"I was promised flying cars..."

[Crocuta]

Every once in a while, I just get so annoyed that technology hasn't kept up with where I feel it should be.

Where are the HD video phones, hand held medical scanners, worldwide wireless broadband, cyberdecks, bionic implants, matter replicators and yes, flying cars that I've been promised?

::sigh::

I was just sitting at my computer checking my RSS reader and one of the blogs I read mentioned a book.  Doesn't matter what the book was.  I just suddenly had a desire to get it. Check it out from the library, buy it on Amazon, make it appear in my replicator so I could read it tonight.  I just wanted to deal with it NOW.  But I can't.  Even with my almighty Mac, I have to copy the name of the book, find the bookmark for my local library, get up and run around the house looking for my library card because I can't remember the number (my wife finally told me what it was...) dig through the catalog and put a hold on it.  What I wanted to do was tell my computer "Computer, please place a hold on this book for pickup at the local library branch." or, "Order via Amazon with overnight shipping" or "Replicate one copy, leather binding - oh, and a bowl of yogurt dipped pretzels."  Is that so much to ask?

Yes - I want Star Trek.  And I want it now.

[penguins4me]

Many of the systems you'd mentioned exist in whole or in part now:

Moller flying car.

Project Gutenberg electronic books, ready to be downloaded to your e-reader of choice - instantly!

Voice command for your computer (may require some extra work to integrate Amazon orders)

Safeway apparently will deliver to your doorstep, and can be combined with the above item



As for nanotech and "matter replicators", there's a wee little issue which some of us are concerned about. We're all aware of the headaches and such brought on by the finest software in use on all our personal computers - do we want to entrust the very physical existence of our little ball of dirt we call Earth to the same sort of people?

I don't personally mind waiting a bit longer for matter replicators. ;)


Note that, at least by some folks, the only things keeping some of the items you'd mentioned from being available is the gov't. That, and the fear of all the idiots on the road suddenly performing their idiocy in three dimensions.

[lordmetroid]

I want one of those M400 vehicles. No use for these old skool pieces of shit with wheels.

[sandm000]

You're worried about gray goo?

Tough.  Someone is going to make nano replicators.  Some programmer is going to program an evil nano package to eat people.  What should you do?  Ask governments to intervene on your behalf and force evil programmers to stop coding?  Prevent anyone from performing nano research? 

Not at all.

The simple answer is hire those devious people to provide you with nano-countermeasures to protect you from gray goo scenarios.

[Libertarian Hippie]

We've had the technology for flying cars since the 90s.
But there's virtually no demand.

[KBCraig]

Time for your Dick Tracy wrist videophone:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/technology/technology.html?in_article_id=457670&in_page_id=1965

http://www.liveleak.com/player.swf?autostart=false&token=a1e_1180120325

[error]

We've had the technology for flying cars since the 90s.
But there's virtually no demand.

The demand will come as soon as the government gets the hell out of the way. Most people who would buy one don't even know they exist. I've had people tell me that flying cars don't exist, when it's obvious they do. The Moller people think that once they get it into mass production the price should come down to around that of a Lexus. Not exactly CHEAP, but hey, if you could fly to work...

[penguins4me]

You're worried about gray goo?

Tough.  Someone is going to make nano replicators.  Some programmer is going to program an evil nano package to eat people.

I did imply in my previous post that the 'grey goo' is (most?) likely to be the result of a non-malicious error - someone forgets to check their buffer length and then the lastest Widget-o-matic, which runs on carbon, water, some essential protein, etc. doesn't stop when it's supposed to, thus the end of the world as we know it approaches exponentially.

Thankfully, we still have a while. With any luck, enough time to establish several extra-planetary colonies. ;)

[CaveDog]

Reminds me of an episode of "That 70's show" that always stuck in my mind. "Red", the father of the central character, is talking to his wife when the topic of what he expected from life comes up. A classic 1950's style black and white propaganda film comes up in his mind. Beginning with the atomic bomb and the end of WW2 (Red being a WW2 & Korean war veteran) the film depicts the life he expected after his service.

Red comes home to an idyllic "leave it to beaver" household carrying two big money bags and bragging how they just gave him another raise at work. Questioned by his innocent and inquisitive daughter as to why America's economy is the envy of the world, Red replies by saying it's because the American worker is "Experienced, hardworking and loyal". Asked why the Japanese and German economies never recovered, he repies that it's because they are NOT "Experienced, hardworking and loyal (and they don't speak english)".

His son comes down the stairs in a football uniform, declaring "No need to give me any more money dad!, I just got a scholarship to Notre dame!"

The film ends as his wife asks for the keys to the Cadillac. Smiling slyly, he says "why don't you take the hovercraft?".

The film fades back into reality where Red is losing his job as the local auto parts plant shuts down, his daugher is anything but innocent and his son is a rebellious wise guy. His wife (laughing) asks "Hovercraft?". Plainly annoyed, Red exclaims "What!? They promised us hovercraft!!".

Who "they" are is, of course, a question but I suppose it would be the "establishment". It was a funny prod at the promises made in the optimistic 1950 but illustrated to me why I never buy into propoganda from institutions.

[Libertarian Hippie]

The demand will come as soon as the government gets the hell out of the way. Most people who would buy one don't even know they exist. I've had people tell me that flying cars don't exist, when it's obvious they do. The Moller people think that once they get it into mass production the price should come down to around that of a Lexus. Not exactly CHEAP, but hey, if you could fly to work...

Maybe. I dunno. I prefer to be grounded.
What I'd like to get when I'm rich & famous (yeah, right) is a private submarine.
You can get them starting at 500,000$

[CNHT]

Another Mac user?

I should know freedom lovers 'think different'.

[David]

Hovercraft, including the personal versions have been around for decades.  Not real cheap, but available.  Flying cars on the other hand, cheap would not even be in the description of sales literature. 
I would like a sub.  Then I could create my little anarcho-cap commune.  Then the king of tonga can't get me. 

[Raineyrocks]

I just want my 1977 Chevy Nova back and I'd be happy!

[David]

My dads favorite car that he has actually owned was a chevy nova.  He literally drove it till it was unsafe to drive. 
Oh and shame on you for misleading me into a thread hijack, this thread is about broken futeristic promises, not nostalgic olden days.   
btw, I want my space elevator, with a 1000 dollar round trip to space.

[Raineyrocks]

My dads favorite car that he has actually owned was a chevy nova.  He literally drove it till it was unsafe to drive. 
Oh and shame on you for misleading me into a thread hijack, this thread is about broken futeristic promises, not nostalgic olden days.   
btw, I want my space elevator, with a 1000 dollar round trip to space.

How could you???  You didn't capitalize the C and N!   I am so bad at staying on one subject but this thread does have the word car in it.