Richard Nixon's "Wired Nation"

[MotionMan]

From the Book of Lists #2, page 483, published in 1980:

?6 OUTRAGEOUS PLANS THE DIDN?T WORK

6. THE WIRED NATION

In his book The Shadow Presidents, author Michael Medved relates the extreme disappointment of H.R. Haldeman over his failure to implement his plan to link up all the homes in America by coaxial cable. In Haldeman?s words, ?There would be two-way communications. Through computer, you could use your television set to order up whatever you wanted. The morning paper, entertainment services, shopping services, coverage of sporting events and public events?.Just as Eisenhower linked up the nation?s cities by highways so that could get there, the Nixon and Haldeman legacy would have linked them so that you wouldn?t have to go there.? One can almost see the dreamy eyes of Nixon and Haldeman as they sat around discussing a plan that would eliminate the need for newspapers, seemingly oblivious to its Big Brother aspects. Fortunately the Watergate scandal intervened, and Nixon was forced to resign before ?the Wired Nation? could be hooked up.?

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Yeah, lucky thing they weren?t able to implement their outrageous, evil plan?

MotionMan

 

[MotionMan]

There seems to be some misunderstanding:

I always found the above amusing for two reasons:

1. Nixon and Haldeman predicted the Internet;
2. The authors of Book of Lists #2 totally missed the boat regarding the Internet.

MotionMan

 

[FoBoT]

whoa, freaky