The Dilbert Future: Thriving on Business Stupidity in the 21st Century
288
The Dilbert Future: Thriving on Business Stupidity in the 21st Century
288Paperback(Reprint)
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Overview
In The Dilbert Principle and Dogbert's Top Secret Management Handbook, Scott Adams skewered the absurdities of the corporate world. Now he takes the next logical step, turning his keen analytical focus on how human greed, stupidity and horniness will shape the future. Featuring the same irresistible amalgam of essays and cartoons that made Adams previous works so singularly entertaining, this uproariously funny, dead-on-target tome offers half-truthful, half-farcical predictions that push all of today's hot buttons - from business and technology to society and government.
Children - they are our future, so we're pretty much hosed. Tip: Grab what you can while they're still too little to stop us.
Human Potential - we'll finally learn to use the 90 percent of the brain we don't use today, and find out that there wasn't anything in that part.
Computers - Technology and homeliness will combine to form a powerful type of birth control.
In The Dilbert Principle and Dogbert's Top Secret Management Handbook, Scott Adams skewered the absurdities of the corporate world. Now he takes the next logical step, turning his keen analytical focus on how human greed, stupidity and horniness will shape the future. Featuring the same irresistible amalgam of essays and cartoons that made Adams previous works so singularly entertaining, this uproariously
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9780887309106 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | HarperCollins |
| Publication date: | 10/07/1998 |
| Edition description: | Reprint |
| Pages: | 288 |
| Sales rank: | 665,744 |
| Product dimensions: | 6.12(w) x 8.12(h) x 0.72(d) |
About the Author
Hometown:
Danville, CaliforniaDate of Birth:
June 8, 1957Place of Birth:
Catskill, New YorkEducation:
B.A., Hartwick College, 1979; M.B.A., University of California, Berkeley, 1986Interviews
On Monday, May 19th, barnesandnoble.com welcomed Scott Adams, author of THE DILBERT FUTURE.
Andy from New York: Why is Dilbert's necktie always turned up?
Scott Adams: It depends who's asking. Let's just say Dilbert is glad to see you and leave it at that.
Question: What do you think of the cultural tidal wave that Dilbert has created?
Scott Adams: Sometimes it's hard to realize the effect it has had. Yesterday I was in a store and someone was talking loudly about Dilbert and used my name several times while I was ten feet away. It's too bizarre to think about sometimes.
Steven Tyler from NY: Is there any connection between Dilbert and Drew Cary?
Scott Adams: You might notice that Drew has a Dilbert and Dogbert doll in his cubicle. We sent him those. But other than the appearance, there's no connection. I've traded email with Drew, but that's all.
Robin from NYC: Love your comics...they are all over my cubicle. Do you think that the Dilbert character represents the public image of the American office worker, while Dogbert is the secret inner capitalist extraordinaire inside all of us?
Scott Adams: This is a deep question. I think both Dilbert and Dogbert are parts of my personality. Dilbert is my insecure, downtrodden part. Dogbert is my "get out of my way or I'll crush you" part.
Jeff Bell from Nashville: Do all HR departments have a Ratbert? Or do they just all live by his example?
Scott Adams: You mean Catbert. And yes, as far as I can tell, all companies have a sadistic director of Human Resources who is not human.
Mark from NYC: What do you think about when you see guys walking down the street in "Dogbert is plotting to take over the world" T-shirts?
Scott Adams: I think, "That's another 50 cents for me!" But it's very strange, I must admit.
Theo from Concord, NC: Have you ever thought about starting a new comic strip with completely new characters?
Scott Adams: It's hard enough to get one cartoon started. So another seems out of the question. But I have toyed with the thought of having Bob the Dinosaur do his own spin-off.
Mary Cassidy from Franklin Square, NY: Hi, Scott -- I love your comic strip. I was wondering if you started out submitting individual cartoons to publications, or if you approached a syndicate first?
Scott Adams: I tried to get some comics published in magazines once, but it didn't work. Then I followed the directions in a book and submitted comics for syndication. That worked on the first try.
Helen from Detroit: Is Dilbert a virgin?
Scott Adams: Dilbert's tie has been flattened, so to speak. But the details are left to your imagination, Helen.
Mandi from CA: Scott, I have this feeling Dilbert is a closet country-western fan. Am I right?
Scott Adams: No, Dilbert isn't into country-western, except for looking at CD covers of Tanya Tucker in the stores.
Midori from Japan: How do you think about the Japanese readers?
Scott Adams: Dilbert is just entering the Japanese market in book form. And it's in one magazine. I'm still quite uncertain how it will be received. It's very unpredictable.
Elan from Chatam, NJ: Do you get 'drawing block'? What do you do to cure it?
Scott Adams: I used to have to finish a whole cartoon in one hour before work. I did this for several years while at Pacific Bell. I found out that the ones I knocked out in ten minutes at the end of the hour were as popular as the ones I slaved over. So now I just go with what's in my head and I don't have blocks.
Rosemary from Gambier, OH: I read something about 'bodynets,' a futuristic device that people will wear in the future that will allow them to pay bills and interact with others in other bodynets around the world, all while they walk down the street. Can you see Dilbert wearing one of these? What does he think about them? Thanks.
Scott Adams: Dilbert would wear a bodynet if it came in white top and had a pocket for his pens. He'd love it. And I want one too.
The Grape from Montclair NJ: Why do the rest of us have to keep working in cubicles while you get to live the life of Reilly drawing your incredible strip all day? Don't you think we should be taking over Corporate Board rooms and demanding our rights from our individual Oppressors?
