Morlocks, Eloi, Obama and talking to the future

Brian Millar

The author likens the global economic downturn to the sci-fi world described by H.G.Wells in The Time Machine: before, the world was full of Eloi, working to marketing plans that couldn’t fail provided one had a good product; now the Morlocks are in charge, and marketers, with slashed budgets and unsold stock, are digging deep into their brand equity.

Morlocks, Eloi, Obama and talking to the future

Brian Millar

Some people turn to research to predict the future. I prefer science fiction. It's generally better written, cheaper and more far-reaching in its scope. The big secret of sci-fi is that it's really about the present day, just disguised with tinfoil suits and spaceships.

Take Iain M Banks, whose novels describe a post-scarcity society called The Culture, where technology provides every citizen with limitless wealth, health and material comforts. Boring things such as air conditioning, cleaning and government are outsourced to computers. The people of The Culture are free to...

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