Or at least, they’re working on them.
This post is about two articles from Mashable. Seriously, if you’re on Twitter, and aren’t following @mashabletech, you should be — lots of cool stuff!
They recently posted two articles, 11 Astounding Sci-Fi Prediction That Came True and 8 Sci-Fi Technologies That Are No Longer Just Fiction.
Included among the technologies that are no longer just fiction are hover boards (which can’t bear any weight or fly) and teleportation (well… as in an exchange of information at the atomic level). I have to admit, I’m not sure those are quite ready for “no longer just fiction” status. I WANT TELEPORTATION! Forget space travel, let’s focus on gridlock!
But the list also includes jet packs, which I might accept as an interim solution to the lack of teleportation progress 🙂
As for the predictions… I’m not sure they made a good argument about them being predictions at all. It could be a case of writers and scientists coming up with similar ideas (in a convergent evolution sort of way) but I’m honestly wondering if it isn’t more of an innovative prompt. As in… “Hey, that’s a good idea. I wonder if we can make that?” Or perhaps… “This is what we want, could you get on that?”
Would anyone be trying to develop, oh, say, teleportation without the shaping influence of science fiction? Although, the cubicle bit seemed the most predictive to me, and I‘m not sure what disturbed mind thought those were such a good idea!
KC Burn
P.S. I’m doing my best to keep the blog entries here sci-fi or writing related, but the sad truth is that I have a very short attention span, so more than likely there will be a few that are just random thoughts from my head.
Contact – Infinite Futures 
I want the (Star Trek) replicator and holodecks. 🙂
Yes! I love both of those! Although, I imagine the porn industry would have a field day with holodecks 😉
Phasers? Can we have phasers?
A lot of scientists and engineers — I’d venture to say most — are huge sci-fi fans. They’ll often see something in sci-fi and decide to attempt a real-life version. It’s how we got tasers and the Active Denial System.
Mmm… Phasers…
And yeah, I agree with you… sci-fi writers are idea people, not prophets!
Random thoughts are good!
Teleportation would be awesome. Or maybe flying cars. If we can have gridlock with terrestrial vehicles, imagine the possibilities if they flew!
Oh, wait, they have one of those. I just remembered seeing they invented a flying car. & they are pushing through some changes in pilot licensing so they can sell these to non-pilot types. Not sure how I feel about that.
I *think* I’d like flying cars, but we’d still have issues with drunk drivers… er… flyers, and you’d have to keep track of cars above and below you, making it even more complicated. UGH. I would probably happy if I could just program my destination into my car and then read the whole way while the computer drove 🙂