In 1964, at the New York World Fair, Isaac Asimov wrote an essay predicting what the world would be like in 50 years.

http://www.nytimes.com/books/97/03/23/lifetimes/asi-v-fair.html

While some of his predictions missed the mark entirely (eg he predicted that there’d be colonies on the moon, but that Conversations with the moon will be a trifle uncomfortable, but the way, in that 2.5 seconds must elapse between statement and answer (it takes light that long to make the round trip).) it’s surprising how close some of his predictions were.

Gadgetry will continue to relieve mankind of tedious jobs. Kitchen units will be devised that will prepare “automeals,” heating water and converting it to coffee; toasting bread; frying, poaching or scrambling eggs, grilling bacon, and so on. Breakfasts will be “ordered” the night before to be ready by a specified hour the next morning. Complete lunches and dinners, with the food semiprepared, will be store.

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Where’s my auto egg poacher and bacon griller?

Hungry now.

It is interesting to see how much he got wrong… and I means waaaay wrong.

Did get some things right:

- Robot development still in infancy

- ‘Robot brains’ for cars

- Instant world-wide communications

- ‘pseudosteak’ (and the psychological resistance to such a beast)

The last two paragraphs were waaays wrong..

> Even so, mankind will suffer badly from the disease of boredom, a disease spreading more widely each year and growing in intensity. This will have serious mental, emotional and sociological consequences, and I dare say that psychiatry will be far and away the most important medical specialty in 2014. The lucky few who can be involved in creative work of any sort will be the true elite of mankind, for they alone will do more than serve a machine.

Indeed, the most somber speculation I can make about A.D. 2014 is that in a society of enforced leisure, the most glorious single word in the vocabulary will have become work!

..except for the last bit if my name is Heavy Joe Hockey.