Scott Adams: I think you should stage hunger strikes from your cubicles until your companies pay you to stay home and draw cartoons. It's just crazy enough to work.
Chad Luker from Weaver, AL: How do your past bosses and co-workers feel about your strip and its success?
Scott Adams: I'm not sure. I hope they hate it -)
Harold Peat from Knoxville, TN: What kind of women does Dilbert like?
Scott Adams: He likes the ones with a pulse. It doesn't have to be a strong pulse -- he's not that picky. But a pulse is the minimum requirement.
Paul from NJ: When will Alice use the fist of death?
Scott Adams: She has used it a few times to pound people. She pounded Asok the intern into his own pants.
Theresa from New York: Are there ever any management types who admire your work but just don't see that they are the ones being laughed at?
Scott Adams: Many. I hear stories of bosses reading Dilbert and saying, "I know someone just like that!"
Trey Futch from Lawrenceville, GA: I loved the series you did a few years back on "mission statements." How many of your ideas come from readers?
Scott Adams: It's all inspired by readers these days, but I have my own well of experience to draw on and fill out the details of a situation.
Jack from Cincinnati: I worked for a company that had color-coded in-boxes so that the mail boy could tell who was worthy of respect. Should we eliminate the in-boxes or the mail boy?
Scott Adams: Kill the mail boy. You might need the in-boxes later for storage.
Dan from Columbus: My work group becomes a series of cartoon panels when forced to socialize together, at lunch or a happy hour. Will we ever see the Dilbert crew frolicking outside the workplace?
Scott Adams: They have frolicked briefly in team-building exercises. But they are not friends outside of work. That would just seem wrong somehow.
Tommy from Boston: Scott -- how does Dilbert feel about the disappearance of jobs from America to foreign companies with cheaper labor forces? Am I a geek for asking such a poignant question of a cartoon character?
Scott Adams: I'm afraid you are a geek. But don't worry, because soon all the geek work will be shipped overseas and someone will be you but cheaper.
Colette from San Juan Island: Your strip concept is innovative, yet so simple. The closest comparison I can recall is probably Dagwood, and that strip poked fun at the employee; rarely the employer. I wonder why someone didn't tune into these dynamics sooner. Has technology given us unique situations in the office, or are you simply the first to articulate them?
Scott Adams: I listened to what people said by email and adjusted accordingly. That's my secret listening to the readers. I wasn't smart enough to get the boss dynamic on my own.
Amelia from NC: Is Dilbert a boxers or a briefs guy?
Scott Adams: Depends. (Get it?) (Old joke)
Emma from Oakland Falls: Hi! I really like your comics...have the calendar and everything. Alright, I've been thinking about beginning a comic strip of my own, and I was wondering...as a successful cartoonist, do you have any advice? How do you come up with your ideas? How do you manage to draw the same image, exactly the same way, over and over again? (This amazes me, really.) I've asked several cartoonists this question via online (Arlo and Janis guy, Jim Davis, etc.) and gotten all different answers. So...what's yours?
Scott Adams: Send me an email message at scottadams@aol.com and I'll send you my standard reply with books to buy and other useful tips.
Eski-Mo from Alaska: Do you find that it's just a matter of time before Dogbert's intelligence surpasses that of Dilbert's?
Scott Adams: Dogbert is already more street-smart. Dilbert is more technically smart.
Gip2 from The Rocket City: Are there any plans for a Dilbert movie or TV show in the future?
Scott Adams: We shot a Dilbert pilot for Fox and we're waiting for feedback now. It's with live actors, not animation. No movie plans.
Vic from San Antonio: What other cartoon strips do you admire?
Scott Adams: I love Robotman. And Rose is Rose is a masterpiece. I like lots of cartoons for different reasons.
Kathy from Oneida, NY: Where in upstate New York are you from? Seems like folks from New York City consider anything north of the five boroughs to be upstate...definitely a different viewpoint from the rest of us!
Scott Adams: Windham, NY, in the Catskills. I went to college at Hartwick in Oneonta.
The Devil from hell: Does Dilbert believe in heaven and hell?
Scott Adams: I've never asked Dilbert his religion. It wouldn't be polite.
Racheal Moordon from Newark, NJ: Do ANY interns ever survive?
Scott Adams: They don't survive. They become spray painted and used as gargoyles on old buildings. It's a well-kept secret.
Scott O'Toole from NY: What does Dilbert think of author chats?
Scott Adams: They tire his fingers.
Mike Edwards from MA: How do you feel about the hypocrisy of Dilbert, in that it is a part of the very thing it is making fun of, and that its continued existence is based on its ability to continue making money?
Scott Adams: Dilbert makes fun of morons, not capitalism.
Hoolamama from Hawaii: Do you think that by making cubicles smaller, it would bring back the love that was being shared in the '60s???
Scott Adams: That depends on who you have in your cubicle. Look around you and ask if you'd like to be closer to your co-workers. I didn't think so.
Breck Kuhnke from Chicago, IL: Scott, do you listen to music while you draw? Is there anything in particular that inspires you?
Scott Adams: I keep the TV on to do inking (not the writing and original pencil work). Music gets too much in my brain and distracts me.
JP from Soquel, CA: Ever think you may have to rejoin the workforce for more material?
Scott Adams: The prospect is frightening. I prefer to develop my spy network instead.
Wendy Bell from Nashville, TN: Are you familiar with the Scott Adams that created some of the early '80s computer games? Whatever happened to him?
Scott Adams: I'm asked that several times a day. That Scott Adams can be found at msadams@pcii.net or his web page at http://users.mwci.net/~msadams/index.htm
Moderator: Thank you for joining us tonight on barnesandnoble.com! Goodnight, all!
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