2010: The future is here
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www.livemint.com SATURDAY, JANUARY 9, 2010 L9 Cover LOUNGE We were promised flying cars, weekend trips to the moon and personal jet packs. We look back at what had been predicted for 2010 and what actually happened B Y K RISH R AGHAV [email protected] ···························· T he year 2010 was supposed to be the future. Now it has become the present. Be it the grimy cityscapes of the 1982 film Blade Runner or the shiny Utopia of Steven Spielberg’s Minority Report (2002)—both based, coincidentally, on the work of author Philip K. Dick—we were supposed to be well on our way into living in a science fiction movie. Space would no longer be the final frontier. Earth no longer our last refuge. We were supposed to be debat- ing the rights of androids in human society, and bringing rogue computers to trial. We’re not there, obviously. Writer Arthur C. Clarke, in an essay on the hazards of predicting the future, wrote that “any suffi- ciently advanced technology would be indistinguishable from magic”. Like any wish for magic in the real world, the Utopias of science fiction past were mostly misguided, naive visions of a future world. The aesthetic of the Utopia itself has diminished in science fiction in the last decade, replaced instead by a grim vision that sees the explosion of tech- nology, yes, but also the amplifi- cation of existing rifts in society. Last year’s District 9, for example, set in the Johannesburg of 2010, simultaneously dealt with both aliens and apartheid. So, where were we supposed to be? We look back at the three kinds of 2010 that science fiction had predicted for us: FUTURE 1: Wired till our brains fried Tom Clancy’s Net Force: Set in 2010, it tracks the adventures of a special branch of the US’ Fed- eral Bureau of Investigation that deals with cybercrime. Arthur C. Clarke’s 2010: The sequel to the legendary 2001: A Space Odyssey , it follows a group of astronauts sent on a mission to Jupiter to explain what happened in the previous film. How a day would pass You would wake up to the sound of your intelligent, self- aware house computer remind- ing you of your daily appoint- ments. You would take an instantaneous transporter to work, or just plug in to a fully sensory virtual world and fly there. You would have a midday appointment on the moon, fol- lowed by lunch in orbit, where your meal of choice would be assembled by eco-friendly nano dispensers. The news would be full of diplomatic negotiations with extraterrestrial civilizations on the fringes of the galaxy. Are we there yet? Short answer: No. Long answer: Not for a long time. The loom- ing spectre of climate change has thankfully put a stop to thoughts of reckless jaunts across the solar system, and the future is more likely to involve travel in virtual worlds (some- thing present-day video games dabble in) than travel across space. In March, the US’ National Aeronautics and Space Admin- istration launched the Kepler Mission, a three-and-a-half- year project to discover earth- like planets beyond the solar system. It’s the first serious attempt to look for planets beyond our immediate neigh- bourhood. It’s a tiny sliver of the galaxy that the Kepler Mission is focused on (like sifting through a handful of sand on a beach)—but who knows, we might just get lucky. FUTURE 2: Death by dystopia Banlieue 13 (2004): A French action film set in an Orwellian 2010, where inner cities are divided into brutally repressive ghettos called “districts”. Absolon (2003): A post-apoca- lyptic film where large corpora- tions have a helpless population under their thumb. Children of Men (2006): Set in 2027, it charts the aftermath of a mysterious infertility that spread through the human race, where no children have been born since 2009-10. How a day would pass Grim, with little or no hope. Communities would be dealing with the aftermath of war, or nuclear fallout, or extreme cli- mate change. Government con- trol over societies would be minimal, and roving bands of bandits would be common. Technology would be minimal, practical and mostly weapons. Are we there yet? Dystopias are not so much futures as “what ifs”. The effects of climate change may not mani- fest as extremely as The Day After Tomorrow (2004) suggests, but there’s enough photographic evidence to suggest that the truth may not be too far away. FUTURE 3: Scarier than imagined Knight Rider 2010 (1994): A television film loosely based on the Knight Rider TV serial, in which a former police detective becomes a modern “knight”, fighting crime. His loyal steed? A talking car called KITT. How a day would pass The scariest of all possible futures, Knight Rider 2010 ima- gines a world where the char- acter originally played by David Hasselhoff is the ideal- ized hero, modified Ford Mus- tangs are the dominant car aes- thetic and 1980s pop is the soundtrack of choice. Are we there yet? While we can never discount the possibility of such a dysto- pia, we have thankfully moved away from the above three main tenets of this vision. Dystopia: A still from 2012. Extreme climate change figures prominently in modern science fiction. Time warp: (clockwise from top) The future as imagined by Children of Men; Knight Rider; 2001: A Space Odyssey. MGM/THE KOBAL COLLECTION UNIVERSAL TV/THE KOBAL COLLECTION UNIVERSAL PICTURES 2010 THE FUTURE IS HERE
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The science and fiction of today's world.
Transcript of 2010: The future is here
www.livemint.com SATURDAY, JANUARY 9, 2010 L9
CoverLOUNGE
We were promised flying cars, weekend trips to the moon and personal jet packs. Welook back at what had been predicted for 2010 and what actually happened
B Y K R I S H R A G H A V
[email protected]····························
The year 2010 was supposedto be the future. Now it hasbecome the present.
