by Mike Pesca

Laura Lee, author of 'Bad Predictions'

Here are the predictions I promised on the show today, one mind blowingly bad, one eerily right. The bad one comes from Dick Morris.

The accurate one, written in 1988 was by . . . I won???t tell you just yet. Guess. Hint — it???s a guy known for his contribution to the field of perception.

From Dick Morris, a week after Hurricane Katrina wrecked New Orleans:

But make no mistake about it: Every day for the next year, voters will see nonstop scenes of federal relief, rebuilding, renovation and reconstruction along with the empathy, sympathy and compassion these efforts imply in the heart of George W. Bush. He may have had a terrible first week, but he will rebound big time in the months to come. The aid an administration gives in the aftermath of a momentous disaster will be covered continuously by the media. Every relief convoy will get a wide slice of publicity. As the pumps run and the city and the gulf region drain, the nation will feel a surge of heady optimism at our ability to bounce back from disaster. Happy visuals will replace tragic ones, and interviews with homeowners joyously moving back in will run instead of the tearful stories of refugees.

After the jump, the anonymous prediction:

 

From the mystery man:

I suggest that by 2008 A.D. most humans living in post-industrial habitats will be spending as much time "jacked-in" to infoworlds on the other side of the screen as they spend in the material world. In 20 years we will spend 7 hours a day actively (rather than passively) navigating, exploring and colonizing the oceans and continents of digital data. Interscreening — creating mutual digital-realities — will be the most popular and growthful form of human communication. Interscreening does not imply a derogation or neglect of flesh-interactions. Intimacy at the digital level enriches exchanges in the warm-skin levels. You do not lessen the richness of your murmur-touch contact with your lover because you can also communicate by phone, fax and hand-scrawled notes. Warm-breath interactions with your touch-friends will be more elegant and pleasant with the digital reality option added.