What Would the World be Like if computers and cellphones were never invented

UConnHusky1

Banned
Mar 23, 2014
13
0
0
Say no one made those things. No cellphones, computers, or the Internet. There were only black and white TVs. No ereaders, etc. What will the world be like?
 

eldorado99

Lifer
Feb 16, 2004
36,324
3,163
126
Manualimprint.jpg
 

yhelothar

Lifer
Dec 11, 2002
18,407
39
91
It'd be like your grandparents fucking after having an afternoon tea reading the newspapers.
 

Ruptga

Lifer
Aug 3, 2006
10,246
207
106
Op's question might be better written as "what would the world be like if semiconductors were never discovered?" I'm thinking... Fallout, but worse.
 

MongGrel

Lifer
Dec 3, 2013
38,466
3,067
121
Pretty much...except there were computers even then...just not in everyone's houses, cars, pockets, watches, appliances....................
Yeah there were here and there, I wasn't spitting hairs too finely more or less.
 

Skyclad1uhm1

Lifer
Aug 10, 2001
11,383
87
91
What if... scenarios were nicely covered in Sliders:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sliders

Although the way they responded to some of the situations in the different dimensions was totally illogical based on their character's personality and clearly written just to have a story that episode.
 

OverVolt

Lifer
Aug 31, 2002
14,278
89
91
People have been discussing this lately. I actually think people would be happier. I'd love to do the jobs computers now do and it took 4x the people.

Old analog devices are incredibly clever. Its a much more satisfying way to solve problems.
 

MongGrel

Lifer
Dec 3, 2013
38,466
3,067
121
Who cares what you think should be locked in reality.

*shrug*

Is it causing you physical pain in some way being here ?
 
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Ruptga

Lifer
Aug 3, 2006
10,246
207
106
People have been discussing this lately. I actually think people would be happier. I'd love to do the jobs computers now do and it took 4x the people.

Old analog devices are incredibly clever. Its a much more satisfying way to solve problems.

4x? Here's a fairly well known ad from 1951.
IBM_150_Extra_Engineers_1951.jpg


Whether you're comparing analog or vacuum-tube computers to those of today, you're still off by quite a few orders of magnitude.



People did a lot of mindblowing things before cheap computing, including advanced rocket design, aerospace engineering, and models of theoretical physics that are still being explored today. Remember last week, the proof of gravitational waves that was announced? Einstein predicted those in 1916. However, I would not like to live in a world without modern computing, considering what I know now. Without modern computing our knowledge would be greatly reduced in many fields, not the least of which would be medicine.

You could argue that technology is causing all kinds of problems, but you would be wrong and only repeating your forebears. People cause most problems, just as people fix most problems. If you want a better future (or today) find ways to improve the human condition.