I thought *sure* that some years ago I posted something about theiPad-like “newspad” from “2001,” describing how it very clearly predicted not only the pad itself but also the internet as a whole. But a search of the blog did not turn up what I thought it would; the closest was this bit from 2015 describing an article displayed on a Newspad.
Some more archive finds have provided more insight into the world of “2001:”
The subject of the articles headline has been bandied about since 2011. But what’s of interest right here are the headlines that were written for the Newspad, specifically for the New York Times. Of course they didn’t appear on screen, so they are of arguably “canonicity,” but they’re interesting nonetheless:
- 1000TH BABY BORN AT SOUTH POLE CITY
- LAST WORLD WAR I VETERAN DIES IN LONDON
- AIRLINER FEARED LOST OVER ATLANTIC; 2304 ON BOARD
- WORLD POPULATION PASSES 6 BILLION MARK: EVEN SPLIT NORTH AND SOUTH OF EQUATOR
- LAST GRIZZLY BEAR DIES IN CINCINNATI ZOO: SPECIES NOW EXTINCT – TENTH THIS YEAR
- DEEP-SPACE SURVEY ENROUTE: FLIGHT REPORTED NORMAL IN ALL RESPECTS
- AQUANAUT RECORD NOW HELD BY BRAZIL: SUBMARINE SURVEY TEAM DOWN FOUR YEARS
- FUNCTIONING EARTH SATELLITES NOW NUMBER 3700: MAJORITY LINK WEATH AND COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEMS
- MOVE GAINS MOMENTUM IN WESTERN STATES FOR RETURN TO 4-PARTY SYSTEM
- GARZANTI DIES IN ROME: FAMOUS DETECTIVE CREDITED WITH FINAL DESTRUCTION OF MAFIA IN 1971
- DAWN OF MAN PUSHED BACK TO 5,000,000 YEAR MARK
- GRAND CANYON BRIDGE OPENED BY PRESIDENT: LAST LINK IN ARGENTINA-ALASKA ELECTRONIC HIGHWAY SYSTEM
- LANGUAGE BARRIER NOW NIL FOR 75% OF EARTH’S PEOPLES
- FOURTEEN WESTERNS UP FOR NEXT TV LINE-UP
- RESEARCH EXPENDITURES GREATER THAN PRODUCTION COSTS FOR SIX KEY INDUSTRIES
- TRIPLE ALLOCATION ANTICIPATION FOR GRAVITY-CONTROL PROJECT AT USC
- MAJOR BREAKTHROUGH IN ESP RESEARCH AT DUKE. PLANS FOR PRACTICAL APPLICATION LIKELY TO BE IMPLEMENTED WITHIN DECADE
- BOOK REVIEW: “THE TWENTIETH CENTURY: RISE AND FALL OF A DRAGON: BY KEITH ROGERS
- ART: PABLO PICASSO, PAINTING’S MOST INCREDIBLE SUCCESS STORY
- THEATER: THE BARRYMORES, FORGOTTEN LEGEND
- MEDICINE: HOW MUCH FURTHER THE AGE LIMIT? ARE 125 YEARS ENOUGH?
- GARDENING: WATCH THE PH FACTOR. ACIDITY MORE CRITICAL IN HYDROPONICS THAN IN SOIL
- NEW TRAFFIC COMMISSIONER FOR NEW YORK CITY. MAYOR PROMISES RESULTS. CITIZENS’ COMMITTEE REPORTEDLY PESSIMISTIC
- FINANCIAL: BUYING POWER OF DOLLAR UP. FIRST IMPROVEMENT IN SEVENTEEN MONTHS. EASING ON CREDIT SEEN.
- SPORTS: AUSTRALIANS LIKELY VICTORS TENNIS
Some comments:
1: South Pole City is clearly a well-established facility in 2001.
2: This means the last WWI veterans were probably under 100 years of age when they died.
3: Previously discussed.
4: Population reached 6 billion in 1999, but it was nowhere near an even split between north & south hemispheres. Something must have happened to drive a whole lot of people south without actually killing a whole lot of people.
5: Apparently the environment of 2001 has gone to hell such that the grizzlies have died out. Perhaps that’s why so many people have fled the northern hemisphere? From the viewpoint of the mid-sixties when these were written, the environment sucked, and would continue to suck for quite a number more years.
8: Way more satellites than real 2001. Not surprising.
9: Huh. One wonders what those 4 parties are, and whether they want a return to 4 from, say, 2 or from 6.
12: What’s an “electronic highway?” In real-world usage it might refer to the internet, but here it’s clearly an actual highway. Perhaps an electrified roadway for long-range self-driving electric cars?
13: Presumably HAL-1000 translation programs?
14: 14 westerns on American TV in 2001 would indicate a major shift in cultural priorities. In the real world westerns had pretty much vanished by the end of the 70’s. Perhaps there’s a link between the “cowboy ethic” and “frontier stories” with having an *actual* frontier…
15: And that’s why technology has advanced so far.
16: Umm… wha-what? Gravity control?
17: Clarke was obsessed with ESP. It has of course turned out to be rubbish. One wonders if a later article would be about how Duke got scammed.
18: This might indicate that China got real big and powerful in the late 20th century, but then collapsed. Perhaps that’s where much of the southern hemisphere population boom came from… hundreds of millions of Chinese immigrants into, say, sub-Saharan Africa. That would be fun to explore.
20: Apparently Drew went nowhere.
22: Hydroponic gardening is a big deal. Again, the environment seems to have gone down the crapper.
Discuss!
