Futurama

Ah, the never ending prognostication of what the future will be. Most will be wrong, but a few will be right. Needle in a hay-stack, but finding the 'right' seems like it should be advantageous.

Here's a look at some visions of the future.

Plausible:

America Won the Cold War But Now Is Turning Into the USSR, Gerald Celente Says: Tech Ticker, Yahoo! Finance:

"A rotten political system: He compares politicians (Democrats and Republicans alike) to 'Mafioso' and says campaign contributions are really thinly disguised 'bribes and payoffs.'

Crony capitalism: Like in the USSR of old, Celente laments that so much of America's wealth (93%) is controlled by such a small group small portion of its population (10%). Owing to that concentration of wealth, the government makes policies designed to reward 'the bigs' at the expense of average citizens (see: Bailouts, banks).

Military-industrial complex: The USSR went bankrupt fighting the cold war and Celente fears the U.S. is 'squandering its greater but still finite resources on a gargantuan defense budget, fighting unwinnable hot wars and feeding an insatiable military stationed on hundreds of bases worldwide.'"

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Back to the old city-states. I'm down.

Beyond City Limits - By Parag Khanna | Foreign Policy:

"The 21st century will not be dominated by America or China, Brazil or India, but by the city. In an age that appears increasingly unmanageable, cities rather than states are becoming the islands of governance on which the future world order will be built. This new world is not -- and will not be -- one global village, so much as a network of different ones.

Time, technology, and population growth have massively accelerated the advent of this new urbanized era. Already, more than half the world lives in cities, and the percentage is growing rapidly. But just 100 cities account for 30 percent of the world's economy, and almost all its innovation. Many are world capitals that have evolved and adapted through centuries of dominance: London, New York, Paris. New York City's economy alone is larger than 46 of sub-Saharan Africa's economies combined. Hong Kong receives more tourists annually than all of India. These cities are the engines of globalization, and their enduring vibrancy lies in money, knowledge, and stability. They are today's true Global Cities."

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I'm greatly depressed by the Democrats, but that's not what this article is about:

Economic forecaster: ‘Greatest Depression’ coming | Raw Story

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Bullshit. The more they try to control it, the more the geeks work end-arounds. Go Geeks!

The Web Is Dead. Long Live the Internet | Magazine:

"You wake up and check your email on your bedside iPad — that’s one app. During breakfast you browse Facebook, Twitter, and The New York Times — three more apps. On the way to the office, you listen to a podcast on your smartphone. Another app. At work, you scroll through RSS feeds in a reader and have Skype and IM conversations. More apps. At the end of the day, you come home, make dinner while listening to Pandora, play some games on Xbox Live, and watch a movie on Netflix’s streaming service.

You’ve spent the day on the Internet — but not on the Web. And you are not alone."

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Change that CAN NOT be believed in.

I love how his bold quote below is so very Teabagger/Republican.

Your 'order' is by nature 'restrictive', dude.

Chile's Miniskirt Ban Cut Short After Protests:

"SANTIAGO, Chile — A ban on miniskirts didn't last long in Chile, where a governor faced protests by women who otherwise share his conservative views.

Coquimbo region Gov. Sergio Gahona had banned public employees from wearing miniskirts or exposing their shoulders. He says he was merely trying to 'put things in order' and didn't mean to restrict anyone."

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The Future is NOW!

Heavy Drinkers Outlive Nondrinkers, Study Finds - TIME:

"But a new paper in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research suggests that — for reasons that aren't entirely clear — abstaining from alcohol does actually tend to increase one's risk of dying even when you exclude former drinkers. The most shocking part? Abstainers' mortality rates are higher than those of heavy drinkers."

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And, some meta. Funny, but she should really try snarking on links. So much easier than 'writing'.

And Chuck Todd sucks at his 'job'.

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