Internet accurately predicted in 1934

Before even Television was in common use, not to mention Computers, Paul Otlet predicted Internet more accurately than you could possibly predict it in the terminology of the time. He uses words such as "The Radiated Library" and "The televised book" to describe a system in which audio, writing, movies, sounds are disseminated from phone system to phone system, going through various screens on which they are viewed.

This is simply impressive.

He also created and wrote about other visionary projects and ideas. You can find out more about them at his Wikipedia Page: Paul Otlet.

Otlet's writings have sometimes been called prescient of the current World Wide Web. His vision of a great network of knowledge was centered on documents and included the notions of hyperlinks, search engines, remote access, and social networks—although these notions were described by different names

His ideas are in fact so stunningly accurate that either he was a future-viewing clairvoyant, a brilliant scientist or the whole Internet was long planned by various people based on his ideas.

This is the Internet Predicted once again in 1968. Not quite as amazing but still impressive:

Google Video Link

Dont let them tell you prophetic vision, science-fiction, speculation, imagination is a bunch of BS...

reply to post by Skyfloating


It is fascinating and a little awe inspiring to hear about cases such as this.
Robert Heinlein was another man who had an uncanny ability to predict future technology that seemed impossible at of at the time he envisioned it.

It does make you wonder if these things only exists because decades before someone provided the inspiration, that was finally acted upon when the right mind, with the right technology was able to turn what was previously nothing more than a fantastic glimpse of future possibilities into a tangible or usable creation.

reply to post by Skyfloating


S+F!

Very interesting thread Skyfloating, I work in IT/telecoms and it's a passion of mine but I have to admit I've never heard about this before.

Otlet's idea does seem to be the more or less exact description of the Internet as we know it today, I suppose human beings have always looked at ways in which to share information but this does indeed seem prophetic to a degree however you have to think about the fact that is wanting to combine all forms of communication into one medium that much of a brilliant idea?

Still, it's very interesting especially since the year was 1934.

The beginnings of the Internet sprung into life after the creation of ARPANET, which contrary to popular belief, was established to link research computers together not to act as a military network in case of a nuclear attack.

This was late 1960's and the original intention wasn't nescessarily to share voice/radio etc so to see such an idea being discussed in 1934 is pretty interesting to say the least...

It's always interesting to hear idea from years past, as well as their predications. If I can do a bit of an aside - does anyone remember some cartoons or shows which said by the year 2010 we'd all be living like the Jetsons?

Anyway pulling apart from that aside I do find that past predications are generally fun to read and even more so interesting when it can be correlated into what we have or perceive today. I mean the idea of the internet at that time astounds me a bit - but I must confess and state I am not that big on history rather I don't like looking to it that much so that may be the case. Either way all the things that we have now just doesn't seem to match up with what was predicated, I'm not sure why just a feeling I suppose. My thought process at the moment is that we should have a lot more things as of now at least more "intricate" than what is presented before us. As if the things presented in the past are true, but just aren't in our immediate perspective or in it at all.

Not sure if that came out right, but I'm hoping it will make sense to some.

reply to post by Gigantea Rosa


I think Jetsons will come true some day. Year 2400 or something. They just set the date too early. We`ll all be flying around in our cars.

Patience.

Originally posted by Skyfloating
reply to post by Gigantea Rosa

 

I think Jetsons will come true some day. Year 2400 or something. They just set the date too early. We`ll all be flying around in our cars.

Patience.

edit on 28-10-2010 by Skyfloating because: (no reason given)

That's if we make it that far...

Originally posted by Death_Kron
wanting to combine all forms of communication into one medium that much of a brilliant idea?

Wrong word.. I should have said "visionary", not "brilliant".

And yet...the idea of telephones being hooked to screens is uncanny

The beginnings of the Internet sprung into life after the creation of ARPANET, which contrary to popular belief, was established to link research computers together not to act as a military network in case of a nuclear attack.

I was of the popular belief. I didnt know that.

Great post!

Ya know what is even Crazier?

Cellphones were predicted by none other than Nikola Tesla in 1928.

“When wireless is perfectly applied the whole earth will be converted into a huge brain, which in fact it is, all things being particles of a real and rhythmic whole. We shall be able to communicate with one another instantly, irrespective of distance. Not only this, but through television and telephony we shall see and hear one another as perfectly as though we were face to face, despite intervening distances of thousands of miles; and the instruments through which we shall be able to do his will be amazingly simple compared with our present telephone. A man will be able to carry one in his vest pocket.” - Nikola Tesla

reply to post by Skyfloating


Definitely very interesting and visionary!

Did you know that Alexander Graham Bell wasn't the inventor of the Telephone?

Originally posted by Death_Kron

Did you know that Alexander Graham Bell wasn't the inventor of the Telephone?

Well, on ATS Id expect you to say that.

So who was it...?

reply to post by sourdiesel


Yes, Wireless Communication was envisioned and predicted by Tesla way, way back. Awesome guy.

reply to post by Skyfloating

Elisha Gray (August 2, 1835 – January 21, 1901) was an American electrical engineer who co-founded the Western Electric Manufacturing Company. Gray is best known for his development of a telephone prototype in 1876 in Highland Park, Illinois and is considered by some writers[1] to be the true inventor of the variable resistance telephone, despite losing out to Alexander Graham Bell for the telephone patent

Elisha Gray

The things you pick up working in Telecoms eh?

Stunning ! Absolutely stunning.

I think this is a prime example of being human. Our intelligence works like this.

With our knowledge we start connecting and combining things, making a goal to strive for in the future.
Every success and idea takes us a little closer to achieving the imagination from a long time ago.

I wonder how far the imagination of todays generation will take us...

Tesla's mobile phone example is also quite extraordinary. It really does look and feel as if information is whispered in a few minds which will set the stage for generations to come. Almost as if there is a plan...

Awesome post

Thank you.

reply to post by Sinter Klaas


And imagine that if every daft idea that we may have from time to time, no matter how seemingly impossible or improbable at this point in time, became a reality in the future?

Just goes to show that theres no such thing as a "stupid idea"...

(Well there is but you know what I mean)

reply to post by Skyfloating


I love this kind of stuff ... some folks have a 'knack' for extrapolating.

Impressive as it is, once the telegraph, telephone, and electricity was invented, it isn't that surprising that a person of such extraordinary vision would be the first to conceive of it. Still, very cool.

I wonder who the visionaries of today are ... time, as always, will tell.

On a side note, there's a really neat blog focusing on the future that never became: www.paleofuture.com...
It's fun to look back at all the fails.

Cheers!

reply to post by Death_Kron


You know... it reminds me of a story.

These days, we are already achieving the dreams, ideas and imaginations of others from a century ago. Working together has made it all possible. I wonder how long it will take until we achieve our ideas within a generation until someone or something decides our tower is high enough and destroys society as we know it...

Paleofuture...what a nice site S-Dog. You know what Skyfloating wants.

Do we all agree that what was shown as a "Holodeck" in Star-Trek will likely be part of our everyday life in 2050?

reply to post by Skyfloating


Another very predictive work was The Machine Stops by E.M. Forster. Written in 1909 it depicted a future in which face to face contact was almost a thing of the past and people communicated via a sort of videoconferencing device.

The Machine Stops

Here's an adaptation of it made for television in the 60s

Google Video Link

Originally posted by Skyfloating

Do we all agree that what was shown as a "Holodeck" in Star-Trek will likely be part of our everyday life in 2050?

Oh I'm pretty sure we've been in one for quite some time.
A mind made one anyway.

You'll probably freak out if you see the things Richard Feynman was predicting in his "Plenty of Room at the Bottom" lecture.