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A Brief History of Predicting The FUTURE
A quick and lively romp to give the reader a taste of what futurology today is all about, as well as a feel for the long uphill climb it made from its humble beginnings in the dawn of antiquity. This 20-page chronicle--written by an experienced futurist who has interviewed over 400 people for their opinion about the future--describes how predicting the future has changed many times through the from magic to science, and from science fiction to computation. ( 5,600 Words) --- Section Titles --- The Future is Deep The Far Future The Near Future From Ancient Magic to Scientific Causality Science Fiction made the Future Fun But then the Future Got Serious Yes, the Future does Compute The Future may get Weird Just before it becomes Unimaginable Transhumanists want you to be Better than Healthy Virtual Living End of the World But not all Futures are Deadly or even Weird
22 pages, ebook
First published June 7, 2012
2 people are currently reading
6 people want to read
About the author
Stephen Euin Cobb
23 books14 followersStephen Euin Cobb is an author, novelist, magazine writer, futurist, award-winning podcaster, and host of The Interstellar Research Group's video series “From Here to the Stars,” for which he won the Iridani Award in 2021.
For over ten years, he produced a weekly podcast, "The Future And You," which explored, through interviews, panel discussions, and commentary, all the ways the future will be different from today. For that, he won the Parsec Award in 2006.
His science fiction novels include two about Leather — Leather & the 40 Corpsicles in the Cafe Freezer and Leather: A Runaway Girl Across Three Worlds. And three others without Leather, but in her universe’s historical timeline — Plague at Redhook, Bones Burnt Black, and One Small Theft for Man: One Giant Siege for Mankind.
A contributing editor for Space and Time Magazine; he has also been a regular contributor to Robot, H+, Grim Couture and Port Iris magazines; and he spent three years as a columnist and contributing editor for Jim Baen’s Universe Magazine.
An artist, essayist, game designer, and transhumanist, he is also on the Advisory Board of The Lifeboat Foundation.
He has interviewed over 500 people and written over 100 magazine articles.
His nonfiction books include: Naked Space Theory: A Radical New Theory of Everything which Flips Physics on Its Head, as well as A Brief History of Predicting the Future, and Indistinguishable from Magic: Predictions of Revolutionary Future Science.
Recently, he created a series of Sudoku and Cryptogram puzzle books under the short version of his name: Steve Cobb.
For over ten years, he produced a weekly podcast, "The Future And You," which explored, through interviews, panel discussions, and commentary, all the ways the future will be different from today. For that, he won the Parsec Award in 2006.
His science fiction novels include two about Leather — Leather & the 40 Corpsicles in the Cafe Freezer and Leather: A Runaway Girl Across Three Worlds. And three others without Leather, but in her universe’s historical timeline — Plague at Redhook, Bones Burnt Black, and One Small Theft for Man: One Giant Siege for Mankind.
A contributing editor for Space and Time Magazine; he has also been a regular contributor to Robot, H+, Grim Couture and Port Iris magazines; and he spent three years as a columnist and contributing editor for Jim Baen’s Universe Magazine.
An artist, essayist, game designer, and transhumanist, he is also on the Advisory Board of The Lifeboat Foundation.
He has interviewed over 500 people and written over 100 magazine articles.
His nonfiction books include: Naked Space Theory: A Radical New Theory of Everything which Flips Physics on Its Head, as well as A Brief History of Predicting the Future, and Indistinguishable from Magic: Predictions of Revolutionary Future Science.
Recently, he created a series of Sudoku and Cryptogram puzzle books under the short version of his name: Steve Cobb.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
January 1, 2025
Picked up while free on kindle in relation to ConCarolinas 2016.
Okay, it took me a little while to finish reading it. Life got away from me. And, unfortunately, life has moved beyond the 2012 essays. Twelve years is a big jump - especially with a global pandemic in the middle. For when it was written, the material would have been interesting.
Okay, it took me a little while to finish reading it. Life got away from me. And, unfortunately, life has moved beyond the 2012 essays. Twelve years is a big jump - especially with a global pandemic in the middle. For when it was written, the material would have been interesting.
July 6, 2015
Possible Future
This e book is a short essay about predicting the future. He offers the reader many possible futures that range from the positive to the down right scary.
This e book is a short essay about predicting the future. He offers the reader many possible futures that range from the positive to the down right scary.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews