Euro-Coalition.
The four-hour workday passes quickly, and Mr. Smith HoloVids his wife to tell her that he is on his way home. Due to the thriving worldwide economy, Jane Smith, like millions of other wives, doesn't need to work. Of course, many single women, and even some marrieds, are active in the work-force, serving as valued assistants to the men who manage their organizations. Some have even risen to managerial positions, supervising secretarial pools, research departments and the like.
Since the children are away at Summer Educational Camp (a result of the extensive level of human and financial resources now devoted primarily to education), Jane has a relatively light schedule. So they make plans to have a quiet dinner and watch a movie on the MuralVision.
As he leaves the building, Mr. Smith exchanges friendly banter with Jefferson Washington, the building watchman. Mr. Washington is a beneficiary of the total equality now enjoyed by the Negro (the term "Colored" is no longer considered appropriate). Negroes now work side by side with their white counterparts in warehouses and mailrooms throughout the nation. Many, like Jefferson, are entrusted with vital security tasks.
In general, Negroes have done especially well in the world of the future. Negro schools are fully on a par with white educational establishments, and many of those who complete high school go on to good technical colleges, in training to be cosmetologists and HoloVid repairmen.
Other Negro youth, taking their cue from such examples as Jesse Owens, Harry Belafonte and Lena Horne, aspire to careers in sports and entertainment. It's not at all unusual now to see films in which Negro actors and actresses have extended speaking roles; and one finds more than a few Negroes in baseball and football line-ups, and even some on basketball teams. The Negro's legendary patience has paid off in spades.
George and Jane's dinner is, as always, perfect. Culinary science has long since discovered the secret of making sumptuous, nutritious meals that are as flavorful as the day they were frozen — just another of the many conveniences that have liberated the wives of the future. Tonight's entree is brochettes de boeuf, made with genuine British beef.
The movie tonight is "The Billy Graham Story," with Academy Award-winning actor Rock Hudson in the title role. George and Jane are barely old enough to remember when movies and old-fashioned "television shows" were full of violence and inappropriate subject matter. Thanks to progressive legislation — and behavior-modification additives blended into most meals — the national audience thrives on entertainment that is completely suitable for viewers of all ages.
The film is wonderful, and of course concludes on a happy note. Their evening thus ended, the Smiths retire to their bedrooms (separate sleeping quarters are now recognized to be more hygienic and less conducive to over-population.)
George is currently studying FORTRAN to hone his family computer skills. He sets the DormiTutor to start the next course a few minutes after his Rapid Eye Movements signal that he is asleep. Next door, Jane yawns, fluffs her pillow, turns her mood machine to "Seashore," and drifts off, fully confident of a bright new day in the thrilling and wonderful world of tomorrow, 2002.
* * * * * *
Of course this is a projection, but one that sociological experts assure us is, barring unforeseen circumstances, the most likely picture of life in the early 21st century.
There will be many technological wonders in the world of the future, to be sure, but, as always, it is the people of the future who will determine its character.
Here in 1962 we are daily poised on the brink of human extinction by weapons too terrible to contemplate. It is inconceivable that we can continue in such a state. Obviously, the people of tomorrow, with their greater experience, science and resources, will be wiser and more rational than we, and will have solved many if not all of the social chimeras now threatening us.
Therefore, a toast to the year 2002! When we will surely quote the words of (as scholars will doubtless discover) the great Christopher Marlowe, from his epic comedy, The Tempest:
"O brave new world, That has such people in't!"
See you in the future!
On a crisp January morning in the year 2002, George Smith climbs into his Gravi-Car for the 15-minute trip from Greenwich, Connecticut into the New York Metroplex.
The sleek silver craft rises high into the bright blue sky on invisible lines of magnetic flux until the Eastern Seaboard Compu-Trans takes control of the flight.
Mr. Smith looks forward to seeing the city again. Like most senior management personnel he rarely comes into the office, communicating instead with colleagues and staff via HoloVid — the revolutionary combination of television, telephone, facsimile transmission, and holographic imaging.
Mr. Smith's HoloVid is connected to an enormous world-wide network of such devices, known as "The HoloGrid," or more simply "the grid." The grid facilitates instantaneous transmission of written communications, voice, pictures and even three-dimensional holograms of its users.
To those of us in the relatively primitive year of 1962, the world of 2002 may appear miraculous. But the men of the future will take these wonders for granted, as surely as we do such modern marvels as color television and the transistor.
Soon the New York skyline comes into view. The NY Metroplex is the jewel in the diadem of the Eastern Multiopolis, a continuous corridor of shining steel and concrete stretching from Maine to Florida.
Mr. Smith smiles as he thinks of the city's former reputation as a dirty and unsafe place. The streets of the 21st century are pristine and, of course, totally secure — thanks in large part to the network of street-watching devices to be found on every corner and rooftop, and monitored continuously by the superabundant cadre of the Domestic Defense Corps.
The pervasive decrease in criminal behavior is also due to steady progress in the behavioral sciences. Practitioners of the discipline of Psycho-Modulation have by now virtually eradicated such previously incapacitating mental diseases as schizophrenia, depression, homosexuality and paranoia,.
Along with developments on the psychological frontier have come equal advances in the medical sciences. Gone are such scourges as cancer, the common cold, senile dementia, and even such once dreaded social diseases as syphilis and gonorrhea (aided greatly by increased moral responsibility). Life in the year 2002 floats on a sea of tranquil well-being.
When he arrives at his office, Rosie, his office assistant, has the morning NewsVid and a cup of hot synthe-cafe waiting for him. As he scans the holoscreen, Mr. Smith is pleased to note that his investments continue to do well. For the first time, the Dow has topped 5000, and his United States Steel, Philco and IBM stocks are at all-time highs.
