Inspiration for this thread has evolved from a few recent conversations that I've had here on LPF.
The working title of this thread is self explanatory, 'When Science Fiction Becomes Science Fact.'
Like myself, most of the membership here has grown up with SciFi, as being part of popular culture. And it's been interesting to see certain things that used to be considered science fiction, actually become science fact. What follows and what I hope the purpose of this thread will illustrate and show are some prime examples of this very premise.
I'll start by providing a few examples of what I'm referring to. Let's begin with the ever popular Star Trek franchise. As a young lad, this was the first SciFi TV show that was both entertaining and fascinating, inspiring even as will be obviously demonstrated. One of the aspects of that original show that really captured my imagination other than the warp drives, phasers, photon torpedoes and the coed crew especially the ones wearing mini-skirts, was the device called the "food synthesizer"
Which is today what we refer to as a 3D Printer.
I've tried a few 3D printed, edible sundries and they weren't half bad! And of course the other areas of 3D printed objects continues to expand as the tech becomes more widely adopted, and integrated.
Well the 'replicator' has taken roughly 50 yrs. to become a science fact. Granted not in the exact same way that the original SciFi, version was to have supposedly operated* but close enough for the theme of this thread.
Another more recent and more direct mimic example was brought to mind when I reviewed the SciFi film Red Planet* from circa 2000, y2k remember that too :) Where once the crew that had to make a hasty exit from the main ship Mars-1 to try and proceed with the original mission of locating HAB-1, they are shown using a Flexible Display Mapping Device* and I thought to myself Hhmm, that one took less than 17 years to go from SciFi to SciFact.
Now we have flexible OLED dsplays.
So, what have you noticed that went from SciFi to SciFact?
Let's have some fun with this.
The working title of this thread is self explanatory, 'When Science Fiction Becomes Science Fact.'
Like myself, most of the membership here has grown up with SciFi, as being part of popular culture. And it's been interesting to see certain things that used to be considered science fiction, actually become science fact. What follows and what I hope the purpose of this thread will illustrate and show are some prime examples of this very premise.
I'll start by providing a few examples of what I'm referring to. Let's begin with the ever popular Star Trek franchise. As a young lad, this was the first SciFi TV show that was both entertaining and fascinating, inspiring even as will be obviously demonstrated. One of the aspects of that original show that really captured my imagination other than the warp drives, phasers, photon torpedoes and the coed crew especially the ones wearing mini-skirts, was the device called the "food synthesizer"
Which is today what we refer to as a 3D Printer.
I've tried a few 3D printed, edible sundries and they weren't half bad! And of course the other areas of 3D printed objects continues to expand as the tech becomes more widely adopted, and integrated.
Well the 'replicator' has taken roughly 50 yrs. to become a science fact. Granted not in the exact same way that the original SciFi, version was to have supposedly operated* but close enough for the theme of this thread.
Another more recent and more direct mimic example was brought to mind when I reviewed the SciFi film Red Planet* from circa 2000, y2k remember that too :) Where once the crew that had to make a hasty exit from the main ship Mars-1 to try and proceed with the original mission of locating HAB-1, they are shown using a Flexible Display Mapping Device* and I thought to myself Hhmm, that one took less than 17 years to go from SciFi to SciFact.
Now we have flexible OLED dsplays.
So, what have you noticed that went from SciFi to SciFact?
Let's have some fun with this.