When I was watching sc-fi movies many years ago

say 2001 Space Odyssey - created in 1968 !!

There suppose to be already computers smarter then us and we should walk and live on another planets.

We already live 14 years in this sci-fi futuristic world .


Beside smart phones not much change to 1968

Here how it should be :












There how it should be - above

and here how it is now - 2015 on INternational Space Station

Stanley Kubrick or Arthur C Clarke did not predict the internet did they? Of you read the book you will see they did not predict the collapse of the USSR or any alternative for China besides being a poor country run by nut cases.

Space will come for humans once there is a compelling commercial case for individuals and companies to go there to exploit it. Imagine what would happen if a billion tonne golden asteroid is discovered? We can't expect or rely on governments. It's too wasteful.

Clarke did invent the concept of Geosynchronous orbit and global satellite positioning though... so all those little nav apps embedded in smart phones and car dashboards can trace their roots back to him.

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tazmania said..
Clarke did invent the concept of Geosynchronous orbit and global satellite positioning though... so all those little nav apps embedded in smart phones and car dashboards can trace their roots back to him.

If you google it, it suggests that another guy came up with the idea first. Probably, like a lot of inventions in the world, a lot of people were coming to the same conclusions at the same time.

I don't think GPSs can be traced back to Clarke can they? I don't think they even use geostationary satellites.

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Beside smart phones not much change to 1968

Law makers are having to decide how to cope with the increase in flying robots (drones)
When I get sick, I'm put in a machine that can scan my entire body in far more detail than x-rays ever could
Satellites tell me my position on the Earth to within a few meters, and I can use my pocket super computer to read that information on a map
My music is stored in the USA and I can play whichever tune I want at the touch of a button, any place in the world.
I can order any movie and play it in my living room without ever leaving my house.
I can fit all my photos and videos on a device the size of my finger
I can walk into a shop and pay with a card that automatically deducts the money from my bank account
I can buy a car that parks itself and/or runs on electricity

And if you ever feel that life is getting worse, just watch this video

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sotired said..

tazmania said..
Clarke did invent the concept of Geosynchronous orbit and global satellite positioning though... so all those little nav apps embedded in smart phones and car dashboards can trace their roots back to him.

If you google it, it suggests that another guy came up with the idea first. Probably, like a lot of inventions in the world, a lot of people were coming to the same conclusions at the same time.

I don't think GPSs can be traced back to Clarke can they? I don't think they even use geostationary satellites.

They hadn't put anything into space at the time it was 1945. According to this lakdiva.org/clarke/1945ww/ Clarke even forgot that he'd written about the idea until reminded in 1968!

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There suppose to be already computers smarter then us and we should walk and live on another planets.

I know people that are dumber than computers.

I'm still waiting for the Dick Tracy watch..

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Mobydisc said..

I'm a collector of AC Clarke novels and short stories. I have most of them.

He didn't predict Redtube or open source, but I think he was pretty close with a 'Skype' style communication system in most of his novels.

In novels where he discussed political boundaries, the space faring super powers on Earth were: USA, South Africa, India and China.

All of his novels involving space mentioned underwriting by "Lloyds in London". Most carriers were commercial with commercial interests. His novel "Imperial Earth" was about a family who administered a mining company on the moon of Titan. All his novels have the theme of money changing hands, whether it's a mining company, paying lawyers to under write, the media paying money to gain access to a site of interest, or a rich billionaire like Elon Musk that wants to explore space (Read: "Wind from the Sun").

Nb/: AC revealed in one of his post-scripts that Stanley Kubrick completely ruined 2001. He wrote that he walked out of the cinema crying. I agree. If you read AC's novels, he is very specific and not arty farty like Stanley. A movie that presents AC style would be "2010: The Year We Mark Contact". If you haven't seen it, I recommend you do.