Comments on: iPhone Predicted 40 Years Ago Along With Flying Cars http://www.roughlydrafted.com/2008/03/26/iphone-predicted-40-years-ago-along-with-flying-cars/ Daniel Eran Dilger in San Francisco Mon, 12 May 2008 10:44:43 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3.3 By: xAbhishek.com » Blog Archive » iPhone - Sci-Fi prediction that came to life http://www.roughlydrafted.com/2008/03/26/iphone-predicted-40-years-ago-along-with-flying-cars/#comment-6747 xAbhishek.com » Blog Archive » iPhone - Sci-Fi prediction that came to life Sun, 30 Mar 2008 16:56:15 +0000 http://www.roughlydrafted.com/2008/03/26/iphone-predicted-40-years-ago-along-with-flying-cars/#comment-6747 [...] Unfortunately, cars don’t yet fly. [...] […] Unfortunately, cars don’t yet fly. […]

]]> By: jdb http://www.roughlydrafted.com/2008/03/26/iphone-predicted-40-years-ago-along-with-flying-cars/#comment-6730 jdb Sun, 30 Mar 2008 00:48:21 +0000 http://www.roughlydrafted.com/2008/03/26/iphone-predicted-40-years-ago-along-with-flying-cars/#comment-6730 What I found interesting about the 40 years in the future article was that they overestimated every technology except the computer which they underestimated. I've had a thought for a while that computers have far outstripped the best that futurians and science fiction writers predicted. Up until the release of microprocessors, science fiction never envisioned ubiquitous computers used by normal people for everyday tasks. I can find no example in science fiction from before 1975 or so. The only area that science fiction over predicted was on artificial intelligence. Even where the above article does make correct predictions it is couched in terms of large centralized computers. There is a quote that is highly relevant, "Computers also handle travel reservations, relay telephone messages, keep track of birthdays and anniversaries, compute taxes and even figure the monthly bills for electricity, water, telephone and other utilities. Not every family has its private computer. Many families reserve time on a city or regional computer to serve their needs. The machine tallies up its own services and submits a bill, just as it does with other utilities." So close. Just change the sentence to "Every family has their own private computers." and the author would have nailed it. I don't know why these observations fascinate me but they do. What I found interesting about the 40 years in the future article was that they overestimated every technology except the computer which they underestimated.

I’ve had a thought for a while that computers have far outstripped the best that futurians and science fiction writers predicted. Up until the release of microprocessors, science fiction never envisioned ubiquitous computers used by normal people for everyday tasks. I can find no example in science fiction from before 1975 or so. The only area that science fiction over predicted was on artificial intelligence.

Even where the above article does make correct predictions it is couched in terms of large centralized computers. There is a quote that is highly relevant, “Computers also handle travel reservations, relay telephone messages, keep track of birthdays and anniversaries, compute taxes and even figure the monthly bills for electricity, water, telephone and other utilities. Not every family has its private computer. Many families reserve time on a city or regional computer to serve their needs. The machine tallies up its own services and submits a bill, just as it does with other utilities.”

So close. Just change the sentence to “Every family has their own private computers.” and the author would have nailed it.

I don’t know why these observations fascinate me but they do.

]]> By: danieleran http://www.roughlydrafted.com/2008/03/26/iphone-predicted-40-years-ago-along-with-flying-cars/#comment-6592 danieleran Thu, 27 Mar 2008 22:10:03 +0000 http://www.roughlydrafted.com/2008/03/26/iphone-predicted-40-years-ago-along-with-flying-cars/#comment-6592 @ pecos.bill: i recall teachers threatening to mark me down for writing too much. @ pecos.bill: i recall teachers threatening to mark me down for writing too much.

]]> By: pecos.bill http://www.roughlydrafted.com/2008/03/26/iphone-predicted-40-years-ago-along-with-flying-cars/#comment-6584 pecos.bill Thu, 27 Mar 2008 18:13:59 +0000 http://www.roughlydrafted.com/2008/03/26/iphone-predicted-40-years-ago-along-with-flying-cars/#comment-6584 Daniel, did your schoolteachers have to write "stick to the point" often on your papers? I don't really see how the morons in the punditsphere have any bearing on what was forecasted 40 years ago. Hugs Daniel, did your schoolteachers have to write “stick to the point” often on your papers?

I don’t really see how the morons in the punditsphere have any bearing on what was forecasted 40 years ago.

Hugs

]]> By: JulianT http://www.roughlydrafted.com/2008/03/26/iphone-predicted-40-years-ago-along-with-flying-cars/#comment-6556 JulianT Thu, 27 Mar 2008 08:40:15 +0000 http://www.roughlydrafted.com/2008/03/26/iphone-predicted-40-years-ago-along-with-flying-cars/#comment-6556 Wow!!! This can only mean one thing!!! The iPhone Nemo (Waterproof floatable iPhone with automatic remote GPS location notification service) is coming in 2009!!! I definitely want one. Preorders anyone...... Wow!!! This can only mean one thing!!!

The iPhone Nemo (Waterproof floatable iPhone with automatic remote GPS location notification service) is coming in 2009!!!

