Today is August 4, 2026

[Crossposted from AI StopWatch]

In the living room the voice-clock sang, Tick-tock, seven o’clock, time to get up, time to get up, seven o’clock! as if it were afraid that nobody would.

So begins Ray Bradbury's There Will Come Soft Rains, a short story that has haunted me for most of my life. Depicting the aftermath of nuclear war, it was first published in 1950. It takes place today.

Literally:

“Today is August 4, 2026,” said a second voice from the kitchen ceiling, “in the city of Allendale, California.” It repeated the date three more times for memory's sake. “Today is Mr. Featherstone's birthday. Today is the anniversary of Tilita's marriage. Insurance is payable, as are the water, gas, and light bills.”

Was it narrative convenience or prophetic vision that drove Bradbury to depict the smart house of the future as gratuitously conspicuous in its competence, pointlessly reminding the owners of the year and their city of residence? There's something very Alexa-like about that — and about the janky brittleness evident in the system as it prepares breakfast for a family that won’t be eating and opens the garage door for a father who [...]

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First published:
August 4th, 2026

Source:
https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/aowxE8xZ8xkhRCn9r/there-will-come-soft-rains-1

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Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO.