Books That Predict The Future

[ebusinesstutor]

I recently read a free ebook book by Murray Leinster called "A Logic Named Joe."

The original book was published in 1946 and involves an electronic device called a "logic" that very much predicts how we use computers today.

Some of the things he predicted include:

• worldwide network of computers
• the problems associated when people can get any answer online - such as how to build a bomb
• computer video television
• video calliing like Skype
• Weather forcasts form the computer
• online advice
• online education
• problems of privacy online

I was quite struck by reading this book how much it sounded like the Internet the way it is 65 years later.

[jbcohen]

That may be but as a whole these types of books are more typical of the age from which they were written then the future in any way. I suspect that the author was lucky in making his predictions.

[crich70]

Jules Verne made some lucky predictions too. He had his projectile being fired from around the same area as where the shuttles have taken off for the last 30 yrs. And by chance the name of the projectile and one of the shuttles are very close. Someone has to occasionally get something right when writing about what the future will be like I think. Star Trek did the same thing. They extrapolated some future inventions based on what was then known. So where Kirk had his communicator we have the cell phone etc.

[Phogg]

A lot of aspects portayed in Lester Del Rey's 1957 book Badge Of Infamy have come pretty true as well.

[Pinecone]

There have actually been conferences discussing this. Did the scifi wroters predict the future or did someone who read about something, decide later to see if they could make that happen.

ANd IIRC, they decided it was a combination of both.

But look also at the things they go wrong. Asimov in his books "Caves of Steel" predicts an Earth civilization where everyone lives in huge covered cities. With little privacy and shared services (bathrooms and eating) due to the HUGE population. And the food is all based on yeast, as that is all they can grow enough of.

This HUGE population that will cause this to occur??? A wold population of nearly 8 billion, and for New York (where the book is set) a massive population of 20 million.

To save you looking it up, the Earths population is nearly 7 billion now. And the New York urban area has a population of nearly 19 million.

Oh, and this massive population of his, was not for several hundred more years.

[EatingPie]

Originally Posted by ebusinesstutor

I recently read a free ebook book by Murray Leinster called "A Logic Named Joe."

The original book was published in 1946 and involves an electronic device called a "logic" that very much predicts how we use computers today.

Some of the things he predicted include:

• worldwide network of computers
• the problems associated when people can get any answer online - such as how to build a bomb
• computer video television
• video calliing like Skype
• Weather forcasts form the computer
• online advice
• online education
• problems of privacy online

I was quite struck by reading this book how much it sounded like the Internet the way it is 65 years later.

David Brin's Earth predicted the success of the Internet just before it took off, particularly wide-spread use of video.

I think 1984 is the most horrifying of predictors. Particularly the pervasive and intrusive surveillance we see in the UK, and that politicians tend to want in the US. Here is the single most famous dystopian novel, cited all the time, where everyone basically knows Big Brother is watching... And the UK is doing everything they can to make it come true!

-Pie

[exscentric]

"CAFFINE" is a book that speaks to cyber living on the net on a short term basis "virtual" type stuff. Might catch your interest. Grabro, Ryan is the author. I could speak of the Book of Revelation in the Bible as well - speaks to the future with, to some, much more authority :-)

Off to snoop the book in the OP, sounds of interest!

[VydorScope]

Wasn't it Orson Scott Card that predicted geosynchronous satellites, and then patented his idea to be safe?

[elcreative]

Originally Posted by VydorScope

Wasn't it Orson Scott Card that predicted geosynchronous satellites, and then patented his idea to be safe?

I sincerely hope that you're joking... Arthur C. Clarke wrote about them in a magazine (non-fiction) in the late 1940's and couldn't patent the idea at the time because it was an unimplementable...

[MickeyC]

According Michio Kaku, in his book, Physics of the Future, the reason Jules Verne got it right was that he interviewed a lot of scientists. And Kaku interviewed 300 scientists for his book which was very interesting.

He also points out that futurists usually fail to consider Cave Man thinking. As he says, we are all the products of evolution and ancient ways still influence us. Thus the futurists who predicted that the internet, right after it was invented, would be used exclusively for the exchange of academic information got it wrong. They failed to consider our cave man need for social connections and thus missed this powerful social aspect of the internet.

He divides the next century up into three groups (Near term: Now to 2030; Mid term: 2030 to 2070 and long term: 2070 to 2100.) He covers entertainment, energy, space, medicine, travel and other areas for all three periods and what he has to say is very interesting and pretty believable.

I highly recommend it.

[Nancy Fulda]

Consider all of the things science fiction authors have predicted that haven't come about. Where's my humanoid robotic maid? My flying car? My voice-activated virtual assistant who sorts my mail and places my order for morning coffee?

I think it's easy to look backwards and point towards the few books that got it right. It's a lot harder to look at near-future predictions being published now and guess which ones are going to pan out.

[VydorScope]

Originally Posted by elcreative

I sincerely hope that you're joking... Arthur C. Clarke wrote about them in a magazine (non-fiction) in the late 1940's and couldn't patent the idea at the time because it was an unimplementable...

Doh! Dunno why I was thinking Card, prbly cause it is spelled to close to Clark, but I though he did patent it... but it looks like he did not even try:

Originally Posted by Arthur C Clark

I'm often asked why I didn't try to patent the idea of communications satellites. My answer is always, "A patent is really a license to be sued.

[src: http://spectrum.ieee.org/aerospace/s...arke-19172008]

[VydorScope]

Originally Posted by Nancy Fulda

Consider all of the things science fiction authors have predicted that haven't come about. Where's my humanoid robotic maid? My flying car? My voice-activated virtual assistant who sorts my mail and places my order for morning coffee?

I think it's easy to look backwards and point towards the few books that got it right. It's a lot harder to look at near-future predictions being published now and guess which ones are going to pan out.

Right here: http://www.drivearabia.com/news/2011...oduction-soon/

[elcreative]

Originally Posted by VydorScope

Right here: http://www.drivearabia.com/news/2011...oduction-soon/

Yes, saw it in the paper last week... but it's got fold up wings!!! Our flying car should be jet propelled without wings, with anti-grav and an autopilot...

[VydorScope]

Originally Posted by elcreative

Yes, saw it in the paper last week... but it's got fold up wings!!! Our flying car should be jet propelled without wings, with anti-grav and an autopilot...

Oh, bah! Once a few get out and it becomes popular... then the tech will take off!