Link Tank: Old Predictions About the 21st Century

Predictions for the 21st century, Disney's live action Mulan, Raised by Wolves on HBO Max, and more in today's Link Tank!

France in XXI Century Air battle illustration

Just as we have predictions about the future, so did past people have about our present. Check out these old predictions people made about the 21st century.

“Everyone from chocolate-making companies to some of history’s greatest minds (think Ben Franklin and Nikola Tesla) weighed in on what they thought life would be like in the 21st century. Check out what they got right and wrong (mostly wrong!) below, in this piece adapted from an episode of The List Show on YouTube.”

Read more at Mental Floss.

Disney’s live action Mulan is more than just a remake of its hit animated movie, but is it worth the $30 tag price on Disney+?

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Mulan (2020) is Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon if Ang Lee spent more time trying to explain how they could jump between trees. Its main character is Neo if The Matrix took place in ancient China. Mulan is a beautiful new movie that may disappoint die-hard Disney fans. But, more importantly, it’s the first live-action Disney movie to actually do something interesting with its source material.”

Read more at Inverse.

For Keanu Reeves’ birthday this week, check out some of his most under-appreciated roles from Much Ado About Nothing to Toy Story 4.

“It is the most blessed day, the birth of our Virgo lord and savior, Keanu Reeves. Let us celebrate! And let us recall: There was a time, not long ago, when we didn’t recognize Reeves as the treasure he is. For so long, Keanu wasn’t given the super-star respect he was due, even after headlining some of the biggest movies of the ’90s.”

Read more at The Mary Sue.

Facebook officially stated that the platform would not accept political ads the week before the US election, but will allow ad-buying before that deadline.

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“Facebook this morning announced a number of updates intended to avoid misinformation and chaos in the lead-up to Election Day in the US, including a ban on new political ads a week before Nov. 3.”

Read more at PCMag.

Raised by Wolves is HBO Max’s newest TV series, produced by Ridley Scott, but what is it about exactly?

“If you watched the trailer for Raised by Wolves, the Ridley Scott-produced sci-fi show that just premiered on HBO Max, you almost certainly wondered, ‘Okay, cool, but what is this… about?’ The promotional material makes it out to be a story set on some desolate planet where a bunch of children live with their android parents on a mission to restart humanity after some unnamed catastrophe.”

Read more at Thrillist.

Face shields and valve masks are not as effective at stopping the spread of airborne illnesses as some thought.

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“A new study using lasers suggests that face shields and masks outfitted with an exhaust valve aren’t particularly great at protecting others from tiny respiratory droplets containing contagious germs like the coronavirus that causes covid-19. These aerosols can spill through and around these types of face equipment, the study found, weakening their potential to keep users from spreading an infection to others.”

Read more at Gizmodo.