Be it the grimy cityscapes of the1982 film Blade Runner or theshiny Utopia of Steven Spielberg’sMinority Report (2002)—bothbased, coincidentally, on thework of author Philip K. Dick—wewere supposed to be well on ourway into living in a science fictionmovie.
Space would no longer be thefinal frontier. Earth no longer ourlast refuge.
We were supposed to be debat-ing the rights of androids inhuman society, and bringingrogue computers to trial.
We’re not there, obviously.Writer Arthur C. Clarke, in an
essay on the hazards of predictingthe future, wrote that “any suffi-ciently advanced technologywould be indistinguishable frommagic”. Like any wish for magicin the real world, the Utopias ofscience fiction past were mostlymisguided, naive visions of afuture world.
The aesthetic of the Utopiaitself has diminished in sciencef i c t i o n i n t h e l a s t d e c a d e ,replaced instead by a grim visionthat sees the explosion of tech-nology, yes, but also the amplifi-cation of existing rifts in society.Last year’s District 9, for example,set in the Johannesburg of 2010,simultaneously dealt with bothaliens and apartheid.
So, where were we supposed tobe? We look back at the threekinds of 2010 that science fictionhad predicted for us:
FUTURE 1:Wired till our brains fried
Tom Clancy’s Net Force: Set in2010, it tracks the adventures ofa special branch of the US’ Fed-
eral Bureau of Investigation thatdeals with cybercrime.Arthur C. Clarke’s 2010: Thesequel to the legendary 2001: ASpace Odyssey , i t f o l l o w s agroup of astronauts sent on amission to Jupiter to explainwhat happened in the previousfilm.
How a day would passY o u w o u l d w a k e u p t o t h esound of your intelligent, self-aware house computer remind-ing you of your daily appoint-m e n t s . Y o u w o u l d t a k e a ninstantaneous transporter towork, or just plug in to a fullysensory virtual world and flythere. You would have a middayappointment on the moon, fol-lowed by lunch in orbit, whereyour meal of choice would beassembled by eco-friendly nanodispensers. The news would befull of diplomatic negotiationswith extraterrestrial civilizationson the fringes of the galaxy.
Are we there yet?Short answer: No. Long answer:Not for a long time. The loom-ing spectre of climate changehas thankfully put a stop tothoughts of reckless jauntsacross the solar system, and thefuture is more likely to involvetravel in virtual worlds (some-thing present-day video gamesdabble in) than travel acrossspace.
In March, the US’ NationalAeronautics and Space Admin-istration launched the KeplerMission, a three-and-a-half-year project to discover earth-like planets beyond the solarsystem. It’s the first seriousattempt to look for planetsbeyond our immediate neigh-bourhood. It’s a tiny sliver of thegalaxy that the Kepler Mission isfocused on (like sifting througha h a n d f u l o f s a n d o n abeach)—but who knows, wemight just get lucky.
FUTURE 2:Death by dystopia
Banlieue 13 (2004): A Frenchaction film set in an Orwellian2010, where inner cities aredivided into brutally repressiveghettos called “districts”.Absolon (2003): A post-apoca-lyptic film where large corpora-tions have a helpless populationunder their thumb.Children of Men (2006): Set in2027, it charts the aftermath of a
m y s t e r i o u s i n f e r t i l i t y t h a tspread through the human race,where no children have beenborn since 2009-10.
How a day would passGrim, with little or no hope.Communities would be dealingwith the aftermath of war, ornuclear fallout, or extreme cli-mate change. Government con-trol over societies would beminimal, and roving bands ofbandits would be common.
Technology would be minimal,practical and mostly weapons.
Are we there yet?D y s t o p i a s a r e n o t s o m u c hfutures as “what ifs”. The effectsof climate change may not mani-fest as extremely as The DayAfter Tomorrow (2004) suggests,but there’s enough photographicevidence to suggest that thetruth may not be too far away.
FUTURE 3:Scarier than imagined
Knight Rider 2010 (1994): Atelevision film loosely based onthe Knight Rider TV serial, inwhich a former police detective
becomes a modern “knight”,fighting crime. His loyal steed?A talking car called KITT.
How a day would passThe scariest of all possiblefutures, Knight Rider 2010 ima-gines a world where the char-a c t e r o r i g i n a l l y p l a y e d b yDavid Hasselhoff is the ideal-ized hero, modified Ford Mus-tangs are the dominant car aes-thetic and 1980s pop is thesoundtrack of choice.
Are we there yet?While we can never discountthe possibility of such a dysto-pia, we have thankfully movedaway from the above threemain tenets of this vision.
Dystopia: A still from2012. Extreme climate
change figuresprominently in modern
science fiction.
Time warp: (clockwise from top) The future as imagined by Childrenof Men; Knight Rider; 2001: A Space Odyssey.
MGM/THE KOBAL COLLECTION
UNIVERSAL TV/THE KOBAL COLLECTION
UNIVERSAL PICTURES
2010THE FUTURE IS HERE
