in my day, we didn't have those ATMs. If we wanted money, we'd have to make it to the bank durring business hours.
In my day we didn't have answering machines, voice mail, caller ID or star 69. We'd have to answer our calls and take messages if someone wasn't there. And we didn't have cell phones, so if someone wanted to get ahold of us, they'd have to know where we were and call there to find us.
In my day we had bumpers on cars which could actually withstand a bump without imploding and costing a thousand dollars to repair.
In my day college students would actually write papers using typewriters and paper, rather than e-mailing their assignments. And we used to do research in libraries with books (for those of you who are unfamiliar with the term, a book is an old-fashioned information storage system)
These days Americans living below the poverty line often have more advanced technology then the top scientists had available to land a man on the moon.
Despite all these advances, I still don't have my flying car. Where's my flying car? I want my flying car.
Flying cars were supposed to show up soon after WW II ended.
They've actually been available for some time now, but they haven't -- ahem -- taken off. They've been just about to completely replace groundcars, but somehow it never happens.
Similarly, videophones replacing voice-only phones has been just around the corner for decades. This might actually come true; not because many people want them, but because searching out the few voice-only phones being sold will be too much trouble.
More recent addition to this list: the paperless office.
My first bank card was in New Zealand, in 1990. I hadn't heard of ATMs before then; they were an entirely novel concept. I also remember having the machine eat my card a couple times because I miskeyed my PIN. Oops...
(no subject)
Date: 2006-07-18 03:12 am (UTC)In my day we didn't have answering machines, voice mail, caller ID or star 69. We'd have to answer our calls and take messages if someone wasn't there. And we didn't have cell phones, so if someone wanted to get ahold of us, they'd have to know where we were and call there to find us.
In my day we had bumpers on cars which could actually withstand a bump without imploding and costing a thousand dollars to repair.
In my day college students would actually write papers using typewriters and paper, rather than e-mailing their assignments. And we used to do research in libraries with books (for those of you who are unfamiliar with the term, a book is an old-fashioned information storage system)
These days Americans living below the poverty line often have more advanced technology then the top scientists had available to land a man on the moon.
Despite all these advances, I still don't have my flying car. Where's my flying car? I want my flying car.
(no subject)
Date: 2006-07-18 03:46 am (UTC)They've actually been available for some time now, but they haven't -- ahem -- taken off. They've been just about to completely replace groundcars, but somehow it never happens.
Similarly, videophones replacing voice-only phones has been just around the corner for decades. This might actually come true; not because many people want them, but because searching out the few voice-only phones being sold will be too much trouble.
More recent addition to this list: the paperless office.
(no subject)
Date: 2006-07-18 05:43 am (UTC)