Sci-Fi Predicts the Future

[lukeprog]

Sci-fi has predicted the future before. 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea predicted underwater vessels capable of long journeys and hinted at nuclear power. Star Trek predicted needleless injections now capable with SonoPrep. Something-er-other predicted live video conferencing.

Help me out, sci-fi fans! What else has science fiction correctly predicted?

[Mr Jones]

It didn't get everything right though did it, I'm massively disapointed that it's 2004 already and we are not walking around in shiny space suits as a matter of routine, catching the hover car to work, and eating lunch made out of multi coloured pellets that taste like roast beef.

I grew up thinking that we'd all be living in a utopian society by now, where the air is clear , the water fresh, everyone loves one another and money isn't important, instead...well just look around :D

[drewbar]

Amd where are the hot green aliens wearing silver lamè? Why does Kirk get them all? When will that one come true, I ask you.

[SSJ4 Gogitta]

Arthur C. Clarke got space stations and satellites right.
Star Trek (TOS) got optical drives right.
Star Trek also got teleportation right. We have the ability to teleport photons from one location to another, instantly.
Trek also got voice-controlled computers right.
Trek also got aluminum glass right, too (The Voyage Home. Scotty inputs the molecular structure onto a computer in Earth’s past for transparent aluminum. We now have it).

[lukeprog]

Thanks Gogitta! I think I'll hold off on teleportation until we can teleport an actual object, or especially a living, multi-celled organism.

[Bilbo Baggins]

A photon is an object.

[lukeprog]

Yeah but, you know what I mean. I have no desire to teleport a photon anywhere - but if Amazon could instantly teleport me a copy of the ROTK EE DVD when it releases, that'd be sweet.

[ShyShy]

Jules Verne's Journey to the Moon (http://vesuvius.jsc.nasa.gov/er/seh/julevent.html)

[lukeprog]

Wow, nice. Not really many specific technologies not already listed, but that's very impressive!

[xzxzzx]

Originally posted by Bilbo Baggins
A photon is an object. Well, a photon has zero invariant mass, though, doesn't it?

[Bilbo Baggins]

I don't know.

[whiteflip]

Those aren't really predictions as imaginative guesses of a possibilty. Many sci-fi guesses don't pan out. Far more than those that do. The ones that do are also pretty logical outcomes.