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Old 02-28-2014, 07:03 PM
 
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To expand further on the question: in the 1950s people have expected life in the year 2000 would be full of flying cars, jetpacks, moon vacations, high speed trains, virtual reality, holograms, food pills, etc. What happened? These things never came out. I'm sure if a time traveler from the early 50s were to wake up in the 2000s or 2010s he would be hugely disappointed. Life today doesn't seem that much different from 1950s but what has changed?
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Old 02-28-2014, 07:30 PM
 
Location: Parts Unknown, Northern California
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All it means is that the people looking forward in 1950 had unrealistic expectations, they made some bad guesses about the capability of technology.

I think that there are wonders aplenty to keep them from being disappointed about no flying cars. Remember that scene in "Back to the Future" when the 1955 Professor sees the video camera which has come back from 1985? He says in amazement "An entire television studio you can hold in your hand!"

Instead of anticipating that, back in 1950 they were thinking jetpacks and moon vacations.

Progress in movie special effects will blow them away, the internet should boggle their minds, they were just starting freeways in the '50's, the modern layouts will be found astonishing....and say, what ever happened to that Soviet Union colossus?
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Old 02-28-2014, 08:29 PM
 
Location: Metro Detroit, Michigan
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We probably could have all, or most of these things, if money was not an obstacle. If someone really wanted to build a flying car, it could probably be done. But why build it if the average American cannot afford it? So, unless there is money to be made in these things, nobody bothers to design and build them.
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Old 02-28-2014, 08:41 PM
 
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I think a lot of it has to do with economics. If you think about it, we do have flying cars. That is what an airplane really is. I know that the question at hand is individual ownership, but financially it is out of the question for the average american. It will start out as something exclusive to the wealthy, and then a modern day Henry Ford will arise and make it affordable to the average person, just like the real Henry Ford did with cars through the assembly line and the Model T.

Its not just the cost of the product though, all of these developments will need infrastructure. Not in the way we do now, with roads and bridges, but with training and regulations to teach people how to use these products. Imagine the madness of people flying cars around without designated lanes, or procedures. And then add random people blasting off with jet packs, it would get pretty chaotic.

Interesting question though!
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Old 02-28-2014, 10:24 PM
 
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Some inventions can exist but not be practical. Jet packs and Flying cars among them. Jet packs have such short duration and risk that they are not worth it. Flying cars would really be complicated to drive(3d driving), breakdowns could be fatal (instead of rolling to an stop, you would drop) and so forth. Not going to happen anytime soon.

I am not sure if anyone in the 50ies would have heard of virtual reality(that was more an 80ies term). High or higher speed trains do exist in other countries. The problem with high speed rail is wear and tear on the tracks. Food pills, not likely you could fit all the nutrition a person needs into a pill and find the pill filling due to the density(or lack there of) of the foods(or chemicals) involved. That being said we have a larger variety of frozen food and prepared or semi prepared food items than was available in the 50ies and the microwave to warm it up with and food itself it probably cheaper. We also have automatic Coffee makers(which can be preset in some models),Food Processors(for heavy chopping jobs), bread makers,and Ice cream Makers that don't need ice or salt.

In addition the 1950ies were a time of great technologic advance themselves. The first fully automatic washing machines(the kind you load clothes and soap in, set, and come back to clean cloths….the Ring O Washer needed more human intervention(filling, draining, filling again to rinse wringing clothes). Dishwashers become affordable as well as refrigerators and TV (before these where items only for large hotels(dishwasher) or the rich(fridge and TVpre-1950ies).

The modern automobile is born(take out the fuel injection and the electronics and your car has more in common with a 1950’s model than an model T). One huge improvement power steering so it takes less strength to steer the car. Tube less tires are also invented.

Antibiotics are coming into use saving lives(The first invent in WWII but additional ones come on in the 50ie). The polio vaccine. It was a decade with a lot of advance.

Last edited by chirack; 02-28-2014 at 10:33 PM..
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Old 02-28-2014, 10:34 PM
 
Location: Western Colorado
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Life's not much different than the 1950's??? How old are you. I grew up in the 50's and believe me life now is very different. Beside being LOUDER, and people more annoying, we have high definition flat screen color TV's that we get the signal from space, small telephones we carry in our pockets, computers that sit on a desk instead of filling an entire room, and you can even carry with you.

