Using Technology to Deepen Democracy, Using Democracy to Ensure Technology Benefits Us All

Monday, January 14, 2013

It's Futurological Fail All the Way Down


Guardian UK:
The Observer's panel of stock-picking professionals has been undone in our 2012 investment challenge by a ginger feline called Orlando who spent time paw-ing over the FT. The Observer portfolio challenge pitted professionals Justin Urquhart Stewart of wealth managers Seven Investment Management, Paul Kavanagh of stockbrokers Killick & Co, and Schroders fund manager Andy Brough against students from John Warner School in Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire –- and Orlando.
Although I devote quite a lot of attention to the pseudo-science and pathology of faith-based techno-transcendental superlative futurology, it is always good to remember the lesson of the more prevailing, mainstream futurology of fraudulent anti-aging kreme and CGI Army recruitment commercials and the "futures speculation" of financial fraudsters as well: when it comes to futurology, from the extreme to the mainstream, it is futurological fail all the way down.

1 comment:

jollyspaniard said...

It's hard to beat Arthur C Clarke's track record prediction he got one right and one sort of right and only about a thousand misses. If futurists were awarded hats, Clarke's would have been pointy.