RE: <nettime> The Meaning of the Year 2000

["Robbins, Mark" <mrobbins@lims.com>]

"The Shape of Things to Come" was Wells' answer to Huxley (among others.)

In this "future-history novel" -- written from the standpoint of the 22nd
century looking "back" on the 20th -- he made a number of predictions . .
.  (remember, he made these in 1933):

<<-- WW II would begin in 1940>>

Not a terribly hard call for an intelligent person who read a newspaper
more than once a month.


<<-- This new "class" would be made up primarily of scientists and 
technologists who would gradually take over the communications and 
transportation resources of the world>>

And then came the latte, which was truly an unidentifiable passifier.
That's like saying that punk libertarian code jockeys are going to take
over the world by unleashing some lethal virus that only they have the
ability to stop.  Paging Dr. Evil.


<<Could the Millenium Summit meeting at the UN, the World Summit of
Religions and the State of the World Forum -- all meeting in New York over
the past few weeks -- possibly be a celebration by Wells' "New Class"?>>


Yeah, a class dominated by money, power, and quantification.  How novel.
 
<<Could "Globalization" and "Human Rights," as well as "Social Psychology"
be their principle rallying points?>>

Is this questioned being asked with a straight face or a supressed giggle?

Mark Robbins




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