Did we jump the gun on Futuristic technology?

[thejunglegod]

It's 2012 already and movies from the past expected us to be living on the moon by now and our mode of transport being Hovercrafts/Teleportation. Quite the contrary actually, since we don't even have a proper holographic communication system yet. Rather than the advent of touch screen technology, i don't see any significant upgradation in technology. Your thoughts please.

 

[Dr. Zaus]

you suck at scifi.

 

[Zebo]

No one ever said scifi movies followed laws of physics. Some things they get right but there will never be that Whoosh sound the millennium falcon makes in space on the bank. (just one example)

 

[yhelothar]

the world wide web

 

[Fallingwater]

It's 2012 already and movies from the past expected us to be living on the moon by now and our mode of transport being Hovercrafts/Teleportation. Quite the contrary actually, since we don't even have a proper holographic communication system yet. Rather than the advent of touch screen technology, i don't see any significant upgradation in technology. Your thoughts please.

Let me get this straight - you think massive technological miniaturization and a global information network are not significant upgrades?

Scifi works on what's flashy, science works on what's effective. Scifi sees jetpacks and moon colonies, science sees bandwidth and efficiency.

 

[mikeymikec]

Welcome to the world of tomorrow!

Here's your t-shirt:
http://www.threadless.com/product/63/Damn_Scientists

Seriously though, one thing I read recently which depressed me was a statement (I can't say whether it's true, but I can't think of a reason why it isn't):

Technology has not created any jobs, it has only got rid of them.

I think it there had been more innovation allowing humanity to move off-world and explore more, this statement wouldn't be entirely true.

 

[thejunglegod]

Let me get this straight - you think massive technological miniaturization and a global information network are not significant upgrades?

You mean cell phones with ever increasing screen sizes?

 

[thejunglegod]

Technology has not created any jobs, it has only got rid of them.

Yes. Isn't that what technology is meant to do though? Making it possible for us to sit on our lazy asses all day long.

 

[mikeymikec]

Yes. Isn't that what technology is meant to do though? Making it possible for us to sit on our lazy asses all day long.

No, the opposite. Once, you could be out working in a field all day long and be non-contactable until you returned home, or you might have taken the day off. Now we have more modern means of communication and most people are expected to be contactable for at least 16 hours a day, some for longer.

I think if humanity had innovated more in an exploration context, it would have been more compatible with the fact that there is a portion of humanity who are as dumb as a stump and no amount of education changes that, it just raises the bar a bit. If more exploration was possible, there would be more jobs suiting that portion of society. Instead, everyone should chase the idea of getting a degree qualification in *something* so that they can afford to consume in as flashy a fashion as possible, and obsess over other people who can afford to consume more than they can.

I'm rambling, I know.

 

[IndyColtsFan]

It's 2012 already and movies from the past expected us to be living on the moon by now and our mode of transport being Hovercrafts/Teleportation. Quite the contrary actually, since we don't even have a proper holographic communication system yet. Rather than the advent of touch screen technology, i don't see any significant upgradation in technology. Your thoughts please.

Yes, projections were way off even if you look at future sci-fi shows. Let's take Star Trek: TNG as an example. In some ways, they're very likely to be far, far ahead of where humanity will actually be in the 24th century (warp drive, transporters). On the other hand, they seem to be behind where we'd expect them to be in computer technology (yes, I know they had limits due to budgets) and most importantly, aging. I'd be surprised (and extremely disappointed) if aging wasn't a thing of the past by then, if not much, much sooner.

BTW, touch screen technology is not a recent invention -- they were around as early as the early 70s.

 

[Vdubchaos]

We really haven't advanced much past 5- 10 years unless you think Ipads/MP3 players is "advancement".



Don't expect much to chance either in the near future. There is no magic button to energy.

 

[lxskllr]

Yes. Isn't that what technology is meant to do though? Making it possible for us to sit on our lazy asses all day long.

That was the promise of technology; the great scam. All technology has done is shrunk time. Has anyone's job gotten easier(meaning fewer hours worked) due to technology? More is expected now. Instead of a job taking a week, it's now expected in a day, and you're given more work to fill the time.

 

[JTsyo]

I blame the dark ages, stalled a few hundred years of progress.

 

[Sonikku]

Welcome to the world of tomorrow!

Here's your t-shirt:
http://www.threadless.com/product/63/Damn_Scientists

Seriously though, one thing I read recently which depressed me was a statement (I can't say whether it's true, but I can't think of a reason why it isn't):

Technology has not created any jobs, it has only got rid of them.

Not true, it's a two way street. Yeah, the automobile made the stage coach horse whip maker job obsolete. But that is not to say the automobile did not create jobs that never existed, like auto mechanic. Then things like air conditioners get invented to improve quality of life, suddenly there are jobs making them that did not exist before. Before you know it the technology improves and they get smaller and you have more jobs putting them into cars when before you could just lower the window and hope for the best, etc.

 

[mikeymikec]

Not true, it's a two way street. Yeah, the automobile made the stage coach horse whip maker job obsolete. But that is not to say the automobile did not create jobs that never existed, like auto mechanic. Then things like air conditioners get invented to improve quality of life, suddenly there are jobs making them that did not exist before. Before you know it the technology improves and they get smaller and you have more jobs putting them into cars when before you could just lower the window and hope for the best, etc.

The automobile replaced the stage coach and created some jobs, however, how many more jobs were lost because automobiles can transport goods/people a heck of a lot quicker than horses.

I can't think of a response for the point about air conditioners

 

[LookBehindYou]

The automobile replaced the stage coach and created some jobs, however, how many more jobs were lost because automobiles can transport goods/people a heck of a lot quicker than horses.

I can't think of a response for the point about air conditioners

They put the fan waving people out of jobs.

 

[ViviTheMage]

hopes/dreams/movies/tv < reality

 

[lxskllr]

hopes/dreams/movies/tv < reality

 

[SagaLore]

We really haven't advanced much past 5- 10 years unless you think Ipads/MP3 players is "advancement".

Just because you take them for granted, doesn't mean they aren't advancement.

 

[mmntech]

No one ever said scifi movies followed laws of physics. Some things they get right but there will never be that Whoosh sound the millennium falcon makes in space on the bank. (just one example)

Some do. 2001: A Space Odyssey was one such film. When you go back and watch it, a lot of that stuff is possible with today's technology. The cost would be astronomical though, no pun intended.

 

[Jaskalas]

I blame the dark ages, stalled a few hundred years of progress.

Then you're going to love the sequel. We're in the opening credits to it now.

 

[Six]

I don't care about moon colonies, hovercrafts, flying cars....where my car that will drive itself? Prototypes don't count.

 

[ArizonaSteve]

Have to say I'm very disappointed. The only advancements seem to be in smartphones and tablets these days. Damn laws of physics!

 

[Squisher]

They were predicting that flat screen TVs were right around the corner since the 60s.

 

[Saint Nick]

Human kind is too bent on preserving the current state rather than moving forward. You can thank ego and selfishness for that.