Why are so many sci-fi's set set close to now, when the technology clearly won't exist?
POSTED BY: chrisisall
UPDATED: Tuesday, December 4, 2007 22:12
VIEWED: 12199
PAGE 3 of 6
Quote:A very good point, AU.
Originally posted by AURaptor:
We can't even drive cars on the ground w/ out smashing into things all over the place, the powers that be came to realize that allowing us in flying cars would be a nightmare.
AGHHHHHH! that mountain wasn't there a minute ago Chrisisall
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Something kind of interesting to note is that very few sci-fi stories ever imagined a conversation like this. I mean, people talking through computers? Some people saw it coming, but it's not really a theme in a lot of 'future' settings. When you think about it, it's pretty amazing, no?
I am selfish, impatient, and a little insecure. I make mistakes. I am out of control. And sometimes I'm a little hard to handle. But if you can't handle me at my worst, you sure as hell don't deserve me at my best.
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Quote:
Originally posted by TheSomnambulist:
.... As for Robots actually being apart of a household like Microwaves, or Fridges (refrigerators) who knows... Twenty years is a short space of time for technology, but it has a tendancy to veer elsewhere, away from the fun!
It's already started, we've got Roombas. Also the Army had it's most successful Robot Car contest this past year...
http://www.physorg.com/news113390407.html
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Quote:
Originally posted by TPage:
I think it is important to remember that some of these things do come true. Here is an article from a paper at the turn of the century (not our turn, the one before World War I). You'll see many of these things have been surpassed or at least achieved while others leave us scratching our heads at what these people were thinking.
(To actually read it visit this' style='max-width:600px; width: expression(this.width > 600 ? 600: true);'> site).
And don't forget these were their top-thinkers of the day! These are just things people see happening... and then they don't. (For example: the cure for cancer has only been $x or x years away from discovery for how long now?)
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And if someday on some little piss-ant moon/My hand is a little too slow, or my aim a little bit off/At least I’ll go down fighting, not lying abed surrounded by quacks - "Sir Warrick" by Geezer
I get an error when I go to that link. "Page cannot be found." Is there another way to link up? That looks like interesting reading.
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DON'T FREAK OUT
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Quote:
Originally posted by PhoenixRose:
Something kind of interesting to note is that very few sci-fi stories ever imagined a conversation like this. I mean, people talking through computers? Some people saw it coming, but it's not really a theme in a lot of 'future' settings. When you think about it, it's pretty amazing, no?
A Logic Named Joe, written in 1946 by Murray Leinster, pretty much had it nailed.
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Quote:What this indicates is that computer technology isn't the limiting factor to interplanetary space flight. We've had computers advanced enough to do everything needed for a flight to Mars or beyond in a package robust enough to go into Orbit since the 70's-80's. The limiting factor is the rocketry and life support technology, and getting funding to pay for the mission and the R&D.
Originally posted by reginaroadie:
And also, I agree that maybe having a moon base wouldn't be too far fetched. In that recent Tom Hanks IMAX moon doc, they say that the computers they used to guide the Apollo space missions had as much information space as a pocket calculator today. I think that if a calculator can get us to the moon, then all the supercomputers that NASA and the NASA-like organizations put together can definitely get us to Mars and beyond. I mean, you hear about flights up to the ISS all the time, and Richard Branson's already taking reservations for commercial flights into space, even if it's only just to go into orbit.
More insane ramblings by the people who brought you beeeer milkshakes!
No one can see their reflection in running water. It is only in still water that we can see.
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Quote:Aren't those generally called airplanes?
Originally posted by AURaptor:
We can't even drive cars on the ground w/ out smashing into things all over the place, the powers that be came to realize that allowing us in flying cars would be a nightmare.
The problem with flying cars is that they're planes that can take off or land anywhere, with someone at the controls who hasn't had pilot training. Most people aren't cut out to be pilots, most people aren't cut out to be drivers really, but on the whole driving isn't as potentially dangerous as flying.
More insane ramblings by the people who brought you beeeer milkshakes!
No one can see their reflection in running water. It is only in still water that we can see.
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Quote:
A Logic Named Joe, written in 1946 by Murray Leinster, pretty much had it nailed.
Is this the whole story?
http://www.baen.com/chapters/W200506/0743499107___2.htm
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Take it from me - 2001 seemed like ages and ages away back in the 1970s but the time kinda flew - heck, I still haven't got around to starting that diet, let alone colonizing the solar system 
Of course, a lot of 20th century SF also assumed some variant of World War 3 happening in the late 20th century. WW 1 and 2 may have been horrible but they also led to massive social change and technological advances. The only thing that's really kept up the pace of the first half of the 20th century has been electronics.
Also, I think it took a while to penetrate that the moon landings, while magnificent, were an unsustainable kludge who's main purpose was to stave off massive post-war unemployment in the aerospace industry.
Meanwhile, your typical fictional-1990s computer from the 70s is a completely laughable aggregation of flashing lights, ping-pong tape drives and mechanical printers. Even the ones that had magical voice recognition can't achieve it without making teletype sounds.
One interesting example of getting it wrong is Asimov's robots - part of his rationale for building humanoid robots was that the brains would be very expensive. Since (say) a farmer or factory owner would only be able to afford one or two, they had to be in a body that could operate all the necessary machinery*. Now, today, we can't yet build anything approaching an Asimov robot but we can give a lathe or a tractor enough intelligence to operate its self for a few hundred bucks. (Even better, we can get some humans in a developing country to operate the machines for even less, but that's another story)... and if you look at our current attempts at androids is a fairly safe bet that the mechanical body cost a lot more to build than the computer controlling it.
(* If I were a true nerd I'd tell you which story this was stated in)
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