J.G. Ballard is the greatest science-fiction writer of all time, simply because the futures he predicted came true. We’re living in the Ballardian Age, where ad-driven obsessions, petrol-fueled fantasies and “fictions of every kind” comprise the true reality. Ballard understands that inner space is the final frontier, that the intersection of psychology and advanced technology dictates everything humankind might become. “The Subliminal Man” is the best story ever about advertising and consumerism; its mountains of discarded household appliances are potent symbols of modern life. His controversial novels Crash and The Atrocity Exhibition are intense deconstructions of the cluttered media landscape; released in the early 1970s, both are still way ahead of their time. Ballard just published his autobiography and disclosed that he’s suffering from advanced prostate cancer. I hope he recovers and continues to share his insight and imagination. If you work in any aspect of the media-marketing-entertainment web, familiarize yourself with Ballard’s work. He’ll show you where you’re going, because he’s already been there. From the mind of Ballard:
  “We live in a world ruled by fictions of every kind—mass merchandising, advertising, politics conducted as a branch of advertising, the instant translation of science and technology into popular imagery.”
  “Sex x technology = the future.”
  “In a completely sane world, madness is the only freedom.”
  “Does the future have a future?”

—Posted by David Gianatasio