Don't think too hard about this, because if you're like me it may lead to brief but debilitating depression (near catatonia). But if you're morbidly curious...
(On a much more uplifting note, that also happens to have a sports theme (despite the sports "hook," the central questions here are by no means sports specific; maybe culture specific), 50 years ago there was no such thing as a Super Bowl. What will exist 50 years from now that will be as important then as the Super Bowl is now, yet unfathomable to us now?)
How likely are the 2108 Chicago Cubs to exist? (As you know the 1908 Cubs won the World Series, and the 2008 Cubs keep getting reminded that their franchise hasn't won a World Series since then.)
How likely are the 2508 Cubs to exist?
I think it's safe to assume that the 12008 Cubs won't exist, though it's unclear why I assume that. Will MLB lose popularity to a competing league? Baseball to a competing sport? How likely is Chicago (as we know it) to exist in 10008? (The obvious follow-up is "define 'as we know it'!")
When will be the final season that the Cubs exist?
When will be the final calendar year that the United States exists?
When will be the final calendar year that people living in the present actually think of within the same time system we currently use?
(That is, exactly 10,000 years from now how likely are people to think of that day as May 2, 12008? Cutting to the chase, how likely are people to exist?)
Posted by Matt Bruce at May 2, 2008 11:34 AM50 years ago there was no such thing as a Super Bowl. What will exist 50 years from now that will be as important then as the Super Bowl is now, yet unfathomable to us now?
For the analogy to be as close as possible, it should be [some activity that's been going on for about a century] and [some organization that's been going for forty years] should (possibly merge with [another organization] and) institute [an annual crowd-pleasing event].
I guess we've had radio and the concept of broadcasting musical performances for about a century. Maybe American Idol and its associated international versions will merge with Eurovision, and in fifty years it will be bigger than the World Cup.
Posted by: Richard at May 3, 2008 07:58 AM