Listening to Pixie's Bossanova. Started wondering if Black Francis and friends ever thought I would be listening to it on something like an iPod, or if an educated observer would be more surprised by the fact that I can use the internet on my phone or that parts of it were made in China.
What are the most surprising trends, developnents and events of the post cold-war world? Especially interested in people who were adults back then.
They'd be shocked it took us 15 years to get rid of Saddam.
That the internet changes everything.
That Colin Powell wasn't the first black President.
Quote from: Monoriu on August 04, 2011, 11:28:30 PM
That the internet changes everything.
This. Both in terms of contents and the technological advances which make it essentially available everywhere at all times on portable devices. This is the single most important technological development of the last century.
9/11
Quote from: Martinus on August 05, 2011, 01:20:22 AM
Quote from: Monoriu on August 04, 2011, 11:28:30 PM
That the internet changes everything.
This. Both in terms of contents and the technological advances which make it essentially available everywhere at all times on portable devices. This is the single most important technological development of the last century.
:lol:
Quote from: Slargos on August 05, 2011, 02:53:49 AM
Quote from: Martinus on August 05, 2011, 01:20:22 AM
Quote from: Monoriu on August 04, 2011, 11:28:30 PM
That the internet changes everything.
This. Both in terms of contents and the technological advances which make it essentially available everywhere at all times on portable devices. This is the single most important technological development of the last century.
:lol:
It may be funny to you and it is the natural thought to consider stuff like cars or planes instead (although cars are, arguably, a 19th century invention) but I still maintain that internet is more important. Cars, planes, phones, tvs etc. allowed us to breach distances but still maintained barriers between communities - they could all be reglamented, controlled, and the access to them was expensive and sporadic.
Internet changed all of this. The fact that we can have this community here (dysfunctional it may be) would be impossible without the internet - we would not get to know each other in the first place if we just had cars, planes, phones and tvs - we would still make friends, meet new people etc. within our physical environments (yes, we could then keep in touch with them through phones etc. but that's not the point).
No, I was thinking more along the lines of nuclear physics or penicillin, and while Internets is certainly up there I wouldn't so casually call it the single most important.
The internet-for-the-masses is clearly the big thing that's happened since 91. Ordinary people didn't think about the internet in 91.
9/11 and how freedom of speech is under siege in Europe is another thing that may be more surprising to a visitor from 91. I know I didn't expect religious terrorists shutting down freedom of speech in Sweden.
Quote from: The Brain on August 05, 2011, 03:02:31 AM
The internet-for-the-masses is clearly the big thing that's happened since 91. Ordinary people didn't think about the internet in 91.
9/11 and how freedom of speech is under siege in Europe is another thing that may be more surprising to a visitor from 91. I know I didn't expect religious terrorists shutting down freedom of speech in Sweden.
I am not sure if you are joking or not, but freedom of speech has never been a big thing in Europe. And before the internet, it was largely illusory, since access to mass communication was heavily reglamented. Freedom of speech came under siege when science gave each voter the means to make his voice heard - and then we found out that most people are idiots.
Before the internet, a nutso writing a letter to a paper or trying to get on tv or the radio or have his "manifesto" published would simply be ignored - and would be convinced noone else sees the world the way he does.
Now, he just puts his crap on the internet, and finds immediate validation in hundreds or thousands of other nutsos who agree with him.
Quote from: Martinus on August 05, 2011, 03:07:47 AM
Quote from: The Brain on August 05, 2011, 03:02:31 AM
The internet-for-the-masses is clearly the big thing that's happened since 91. Ordinary people didn't think about the internet in 91.
9/11 and how freedom of speech is under siege in Europe is another thing that may be more surprising to a visitor from 91. I know I didn't expect religious terrorists shutting down freedom of speech in Sweden.
I am not sure if you are joking or not, but freedom of speech has never been a big thing in Europe. And before the internet, it was largely illusory, since access to mass communication was heavily reglamented. Freedom of speech came under siege when science gave each voter the means to make his voice heard - and then we found out that most people are idiots.
