Nonfiction Reading Response

            I recently read the nonfiction article in Upfront Magazine called “Imagining 2014”.  It was about the science fiction writer and scientist Isaac Asimov and his predictions for 2014 and the future in general.  Asimov wrote over 400 books and died in the year 1992.

            Some of Asimov’s predictions about what life would be like in 2014 were “spot on”.  For example, he predicted things such as, “video phone calls… 3-D movies, ‘miniaturized’ computers, e-readers, and GPS.”  He also predicted overpopulation and how Earth's resources are fading.  He very accurately depicts the present day in these ways.

            However, Asimov got a few things wrong about 2014.  He explains that by now there would be flying cars, moon colonies, and underwater cities.  The author added this part in to reassure the reader that Asimov’s predictions on the whole world being filled with smog and skyscrapers by 2450 could evidently be false because of these inaccurate predictions of our present day.

            I enjoyed reading this article because it was unbiased and the author observed Isaac Asimov’s predictions rather than criticizing them.  I find myself wondering how many of his predictions will turn out to be true.