I tend to like my science fiction a bit on the 'softer' side - not so much that it becomes pure fantasy, but enough that it can survive without becoming quickly dated. Though sometimes the dated stories can still be fun reads, if you can accept them at face value. Still, when you see how much we have advanced in the past 50 years, it makes one wonder how much we'll advance in the next 50, and how the world will change in that time.