Run Comrades, the Old World is Behind You!

[jetfx]

One night I was sitting in my room reading Postwar: A History of Europe Since 1945, particularly the chapter on political radicalism in the 1960s and I could here my neighbours [badly] sing homemade revolutionary anthems. As if violently overthrowing the American government will "fix" the world's problems

Comments

[baron_waste]

An idea of what to expect is reflected in Russia, circa AD 1990. This was a country that was forcibly held in about the equivalent of our 1960, suddenly time-warped into the present day. They dove into it all - Russian web servers and sites are ubiquitous (heck, they own Livejournal) - and yet, people were still poor, and they missed the old life, where at least they knew what to expect. Putin is met with a sense of relief - this, they understand.

[baron_waste]

There is, of course, the other influence you're not considering: None of that “networking” may much matter.

http://baron-waste.livejournal.com/360012.html

[jetfx]

Certainly scarce resources and environmental degradation figures into my vision of the future, but I am a bit more optimistic. I've read about some genetically engineered algae that sounds promising. It can grow virtually anywhere and can be refined into a biofuel. Assuming it pans out, it provides the possibility of a huge renewable source of energy, as well as a new industry.

[jetfx]

That's a really good example to what happens when a country jumps up to speed in a very short space of time. I'll have to read more about post-Soviet Russia.