Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson for November 20, 2021

So the folks still haven’t bought a VCR.

Sounds like how the first ideas of the Matrix was born

> twilight zone music <

I think you missed it while reading and fantasizing about evil machines, Calvin.

Ironic much?

And the strip is dated 1991. I figure today

OK, who saw that one coming before the last panel? Hands up!

People used to watch shows at regular times?

Wait until smartphones are invented.

Drawn before the time of Facebook

Eerily prophetic, given the current fixation on the small, hand-held screen that is never very far from the eyes of distracted users.

It’s not science fiction, it already happened. Think of the one device that determines when you eat, when you go to work or school, when you go home, etc.

The machine that controls us is none other than the humble clock.

And how many people still wear wristwatches?

(Well… I do, for one.)

We mustn’t let machines controlling us!!

“One ring to rule them all…”

Irony, no?

Wait til cell phones come along.

If this strip was written today they would be talking about mobile phones.

You shall be assimilated

If Asimov’s first law were in force, we wouldn’t have smart phones.

Prescient.

…not to mention “smart” phones.

My TV doesn’t control me, I have “Remote Control”. …yeah, my ex lives in another state.

While I did enjoy watching Sky King as a youngster, I truly made many friends when I was one of the few who could actually program any VCR without the instructions.

Nice synopsis of Isaac Asimov’s story “I Robot” (also a great movie with Will Smith).

Prediction has been fulfilled. Skeptical? Notice all the humans serving their Mobile Phone Masters.

Truth is both stranger AND often scarier than fiction.

Apparently Calvin reads at a surprisingly high level for a six year old.

I can’t figure out if the machine controlling him here is the watch, the TV or both.

The internet and smartphones.

the Matrix wasn’t that original an idea when you think about it

Kids got a wrist watch and uses it? Now that’s comical!

We haven’t lost our free will to our machines yet… but we’re getting pretty close.

Back in my day, if you wanted to comment on a cartoon, you had to talk to people! Face to face!

true

When I was his age, I kept a list of what shows I would watch, with the stations and times. Age a lot of TV dinners then

Networks set up programs certain times, then up to the viewers. VCR’s was wonderful back then.

Machine control is here already. . . . .

A Twilight tale coming up, cue Rod Serling.

Calvin will grow up to be a science fiction writer for sure.

Voila, the time for machines to control Calvin is already kicking in his watch, specially when the kid is fond of binge watching TV with those stupid commercials.

prophetic

And now we have ‘smart’ phones and watches, I guess the TV and VCR were only a trial run.