Registered: Aug 2000
Location: Sharon, TN
Posts: 3334

I just came across a story that I find rather facinating. Supposidly, around the country and in South America, people have been seeing tiles imbedded in asphalt streats that read,

TOYNBEE IDEA
IN KubricK's `2001
RESURRECT DEAD
ON PLANET JUPiTER.

No one knows who has placed these hundreds of tiles or why. Check out the story and the pics.

http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansa...ine/6693767.htm

http://toynbee.net/

It's probably some kook doing it but still is pretty cool. Looking on Google there seems to be lots of references to it.

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Registered: Aug 2000
Location: East Bay
Posts: 3468

that's interesting...i know ray bradbury wrote a book called "The Toynbee Collector"...a collection of short stories. wonder if there's any correlation.

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Registered: Aug 2000
Location: Sharon, TN
Posts: 3334

In the first link above it included this.

The author appears to be urging pedestrians who encounter his tiles to consider the possibility that dead people might be, or should be, resurrected somehow on the planet Jupiter. Though, given that Jupiter is pretty much a giant ball of burning gas, being resurrected there seems a rather unpleasant proposition.

The tile maker attributes this dubious idea to Toynbee and Kubrick. The Toynbee in question is almost certainly Arnold Toynbee, the prominent 20th century British historian. And Kubrick would be Stanley Kubrick, the filmmaker most famous for "Dr. Strangelove," "A Clockwork Orange," "The Shining," and "2001: A Space Odyssey."

Toynbee, who lived from 1889 to 1975, was best known for his theory that humanity's perception of its history shapes its future. This theory was turned on its head and used as the premise for a 1983 Ray Bradbury short story titled "The Toynbee Convector" in which a character by the name of Stiles travels 80 years into the future and returns with stories of mankind's marvelous achievements. Stiles' reports of a future free of war and disease prompts people to join forces to work together to attain this future and in 80 years they have succeeded. Stiles then reveals that his story was a lie. But the world he prophesied has nevertheless come to pass, validating a kind of corollary to Toynbee's theory, that humanity's perception of its future shapes its present.

Fundamental to Toynbee's view of history was his belief in the central role of religion. "Religion holds the solution to all problems of human relationship, whether they are between parents and children or nation and nation," he said. "Sooner or later, man has always had to decide whether he worships his own power or the power of God."

According to the news story, Flo, I'd say there is a direct connection.

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Registered: Aug 2000
Location: East Bay
Posts: 3468

well, that answers that!

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Registered: Jul 2000
Location: zanzibar
Posts: 10477

I've seen those somewhere. I thought it was done with stencils, I never really got down to check it out. I cant remember if it was in Detroit or Chicago.

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