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Re: More good and bad sci-fi
(#40794)
by Aeon J. Skoble on August 28, 2004 at 12:19 PM
by Aeon J. Skoble on August 28, 2004 at 12:19 PM
Yes, good points - that's one reason I liked RoboCop- the social satire that this look at a near-future society afforded.
Re: More good and bad sci-fi
(#40974)
by Steven Horwitz on August 31, 2004 at 8:35 PM
by Steven Horwitz on August 31, 2004 at 8:35 PM
Watching "Demolition Man" right now, and I forgot about the bit about the "Schwartzenegger Library," so named after Arnold became president (once the 61st amendment was passed...). That's near-prescience and the sort of thing that good sci-fi gets right: the evolution of *culture,* which is much more difficult to imagine than the evolution of technology.
Good sci-fi and prescience
(#41005)
by Dan Schmutter on September 1, 2004 at 1:00 PM
by Dan Schmutter on September 1, 2004 at 1:00 PM
Speaking of good sci-fi and prescience, I am always impressed at how good science fiction can predict actual scientific or technological developments many years laters.
For example, in Farenheit 451 (1953) Ray Bradbury predicted the development of 24 hour access to bank accounts through ATMs.
Dan
For example, in Farenheit 451 (1953) Ray Bradbury predicted the development of 24 hour access to bank accounts through ATMs.
Dan
Re: Good sci-fi and prescience
(#41008)
by Jonathan Dresner on September 1, 2004 at 1:31 PM
by Jonathan Dresner on September 1, 2004 at 1:31 PM
Bradbury predicted a lot more than that. My wife recently reread the book, and I summarized her findings: http://hnn.us/blogs/entries/6360.html
Re: Good sci-fi and prescience
(#41012)
by Aeon J. Skoble on September 1, 2004 at 1:39 PM
by Aeon J. Skoble on September 1, 2004 at 1:39 PM
Another example is Trek: flip-phones, laptop computers, palm pilots, 3.5" floppies, laser surgery, etc.
Communicators are really Nextel devices
(#41019)
by Dan Schmutter on September 1, 2004 at 2:17 PM
by Dan Schmutter on September 1, 2004 at 2:17 PM
Actually, now that I think about it, the Star Trek communicators more closely resemble Nextel-like phones, rather than traditional cell phones. Not only do the Nextel phones have the walkie-talkie feature, like the communicators, but they also make that cool beep beep sound when someone's calling you in walkie-talkie mode.
Dan
Dan
Re: Good sci-fi and prescience
(#41039)
by Roderick T. Long on September 1, 2004 at 10:47 PM
by Roderick T. Long on September 1, 2004 at 10:47 PM
Case in point:
"This machine ... has access to the Congressional Library St. Louis Annex, does it not? ...
Certainly. Hooked into the Interlibrary Net, rather, though you can restrict a query to just one library."
-- conversation in Robert Heinlein's sf novel _I Will Fear No Evil_, published in *1970*.
"This machine ... has access to the Congressional Library St. Louis Annex, does it not? ...
Certainly. Hooked into the Interlibrary Net, rather, though you can restrict a query to just one library."
-- conversation in Robert Heinlein's sf novel _I Will Fear No Evil_, published in *1970*.
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by Steven Horwitz on August 28, 2004 at 12:02 PM