(C) BoingBoing
This story was originally published by BoingBoing and is unaltered.
 . . . . . . . . . .



Isaac Asimov predicted pocket computers on Letterman in 1980 [1]

['Ellsworth Toohey']

Date: 2025-12-10  

In 1980, Isaac Asimov went on The David Letterman Show and predicted that computers would get smaller and simpler. He was right.

Open Culture highlights the interview, where 60-year-old Asimov "proves himself a natural comedian" while 33-year-old Letterman "can barely keep up."

They covered everything from Star Wars (Asimov liked it) to the future of medicine, space exploration, and computers. Asimov boasted about predicting "pocket computers" in his 1950 fiction. When Letterman complained about how complicated computers were, Asimov said they'd get simpler as technology caught up.

The interview is worth watching for the dynamic alone — a legendary science fiction mind sparring with a young talk show host who hadn't yet figured out his style.

Previously:

• Isaac Asimov's letter to the future patrons of a new library

• Isaac Asimov: How to never run out of ideas again

[END]
---
[1] Url: https://boingboing.net/2025/12/10/isaac-asimov-predicted-pocket-computers-on-letterman-in-1980.html

Published and (C) by BoingBoing
Content appears here under this condition or license: Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 3.0.

via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds:
gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/boingboing/