Isaac Asimov predicted reading ebooks on an iPhone

[Quexos]

I can make predictions too. I predict that in the year 2064 Population will have grown to a much higher figure than now.
Machines will rule humans and use them as batteries and humans will wage a war on the machines to regain control of earth but machines will drive humans deep inside the earth where some last human city will be in hiding. As for the humans remaining on the surface, they will be put in a permanent sleep during which they will be wet-wired to a computer generated environment that mimics real life. The war will never be really won as it ends up in a draw, a truce of some kind.
Oh and by that time I will be very old.

[QuantumIguana]

The first TV dinner, put on the market in 1954, cost 99 cents. That's the equivalent of $8.66 in 2013 dollars. These days, a higher-end TV dinner costs about $4.50. I can get a low-end TV dinner (more or less the equivalent of the 1954 version) for under $1.00.

[j.p.s]

Originally Posted by HarryT

In Arthur C. Clarke's 1975 novel "Imperial Earth", written before the days of PCs or handheld computing devices, he describes a handheld device which changes the appearance of its controls depending on what function it's being put to - ie a tablet computer.

The Altair 8800 personal computer and a range of Hewlett-Packard handheld computing devices were on the market in 1975.

[guanaco]

Originally Posted by kennyc

My Kitchen does that, your's doesn't?

If by "kitchen" you mean "wife", then yes

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by guanaco

If by "kitchen" you mean "wife", then yes

[kennyc]

Originally Posted by guanaco

If by "kitchen" you mean "wife", then yes

That's just not right.....

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by kennyc

That's just not right.....

...but funny as hell

Originally Posted by Quexos

I can make predictions too.

The thing to remember about Asimov is that he was a trained scientist who spent a lot of time writing about science (the real stuff, not just the fictional stuff). As such, he had a very good idea of what was possible technologically and where research was heading.

He did get some things wrong. Predicting how society will respond to technology is always a risky business, and it is impossible to predict unexpected discoveries. Research interests will also change with time. That makes long range predictions risky and short range predictions safer, but that is mostly a generational thing. But when all is said and done, he did have a better chance at accurately predicting the future than wishful thinkers.

[mrscoach]

http://www.spd-systems.com/residentialwd.htm

This site has some photos of the type of glass I was talking about. I think there is more than one company doing this because there is also this:

http://innovativeglasscorp.com/lc-privacy

[davidfor]

Originally Posted by guanaco

If by "kitchen" you mean "wife", then yes

I'm fairly convinced that my wife thinks the kitchen door is a magic portal that I go through and return with food or coffee for her. Of course, the cats know the real truth.

[Freeshadow]

Originally Posted by jbcohen

When I gaze into a crystal ball I tend to rely on statements made by Microsoft (...) Microsoft has said that

"640K should keep everyone happy for the next 10 years" - Gates in 1981.

[speakingtohe]

Originally Posted by davidfor

I'm fairly convinced that my wife thinks the kitchen door is a magic portal that I go through and return with food or coffee for her. Of course, the cats know the real truth.

Yes they are sure that the food and coffee is rightfully theirs.

Helen

[Quexos]

Hey are you calling me a wishful thinker?

The thing is I love Asimov's books (especially his Foundation cycle) and I respect him as both a novelist and scientist and I totally agree with you on this one, except on calling me a wishful thinker, I'm actually not even that, I only predicted a certain future. Then I realized it was only what I saw in the movie The Matrix. O_o

Originally Posted by BWinmill

The thing to remember about Asimov is that he was a trained scientist who spent a lot of time writing about science (the real stuff, not just the fictional stuff). As such, he had a very good idea of what was possible technologically and where research was heading.

He did get some things wrong. Predicting how society will respond to technology is always a risky business, and it is impossible to predict unexpected discoveries. Research interests will also change with time. That makes long range predictions risky and short range predictions safer, but that is mostly a generational thing. But when all is said and done, he did have a better chance at accurately predicting the future than wishful thinkers.

Originally Posted by Quexos

Hey are you calling me a wishful thinker?

This is the Internet. For a moment there I thought that you were the machine!