IBM's dominant position in the field of information sciences has been enhanced by the widespread popularity of the Home Computer, which in turn has benefited from advances in transistor technology. The tiny "solid-state" devices — now reduced to a quarter of their original size — have completely replaced the relays and vacuum tubes of today's computing devices. Computer scientists have succeeded in shrinking the powerful machines to fit in a space no larger than an ordinary bedroom, and many upper-income families have specially-designed rooms for family computers that handle check-writing, recipe-storage, and many other formerly tiresome household chores. The once complex machines are now easy to operate and require only a few months to learn to program.
These advances have been accompanied by sweeping improvements in storage technology. A novel the size of "Gone With the Wind", for example, now fits on a single reel of data tape the size of an ordinary long-playing record album.
Mr. Smith dials to an article about the upcoming Mars mission to be launched from Moon Base Kennedy — named in honor or the President who initially proposed, and was crucial to the success of, the first moon landing late in his second term. The still relatively young former chief executive will be on hand to address the Martianauts.
The international news is also good. As usual, the world remains at peace. After the former Soviet Union collapsed of its own illogical weight in the 1980s, the surviving fragments of the Communist bloc formed the pro-democracy Eastern Republic, later joining China and the United States in the World Alliance for Progress. With no one left to fight, the United States and its new partners destroyed their nuclear armaments and launched the long reign of worldwide peace and prosperity. Today the American Ambassador to China is to make a State of the Alliance speech in the Chinese capitol of Taiwan.
And wonderful scientific news: the Economic and Scientific Consortium of Israel and Pan-Arabia have today announced the success of their joint sea-water desalinization project. This is the fruition of work begun 35 years ago with the signing of the 1967 peace accord. Shortly thereafter, Israel volunteered to assist in improving the economic and social infrastructure of its neighbors — a masterstroke of diplomacy that completely undercut Arabic militarism and guaranteed a lasting peace in the long-troubled region.
The Israeli and Arabian Prime Ministers — staunch friends for years — are today hinting at progress in the expected confederation of their two states, which would make them the third largest economic power in the world, next to the United States and the Euro-Coalition.
The four-hour workday passes quickly, and Mr. Smith HoloVids his wife to tell her that he is on his way home. Due to the thriving worldwide economy, Jane Smith, like millions of other wives, doesn't need to work. Of course, many single women, and even some marrieds, are active in the work-force, serving as valued assistants to the men who manage their organizations. Some have even risen to managerial positions, supervising secretarial pools, research departments and the like.
Since the children are away at Summer Educational Camp (a result of the extensive level of human and financial resources now devoted primarily to education), Jane has a relatively light schedule. So they make plans to have a quiet dinner and watch a movie on the MuralVision.
As he leaves the building, Mr. Smith exchanges friendly banter with Jefferson Washington, the building watchman. Mr. Washington is a beneficiary of the total equality now enjoyed by the Negro (the term "Colored" is no longer considered appropriate). Negroes now work side by side with their white counterparts in warehouses and mailrooms throughout the nation. Many, like Jefferson, are entrusted with vital security tasks.
In general, Negroes have done especially well in the world of the future. Negro schools are fully on a par with white educational establishments, and many of those who complete high school go on to good technical colleges, in training to be cosmetologists and HoloVid repairmen.
Other Negro youth, taking their cue from such examples as Jesse Owens, Harry Belafonte and Lena Horne, aspire to careers in sports and entertainment. It's not at all unusual now to see films in which Negro actors and actresses have extended speaking roles; and one finds more than a few Negroes in baseball and football line-ups, and even some on basketball teams. The Negro's legendary patience has paid off in spades.
George and Jane's dinner is, as always, perfect. Culinary science has long since discovered the secret of making sumptuous, nutritious meals that are as flavorful as the day they were frozen — just another of the many conveniences that have liberated the wives of the future. Tonight's entree is brochettes de boeuf, made with genuine British beef.
The movie tonight is "The Billy Graham Story," with Academy Award-winning actor Rock Hudson in the title role. George and Jane are barely old enough to remember when movies and old-fashioned "television shows" were full of violence and inappropriate subject matter. Thanks to progressive legislation — and behavior-modification additives blended into most meals — the national audience thrives on entertainment that is completely suitable for viewers of all ages.
The film is wonderful, and of course concludes on a happy note. Their evening thus ended, the Smiths retire to their bedrooms (separate sleeping quarters are now recognized to be more hygienic and less conducive to over-population.)
George is currently studying FORTRAN to hone his family computer skills. He sets the DormiTutor to start the next course a few minutes after his Rapid Eye Movements signal that he is asleep. Next door, Jane yawns, fluffs her pillow, turns her mood machine to "Seashore," and drifts off, fully confident of a bright new day in the thrilling and wonderful world of tomorrow, 2002.
* * * * * *
Of course this is a projection, but one that sociological experts assure us is, barring unforeseen circumstances, the most likely picture of life in the early 21st century.
There will be many technological wonders in the world of the future, to be sure, but, as always, it is the people of the future who will determine its character.
Here in 1962 we are daily poised on the brink of human extinction by weapons too terrible to contemplate. It is inconceivable that we can continue in such a state. Obviously, the people of tomorrow, with their greater experience, science and resources, will be wiser and more rational than we, and will have solved many if not all of the social chimeras now threatening us.
Therefore, a toast to the year 2002! When we will surely quote the words of (as scholars will doubtless discover) the great Christopher Marlowe, from his epic comedy, The Tempest:
"O brave new world, That has such people in't!"
See you in the future!
Ahead the Future Lies!
A fearless look ahead to the astounding world of 2002!
© 2001- 2, Hank Blakely
