1985 school children draw what they think the year 2000 will be like - General

To be fair to us present-day disappointments, they were only predicting what life would be like in 15 years. While science is powerful and fast, 15 years isn't nearly enough for things like moon colonies and robotic teachers. Hell, we've had almost 30 years since 1985 to figure that shit out, and we're still not quite there yet despite our best efforts. Besides, even with the fact that we can't manage to live on the moon within 15 or 30 years of a classroom's predictions, we're still progressing at a blazing-fast rate. Our current modern era has technology and scientific knowledge progressing so much faster than previous eras that it's insane. Up until the last century or two, you would've been extremely lucky to see some major breakthroughs in science within your entire lifetime, let alone a mere 15 years. Back in the furthest reaches of our history, it could have taken centuries just to figure out how to make new metals and use them, let alone to do crazy shit like invent new scientific fields. Nowadays, we're going so fast up the technological and scientific ladder that we've gone from the first instance of air travel to the first man on the moon within a single human lifetime. And the best part is, between continually-increasing education, population and quality of life, we're only speeding up in our advancement as a species. If you think about it, we could easily achieve goddamned amazing things like sentient AI, quantum computing, sustainable nuclear fusion power, holodeck-esque VR, cybernetics, and even Mars colonization, all within this one little century. We might even be lucky enough to figure out how to become functionally immortal by 2100, via technologies like brain/consciousness uploading, 100% robotic bodies, cloning, gene manipulation, and slowing/stopping the process of aging itself. People complain about the 2000s like we're in a technological and societal rut between exploring Earth and exploring the stars, but the reality of it is that this little in-between space has amazing things in store for humanity. You can complain about not getting to see other stars and alien life within your natural lifetime, but you might just live to see the proliferation of technology that renders aging and possibly even death itself moot. I don't think the kids in that 1985 classroom could've possibly fantasized about us becoming ageless robotic/genetically-enhanced demigods, who will live for multiple centuries if not forever instead of one and see the colonization of the red planet. It might happen in the next few decades, or it might take til the end of the century if not longer, but we're always progressing no matter what stands in our way.

[t]http://i.imgur.com/vwANYm4.jpg[/t]

The reason we don't have moon colonies is because nobody wants to live there. It's a barren rock with low gravity. Anybody born there will have fuck all to do and will need to import all of their necessities. Children would be too weak to visit Earth. It would cost billions. Why would any government be willing to send up people there to live, let alone visit if it achieves nothing?

[QUOTE=Sobotnik;44495939]The reason we don't have moon colonies is because nobody wants to live there. It's a barren rock with low gravity. Anybody born there will have fuck all to do and will need to import all of their necessities. Children would be too weak to visit Earth. It would cost billions. Why would any government be willing to send up people there to live, let alone visit if it achieves nothing?[/QUOTE] We could play golf on the moon all the time!

Modern day electronics, the Internet and the mobile phone are the key highlights of this century those kids were too optimistic and after all there kids lol

[QUOTE=Sobotnik;44495939]The reason we don't have moon colonies is because nobody wants to live there. It's a barren rock with low gravity. Anybody born there will have fuck all to do and will need to import all of their necessities. Children would be too weak to visit Earth. It would cost billions. Why would any government be willing to send up people there to live, let alone visit if it achieves nothing?[/QUOTE] Idk they found plenty of volunteers to go to fucking Mars for the rest of their lives

[QUOTE=FunnyStarRunner;44491158]Man, everybody was so optimistic about the year 2000 since (probably) the 1950s. "By the year 2000, automated humanoids will perform many of our mundane day-to-day tasks for us. Such as washing our clothes, preparing our breakfast, and even trimming our shrubbery." The year 2000's passed, and we're still doing the damn laundry by ourselves.[/QUOTE] Well we don't hang it up on a clothes line and let birds and bugs shit all over it anymore, so I say that's a plus.