You were sucking your profiteer mother's tits behind the iron curtain in the 80s so I don't blame you for being ignorant. The idea that we in Sweden would be thrown back to the mustn't-criticize-certain-religions era was considered ridiculous. And that the terrorists would enjoy so much popular support of the "he shouldn't have made the innocent cartoon, people get upset so trying to kill him is excusable" variety wasn't exactly obvious.
Quote from: Martinus on August 05, 2011, 02:57:47 AM
Quote from: Slargos on August 05, 2011, 02:53:49 AM
Quote from: Martinus on August 05, 2011, 01:20:22 AM
Quote from: Monoriu on August 04, 2011, 11:28:30 PM
That the internet changes everything.
This. Both in terms of contents and the technological advances which make it essentially available everywhere at all times on portable devices. This is the single most important technological development of the last century.
:lol:
It may be funny to you and it is the natural thought to consider stuff like cars or planes instead (although cars are, arguably, a 19th century invention) but I still maintain that internet is more important. Cars, planes, phones, tvs etc. allowed us to breach distances but still maintained barriers between communities - they could all be reglamented, controlled, and the access to them was expensive and sporadic.
Internet changed all of this. The fact that we can have this community here (dysfunctional it may be) would be impossible without the internet - we would not get to know each other in the first place if we just had cars, planes, phones and tvs - we would still make friends, meet new people etc. within our physical environments (yes, we could then keep in touch with them through phones etc. but that's not the point).
That's actually a pretty good argument. I'm not sure that I agree wtih it, but it's a good argument.
And while I might not agree that the internet is the most important technological development of the past century, I would definately agree that widespread use of the internet would be the thing about the present that would most surprise a visitor from 1991.
To answer the original question, I would concur regarding the internet. It was just a toy for geeks and scientists back in 1991 and has reached billions nowadays. Mobile phones are another piece of technology that only really took off after 1991.
As far as the most important invention of the century is concerned, I would only consider the internet an application of integrated circuits, which are even more pervasive in our daily lives (although usually invisible) than the internet.
Well regarding the freedom of speech argument - Monthy Python, especially Life of Brian
Today that movie would never see the light of day.
The general repressiveness of "free" societies would probably be rather surprising. For sure I have been surprised repeatedly in the past few years by state interference in activities which have nothing to do with them.
Btw we mustn't forget reality shows. Even if there had been some embryos they hardly existed as we know them now back in 91. When Survivor aired in Sweden in 97 it was a revelation.
Quote from: Zanza on August 05, 2011, 03:31:25 AM
To answer the original question, I would concur regarding the internet. It was just a toy for geeks and scientists back in 1991 and has reached billions nowadays. Mobile phones are another piece of technology that only really took off after 1991.
Moreover, the participation of the masses in creating internet content, and the extension of the internet community to children who aren't even teenagers yet, would both surprise our visitor, I think.
It isn't just the internet that makes a difference, it is the constant mobile access to the internet as well.
Quote from: The Brain on August 05, 2011, 03:02:31 AM
The internet-for-the-masses is clearly the big thing that's happened since 91. Ordinary people didn't think about the internet in 91.
9/11 and how freedom of speech is under siege in Europe is another thing that may be more surprising to a visitor from 91.
There is nobody under me, and I am not in Europe.
Oh wait...
Congratulations on no longer being the least popular thing in Europe. :cheers:
Well, they'd have to get used to the technology and the political landscape, but there haven't really been any transformative changes in the world since then.
Quote from: Tamas on August 05, 2011, 04:27:48 AM
Well regarding the freedom of speech argument - Monthy Python, especially Life of Brian
Today that movie would never see the light of day.
What makes you think that?
Very thin screens everywhere. That & the price of gas.
Quote from: Tamas on August 05, 2011, 04:27:48 AM
Well regarding the freedom of speech argument - Monthy Python, especially Life of Brian
Today that movie would never see the light of day.
Are you kidding me?
