Path: utzoo!utgpu!watmath!clyde!att!rutgers!gatech!ncar!tank!nucsrl!accuvax.nwu.edu!bob
From: bob@accuvax.nwu.edu (Bob Hablutzel)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac
Subject: Re: Retinal scans (was: Re: One Step... (long!))
Message-ID: <10330108@accuvax.nwu.edu>
Date: 4 Jan 89 16:44:16 GMT
References: <1811@csun.edu>
Organization: Northwestern U, Evanston IL, USA
Lines: 21

>> >Remember. 60 years ago nuclear weapons were science fiction.
>> >mark
>> 
>> So were anti-gravity machines.

>What's the point ?

>The statement above says that some of the things that used to
>be science fiction are now real. (and some of the things that
>are now science fiction will be real someday)

I think the point is that there are two kinds of science fiction: science
fiction based on enhancements to currently available technology, and
science fiction based on new technologies. The first kind (cheap, tiny
mass storage devices, extremely fast machines, and, 60 years ago, nuclear
bombs) are reasonable things to wait for. The second kind (anti-gravity
machines, natural language recognition, and mental control devices) require
serious breakthroughs before they can become available, and you have to
decide if you're going to wait for them or not.

Bob Hablutzel		BOB@NUACC.ACNS.NWU.EDU