[QUOTE=TurboSax;44495842]To be fair to us present-day disappointments, they were only predicting what life would be like in 15 years. While science is powerful and fast, 15 years isn't nearly enough for things like moon colonies and robotic teachers. Hell, we've had almost 30 years since 1985 to figure that shit out, and we're still not quite there yet despite our best efforts. Besides, even with the fact that we can't manage to live on the moon within 15 or 30 years of a classroom's predictions, we're still progressing at a blazing-fast rate. Our current modern era has technology and scientific knowledge progressing so much faster than previous eras that it's insane. Up until the last century or two, you would've been extremely lucky to see some major breakthroughs in science within your entire lifetime, let alone a mere 15 years. Back in the furthest reaches of our history, it could have taken centuries just to figure out how to make new metals and use them, let alone to do crazy shit like invent new scientific fields. Nowadays, we're going so fast up the technological and scientific ladder that we've gone from the first instance of air travel to the first man on the moon within a single human lifetime. And the best part is, between continually-increasing education, population and quality of life, we're only speeding up in our advancement as a species. If you think about it, we could easily achieve goddamned amazing things like sentient AI, quantum computing, sustainable nuclear fusion power, holodeck-esque VR, cybernetics, and even Mars colonization, all within this one little century. We might even be lucky enough to figure out how to become functionally immortal by 2100, via technologies like brain/consciousness uploading, 100% robotic bodies, cloning, gene manipulation, and slowing/stopping the process of aging itself. People complain about the 2000s like we're in a technological and societal rut between exploring Earth and exploring the stars, but the reality of it is that this little in-between space has amazing things in store for humanity. You can complain about not getting to see other stars and alien life within your natural lifetime, but you might just live to see the proliferation of technology that renders aging and possibly even death itself moot. I don't think the kids in that 1985 classroom could've possibly fantasized about us becoming ageless robotic/genetically-enhanced demigods, who will live for multiple centuries if not forever instead of one and see the colonization of the red planet. It might happen in the next few decades, or it might take til the end of the century if not longer, but we're always progressing no matter what stands in our way.[/QUOTE] While I agree with all this, I'd like to point out that most of the world doesn't agree with you. At least from what I've heard, people are becoming more and more body and planet conscious every day. I find it really difficult to believe that the day the first 'immortality clinic' opens up there's going to be cues of people lining up to get their consciousness transplanted into a robot. There's too many factors and cultural problems regarding the evolution of human beings down unnatural pathways that would prevent such technology from ever becoming widespread like the movie 'Surrogates'. You have to remember, a LOT of the world is very religious, and especially the Muslim and Buddhists would find such a modification to natural life to be an abomination. There would be debates about what happens to the soul if the body dies, and there would be an uproar when the first patient (probably someone who is dying anyway) is downloaded onto a robot. While I feel like it would be a kind of cool thing to see happen in my lifetime, I doubt we will ever see such a thing ever become the mainstream thing to do.

Well least they predicted moonbase alpha

[QUOTE=Krinkels;44491001]It's kind of weird now since we're almost 15 years past 2000.[/QUOTE] [t]http://25.media.tumblr.com/a10fafc9d995e1d2d0fbca44a18d25a4/tumblr_n27u8vsDCi1swovdco1_500.jpg[/t] [t]http://24.media.tumblr.com/e137c4a34f7f741e9d35ac1a7bb7d154/tumblr_n27u8vsDCi1swovdco2_500.jpg[/t] [t]http://37.media.tumblr.com/232f88086ead8f3fce065948f90a45a3/tumblr_n27u8vsDCi1swovdco3_500.jpg[/t] [t]http://37.media.tumblr.com/a8f1a8a9845baf1b35a8f4fcbde53eb4/tumblr_n27u8vsDCi1swovdco4_500.jpg[/t] [t]http://31.media.tumblr.com/966f244c91bb7c7c340c08a13ab593aa/tumblr_n27u8vsDCi1swovdco5_500.jpg[/t] [t]http://37.media.tumblr.com/d1c0f1b29579f070f6a4f233216c4628/tumblr_n27u8vsDCi1swovdco6_500.jpg[/t] I actually believe the jetsons was originally supposed to be 1999 or 2000. what wonderful expectations we had, both in extreme technological advancement, AND having destroyed the environment to the point [I]grass [/I]is long gone already, despite the show being set barely [B]twelve[/B] years into the future at that point- [quote]The Jetsons Meet the Flintstones (1987) (TV) George Jetson: That's grass. I read about it in ancient history. [/quote] could just be oblivious writers at times, but the whole premise of why they live in the giant stilt buildings is that the lower atmosphere became too polluted for life so you really have to wonder what the original writers were doing

[QUOTE=dai;44497610] I actually believe the jetsons was originally supposed to be 1999 or 2000. what wonderful expectations we had, both in extreme technological advancement, AND having destroyed the environment to the point [I]grass [/I]is long gone already, despite the show being set barely [B]twelve[/B] years into the future at that point.[/QUOTE] Hm, according to wikipedia: [quote]While the Flintstones live in a world with machines powered by birds and dinosaurs, the Jetsons live in the year [B]2062[/B] in a futuristic utopia (100 years in the future at the time of the show's debut) of elaborate robotic contraptions, aliens, holograms, and whimsical inventions.[/quote]

[QUOTE=FunnyStarRunner;44491158]Man, everybody was so optimistic about the year 2000 since (probably) the 1950s. "By the year 2000, automated humanoids will perform many of our mundane day-to-day tasks for us. Such as washing our clothes, preparing our breakfast, and even trimming our shrubbery." The year 2000's passed, and we're still doing the[B] damn laundry by ourselves.[/B][/QUOTE] No we aren't.

