A New History of the Future in 100 Objects: A FictionImagining the history of the twenty-first century through its artifacts, from silent messaging systems to artificial worlds on asteroids. In the year 2082, a curator looks back at the twenty-first century, offering a history of the era through a series of objects and artifacts. He reminisces about the power of connectivity, which was reinforced by such technologies as silent messaging—wearable computers that relay subvocal communication; recalls the Fourth Great Awakening, when a regimen of pills could make someone virtuous; and notes disapprovingly the use of locked interrogation, which delivers “enhanced interrogation” simulations via virtual reality. The unnamed curator quotes from a self-help guide to making friends with “posthumans,” describes the establishment of artificial worlds on asteroids, and recounts pro-democracy movements in epistocratic states. In A New History of the Future in 100 Objects, Adrian Hon constructs a possible future by imagining the things it might leave in its wake. Many of these things are just an update or two away: improved ankle monitors, for example, and deliverbots. Others may be the logical conclusions of current trends—“downvote” networks that identify and erase undesirables, and Glyphish, an emoticon-based language that supersedes the written word. More benign are Braid Collective, which provides financial support for artists, and Rechartered Cities, which invites immigrants to revitalize urban areas hollowed out by changing demographics. With this engaging and ingenious work, Hon leads the way into an imagined future while offering readers a new perspective on the present. |
Contents
ANKLE SURVEILLANCE MONITORS | 1 |
SPEEKY | 5 |
THE GUIDE | 9 |
THE BRAID COLLECTIVE | 13 |
SILENT MESSAGING | 17 |
SMART DRUGS | 21 |
THE TWELVE TECHNOLOGICAL VIRTUES | 25 |
LOCKED SIMULATION INTERROGATION | 29 |
ACTIVE CLOTHING | 133 |
THE KILL SWITCH | 141 |
CHINESE TOURISM | 149 |
THE USTC CRASH | 157 |
MUON DETECTOR | 165 |
MIRIAM XUS LACE | 173 |
THE SEAMSTRESSS NEW TOOLS | 181 |
NOBEL PRIZE FOR MEDICINE | 189 |
DISASTER KITS | 33 |
Contents | 34 |
UCS DELIVERBOT | 37 |
THE CONVERSATION BROKERS | 41 |
CENTRAL GREEN | 45 |
SCRIPTS | 49 |
THE ALGAL BOOM | 53 |
NAUTILUS1 | 57 |
GLYPHISH | 61 |
THE VALUE OF WORK | 65 |
TWO TOWERS | 69 |
THE SUDANSHANGHAI CONNECTION | 73 |
EMBODIMENT | 77 |
INSURGENCY IN A BOX | 81 |
TROPICAL RACE SIX | 85 |
D�SIR | 89 |
SAUDI SPRING | 93 |
THE HALLS | 97 |
AMPLIFIED TEAMS | 99 |
MIDDLE EYE | 103 |
THYLACINUS CYNOCEPHALUS | 107 |
THE CURVE OF BABEL | 111 |
THE WORLD OF GLASS | 115 |
STRUCTURED LIGHT | 119 |
NEGOTIATION AGENTS | 125 |
ALTO FIRENZE | 197 |
SHANGHAI SIX | 203 |
THE DIM SUM LUNCHES | 211 |
NEW WORLDS | 219 |
MULTIPLE AUTONOMOUS ELEMENT SUPERVISOR | 225 |
EUPHORIC GASTRONOMY | 233 |
GIVING NOTHING A NAME | 241 |
THE OLD DRONES | 247 |
FOURTH GREAT AWAKENING | 255 |
THE COLLINGWOOD METEOR | 259 |
MARRIAGE CONTRACTS | 267 |
DEATH OF A MOUSE | 275 |
THE FIRES OF MAHOUTOKORO | 283 |
THE NEW DEMOCRACIES | 289 |
THE DREAM | 297 |
OAID DEPLOYMENT | 305 |
HOW TO WATCH TV | 313 |
ENHANCE | 319 |
A LETTER FROM MARS | 325 |
THE MELT EVENT | 333 |
CEPHEID VARIABLE | 341 |
COOLING VENUS | 347 |
OUR UNIMPROVED SIMULATION | 355 |
AUTHORS NOTE | 363 |