Wednesday, May 21, 2008

Google & Life's Biggest Questions - Question 2: Tomorrow

A couple weeks ago I asked "What are life's biggest questions?"

This question was asked in response to the Church Sign posted below:Last week I did a post where I saw what was on the surface to be found in a simple Google search of "why is there evil?" (thanks Nate for the question) and the discussion that followed. For some this question seemed easy to answer, and for others the explanation by other readers and Google "i'm feeling lucky" seemed inadequate.
Tomorrow

The question for Google this week comes from Jeff who asked, "What does tomorrow hold?"

When I asked Google that question and said "I'm feeling lucky" imagine my surprise when I got a CBS news article from April 2006...was this question really answered two years ago, and no one told me?

Well, like a time-delayed magic eight ball...google's response was in regards to Katie Couric's confirmed departure from the today show and it was suspected that Meredith Vieira would be replacing her. As we know Vieira did end up going on the today show.
But still, what about tomorrow? Not 2006!

Actually as I trolled around the Internet, probably one of my favorite "future resources" that I found was a special report that Forbes ran in October 2007.

I love this quote that is used in the articles opening: "Raised on a steady diet of science fiction, overzealous politicians and corporate hype, Americans expected to be living in The Jetsons -- but instead find themselves stuck in a scarier version of The Waltons."

The special report has a number of articles that are actually really interesting as different writers try to tackle the abstract concept and unknown future. For a good read I recommend the article by James Surowiecki title Crowdsourcing The Crystal Ball. It talks about prediction markets. If you're a movie person, you pay be familiar with the Hollywood Stock Exchange (hsx.com). Basically this article discusses how individuals are bad at predicting the future, but groups of people are better.

Granted all these resources provided on Forbes' report are angled more towards business, politics, technology, world events, and the masses' and not towards the lives of individuals. Making Jeff's biggest question one that Google certainly doesn't seem to answer well right off the bat, and certainly not in it's top 10 answers.

As you can imagine and know...the unknown nature of our own future and tomorrow actually fills the Internet. World history is filled with various methodologies, schemes, tactics, and rituals associated with fortune-telling...Crystal balls, fortune cookies, astrology, tarot cards, casting marked bones, reading tea leaves, prophets, palm reading, numerology, etc.

With the unknowns of the future, you can imagine many people are willing to put more than just a Google search in this question, and hand over money to various "seer-methodologies."

I'm not sure how exactly the church is even supposed to answer Jeff's question about tomorrow either? I imagine he wants to know more than just that the Apocalypse will happen someday?

What do you think?

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

"Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."

-JC (Matthew 6:34)

RC said...

@ jeremy...

good verse...i thought about in terms of this concept. This wasn't what google turned up, but do you think that in light of this scripture...the answer is "don't worry about tomorrow?"

Jeff Reed said...

Na Na Na Na Na, Na (sung tauntingly).

Flattered RC picked my question. Yes, I'm always interested in more than the apocalypse. Jeremy, I know that verse by memory. As a Christian, God's gonna win, no problem. That's a no brainer...

But what am I supposed to do now? My birth is done. My death is scheduled. What do I do with the DASH, the time in between?

Sibbles said...

And all along, I thought the answer was "42". Wow.