I was invited to Martlesham to visit BT’s innovation Lab; there were some inspiring presentations and technologies on display which at the time of posting this article are a bit dated, since this is another post copied from the sun/oracle blog in March 2016, To see the original on Innovation see here, and on WiFI and Health see here. Other posts on the existential nature of networks, intelligent infrastructure, the analogue/digital interface, bio-feedback systems, and telematics, were posted here. On my return to Hampshire, I was reminded of the possible forecasts from various science fiction films and books. From William Gibson who in particular wrote about the Network, bio-feedback systems and AI, and obviously influenced the Wachowski Brother’s Matrix, to James Cameron in Terminator 2: Judgement Day also spoke about how the network came alive. Marginally more benignly, Heinlen wrote about another computer that woke up in “The Moon is a harsh mistress”. One of the presentations about new UI’s brought “Minority Report” to mind, at least the scene where John Anderton (Tom Cruise’s character) is using the computers, but not anything to do with precognition.
It just goes to show, some of this is a lot closer than you might think.
Some of the original posts remain interesting, some for the accuracy of the forecasts and some for their inaccuracy, or more accurately the optimism of the time scales. It might be worth bringing some of the other articles forward to this blog.