Welcome to Day 5 of the month of daily updates! It’s somewhat strange to think that this blog has now been going for almost six years, and I’ll be putting down some more thoughts about that as we progress through this month. For today, a relatively quick update but one that will probably be of interest to those who are new to the site (hello!). Below are the ten most popular posts (counted by unique users), along with some brief thoughts about each one. These certainly aren’t the best posts by any means, but it’s interesting to see what has managed to find the most traction.
10. 5 Signs You May Belong to a Dangerous Cult
This is an early post, written way back in August 2009 in the first month of the blog’s existence! It’s one of those PSA kind of posts which I’m always pleased to see do well, as hopefully that means it has helped people avoid some very damaging circumstances. It’s one of those posts that fits more into the ‘conscience’ side of the blog rather than the futurist aspect – but as I’ve always made clear, I think that the two are inseparable so it’s great to see that this one had legs.
9. Timeline: The Future of Videogames
I am an avid gamer, and my earliest memories include moments in front of Apple II screens and desktop PCs. It’s a hobby that I’ve kept going ever since, with an extensive collection of retro games and a modern library that includes top titles across all platforms. This is one of those futurist prediction posts which are always fun to put together, and it runs through to 2045…so I’ve got a while before people can hold me to account!
8. Taking a Digital Holiday: Are We Digital Natives or Addicts?
For those of you keeping track, I write a lot of thought pieces about contemporary culture and our relationship with technology. When writing this piece I was six weeks out of having a smartphone…and I’ve never gone back since. It’s a rather strange badge to wear for a futurist, but I still believe that my life has been better for it. When combined with concerns about mass surveillance, and the decision to take some kind of personal action in response, I’m glad that this post is in the most viewed on the site because it represents something quite personal and an aspect of my daily lifestyle.
7. The Rise of Videogame Culture
Another videogame post, this one an observation of the growing role that gaming has in our modern culture. I remember being thoroughly annoyed by a comment piece linked in the article, that had the audacity to deride videogames from the snobby perspective that they could never be art. It was written at a time when games were really breaking out of the usual moulds, trying to express more detailed and challenging visions, and the author of that comment piece clearly had no idea what they were talking about. The rise of a videogame culture is a trend that I’m glad to see continuing from strength to strength.
6. Ex Machina – The Future is Now
I like to do reviews on the site (see the recent one of Disney’s Tomorrowland, or my personal favourite review of Radio Free Albemuth done back in 2011), and this was one of those pieces that managed to catch an audience mainly because the film was released in the UK a few months before it’s highly anticipated US date. It has the pleasure of being my most popular post on Reddit (294 upvotes and quite a bit of debate) which contributed most of its success. A truly excellent film, with strong and nuanced futurist themes, that is well worth anybody’s time.
5. The 21st Century: A Tale of Paradigm Shifts and Adaptability
My most popular thought piece, which has seen consistent views ever since its posting in 2011. Looking back to an old writing style is a bit cringe-worthy from my own perspective, but it’s great to see that something a bit more original and substantive such as this piece has managed to maintain an audience. Although I would certainly change a few aspects of it now, it does represent the overall ethos of the Future Conscience website very well. I’m glad that for many people it is an introduction to my work here.
4. SMI2LE: The Futurist Thought of Timothy Leary
Another relatively early post, from November 2010, this piece has continued to see popularity because it is a successful attempt at hitting a #1 spot on Google (for ‘SMI2LE’). It takes a look at some of the lesser known ideas of a controversial man, and considers his vision for a utopian future. I’m not sure I did any of it justice, I’m certainly no expert on Leary and his countercultural philosophy/work, but it’s always nice to have some SEO success and this represents a big one for the blog.
3. Guide to Peripherals and Accessories for the Oculus Rift DK2
The Oculus Rift was one of those things that I just had to purchase, particularly when the second update of the design was released to developers that substantially improved upon the first iteration. It’s one of those pieces of kit that is truly mindblowing for some people, and even for those heavily invested into technology in its many innovative forms has a charm to it like little else on the market.
As an early adopter, it was nice to see this post well ranked and it continues to see a lot of interest as developer kits are shifted around from user to user. Virtual Reality is what we’ve always dreamed about, and we’re right on the cusp of seeing it come to fruition. I just hope the consumer version will do something for that motion sickness I get with most demos…
2. Top 10 Futurist Websites
Lists get clicks. It’s a simple equation, and not one that really needs to be discussed in much more detail than that. There’s also relatively few futurist lists, and so this was another SEO success (as is the number 1 spot below) that relies upon the likes of Google to send a steady stream of traffic over this way week to week. I need to update these lists sometime soon, particularly given how popular they are, and also think of ways to encourage visitors to delve into the other content on the site and hopefully find something a bit more thought-provoking. Always fun to put together though!
1. Top 10 Futurist Movies
If you search for ‘futurist movies’, as it seems many people do, this comes up on top (likewise nearby for ‘futurist films’). It’s not surprising, therefore, to see that this list outpaces everything else. It even doubles the Futurist Websites list above on a weekly basis, and is by far the most popular page on the site. It’s in dire need of an update as it was written in 2010 – so watch this space, as one will certainly be coming this month as I continue to post daily updates!
As an added bonus, and to draw the veil of website stats open a bit, here’s a graph made today of the yearly unique visitor numbers – it’s incredibly encouraging and energising to see an upward trend, so thank you to everyone who visits the blog regularly and I look forward to forging ahead with you on a new phase of the Future Conscience website. Do let me know what you think of these posts, and I’ll see you tomorrow!
