The WORLD of the FUTURE

Where's my flying jet-car?

Miracles You’ll See In The Next Fifty Years (Feb, 1950)

By Waldemar Kaempffert

Science Editor, The New York Times

WHAT WILL the world be like in A.D. 2000? You can read the answer in your home, in the streets, in the trains and cars that carry you to your work, in the bargain basement of every department store. You don’t realize what is happening because it is a piecemeal process. The jet-propelled plane is one piece, the latest insect killer is another. Thousands of such pieces are automatically dropping into their places to form the pattern of tomorrow’s world.

The only obstacles to accurate prophecy are the vested interests, which may retard progress for economic reasons, tradition, conservatism, labor-union policies and legislation. If we confine ourselves to processes and inventions that are now being hatched in the laboratory, we shall not wander too far from reality.

The best way of visualizing the new world of A.D. 2000 is to introduce you to the Dobsons, who live in Tottenville, a hypothetical metropolitan suburb of 100,000. There are parks and playgrounds and green open spaces not only around detached houses but also around apartment houses. The heart of the town is the airport. Surrounding it are business houses, factories and hotels. In concentric circles beyond these lie the residential districts.

Life

Oh, yes, the preceding link was courtesy of Roger Burton West.

Last night saw my first visit to B Movie since 2004, accompanied by sblackery & pilot_moondog and others. It was rather fun. Probably assisted by the preceding visit to the Battersea Beer Festival with these same gentlemen and more besides. I apologise to anyone at whom I was gratuitously drunk or badly-behaved. :-) Odd how for an alleged non-drinker I seem to have got through rather a lot in the last few weeks. I blame Kat. She's a bad influence. Speaking of which...

The beer festival was a flying visit after going to see a poorly androctonus, who really wanted to come with me but wasn't feeling up to it. She's back at work today and not enjoying it, and after nearly 2 weeks off, I may not get to see much of her for the next week or so. I'm hoping to at least drag her along to Picocon; she is, technically, still an Imperial postgrad student.

Now I must fight off the dregs of my hangover & go and have a last try at resurrecting nolley's PC. [Sigh]