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Try this one on for size:

Look far down the paths of society to recognize possible applications for Ray's influences on all facets of life. Include the arts, science, travel, etc etc etc.

I bring this up after discovering a link for a Philip K. Dick story, written way back, and now having a particular application in computers ...that you'll see by visiting the site listed below.

What sort of changes do you think is possible in the future because Mr. Bradbury passed by here at this time in history?

See:
http://www.electricsheep.org/

What a good question, Nard. Stimulating, actually...

Perhaps Bradbury's greatest gift to the world is his optimism, his vivacious embrace of life, his passion.

He might inspire a generation--actually several generations--of individuals to take hold of society's problems and technology's challenges with a fervor and a level of commitment that they might otherwise lack.

He might inspire someone who feels like giving up to try another day, to try another way. And perhaps that person, with renewed hope, will move forward and accomplish something wonderful.

Did you know that Frank Herbert sent "Dune" to 49 publishers before he got a YES? What if he gave up after the 48th rejection letter? And the publisher that originally took "Dune" to the populace was known for publishing auto repair manuals, not sci fi. Herbert not only tried again, one more day--he tried a different, unusual way.

Bradbury is a true PCG--Passionate Creative Genius--and his gifts to the world are many and varied.

Perhaps the way he has touched my life, and will influence my future, is with his extraordinary appreciation for life and love.

We can all do a very great lot indeed to improve humanity's position and technology's progress, if we do not give up, if we cherish our lives and our time on this planet, and if we keep trying one more day, one more way.

Love to you in all you do--NKLove

This message has been edited. Last edited by: N. K. Love,

The first thing that comes to mind is how “Fahrenheit 451” helps to promote a respect for the written word and to warn us how fragile it can be. If there is ever a change in the present decline in reading, this may be a factor. Perhaps “The Martian Chronicles” will help prevent us from running roughshod over other cultures as we encounter them. And some of his tales have shown us that technology is a wonderful thing but not the most important. It does not triumph over love. As long as he is being taught in the schools I believe he will continue to promote a more thoughtful approach to life and to inspire those writers who otherwise would never have written a word.

Reading the back of the dust jacket for Weller's book, Ray Bradbury Chronicles, gives strong indications of what may be ahead along the road Bradbury has paved:

Steven Spielberg writes, "Ray Bradbury's most significant conribution to our culture is showing us that the imagination has no forseeable boundaries."

Steve Wozniak, co founder of Apple Computers writes: You have to place Bradbury on a pedestal for making us have dreams of wanting to go somewhere in life."

Stephen King writes: Well, of course, without Ray Bradbury,there is no Stephen King, at least as he grew."

I'd say there is a vast history to be made that will have the Ray Bradbury signature somewhere along the way. A realistic insight into Bradbury's God-given gift may often turn the nondescript into understanding they are truly a Machinery of Joy!

Here, here, libRArY!

By the way, I still can't figure out how to get my "location" to appear below my posts!
(e,g, yours says "Anaheim, CA"; mine would say "box in Braling I's cellar", or something like that.)

Nearly impossible to guess the practical applications of Ray Bradbury's influence say, on a young person in some mad future? I think so.
Diverse cultures the world over are discovering Bradbury's works today. And his works resonate the same in any culture. Shall it be so in a future where shame no longer exists on a large scale, embarassment may be considered a sickness, or a sense of inner beauty to be scoffed at? Then Mr. Bradbury's works may prove more important than any may realize in this present time.

Good question and good answers.

I thnk Bradbury's influence will continue and build for years. I believe that influence will continue to be in the realm of the "soft" areas. While he has pre-visioned earphones and full-wall-interactive televisions (among other things), I believe his ability to ignite people's minds is where his power and influence will continue to be influencial.

He ignited my love of ideas and language back in ninth grade. The reading of F451 and Martian Chronicles led--in my life--to Masters degrees in both English and Philosophy. I attribute this to my reading of Bradbury. He ignites the imagination. He empowers a love of the written work and of language itself. He was not labeled the poet of science fiction in vain. He teaches us the power and reach of the human imagination. He is very optimistic without being naive. He is enthusiastic without being overbearing.

I believe these characteristics are what turn on the imaginations of the Spielbergs, Wozniaks and tens of thousands of others. And I believe that is where his influence will continue to be felt.

As Mr. Bradbury may have so well insighted himself, "Someday a child will open a copy of the Martian Chronicles (or any other RB, for that matter), flick on a flashlight beneath the covers, and begin to read." The irony, of course, that child to which he referred, will be on the planet Mars, born of or having arrived with a pioneering family. Someday!

Then the metaphors will have become a reality.

Also:
I was in our local university's bookstore last weekend. I picked up a very thorough edition of a book which was entitled simply, I believe, "Mars." (Unfortunately, I do not recall the author.)

It was filled with detailed history, scientific analysis, Rover pictures (all very current), maps, diagrams, geological explanations, and a wide range of other scientific charts dealing with the Red Planet's past, present, and future possibilities.

I turned to the Index and found 3 pages listed for Ray Bradbury. Two were simple references to Martian Chronicles and the inspiration this classic book has had on so many generations. The final listed page reference was (as I recall) on the last page of the book. In turning to find what it had to do with RB, I was very pleased to see a passage from MC, from Million Year Picnic. It was the young boys looking into the canal with their parents. They saw the Martian looking back at them as the water rippled for a very long time...