Poe beats Einstein to the punch

[KRSESQ]

Did Edgar Allen Poe describe the Big Bang in 1848?

http://english.pravda.ru/main/2002/11/19/39690.html

You be the judge:

http://www.xs4all.nl/~abandon/eureka.txt

Kevin

[Dr Mordrid]

Yup...not to mention H.G. Wells, Jules Verne, Mary Shelly, A. Huxley, Arthur C. Clarke, Isaac Asimov, Ray Bradbury, Harlan Ellison and yes, even Gene Roddenberry.

All did a fair job of foretelling the future, or on how to handle it.

Dr. Mordrid

[Gurm]

'Course the next question is... how much of what people describe is accurate, and how much is us giving them a bit of "help"?

For example, Asimov - in the 50's - was writing about "positronic" brains. Now, did he hear about theoretical physics work with antimatter? It's entirely likely. Additionally, his laws of robotics evolved over time (and with input from scientists and other scholars, I imagine).

Many of the people on this list were/are good scientific minds in addition to being authors.

But the question still begs to be asked - are we naming things after the authors' original names for them?

---------------

On another note, wanna be scared?

Go read "Neuromancer" by William Gibson. Then remember that he wrote it 20 years ago, that he had never used a computer until he had to type up the manuscript, and that he has NO advanced knowledge whatsoever about science and technology.

THAT's freaky.

- Gurm

[Jammrock]

Arthus C. CLarke predicted goesynchronous orbit long before anyone put a satellite there. That's why it's called the 'Clarke Belt.'

Jammrock

[Dr Mordrid]

He also invented the whole concept of the communications satellite.

Guess we know who the *real* innovators are, don't we? It's the fantasy/sci-fi crowd. The engineers read and watch their stuff as kids and that sets them off to make it real. Happens all the time with Star Trek. Several of the major research labs are loaded with old Trekkers that got PhD's.

Dr. Mordrid