“Computers in the future may weigh no more than 1.5 tons”
– Popular Mechanics, forecasting the relentless march of science, 1949.
Predictions. Rock solid, one day. Busted as myth, the next. But the relentless march of our imagination – and creation – must go on.
From children’s literature to crime thrillers, weather forecasts to wars, earthquakes to alien invasions, we are sure almost nothing will escape the tantalizing tales that big data will reveal.
And so, just for the fun of it, here is an imagined future where Big Data will play a role in every aspect of our lives– and the stories that will unfold in the rough and tumble of human drama.
What’s fact? What’s fiction? Let’s see if we can blur the edges.
Here are some news headlines, shows, books, agony columns and movies we shall likely be watching in some future not far away…playing on some digital device near you!
The DNA Diaries
by G Norman
(Simon and Shoestring Books – Rs. 650)
A stunning saga of 3 generations whose ancestry reveals a dark secret…hidden deep inside the Genome that makes up their collective DNA. Shanks Shamsi, a math genius and descendant of the family, finds a mutation in his own genes that could spawn a deadly epidemic. The cure is in the vast data he has- but time is short. Will he extract the answers from the data and write the perfect algorithm to crack his cure – in his own lifetime?
Advertisement:
WANTED: ALGORITHM TASK FORCE for Space Exploration
CLASSIFIEDS:
We are looking for today’s Shakletons and Hillarys to forge a brave new world or go where no man has gone before. Hunter gatherers, thrill seekers, adventure enthusiasts and code crackers required for this prestigious project that will take you to the far reaches of the universe. Return not guaranteed. Body bags not included.
If you have a voracious appetite to stomach and digest X-abytes of information, write algorithms that sing…and have an outrageous IQ (Nobel laureates may apply) – welcome to our task force for Venus 101 Expedition. For starters.
Hack this to call: $!121# +$$18556 and you are on board.
A DATE WITH DATA
Our weekly Matrimonial and Dating Advice offered exclusively through Big Data analytics.
Once upon a time, marriages were made in heaven. Or perhaps by your friendly neighbourhood astrologer. Now the pairing of soul mates is made through big data – a surer way of finding a predictably perfect match from perfect data. That easy? ‘Coz not. Even you aren’t predictable, But at least you can foresee if your mate stays connected when you change your brand of toothpaste…!
Sighberspace Times
The Cyber Needle in a Holographic Haystack
and other stories about Big Data
This definitive, new-age Mother Goose of our times for children, introduces the power and potential of big data through engaging, interactive digital stories. Kids can try solving or evolving the stories as they read them…and find their own answers to beguiling puzzles through explorative data.
WHAT’S YOUR TAKE? Go ahead. Author your own fictitious ideas – book titles, news, provocative dissertations – and we will visualize it and upload it for you – with credits 😉