[QUOTE=G-Strogg;44498324]No we aren't.[/QUOTE] excuse me most of us don't have robots that strip us down and take the clothes away also thanks rixx but it still stands that 100 years is barely qualifying as 'ancient history'. ooh, another show came to mind though, cowboy bebop is in the year 2027

The Jetsons was basically just an older cleaner Futurama. Just like the Flintstones was completely inaccurate, the Jetsons weren't trying to be accurate either, just making a semi-parodic show about the (then contemporary) vision of the future. I don't think the environmental destruction was original canon, by the 80s the show was two decades old and already laughably antiquated to a degree so it became even more of a parody and added in some more contemporary jokes.

[QUOTE=dai;44498573]excuse me most of us don't have robots that strip us down and take the clothes away also thanks rixx but it still stands that 100 years is barely qualifying as 'ancient history'. ooh, another show came to mind though, cowboy bebop is in the year 2027[/QUOTE] Let me know the last time you took your tin bucket, your washboard, and your lye soap down to the creek to wash all of your clothes one. piece. at. a. time. Haven't done that? Really? Wow, I guess you really aren't doing your laundry entirely by yourself. No. Now, you know what you do? You separate the lights from the darks, throw one set into a washing machine, pour in a pre-measured cup of liquid soap, and press a button. You must be so put-out...

"I would like the robots to wash dishes" [img]http://kingskitchen.files.wordpress.com/2010/06/dishwasher.jpg[/img]

[QUOTE=woolio1;44499556]Let me know the last time you took your tin bucket, your washboard, and your lye soap down to the creek to wash all of your clothes one. piece. at. a. time. Haven't done that? Really? Wow, I guess you really aren't doing your laundry entirely by yourself. No. Now, you know what you do? You separate the lights from the darks, throw one set into a washing machine, pour in a pre-measured cup of liquid soap, and press a button. You must be so put-out...[/QUOTE] Nice attitude

[QUOTE=cdr248;44501521]Nice attitude[/QUOTE] I respond in kind.

[QUOTE=Sobotnik;44495939]The reason we don't have moon colonies is because nobody wants to live there. It's a barren rock with low gravity. Anybody born there will have fuck all to do and will need to import all of their necessities. Children would be too weak to visit Earth. It would cost billions. Why would any government be willing to send up people there to live, let alone visit if it achieves nothing?[/QUOTE] because the moon is covered in very valuable rare-earths that you could probably just scoop up and pay for the voyage, provided you solve the problem of how to get them back down the gravity well, but thats rather reasy. also almost all our understanding of the moon is from apollo era experiments and observations made over a 10 year period in experiments, and few scant hours on the surface. the gravity problem is A problem but its been solved in the ISS, the correct workout and diet prevents bone loss completely and be realistic, we're not going to make a manned expidition to mars without a moon base, and i've always favored putting up some giant telescope on the back of the moon [editline]9th April 2014[/editline] the real problem though with predicting the future is that we love to assume some technology will treat symptoms of social problems, while social changes are almost always completely ignored. only 13 years ago, gay marrage was completely illegal in this country, now its almost completely legal, a massive sweeping social change

[QUOTE=Sableye;44504016]we're not going to make a manned expidition to mars without a moon base[/QUOTE] why

[QUOTE=FaythNihlus;44496407]While I agree with all this, I'd like to point out that most of the world doesn't agree with you. At least from what I've heard, people are becoming more and more body and planet conscious every day. I find it really difficult to believe that the day the first 'immortality clinic' opens up there's going to be cues of people lining up to get their consciousness transplanted into a robot. There's too many factors and cultural problems regarding the evolution of human beings down unnatural pathways that would prevent such technology from ever becoming widespread like the movie 'Surrogates'. You have to remember, a LOT of the world is very religious, and especially the Muslim and Buddhists would find such a modification to natural life to be an abomination. There would be debates about what happens to the soul if the body dies, and there would be an uproar when the first patient (probably someone who is dying anyway) is downloaded onto a robot. While I feel like it would be a kind of cool thing to see happen in my lifetime, I doubt we will ever see such a thing ever become the mainstream thing to do.[/QUOTE] Fuck those people, I'd be the first person signing up for a robot body.

[QUOTE=Venezuelan;44504201]why[/QUOTE] Because it's the only way to test our Mars equipment in a similar environment without flying it all the way out to Mars?

we let them down we don't even have hoverboards ffs we have to get our shit together and get some aliens and shit praise them

[QUOTE=woolio1;44499556]Let me know the last time you took your tin bucket, your washboard, and your lye soap down to the creek to wash all of your clothes one. piece. at. a. time. Haven't done that? Really? Wow, I guess you really aren't doing your laundry entirely by yourself. No. Now, you know what you do? You separate the lights from the darks, throw one set into a washing machine, pour in a pre-measured cup of liquid soap, and press a button. You must be so put-out...[/QUOTE] how did you miss the intent of my comment so badly that you had to turn out a privilege scolding