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Future Proof: The Greatest Gadgets and Gizmos Ever Imagined (Paperback)

by Nick Sagan (Author), Andy Walker (Contributor), Mark Frary (Contributor)

5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)

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Product details

Paperback: 160 pages
Publisher: Icon Books Ltd (7 Aug 2008)
Language English
ISBN-10: 1848310048
ISBN-13: 978-1848310049
Product Dimensions: 20 x 15.8 x 1.4 cm

Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)

Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 69,416 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)
Popular in this category:
#45 in Books > History > Social & Economic History > Inventions

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Product Description

This title charts from prototype to realization the real-life technical evolution of 50 of the most poplar science-fiction inventions. It is essential reading for the technology addict or SF film fan.Detailing the history, the reality and the tech spec of 50 of science fiction's most brilliant crime-fighting, space-travelling, remote controlled, lightspeed, artificially intelligent inventions, "Future Proof" is required reading for anyone who knows their wormhole from their black holes...It features: "Buck Rogers'" jetpack, "Jetsons" - Flying cars, "Star Trek's" transporters, "The Six Million-Dollar Man's" cyborg, "Sleeper's" Orgasmatron, "2001's" artificial intelligence, "Lost in Space's" remote controlled robots, "Vanilla Sky's" Cryonics, "Star Wars'" Warp Drives, "Back to the Future's" time travel, "Total Recall's" Terraforming, "Doctor Who's" robot pets, "Galatic Patrol's" Cybernetics, "A Fall of Moondust's" space tourism, "Stargate's" wormholes and "Brave New World's" Hypnopedia.

About the Author

Nick Sagan is the son of astronomer Carl Sagan and the author of the bestselling SF novels Idlewild, Edenborn and Everfree. Mark Frary is a science journalist whose work has appeared in The Times and many other newspapers and magazines. Andy Walker currently hosts and produces a video podcast at www.labrats.tv

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5.0 out of 5 stars Popular Science explaining the inventions of science fiction, 26 Aug 2008

By	A Common Reader "Committed to reading" (Sussex, England) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

Future Proof's author, NIck Sagan is the son of astronomer Carl Sagan and NIck is continuing his father's work of making science accessible to non-scientific people like myself.

The concept is simple. Take the most popular 50 inventions from the world of science fiction and look at where they are today in the real world. You can imagine the sort of thing - jetpacks to strap on your back, humanoid slaves to do the housework, time-travel, teleportation etc. Where exactly have these concepts go to since they were dreamed up in the last century?

The suprising thing is quite how far developed many of science-fiction's imagings have become. Each short chapter details the SF "sightings" of inventions, then describes the scientific history of the device and defines the technical specification that would be required to bring the device into the real world. Finally, the current reality of the device is described.

Take for example, pocket computers. Star Trek first envisioned pocket computers back in 1966 and in 1974 Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle referred to pocket computers operated by a stylus in the novel, The Mote in God's Eye. Under Scientific History, Sagan lists the development of pocked computers from their first appearance in 1982 and then under Reality Sagan notes that "if ever there was a science fiction idea that has been realised, its the pocket computer" and goes on to report the current state of development and future routes into retinal projectors and data storage connections.

Image1 On a more way-out invention such as teleportation, it is interesting to read that this was first conceived by American writer Charles Fort in his 1931 book Lo! The concept has then become ubiquitous under a variety of names such as Vibra Transmitter, Displacement Booths or Stepping Disc and has appeared in many films and books. Unfortunately in the real world, teleportation is not quite so advanced (surprise, surprise!), although scientists have managed to teleport the properties of atoms and photons using quantum mechanics phenomena (It would be better to read the explanation in the book rather than my inevitably poor regurgitation of it).

The book is attractively presented and contains many illustrations and diagrams. While being interesting in its own right, it would make an excellent gift for any friend or relative who has an interest in science fiction whether in books, films or television.

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