The future is pretty much inevitable, but is it predictable?

                This cartoon was published by a New York newspaper in 1901, the Futurist Manifesto was published in an Italian newspaper in 1909.  If I was going draw a similarity between the two I would say societies internationally shared a form of group think; and like-wise sub groups  internationally shared different levels of  enthusiasm or lack thereof for what has become known as Futurism. Much like any movement; social, political, art, etc. involves a level of think which typically involves a level of feeling.

                Above, the colorfully dressed men living 86 years in the future exchange in a conversation that indicates one will be taking a round trip flight from New York to Paris and back in time for dinner.
Is this funny to you upon first glance? Maybe so, maybe not. However, 110 years ago this was a joke and extremely unrealistic.
In 1914 the Wright brothers created the first machine capable of flight.
In 1961 the Soviet Union launched the first human into space to orbit the Earth.
In 1968 the Apollo Program launched the first humans into space to orbit the Moon.
All of these things happened before 1987.

                  I wanted to compare the Futurist Manifesto to the Cartoon because I wanted to explore the published "predictions" made not only  by society but also by established individuals in a society. Marinetti was passionately writing about a prediction for the future in a declarative "crippling of the past" way.  Through using the Arts and supporting of Arts as a tool to open a gate for the "believers" believing that ideas do come true only if they are worked for. Poetically, he illustrates with his own words how such a movement towards the future would/should be accomplished.

            Was the Manifesto of Futurism any more accurate of a prediction than the political cartoon created almost a decade earlier? As a group of thinkers have we, even today, consistently underestimated the effects of what we put out into the world? Are we moving forward now, and if so what towards? 

          How do I relate this Manifesto to our class and to New Media arts? Maybe if I could somehow travel into the future and tell you what was going to happen to those working as artists, or what would happen to the many very talented artists of the last decades I would passionately and poetically attempt to do so. Although I think for now I should bite my tongue.

The future isn't predictable. Maybe the weather, but not the future.
History shouldn't be forgotten.
& We shouldn't become 100% "positive" of what the future holds.
Although being 100% positive about some things is pretty important, otherwise kids 110 years from now won't have anything to talk about in class.