Comments on: 100-Year Old Predictions from 1900 http://blog.longnow.org/2007/04/18/100-year-old-predictions-from-1900/ The Official Weblog of The Long Now Foundation and Friends Sat, 11 Feb 2012 23:43:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Neil Craig http://blog.longnow.org/2007/04/18/100-year-old-predictions-from-1900/comment-page-1/#comment-6386 Neil Craig Tue, 24 Feb 2009 15:50:43 +0000 http://blog.longnow.org/2007/04/18/100-year-old-predictions-from-1900/#comment-6386 Most of the predictions have turned out to be to conservative (eg life expectancy up to 50). Some of them have come true with completely different technology (cold air taps rather than air conditioning) . Those that haven't are mainly because government has prevented (genetically modified plants) or not been competent to build the infrastructre but are technically feasible (pneumatic ir automated delivery tubes). Most of the predictions have turned out to be to conservative (eg life expectancy up to 50). Some of them have come true with completely different technology (cold air taps rather than air conditioning) . Those that haven’t are mainly because government has prevented (genetically modified plants) or not been competent to build the infrastructre but are technically feasible (pneumatic ir automated delivery tubes).

]]> By: Ectone Smellis http://blog.longnow.org/2007/04/18/100-year-old-predictions-from-1900/comment-page-1/#comment-6375 Ectone Smellis Mon, 23 Feb 2009 19:14:30 +0000 http://blog.longnow.org/2007/04/18/100-year-old-predictions-from-1900/#comment-6375 Some are accurate, some are surprising and some just plain smell. Some are accurate, some are surprising and some just plain smell.

]]> By: Lee Jaffe http://blog.longnow.org/2007/04/18/100-year-old-predictions-from-1900/comment-page-1/#comment-18 Lee Jaffe Tue, 24 Apr 2007 14:57:29 +0000 http://blog.longnow.org/2007/04/18/100-year-old-predictions-from-1900/#comment-18 We recently received a barrage of reference questions from a class doing research on "visions of the future" from the past. Aside from classic science fiction and the occasional article in older magazines, we found world's fairs and expositions to be a good source for predictions of the future. I particularly remember the New York World's Fair's "World of Tomorrow" exhibit. A good Web site with links to archives for expos back to the mid-01800s can be found at http://expomuseum.com/ We recently received a barrage of reference questions from a class doing research on “visions of the future” from the past. Aside from classic science fiction and the occasional article in older magazines, we found world’s fairs and expositions to be a good source for predictions of the future. I particularly remember the New York World’s Fair’s “World of Tomorrow” exhibit. A good Web site with links to archives for expos back to the mid-01800s can be found at http://expomuseum.com/

]]> By: D. Greene http://blog.longnow.org/2007/04/18/100-year-old-predictions-from-1900/comment-page-1/#comment-13 D. Greene Thu, 19 Apr 2007 13:54:53 +0000 http://blog.longnow.org/2007/04/18/100-year-old-predictions-from-1900/#comment-13 "Prediction #23: Ready-cooked meals will be bought from establishments similar to our bakeries of today. They will purchase materials in tremendous wholesale quantities and sell the cooked foods at a price much lower than the cost of individual cooking. Food will be served hot or cold to private houses in pneumatic tubes or automobile wagons. " They predicted Schwans! And anti-bacterial soap in the same prediction. Pretty good stuff. “Prediction #23: Ready-cooked meals will be bought from establishments similar to our bakeries of today. They will purchase materials in tremendous wholesale quantities and sell the cooked foods at a price much lower than the cost of individual cooking. Food will be served hot or cold to private houses in pneumatic tubes or automobile wagons. ”

They predicted Schwans! And anti-bacterial soap in the same prediction. Pretty good stuff.

]]> By: Ville http://blog.longnow.org/2007/04/18/100-year-old-predictions-from-1900/comment-page-1/#comment-12 Ville Thu, 19 Apr 2007 07:26:30 +0000 http://blog.longnow.org/2007/04/18/100-year-old-predictions-from-1900/#comment-12 Fascinating and at times surprisingly accurate predictions. They also hightlight the power of new inventions as some of the biggest changes of the last century are not there (the most obvious here being computers, the Internet). The predictions also really speak volumes of the thinking a hundred years ago (English most spoken language!?). Fascinating and at times surprisingly accurate predictions. They also hightlight the power of new inventions as some of the biggest changes of the last century are not there (the most obvious here being computers, the Internet). The predictions also really speak volumes of the thinking a hundred years ago (English most spoken language!?).

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