When I was a kid, I read lots of Golden Age sci-fi – Bradbury, Clark, Asimov – and although there were computers and sometimes even networks, nothing there approached what we have today.
These fine men of sci fi’s past couldn’t have imagined the vast, interconnected network we have today, even though they did a pretty good jib with many aspects of the future.
As I write near-future sci-fi, I wonder if I am similarly limited in my ability to see into the future of information tech. I find myself writing about people using keyboards and tablets and computer screens, very much the interfaces of now.
One of the things I loved about the 2002 film “Minority Report” was the awesome user interface Tom Cruise used, a huge transparent screen that he could interact with using a flick of the wrist.
Then there’s the AI and vocal recognition tech of films like “Her”.
So looking into your own crystal ball, what do you think the near future (let’s say 10-30 years) will bring in terms of the internet, and the interfaces we use to interact with it?
What new services will arise, and what gadgets will we use to connect to them? Will the keyboard go the way of the dodo?