by Roger Bourke White Jr., copyright January 2016 and September 2016
This is a mixed bag of thoughts.
01 Thoughts -- Sports in TES
02 Story idea -- North To Alaska / Out to Europa
In the TES lifestyle of the 2050's sports are going to play a big role.
With "get a job" playing a much smaller role as an enfranchiser and life-fulfiller, sports and entertainment are going to play much bigger roles. This is the 2050's equivalent of Ancient Rome's "bread and circuses" -- bread is the TES providing necessities and sports and entertainment will be part of the circuses.
How to participate as a sports spectator is going to change. In the 2010's people can participate by going to a sports arena while the event unfolds, by watching the event live on TV and other viewing media, and by watching it after the fact as a rerun, or watching highlights.
In the 2050's another way will be by watching and participating in Augmented or Virtual Reality versions of the events. (AR/VR) This will be a form of closer spectating by watching from many angles and points of view. The closer participating will be by playing AR/VR fantasy sports versions of the games.
Because sports will play a much bigger role in the attention span of people living the TES lifestyle, sports celebrities and the whole sports infrastructure will be even more prominent than it is in the 2050's. There will be a larger variety in the infrastructure as well. There will be fantasy sports celebrities as well as physical sports celebrities and fantasy settings as well as physical settings.
What other changes?
Big Sam is prosperous, and is now helping George who is looking for Sweet Jenny's hand. (or he's looking himself)
Big Sam is a successful ambitious type. He's accomplished something big and has been rewarded with a lot of luxury money. He is currently surrounded with cyber muses and a couple of male buddies.
He surprises them, buddies and muses, by deciding it is now time to get himself a wife and raise a family. The buddies point out that he doesn't need a wife to raise a family. But the muses are happy to help him accomplish this getting-a-wife business as his next big task. (human population is in decline, so the cybers are happy to help make families happen, and feel it is a rewarding activity they can engage in)
or...
"Sam" is a successful Belter woman. She's trying to figure out how to get a man (from Earth, most likely) to come out, and how she's going to raise children out in the Belt.
This scenario reminds me of Aunt Peggy taking pictures of kids in bars at the Fort Peck dam in the 1930's. The kids didn't have anywhere else to go, so the local moralists couldn't criticize. But those seeing the pictures in Life magazine who were back in civilized areas like NYC certainly did!
So, how will Belter children get raised? Will there be any? There is likely to be lots and lots of cyber muse involvement in the raising. There will be moralists back on Earth who want the children brought back to Earth for a proper raising. (which brings up gravity and other environmental issues: are these kids Earth-adapted, or deep space-adapted?)
or ...
More adventure from the Wise Old Man now living in a necessity child body on Europa. He wants to get married and he's quite willing to use the tools of the day to accomplish it.
Lyrics -- change to "Out to Europa"
North to AlaskaNorth to Alaska Big Sam left Seattle in the year of ninety-two Sam crossed the majestic mountains (mush) Where the river is windin' A-way up north (north to Alaska) George turned to Sam 'Cause a man needs a woman Where the river is windin' |
Out to EuropaOut to Europa Big Bull left Old Titan in the year of ninety-two Bull crossed the majestic mountains (mush) Where the glacier is slidin' Way out far (out to Europa) George turned to Bull 'Cause a man needs a woman Where the glacier is windin' |
--The End--