Btw, you ignorant Hungarin prole, it was actually banned in several countries, one of them being Norway. So much for the argument that Scandinavia used to be such a fount of free speech in the past. :rolleyes:
Quote from: grumbler on August 05, 2011, 07:12:22 AM
Quote from: Zanza on August 05, 2011, 03:31:25 AM
To answer the original question, I would concur regarding the internet. It was just a toy for geeks and scientists back in 1991 and has reached billions nowadays. Mobile phones are another piece of technology that only really took off after 1991.
Moreover, the participation of the masses in creating internet content, and the extension of the internet community to children who aren't even teenagers yet, would both surprise our visitor, I think.
It isn't just the internet that makes a difference, it is the constant mobile access to the internet as well.
I think the internet has to be one of the most significant items, for all the reasons already said. Plus for all sorts of commerce, education, news and entertainment industries, and more, it's huge. We can shop on the internet, do research on products, run businesses, and get info on virtually anything from the internet.
It's hard to remember what things were like before the internet. :cool:
I wonder what percentage of people would be unable to function if internet suddenly disappeared. I still remember the time when you would do a research at a library. I suspect most of the people who are now in their early 20s don't.
Many kids today wouldn't know how to use a card catalog. Losers.
Quote from: Martinus on August 05, 2011, 08:58:54 AM
I wonder what percentage of people would be unable to function if internet suddenly disappeared. I still remember the time when you would do a research at a library. I suspect most of the people who are now in their early 20s don't.
:rolleyes:
In your hypothetical scenario, far more people than the tweenies would be catastrophically affected since a lot of systems rely on networks today. Additionally, an event that takes down the Internet would need to be cataclysmic unless it's some sort of Skynet super virus so I think you'll have more pressing concerns than how to do research in a library.
"Omg ai wonder what wud happen if cars suddenli disappered!" YE GODS. :bleeding:
We need a "Warning! Timmay" smilie.
Quote from: Slargos on August 05, 2011, 09:04:30 AM
"Omg ai wonder what wud happen if cars suddenli disappered!" YE GODS. :bleeding:
Buses and trucks would become more important.
They would of course be upset by the lack of flying cars. And also suprised that the US can't put people into space anymore, though the Russians can.
Quote from: Martinus on August 05, 2011, 08:34:09 AM
Btw, you ignorant Hungarin prole,
It's really cute seeing one slav call another ignorant. Bless your heart.
I have to strongly agree with those that said "the internet".
I was 16 in 1991. I remember being fascinated with dial-up BBMs at the time - the idea you could communicate with people across town was amazing. The internet, of course, came a few years later and has profoundly changed the way a number of businesses take place, though to call in the greatest invention of the 20th century goes much too far. My vote for greatest invention of the 20th century would be something more medical - probably either penicillin or birth control pill, or maybe the "green revolution" in food production.
I have to disagree with those who say "restrictions on free speech", or 9/11. 9/11 was of course one of the largest tragedies that has ever touched my life, but 10 years on the impact of it on history is becoming more limited. As for free speech - I simply don't see it at all. If anything because of the disruptive nature of the internet speech is far more free than it was back then.
GIven specifically the 1991 start date, I think a visitor from 20 years ago would be disappointed at how Russia turned out.
1991? Biggest surprise would be how long it took me to fucking graduate from college.
I was an adult in 1991.
What I find most amazing today is:
- The little things called 'smartphones', or their smaller brethren 'cellphones', which are like portable telephones, but much more, which allow people to phone each other, SEE each other, take MOVIES and PHOTOS of everything and send them instantly, and messaging everyone. You can be reached anywhere about anything by anyone. Which is a pain in the ass.
- We FINALLY have the Internet! Woot! It's close to what I imagined it to be in '91, though less immersive. But things have gone a long way. It's finally not a big thing to tell everyone that 'I got a letter from Britain!'. And we get to speak with people from all over the world all the time! Lots of different perspectives. And often in real time!
With this net, we can get anything from anywhere! I get to buy stuff abroad on a very regular basis! And it doesn't cost an arm and a leg! And argue with salespeople from the other side of the globe almost in real time.
