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In recent decades, many innovations that were originally part of science fiction books have come into existence. Here are five of the most prolific and highly used inventions from fiction.

1.) When comparing science fiction writing and current events, it is impossible to leave out George Orwell’s “1984″. The novel written in 1949 has the main antagonist, Big Brother; make use of television monitors to view citizens and their actions. Closed Circuit TV debuted in the United Kingdom decades later.
2.) Al Gore was not the first to conceive the Internet; it may have been Mark Twain. Back in 1898, Twain wrote “From the London Times of 1904.” He mentions a ‘telectroscope’ where the daily happenings of the world are made “visible to everybody.” Twain did not envision computers, but thought the telephone line was the precursor for immediate world communication.
3.) On-line newspapers are a common source of information today. Headlines and text were updated automatically every hour in Arthur C.Clarke’s “2001: A Space Odyssey.”
4.) Back in 1888, Edward Bellamy envisioned a world without cash, people use plastic cards instead of money. His novel “Looking Backward” has nearly come to fruition over a century later.
5.) Innovations in digital reading devices and touch screen technology are not that new. “Return from the Stars” is a Stanislaw Lem novel from 1961 that refers to this type of technology where books are recorded and read.

Posted on September 28th, 2011 by admin
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