10 years ago, the world was a completely different place. Nobody knew what an iPhone was, Internet speeds were a fraction of what they are today, and no one thought they'd ever carry a tablet around in their bag. The world was almost unrecognizable back then, and that was only 10 years ago.
Most people predict what technology will be like in the future based on where they are at that point - that's why so many '90s science fiction movies have rundown fax machines in them. It's hard to predict where technology will be in just a few years, let alone 10...and that's what makes Arthur C. Clarke's interview from 1976 so amazing.
Based on nothing but '70s technology, Clarke correctly predicts many of today's biggest technological innovations. This isn't just one or two vague guesses, either: Clarke predicts a ridiculous amount of today's tech from nearly 40 years in the past.
For those who don't know, Arthur C. Clarke was a visionary in his time. He was one of the greatest science-fiction writers who ever lived (2001: A Space Odyssey), but he was more than that: he was one of the minds behind major communications satellites, a major proponent for the advancement of technology for humanity's benefit and truly believed that technology could bring mankind closer together.
In the video, he makes a startling number of predictions that eventually came true. Remember, this is 1976; color television was the big new thing, and Clarke is predicting the future of not just the Internet, but technology as a whole. In this one short interview, Clarke correctly predicts:
- High-definition TV
- Personal computers
- The Internet
- Instant messaging/e-mail
- Online travel booking
- Online grocery shopping
- E-Books
- Live-updating news
- Mobile phones
- Smart watches
No, Clarke isn't 100% accurate - many people still have to deal with traffic everyday - but the sheer number of advancements that he predicted is shocking. Remember, this is back when computers didn't really exist in the home yet. He knew that one day, not only would everyone have a computer, but they'd all be connected through a singular network.
It goes to show just how far mankind has come, and if we get another mind like Clarke's, there's no telling where technology will take us in the future.
