This short story tells of an age where everything you need is at the reach of a button. Decades before these masterworks, Forster had it more right than they would ever come close to being. Over 20 years before Huxley was warning of our Brave New World to come and 40 years before Orwell foresaw the coming threats of the year 1984. *foot placed firmly in mouth* A HUNDRED YEARS AGO Forster was discussing the cyber-age.a hundred years ago when the camera was some sort of maddening breakthrough that Walter Benjamin hadn't even begun to be frightened of yet. My cheeks flamed up a whee bit as I realized that The Machine Stops is just over a hundred years old. I was several pages in and scoffing at the oh-so-obvious-it-isn't-even-symbolism-symbolism when I decided to back-peddle and see just how old this story is. *foot placed firmly in mouth* A HUNDRED YEARS AGO Forster was discussing the cyber-age.a hundred years ago when the camera was some sort of madde I don't suggest beginning to read this without first looking at the initial publication date. I don't suggest beginning to read this without first looking at the initial publication date.