Science Fiction as a predictor for the future?

Where can we look to find pointers about the future? One rich source of inspiration is science fiction writing. One does not have to scratch the surface too hard to find fellow SciFi enthusiasts in any educational technology gathering. Vicki Suter of the NLII notes that many of the devices in Science Fiction novels have made their way (in some form) into our lives.

Others have a similar viewpoint:

Scanning science fiction to keep an eye on the innovative present

University of Michigan literature professor Eric Rabkin has an article recommending science fiction in order to better grasp our innovative times. After showing how our smartmobbing world resembles science fiction, Rabkin lays out reasons to look to the genre again, including following the evolution of language, extrapolating social effects of technologies, and scoping out grand new concepts.

Innovations change our behavior. Trains make us run on time. The automobile
begat the highway begat the suburb begat the shopping mall begat children
spending time wandering in Consumerland after school instead of playing in the
neighborhood. Science Fiction tells us where such inventions are heading -- and
where they will take our children. Scientists or engineers may predict, for
example, how implants of neurons might confer special abilities. But it takes
stories like Revelation Space to flesh that out, asking who will be able to
afford the implants -- and who might be forced to have them.

from Smart Mobs 10/1/04 8:53 AM Bryan How to Recognize The Future When It Lands On You