Anyway, I remember when I was a kid I went to a future show, and they showed these bubble top cars that would take you to your destination on magnetic strips in the highway, there would be vacations to the Moon and Mars, and beyond. That was forecast for the future of 1970. Oh well, at least we have Velcro..
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Old 02-28-2014, 10:55 PM
 
Location: On the Great South Bay
9,096 posts, read 13,104,976 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by STB93 View Post
To expand further on the question: in the 1950s people have expected life in the year 2000 would be full of flying cars, jetpacks, moon vacations, high speed trains, virtual reality, holograms, food pills, etc. What happened? These things never came out. I'm sure if a time traveler from the early 50s were to wake up in the 2000s or 2010s he would be hugely disappointed. Life today doesn't seem that much different from 1950s but what has changed?
I know what your saying. I remember watching a TV show about the New York Worlds Fair in 1939 and in the early 1960s. So much hope for the future. And then you add the landings on the moon. You really get the impression that people back then or at least their children (today's baby boomers) thought in a few decades they would all be living in the "Space Age". Instead it really has not happened.

Btw - Flying Cars is something we could live without. Don't get me wrong, I would love a flying car! I just do not trust other people having them. Can you imagine the DWI accidents when people crash through someone's roof!
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Old 03-01-2014, 01:47 AM
 
49 posts, read 174,191 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by STB93 View Post
Life today doesn't seem that much different from 1950s but what has changed?
Sorry, but life is hugely different from the 1950s! Between 50-80% of our lives are now spent interacting with things that didn't exist in 1950!

In no particular order:

Jet airliners made it mass air travel possible

The advent of GPS means you can now go anywhere and not be lost.

Cassette tapes meant you could listen to music on the road. MP3 players meant you could listen to music anywhere.

The ATM made it possible to retrieve money 24/7

The personal computer was invented.

With a microwave, you can heat food instantly.

Facebook introduced a way to stay connected to all your friends - and frenemies - all the time, instantly.

Cell phones made it possible to contact anyone from virtually anywhere.

Smartphones empowered people to have information at their hands wherever they went. Look things up, play a game, watch a movie, find a restaurant, all at your fingertips.

Credit cards made it possible to forget about, "do i have enough cash?"

People who were previously bedridden with heart issues could now have their hearts regulated by a pacemaker.

Cars can park themselves.

Contact lenses gave people with eye problems a way to see without glasses.

Solar power was invented. Laser was invented (DVDs, check-out counter, Lasik). Viagra! Amazon.com - buy everything from the comfort of your home!
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Old 03-01-2014, 02:46 AM
 
1,161 posts, read 2,432,920 times
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The 1950s was very different. Not just from a technological perspective but from a cultural perspective.

While a 1950s person could probably accept the latest technological development, after all they already expected that the future would hold amazing technology and would be able to adapt quickly, the average 1950s person would be mind-boggled at the ease of racial and gender relationships today. Many wouldn't be able to accept it. A black man as President? Female senators and governors? The portrayal of young women in skimpy, nearly non-existent clothing? (it was fine for porn magazines in those days but not for general media or walking down the public street). Gay rights? Forget it.
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Old 03-01-2014, 04:53 AM
 
182 posts, read 194,303 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mikester View Post
Sorry, but life is hugely different from the 1950s! Between 50-80% of our lives are now spent interacting with things that didn't exist in 1950!

In no particular order:

Jet airliners made it mass air travel possible

The advent of GPS means you can now go anywhere and not be lost.

Cassette tapes meant you could listen to music on the road. MP3 players meant you could listen to music anywhere.

The ATM made it possible to retrieve money 24/7

The personal computer was invented.

With a microwave, you can heat food instantly.

Facebook introduced a way to stay connected to all your friends - and frenemies - all the time, instantly.

Cell phones made it possible to contact anyone from virtually anywhere.

Smartphones empowered people to have information at their hands wherever they went. Look things up, play a game, watch a movie, find a restaurant, all at your fingertips.

Credit cards made it possible to forget about, "do i have enough cash?"

People who were previously bedridden with heart issues could now have their hearts regulated by a pacemaker.

Cars can park themselves.

Contact lenses gave people with eye problems a way to see without glasses.

Solar power was invented. Laser was invented (DVDs, check-out counter, Lasik). Viagra! Amazon.com - buy everything from the comfort of your home!
Eh. Except for internet I'm not seeing anything that drastically changed our culture the past 50+ years

How can OP demand stuff like jet packs when we still drive gas guzzling automobiles.
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