I came across your post while looking for critical engagements with Gartner’s ‘hype cycle’ work. The elegance of this post induces some jealousy from me!

Here is another diagram that seeks to represent something a little bit different compared to representations of the ‘future’ in that it seeks to capture a sense of ‘innovation’ following Tarde’s work and recent work by others on his work linking repetition (imitation) and difference (innovation). http://eventmechanics.net.au/2012/03/visualising-innovation-research-actornetworks/
It is based on the ‘spiral and spoke’ diagram of iteration, but in three dimensions to better map the relations between events of differential repetition. The goal was to capure a sense of the baroque architecture andf multi-dimensionality of events (the temporality of ‘incorporeal materialism’), such as research or technological development, that involve multiple processes and various stakeholders participating at different times.
Cheers.

http://repositoryofrecords.blogspot.com/2011/03/light-cone.html

Wow. Thanks Boris. Particularly scale. I’m also curious how one, small thing can tip you into a new way of thinking about what could be, or shifts perspective in a grand way.

I actually do think I live a bit in a possible future — somewhere between 18 minutes -> 18 months, mostly because that’s what I spend most of my time thinking/making/sketching about. You know? In relation to other a small handful of other humans? Not all of them ((which is what I think Gibson sort of alludes to)).

Past and Future are information spaces.
Actions and Events exist only now. Information about them, when recorded, are what travels, outward from the point of origin of the action/event. The “closer” you are/sooner you receive and internalize (somehow understand/experience) that information the more “ahead” you are (of other people who have yet to do the same.

When you are in the future, relative to me, it is because you “know something” I do not yet.
When you are in the future, relative to me, it is because you “experienced something” I have not yet.
When you are in the future, relative to me, it is because you “believe something” I do not yet.
When you are in the future, relative to me, it is because you “have adopted a behavior” I have not yet.
(In all these case, I may never… this is because “future” also travels along relevance lines, which are drawn by cultures, environment, contexts, desires, needs, etc…)

“Actions” and “Events” include the unveiling/introduction/production of new physical objects or virtual objects or purely informational objects:
A deeply political movie or book…
A new engine type that uses electricity rather than gasoline…
A new local sandwich shop that you are the first to discover…

(you see how scale and importance and relevance comes in… the difference between discovering that “the english are coming!” and “the gestural UI in Minority Report are interesting…” 😉

I am sure you, as I, have been accused of “living in the future”… but no.. we are both *right here, right now.

*phew. thanks for letting me get that out.
🙂