The Sword and Laser discussion

I was reading on the BlackGate today about several stories that have recently been written regarding Isaac Asimov's prediction for 2014, written at the 1964 World' Fair. The list itself is an interesting read, mostly because his predictions are neither pie-in-the-sky, nor very dire. As a result, they are remarkably accurate.

There are a few problems, sure, nobody's perfect. Like all futurists he assumes that technology will define culture rather than the other way round. For example, he thinks that people will want every wall in their house to glow, rather than just more efficient lamps, or that people will have no problem with decaying radio isotope batteries in their home appliances...with their children.

What is also interesting are the various articles written about the prediction. My especial favorite is a writer at the Atlantic that takes Asimov to task for not predicting the inevitable mass extinctions which are to take place in the near future. I'm pretty sure she is talking about animals, but it sounds like she's talking about the Human Race, and I think it is a bit early to predict WE'RE ALL GONNA DIE!! I also think it is a bit silly for someone to wonder why Asimove--a futurist, who believed in the power of technology--didn't make the same assumptions.

There is also an article in Business Insider that completely misinterprets the phrase "Men will continue to withdraw from nature in order to create an environment that will suit them better." I believe he was talking about better climate control, not World of Warcraft.


Original Article (1964)
http://www.nytimes.com/books/97/03/23...

Atlantic
http://www.theatlantic.com/technology...

Business Insider
http://www.businessinsider.com/isaac-...

Interesting. Thanks

Nice - and thanks for the links!