Many Soylentils may think that futurology in video format is pointless. However, a small cadre of futurologists have enthusiastically assembled predictions as clips and/or slideshows; often with futuristic music. My introduction to this minor artform was HayenMill's predictions about the 2010s, 2020s and 2030s. deanmullen10 has been making predictions in this format for seven years. The early ones are low-resolution crud but the 7th iteration has a particularly funky music mix and covers decades from the 2010s to the 2090s then more sparsely to the 24th century, and one further set of distant predictions.
The 8th iteration of predictions is due to be uploaded on Fri 11 Jan 2019. I'm looking forward to this because I find the format inspiring and uplifting. The demoscene, house style music is also quite good when programming. The 6th edition's predictions for the 2050s has a representative selection of the music although many find that to be sonic noise.
Other scenarios from deanmullen10 include the sudden collapse of a large Silicon Valley company due to loss of goodwill, alien invasion, and some amusingly inaccurate predictions in the same format (with some suitably retro-futuristic music), extrapolated from the 1980s. In the 1980s, the BBC was a comedy goldmine for inaccurate predictions; mostly through broadcasts about technology. This included waiters using touch screens. Further back, car navigation using a tachometer and an audio cassette, the bedside teletype, and the cashless society. Although, a particular favorite is cutting trees with lasers. It also featured 3D audio. (Whatever happened to that?)
In the season of New Year's Resolutions, it is the season to look back at looking forward. The four day working week has been predicted since at least the 1930s and legal cannabis cultivation throughout the US has been predicted since at least the 1960s. However, self-driving cars, flying cars, home robots, and fusion power remain Real Soon Now.
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Submitted via IRC for SoyCow1984
It sounds too good to be true, but companies around the world that have cut their work week have found that it leads to higher productivity, more motivated staff and less burnout.
"It is much healthier and we do a better job if we're not working crazy hours," said Jan Schulz-Hofen, founder of Berlin-based project management software company Planio, who introduced a four-day week to the company's 10-member staff earlier this year.
In New Zealand, trust company Perpetual Guardian reported a fall in stress and a jump in staff engagement after it tested a 32-hour week earlier this year.
Even in Japan, the government is encouraging companies to allow Monday mornings off, although other schemes in the workaholic country to persuade employees to take it easy have had little effect.
What is your most significant New Year's resolution for 2019?
- Eat better
- Sleep better
- Exercise more
- Lose
weightmass - Talk to other humans more
- Less time spent on the internet
- Ditch Google/Facebook/Amazon/Apple
- Try out a new OS or distro
- Write more code
- Write less code
- Perform more expeditionary missions out of the basement
- Be nicer to other Soylents
- Use all my mod points
- Make less resolutions
- Other (listed below)...
[Ed. Note: A new poll went up just a few days ago to decide "Book Club picks for Jan. and Feb. 2019" and I didn't want to interrupt that process. Further, our polls are limited to 8 choices and this submission had many more than that. Given the timeliness of the topic, I decided to run this as a story, instead. Have Fun!]
takyon: Changed to an <ol> since users are posting #s.
Submitted via IRC for TheMightyBuzzard
takyon: The Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 will remove hemp-derived products from Schedule 1 of the Controlled Substances Act, starting in 2019:
The new law, approved in overwhelming margins by Congress a week ago and signed by President Trump, is part of the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 and will go into effect on January 1, 2019. What it means is that a category of cannabis called hemp, which contains less than 0.3 percent of the psychoactive ingredient known as THC, will be removed from its Schedule 1 classification under the Controlled Substance Act of 1970. With Schedule 1, all forms of marijuana are considered as deadly as heroin and more dangerous than cocaine.
[...] "The significance of this law change should not be underemphasized," stated Paul Armentano, deputy director of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws. "This law marks the first change in the federal classification of the cannabis plant (since 1970) and paves the way for the first federally-sanctioned commercial hemp grows since World War II."
