Futurama predicted an iPhone with deep Twitter integration in 2010 [Video]

Posted by jffcrmr | 0 comments

I’m a fan of “The Simpsons”, but save for a few episodes, have never been a fan of Matt Groening’s other creative cartoon outlet “Futurama.”

While scanning channels on the television last night I stumbled upon an episode that made me wonder if Futurama is more than just a cartoon about the future or if it is actually something which should be studied for its ability to accurately predict the future.

In “Attack of the Killer App”, the third episode of the sixth season, “Futurama” focuses on the release of the new eyePhone.

As with today’s iPhone releases, excitement to get one’s hands on the device reached a fever-pitch for the show’s primary characters.

The crew all buy eyePhones, which feature a wide variety of applications, including the Twitcher (Twitter) application. Bender and Fry get into a competition to get the most followers, wagering a dollar and stating that the loser must jump into a tub of two-headed alien goat vomit and diarrhea.

Meanwhile, Mom reveals to her sons that the eyePhones allow her to direct market to the users, based on what they post on Twitcher. She also reveals her evil plan wherein the “twit worm” will be transmitted as soon as someone has one million followers.

The twit worm will work as a virus infecting the human brain and making people into mindless zombies that follow her every whim.

From the plot alone, it’s clear that something is afoot.  A cartoon about the future accurately predicted the release of a new smartphone with deep social network integration, mimicing exactly what occurred with the release of the iPhone 4S and Twitter baked into iOS 5.

The only question which remains though, are Twitter’s motives similar to those of Mom’s with her “Twitcher” app?  Only time will tell, and if it comes to pass we can’t say we weren’t warned.

 

Author : Jeff Cormier –  http://about.me/jffcrmr

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