10 Technologies We Were Promised But Never Got

In Your Flying Car Awaits, author Paul Milo discusses "robot butlers, lunar vacations and other dead-wrong predictions of the 20th Century." Here are 10 calamitous tech failures. Even the ones that did make it aren't anything like their original visions.

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I still want my flying car!!!

~Lordbob

Cities Under Domes

I wouldn't completely rule an idea like that out.

The Food Pill and the Algae Sandwich

In the centuries to come, something akin to this will be available. However it will be entirely synthetic. So don't hold your breath for any robotic whales.

The Flying Car

There will never be a widespread 'personal use/controllable' flying car. Most people can't drive on land as it is, let alone in the sky.

The Knowledge Pill

They will find a way to trigger some dormant inherent abilities, - perhaps it will be available as a suppository. We already know the world is full of smart arses...

Nuclear Bombs for Demolition and Excavation

They will still be used for such. It all depends on who re-denfines the term 'peaceful usage'

Man-Made Oceans

Isn't that what global-warming is supposed to have achieved?

Undersea Colonies

Refer to question above.

The Self-Driving Car

We'll see it happen. In the meantime, I'll just stick to driving on auto-pilot.

The Videophone

This will be common soon enough. I just hope Apple has nothing to do with it. I'd hate having to use an iSeeYou.

The Safe Cigarette

Obvious fail for obvious reasons.

Airbot said:

In Your Flying Car Awaits, author Paul Milo discusses "robot butlers, lunar vacations and other dead-wrong predictions of the 20th Century." Here are 10 calamitous tech failures. Even the ones that did make it aren't anything like their original visions.

more...

They forgot "The Paperless Office" (again)...

now I would love the food pill, I find cooking and eating a large waste of my time. I could be playing on seven forums instead of eating. Now the only things I do like to cook and eat are cookies and cereal. Now even a cookie with all I need would be good.

This is one that we did get as promised. == In 1954, I was 8 years old, my dad and myself were at the Georgia State Fair. General Electric had a building where they were showing things that we would have in the future. There was this small box and the demonstrater cracked an egg and put it inside. He then put a cup of ice cream on top of it. In about ten seconds the egg was cooked and showed everyone that the ice cream was not melted. He gave me the ice cream. At the time there were plenty of Owww's and Ahhh's about it. As you can guess that was a microwave oven. It was a big deal in 1954 though.

chuckr said:

Airbot said:

In Your Flying Car Awaits, author Paul Milo discusses "robot butlers, lunar vacations and other dead-wrong predictions of the 20th Century." Here are 10 calamitous tech failures. Even the ones that did make it aren't anything like their original visions.

more...

They forgot "The Paperless Office" (again)...

That would be nice...