[gte910h]

Sci-Fi is commentary on the present, or the near future.

Even Star Trek (TOS was 60's era Apollo optimisim, ST:TNG was 1980's "Communism is falling"/We're getting okay with Russia/The Economy is booming/Roddenberry said so!)

The reason why today's SciFi isn't hopeful is that there are lots of very easy to see bad ways today turns into tomorrow, and not very easy to see good ways.

I honestly think self driving cars will make life crazy better for instance. But there isn't Sci-Fi to write about that is interesting enough to publish or make a show about with that premise. Or for 3d printing. etc

[NoPiece]

I think it is the opposite. Star Trek was hopeful in a time when a real threat of nuclear war loomed, Vietnam was showing the horror of war on TV every night, there was civil unrest (both anti war and civil rights), JFK has recently been assassinated, and RFK was about to be assassinated. It was a hopeful alternative to the present of that time.

[protomyth]

If we are talking TOS, then "A Private Little War" isn't very optimistic at all.

[esturk]

I'm not sure if you would want to watch "I robot", but there was implications of a robot/AI driving car and what that would mean if there's a system that's calculating the probability of survival in the event that an accident is imminent.

Again, I'm not suggesting anyone to watch it, but there's a scene about leisurely self-driving. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tj_cW7aoRdQ

[bergie]

I would recommend the Daemon and Freedom TM by Daniel Suarez for an interesting take on self-driving cars and a few other things that can shape our near future

http://thedaemon.com/

[gte910h]

That is quite interesting looking, I will read that.

[eudox]

>Or for 3d printing. etc

There's The Diamond Age, which is moderately optimistic, and other molecular nanotechnology-related fiction.

[gte910h]

But was written 20 years ago. Certainly within memory of many readers who'd be alive today, but certainly missing many important themes that could be explored to extrapolate from today.

[pixelcloud]

The Diamond Age also predicted Bitcoins to a certain extent. Its a great book.