As noted in a previous story, there will be many bureaucratic obstacles involved with cultivating low-THC hemp legally. The bill also does not actually legalize cannabidiol (CBD), as has been reported:
One big myth that exists about the Farm Bill is that cannabidiol (CBD)—a non-intoxicating compound found in cannabis—is legalized. It is true that section 12619 of the Farm Bill removes hemp-derived products from its Schedule I status under the Controlled Substances Act, but the legislation does not legalize CBD generally. As I have noted elsewhere on this blog CBD generally remains a Schedule I substance under federal law. The Farm Bill—and an unrelated, recent action by the Department of Justice—creates exceptions to this Schedule I status in certain situations. The Farm Bill ensures that any cannabinoid—a set of chemical compounds found in the cannabis plant—that is derived from hemp will be legal, if and only if that hemp is produced in a manner consistent with the Farm Bill, associated federal regulations, association state regulations, and by a licensed grower. All other cannabinoids, produced in any other setting, remain a Schedule I substance under federal law and are thus illegal. (The one exception is pharmaceutical-grade CBD products that have been approved by FDA, which currently includes one drug: GW Pharmaceutical's Epidiolex.)
Submitted via IRC for Bytram
It's 2019, the year Blade Runner takes place: I can has flying cars?
Welcome to 2019, the year in which Ridley Scott's 1982 sci-fi film masterpiece Blade Runner is set. And as predicted in this loose adaptation of a 1968 Philip K. Dick story, we have flying cars.
The reason you don't have a flying car was explained by author William Gibson, who famously observed, more or less, "The future is already here – it's just not evenly distributed."
If you're Sebastian Thrun, you've already flown in Kitty Hawk's Flyer, which is more flying boat than flying car. If you're not, chances are you will have to wait a bit longer to live your sci-fi noir transport fantasy.
Topics include flying cars, artificial pets, voice driven photo enhancement, the Voight-Kampff machine, ad-festooned airships, space colonies, artificial organs and replicants.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by MichaelDavidCrawford on Friday January 11 2019, @12:02PM (1 child)
iPad Restaurants [business.com] are commonly found in airports.
My one experience with such an iPad Restaurant led to my waitress asking for my selections then entering it on my table herself, after which I was a captive audience for a whole bunch of repetitive advertising.
Zero Stars.
Yes I Have No Bananas. [gofundme.com]
(Score: 1) by nitehawk214 on Friday January 11 2019, @03:08PM
I avoid Sunoco gas stations because of the fucking advertisements at the pumps. Though the last one I was at had at least had a mute button.
"Don't you ever miss the days when you used to be nostalgic?" -Loiosh
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Ethanol-fueled on Friday January 11 2019, @12:49PM (1 child)
Sweet Jesus, that's the worst possible genre of the worst possible genre of music. I would expect a person of intelligence to have better taste. Maybe ambient or trip-hop or jungle or something.
Q: What did the house music enthusiast say after the drugs wore off?
A: "This music sucks!"
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday January 11 2019, @10:24PM
When I was younger, I liked going to raves because of all the scantily clad promiscuous women. The one time I tried to go without getting high first was the last time I went to a rave.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by realDonaldTrump on Friday January 11 2019, @12:52PM (4 children)
"When Trump says he will do something, you can take it to the bank." Marc Thiessen, WPost.
pic.twitter.com/iSFAokoIP7 [t.co]
(Score: 2) by takyon on Friday January 11 2019, @05:20PM (2 children)
Looks like a thin person could slip through that wall.
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday January 11 2019, @05:37PM
He'd stick out here as a sore thumb.
(Score: 2, Interesting) by realDonaldTrump on Friday January 11 2019, @06:42PM
People don't know this, Mexicans are VERY FAT. Even the children. They're the fattest people this world has ever known. Because the water is horrible. So, they drink Coke & Pepsi. And Hispanic food. I love Hispanic. But I only eat it on special occasions!!!
(Score: 2) by DeathMonkey on Friday January 11 2019, @08:03PM
Good news everybody, we can restart the government now because Mexico, not the US taxpayers, are paying for the wall!
(Score: 2, Funny) by nitehawk214 on Friday January 11 2019, @03:17PM
Soon people will start producing text of predictions of what the video predictions will predict.
"Don't you ever miss the days when you used to be nostalgic?" -Loiosh
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday January 11 2019, @04:16PM
Please nix at least the dupes, like the guys name.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday January 11 2019, @05:18PM
Gladwell nailed it
https://www.genolve.com/design/socialmedia/quotes?creation=58a0a2f3aef54686a9b298d57a5e717f [genolve.com]
(Score: 2) by Thexalon on Friday January 11 2019, @06:46PM
As the old saw goes, predictions are extremely difficult, especially when they're about the future. Part of the point of Asimov's Foundation books is that while you can get some insights about the future, ultimately things happen that you didn't predict.
The only thing that stops a bad guy with a compiler is a good guy with a compiler.