Re:Asking the Wrong Questions
by ericjmorey on Sunday September 08, 2024 @06:57AM
(#41479635)
What examples of getting everything right do you know of?
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Not GP, but Cryptonomicon stands out as predicting a lot about markets around cryptography, and the relationship between nations and technology. Stephenson didn't predict Blockchain and Bitcoin specifically, but he got closer than anyone I know of.
More generally, the Gibson style of "independent hackers versus the corporate overlords" seems increasingly accurate.
Re:Asking the Wrong Questions
by burningChrome on Sunday September 08, 2024 @04:17PM
(#41482864)
William Gibson - Neuromancer (1984)
Writing in F&SF in 2005, Charles de Lint noted that while Gibson's technological extrapolations had proved imperfect (in particular, his acknowledged failure to anticipate the impact of the cell phone), "Imagining story, the inner workings of his characters' minds, and the world in which it all takes place are all more important."[18]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neuromancer#Literary_and_cultu...
Isn't that quote talking about something different? The F&FS article is saying that "Gibson was never trying to be prescient" and that this is irrelevant for writing a good story: "he has always been more concerned with story and character".
I don't think that's wrong, but it still doesn't answer the question what books did make accurate predictions.
Bruner's "Stand on Zanzibar"from the 60s and "The Shockwave Rider" from the 70s predicted a lot of social trends. Most millennials and younger won't be able to stand them though because of the different cultural norms of those eras embedded into the books