Arthur C Clarke predicts the internet in 1964

but what about the city of the day after tomorrow say the year 2000 I think it will be completely different in fact it may not even exist at all oh I'm not thinking of the atom bomb in the next Stone Age I'm thinking of the incredible breakthrough which has been made possible by developments and communications particularly the transistor and above all the communications satellite these things will make possible a world in which we can be an instant contact with each other wherever we may be where we can contact our friends anywhere on earth even if we don't know their actual physical occasion it will be possible in that age perhaps only 50 years from now for a man to conduct his business from to Haiti or Bali just as well as he could from London in fact if it proves worthwhile almost any executive skill any administrative skill a many physical skill could be made independent of distance I am perfectly serious when I suggest that one day we may have brain surgeons in Edinburgh operating on patients in New Zealand when that time comes the whole world will have shrunk to a point and the traditional role of the city as a meeting place for man would have ceased to make any sense in fact men will no longer commute they will communicate they won't have to travel her business anymore they'll only travel for pleasure I only hope that when that day comes and when the city is abolished the whole world isn't turned into one giant suburb

Channel: Kieron Middleton

Views: 2,618,579

Keywords: Prediction, internet, arthur c clarke, future, horizon

Id: wC3E2qTCIY8

Length: 1min 55sec (115 seconds)

Published: Sun Dec 22 2013