Ask HN: Favorite technology predictions in science fiction?

I loved @ajus's comment about Stansislaw Lem's ebook prediction in 1961[1].

Another favorite is E.M. Forster's prediction of video calling and more in 1909 with The Machine Stops[2]. "But it was fully fifteen seconds before the round plate that she held in her hands began to glow. A faint blue light shot across it, darkening to purple, and presently she could see the image of her son, who lived on the other side of the earth, and he could see her."

[1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18896513 [2] http://archive.ncsa.illinois.edu/prajlich/forster.html

Robert Heinlein, 'Between Planets'

'A few hundred yards further on Lazy shied again, not from a snake this time but from an unexpected noise. Don pulled him in and spoke severely. "You bird-brained butterball! When are you going to learn not to jump when the telephone rings?"

Lazy twitched his shoulder muscles and snorted. Don reached for the pommel, removed the phone, and answered.'

Nothing unusual there - except that this was published in 1951. Heinlein was extrapolating one particular technology trend and got it spot-on, 60+ years before it happened.

There are so many others - H.G.Wells' 'World Brain' for one (aka the Web)

Not retrofuture, but I can’t stop thinking about the drug described in Nexus by Ramez Naam (and I read the book years ago).

The drug binds to individual neurons allowing an external system to manipulate the brain and e.g. overlay an OS GUI on your vision, enhance sensory input, basically make you a programmable superhuman.

The trilogy is good but mostly because it’s fun to think about this tech. If you’re at all into cyberpunk you’ll really enjoy it.

Larry Niven predicted organ harvesting from political dissidents, as well as black-market organ transplantation more generally. (See his Gil the ARM stories, as well as another short story whose name I can't recall :/)

Star trek communicators and ipads!