Following last week’s theme, this year is also the 50th anniversary of the World Fair in Queens, New York, where Isaac Asimov made a series of predictions about what we’d be doing right now. Here is a selection of 5 of those predictions, and how close he came.
1. “Communications will become sight-sound and you will see as well as hear the person you telephone.” Well what do you know, Skype, Facetime and a number of other apps allow us to do just that:
2. “It will be possible for you to direct-dial any spot on earth, including the weather stations in Antarctica”. That would be country code 672 for some of it, and 64 for others:
3. “As for television, wall screens will have replaced the ordinary set; but transparent cubes will be making their appearance in which three-dimensional viewing will be possible.” Theoretically we have 3D TV, but the BBC announced that it would stop making 3D programs due to lack of public appetite. I can never see the 3d-ness anyway…
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4. “Kitchen units will be devised that will prepare ‘automeals’, heating water and converting it to coffee.” I am probably the only person in the first world with out a microwave or a coffee maker, but other than the odd nutjob like me, he was spot on.
5. “Much effort will be put into the designing of vehicles with ‘robot-brains.'” Well while I might question some of the idiots that I meet on my daily commute, the only one I know that’s been created is the Google Self Drive car. Turns out it’s a hybrid too, he hadn’t got as far as predicting that though…
Overall, many of his predictions, while not absolutely spot on, were certainly well in the ball park of things we have today, though I wonder if he’d be pleased or disappointed in some of them…
Linking up with my fellow Randomeers:
I love this random! I have no microwave or coffee maker either, people think I'm weird!
My kids say the problem with robot cars is that folks like me like to drive and you cannot easily mix robots and real people. He did pretty well I think.
None too shabby on the predictions!
Smart man that Asimov!
A fairly spot on predictor. Now you need to predict what will be in 20 years time!!!!!
I don't have a microwave either I do have an espresso machine though can't live without my coffee!
Delightfully random this week – and very enjoyable to read. Asimov wasn't too far off was he?
I have all the bells and whistles appliance wise …
wonderfully random, and randomly wonderful!
Very random and so interesting.