In a story I wrote on a typewriter, I predicted that everyone in my
far-future setting would carry a pocket terminal.

I also said that a terminal that included a sound system would be
twice as bulky as everyone else's. (The length of sound waves
controls the sizes of microphones and speakers, so they can't be
tiny.)


Are there published stories in which predictions are laughably
correct?


--
Joy Beeson
joy beeson at centurylink dot net
http://wlweather.net/PAGEJOY/


--- MBSE BBS v1.0.8.4 (Linux-x86_64)
* Origin: A noiseless patient Spider (3:633/280.2@fidonet)

In article <5i9kmjpsetcoes1kiquoat7g4jsbhradg9@4ax.com>,
Joy Beeson <jbeeson@invalid.net.invalid> wrote:

In a story I wrote on a typewriter, I predicted that everyone in my far-future setting would carry a pocket terminal.

I also said that a terminal that included a sound system would be
twice as bulky as everyone else's. (The length of sound waves
controls the sizes of microphones and speakers, so they can't be
tiny.)

Are there published stories in which predictions are laughably
correct?

Don't you mean laughably INcorrect? After all, every cellphone has a microphone and speaker and it is the size of the video screen that
determines the size of smartphones.

--
"We have advanced to new and surprising levels of bafflement."
Imperial Auditor Miles Vorkosigan describes progress in _Komarr_. -------------------------------------------------------
Robert Woodward robertaw@drizzle.com

--- MBSE BBS v1.0.8.4 (Linux-x86_64)
* Origin: home user (3:633/280.2@fidonet)

On 2024-12-24, Joy Beeson <jbeeson@invalid.net.invalid> wrote:

I also said that a terminal that included a sound system would be
twice as bulky as everyone else's. (The length of sound waves
controls the sizes of microphones and speakers, so they can't be
tiny.)

Tell us more. The traditional frequency band for transmission of
human voice is 300 to 3,400 Hz, which in air corresponds to wavelengths
of about 0.1 to 1.1 meters.

--
Christian "naddy" Weisgerber naddy@mips.inka.de

--- MBSE BBS v1.0.8.4 (Linux-x86_64)
* Origin: ---:- FTN<->UseNet Gate -:--- (3:633/280.2@fidonet)

Christian Weisgerber <naddy@mips.inka.de> wrote:

On 2024-12-24, Joy Beeson <jbeeson@invalid.net.invalid> wrote:

I also said that a terminal that included a sound system would be
twice as bulky as everyone else's. (The length of sound waves
controls the sizes of microphones and speakers, so they can't be
tiny.)

Tell us more. The traditional frequency band for transmission of
human voice is 300 to 3,400 Hz, which in air corresponds to wavelengths
of about 0.1 to 1.1 meters.

This sets the limit of an efficient voice-grade speaker in free air to
about the size of a transistor radio. If you want to make it smaller,
you either need to stop working in free air (like using earplugs) or use
long folded tubes and sacrifice a lot of efficiency (which is what cellphone speakers do.)

You can draw a triangle with regard to speakers: each apex marked
SIZE, LF EXTENSION, and EFFICIENCY. You can be anywhere inside the
triangle but you can't get out of it.
--scott


--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

--- MBSE BBS v1.0.8.4 (Linux-x86_64)
* Origin: Former users of Netcom shell (1989-2000) (3:633/280.2@fidonet)