http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=3420519
In another development bringing SF closer to reality, the introduction of new display technologies which can project images essentially "in thin air" is discussed. Whether these devices are accepted or not depends on a number of rather complex issues, but there is a deeper factor to consider.
If, as I have ruminated previously, we are "making the world smart", then we need some way of being able to access this, and we can't hang a CRT or LCD display from every tree branch. This form of projective technology could have a major impact in, for example, making highway signage more interative and responsive to conditions. It could be the interface we need to relate to a vastly more information- and connection-rich world.
Which leaves the question: What will SF writers have left to talk about? Since this question was asked after the first moon landing, and there has been at least a small library wing of true SF published subsequently, I don't think there is any reason to worry on that score.
Posted by jho at September 11, 2003 10:55 AM