Even if current technology isn’t destroying science fiction, it’s certainly eliciting a lot of unintended smiles. But just between us, we think the best of the s-f published and produced for TV and radio is holding up pretty well. Or is it?
Modern Tech Makes Science Fiction Look Like Ancient Past
by Dave McQuilling
People have used fiction to escape the mundane world they live their daily lives in since the dawn of time. Unfortunately, due to relatively recent technological strides, things that would have seemed fantastical or impossible a few decades ago may now be on par with something you have lying on your coffee table.
The further back you go, the greater the effect is. Technology featured in older works of fiction, such as things written in the 1960s, was probably amazing to fans at the time but can look almost comical when compared to things we take for granted today.
So, here are just a few examples of how easy-to-access tech has caught up with—and taken the fun out of—everything from spy thrillers to sci-fi.
Before James Bond got “rebooted” in the head and woke up as Jason Bourne, strange, almost impossible gadgets were one of the series’ central concepts. The problem is, you can pick up almost everything you need to be an international super spy on the internet these days.
The TV watch from Octopussy was an actual thing at the time, though it required a bulky receiver if you wanted to actually watch TV on it. It doesn’t matter anyway as it’s almost 40-years on, and we now have smartwatches that are better in every conceivable way.
Dr. No, the first “Eon” Bond film, came out in 1962—which means a lot of the stuff that seemed cutting edge or near impossible then is totally obsolete or impractical now. Microfilm featured a lot but is far from micro when compared with modern digital storage. Flash drives that are the size of a thumbnail, and can comfortably hold every Bond film in glorious high definition, have been available for years. Tiny cameras and hidden audio recorders are recurring features throughout the series and are also available on Amazon….