I definitely want one. Preorders anyone……

]]> By: lowededwookie http://www.roughlydrafted.com/2008/03/26/iphone-predicted-40-years-ago-along-with-flying-cars/#comment-6555 lowededwookie Thu, 27 Mar 2008 08:33:58 +0000 http://www.roughlydrafted.com/2008/03/26/iphone-predicted-40-years-ago-along-with-flying-cars/#comment-6555 There's a flaw in Dvorak's thought about iPhones and coffee. Most people type with the iPhone in their hands thus rendering the risk of coffee spillage pretty much nil. Add to the fact that when the iPhone is not in use it's pretty much in your pocket, if you're still spilling your coffee over your iPhone then you'd have bigger problems to worry about that whether or not your iPhone gets covered, like I don't know... burnt testicles maybe. Don't even get me started on coffee over the head in order to soak your in-use iPhone with coffee. HOWEVER, the chances of spilling coffee over your desktop... well... There’s a flaw in Dvorak’s thought about iPhones and coffee. Most people type with the iPhone in their hands thus rendering the risk of coffee spillage pretty much nil. Add to the fact that when the iPhone is not in use it’s pretty much in your pocket, if you’re still spilling your coffee over your iPhone then you’d have bigger problems to worry about that whether or not your iPhone gets covered, like I don’t know… burnt testicles maybe. Don’t even get me started on coffee over the head in order to soak your in-use iPhone with coffee.

HOWEVER, the chances of spilling coffee over your desktop… well…

]]> By: pa http://www.roughlydrafted.com/2008/03/26/iphone-predicted-40-years-ago-along-with-flying-cars/#comment-6552 pa Thu, 27 Mar 2008 08:05:24 +0000 http://www.roughlydrafted.com/2008/03/26/iphone-predicted-40-years-ago-along-with-flying-cars/#comment-6552 "What are folks going to do when they spill coffee on their iPhones? They've already done a lot worse--they drop them into toilets over and over. " - Dvorak Over and over? I suppose Dvorak thinks this happens quite often, in which case he should be posing as a stock analyst or load up on Apple shares himself. With customers like that Apple should have no trouble hitting 30 million in 2008! “What are folks going to do when they spill coffee on their iPhones? They’ve already done a lot worse–they drop them into toilets over and over. ” - Dvorak

Over and over? I suppose Dvorak thinks this happens quite often, in which case he should be posing as a stock analyst or load up on Apple shares himself. With customers like that Apple should have no trouble hitting 30 million in 2008!

]]> By: Tod http://www.roughlydrafted.com/2008/03/26/iphone-predicted-40-years-ago-along-with-flying-cars/#comment-6546 Tod Thu, 27 Mar 2008 03:40:55 +0000 http://www.roughlydrafted.com/2008/03/26/iphone-predicted-40-years-ago-along-with-flying-cars/#comment-6546 Quote: "Well, some one can just “Think Different” and develop a “safe net” toilet bowl. It has a metalic net that retains key, cellphone and any kind of non-dilutable elements…" LMAO as I read the above. Then I choked when I realized that this safety net would also catch and hold "solid waste" matter as well; such things don't "dilute" very rapidly unless you're talking about diarrhea. Quote: “Well, some one can just “Think Different” and develop a “safe net” toilet bowl. It has a metalic net that retains key, cellphone and any kind of non-dilutable elements…”

LMAO as I read the above. Then I choked when I realized that this safety net would also catch and hold “solid waste” matter as well; such things don’t “dilute” very rapidly unless you’re talking about diarrhea.

]]> By: beanie http://www.roughlydrafted.com/2008/03/26/iphone-predicted-40-years-ago-along-with-flying-cars/#comment-6543 beanie Wed, 26 Mar 2008 19:22:51 +0000 http://www.roughlydrafted.com/2008/03/26/iphone-predicted-40-years-ago-along-with-flying-cars/#comment-6543 Daniel Eran "Unless of course, we have an iPhone and have eaten enough intelligence pills to avoid precariously dangling it over a toilet." Funny but it happens with other phones. According to SimplySwitch, 855,000 phones dropped into toilet in the UK each year, 315,000 lost in taxi, 225,000 lost in bus, 116,000 in the laundry, and 58,600 to dogs. http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/this-stinks/855000-phones-dropped-in-uk-toilets-yearly-265787.php Daniel Eran
“Unless of course, we have an iPhone and have eaten enough intelligence pills to avoid precariously dangling it over a toilet.”

Funny but it happens with other phones. According to SimplySwitch, 855,000 phones dropped into toilet in the UK each year, 315,000 lost in taxi, 225,000 lost in bus, 116,000 in the laundry, and 58,600 to dogs.

http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/this-stinks/855000-phones-dropped-in-uk-toilets-yearly-265787.php

]]> By: fleabiscuit http://www.roughlydrafted.com/2008/03/26/iphone-predicted-40-years-ago-along-with-flying-cars/#comment-6541 fleabiscuit Wed, 26 Mar 2008 19:15:33 +0000 http://www.roughlydrafted.com/2008/03/26/iphone-predicted-40-years-ago-along-with-flying-cars/#comment-6541 Was he talking about round toilets or the elongated ones? It could factor in during my bathroom remodel. :) Was he talking about round toilets or the elongated ones? It could factor in during my bathroom remodel.
:)

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