Umberto Rossi wrote: > > > A recent article in a Swedish daily on the failure of science > > fiction writers to offer a prediction on the creation of Internet > > and mobile phones, made me contemplate the abilities of Ernst > > Juenger in the field. > > The author of the abovementioned article has been able to prove > his/her ignorance of Science-fiction. Umberto, You have to convince me here. The science fiction writers more of fail to predict correctly (as opposed to EJ) than to actually manage to do it. Miniaturization for instance in the computer area was never predicted by the sf-writers. Instead older sf describe huge threatening central computers. Hal Clements _Answer_ (1947) is a satellite full of radio tubes. The terminal nets in older sf are "stupid", non distributive. There are global nets in for instance Algis Budtry's _Michelmas_ (1977) but by that time Arpanet was already starting. A possible prediction concerning Internet might have been _A Logic Named Joe_ (1946) but other sf- writers failed to notice. No PC and no www in sf, until it had already arrived. Did the toes of som sf-fan got stepped upon. Same with the mobile phone. Also missed by the sf writers. Walkie talkies, yes. The favourites of sf writers have been the Dick Tracy style picturephones. But all right. If you can provide evidence of sf writers predicting PCs, www, and mobile phones before say, 1975, please do. > Can't believe it! There's still people thinking that Sf means only > starships and small green men! And they even sell their ignorance! Sitting back and waiting. Bertil Haggman
Replies to this Message
Markup © John King, 2008. Web archive generated Tue, 21st August 2007.