2008
wizard needs food badly
maura @ 10:27 pm
Nothing like spending 5 hrs on the NJ Turnpike to make you realize that the future looks awfully much like the past. I mean, honestly, it could have been 30 yrs ago and our drive would have been almost exactly the same as today. Probably less traffic, but the roads are certainly the same. The infrastructure is identical.
In some ways we’ve achieved the dream of the 1950s: everyone cruises around in their own personal climate controlled bubble, listening to music, watching TV, eating and drinking whenever they feel like it. It’s car as living room, as Jonathan said earlier.
I don’t know. It’s not that I’m not grateful for all of the cool future stuff that we do have. This video (which Jonathan sent me from bing bong, I believe) is a hilarious reminder of that. And we certainly took advantage of the advances this afternoon + evening, when Gus watched Castle in the Sky three (3!) times while we were stuck in horrible traffic.
BUT. But, but, but. It’s hard to believe that we couldn’t have used all of our fantastic futurizing powers to do something better. Superfast trains that don’t pollute the way cars do (and are cheaper to run, too). Eco-energy, from cleaner power plants to better ways of moving electricity over long distances (though I do like the aesthetics of those giant electrical towers — they look like robots).
I don’t know, it’s just disappointing, I guess. Cars are stupid. And I’d even give up my iphone for a better train system. Though if I did, what would I use to read my web stories en route?
2 comments on “wizard needs food badly”
Tom Swift sounds great, we will check it out! Inventing is big in our place, too.
Last night I ordered one of the Tom Swift books for my own Tom who is mad about inventing. Some of the reviews talked about the inventions that have actually come true (the books were written in about 1938, I think) and they talked about a moving picture phone or something. I can’t wait to read it to the kids so we can see what they thought we would have for technology and what we actually have. I’m still waiting for flying cars. :)