The Mirror 103 Years Ago: Pocket Phones Predicted

[George Jones]

Published in The Mirror 103 years ago; very prescient.

 

[berkeman]

Well at least he didn't get run over while crossing the street and looking down at his phone...

 

[Astronuc]

Well at least he didn't get run over while crossing the street and looking down at his phone...

or fall into an open manhole. It can happen while reading a newspaper while walking along a sidewalk, as one professor (at the university I attended) demonstrated.

 

[DrGreg]

Well at least he didn't get run over while crossing the street and looking down at his phone...

In 1919 they only predicted a pocket telephone, not a pocket telegraph or a pocket encyclopaedia or a pocket cinematograph or a pocket gramophone or a pocket difference engine.

 

[DennisN]

Amazing.

 

[phinds]

In 1919 they only predicted a pocket telephone, not a pocket telegraph or a pocket encyclopaedia or a pocket cinematograph or a pocket gramophone or a pocket difference engine.

And I'm sure you'll do much better in predicting what we will have 100 years from now, and you won't leave out much of anything.

 

[George Jones]

Well at least he didn't get run over while crossing the street and looking down at his phone...

or fall into an open manhole. It can happen while reading a newspaper while walking along a sidewalk, as one professor (at the university I attended) demonstrated.

I don't need a phone to hurt myself while engaging in distracted walking. I have twice broken my nose while doing so, once about five years ago when I walked into a glass wall at work, and once in the fall of '94 when I walked into a No Parking sign while watching people move furniture. For the latter "scattering experiment", I received an award (below) at the physics department's Christmas party.

 

[strangerep]

And I'm sure you'll do much better in predicting what we will have 100 years from now, [...]

Didn't Einstein do this already? I.e., "sticks and stones" and (if our descendants are lucky) maybe the ability to make fire and send smoke signals.

 

[phinds]

Didn't Einstein do this already? I.e., "sticks and stones" and (if our descendants are lucky) maybe the ability to make fire and send smoke signals.

I don't know who said it but someone said something like, I don't know what weapons will be used in WWIII but I do know that in WWIV it will be sticks and stones.

 

[BillTre]

I do know that in WWIV it will be sticks and stones.

Or engineered mutant people and targeted diseases.

 

[phinds]

Or engineered mutant people and targeted diseases.

I think you completely missed the point of the original quote which was that WWIII will have bombed us so far back into the stone age that we won't have the manufacturing or technological capability to produce any weapons above sticks and stones.

 

[BillTre]

I think you completely missed the point of the original quote which was that WWIII will have bombed us so far back into the stone age that we won't have the manufacturing or technological capability to produce any weapons above sticks and stones.

No, got the point. I just think that view is not really right.

If people survive, I think that more sophisticated things that sticks and stones will be available to go warring with.
Also I don't think that all higher technology will be eliminated if the fragile people can survive.
I also think that the arc of technological development will proceed (however at a slower rate) leading to engineered human mutants and diseases for use in wars.

Guess I'm just an optimist.

 

[phinds]

If people survive, I think that more sophisticated things that sticks and stones will be available to go warring with.

Actually, I agree w/ you.