People watch movies in gigantic monitors. And they look great. And games, music and videos can all be obtained for free. And there are places where we can put our own movies, which are easy to make with modern cameras and computers, and watch those of others. Or see for free and immediately all the series past and present that we want. Really.
- TVs have gone GIANT. I mean, really, really, HUGE. I never thought I'd see such a big image outsice of a cinema. And movies now come in little disks. With some called a 'Blu-Ray' having a GREAT image, really life-like. And households have many TVs. And high-scale sound systems, just like in movie theaters.
- As expected, computers have become even more AMAZING, even if they are still not able to render 100% life-like stuff. But consoles seem to have become even more popular. And they're great now, with cool images and lots of different games. We don't need to go to the Arcade to shoot plastic guns at a screen. And there are games where millions of people from all over the world play at the same time, together. Insane.
- Faxes have all but died. Weird. And floppy disks are gone. There are storage disks that take gigabytes of stuff, but the net allows for quick storage and transfer of information.
- Printers are dirt cheap now and can do lots of stuff, including scanning images to and from the computer.
- There are lots of pre-prepared foods in the supermarkets now that are just tasty. Microwave ovens are cheap, so single males can eat good food without getting married. Also, there are now machines that prepare delicious full meals as long as you dump the right ingredients in there.
- America was attacked by terrorists in 2001, and it was just INCREDIBLE. They rammed large commercial jets in the WTC, which went down like a deck of cards and the Pentagon got hit. Thousands died. I kid you not. New York was covered in smoke like if it had been bombed. You have to have seen it to believe it. There was a guy called Bin Laden that have a James Bond-like organization al-Qaeda that terrorised the planet and blew lots of stuff in London and Madrid. Inbelievable!
- Europe now has a single currency! YAY! Yeah, we all have the same money! I can't even believe it. But everyone get indebted to their eyeballs, and it seems like everybody will go bankrupt now.
- America elected a Black president! No, I won't pull the other one, it's TRUE! Stop laughting, it really is the truth!
- There has been inflation, but relative to wages most stuff is now way cheaper. Plane tickets are now very cheap. And thanks to the net, you can book your passage yourself in a few minutes, instead of putting up with a travel agency. And you just print the tickets and that's it. No more wait for them to arrive. And those cool movies - assuming you don't get them free in the web - are now cheap to buy, whereas the VHS tapes used to cost a bundle. Everybody now has many movies at home to watch. Computers are widespread.
- China GREW. I mean, it fucking GREW. No, more than that. It's the second largest economy now. And there's about a billion and a half chinamen now. They're everywhere. It seems that the 'Yellow Danger' was real after all.
- Lots of map changes. Yugoslavia is gone. And man, was that a messy affair. Slovenia, Croatia, Montenegro, Bosnia, Serbia and a bit of the South of that country are now all independent. Czechoslovakia is also gone the way of the dodo. But no bloodshed. Sudan broke in two. East Timor split from Indonesia.
- America ended up invading Iraq. Took them 12 years.
- Big revolutions in the Muslim world! Revolts everywhere! Regimes collapsing! Just like in the Warsaw Pact countries, but with more bullets!
- The price of Oil went from $9 to WAY over $100 per barrel. Insane. They used to say that would be the end of the world.
- Wall Street rose a LOT. People complain if the Dow falls to 'near' 10,000 points! WTF! It used to be a good day when it surpassed the 3,000 points!
- Gays are getting married legally. Double WTF!
- On the reverse side, women got even more rights, so it's madness to marry now. Divorces skyrocketed.
- We can't speak freely anymore. Anything we say is construed as 'offensive' by someone, and oddly you can get fined/arrested for it. Even if it was just a kind-hearted joke. Common expressions have become 'hate speech'. And don't even try to look at an underage girl in the street if you're male, you'll be thought of as a paedophile.
- People started to hate body hair and kids - as well as some adults from our time who should know better - shave EVERYTHING. I do mean EVERTTHING. And then they wonder about paedophilia...
- There is now an encouragement of couples black male-white female. They're all the rage these days.
- People got obsessed with Nazis the Holocaust. There seems to be a general hysteria about them, with daily articles in the news about stuff that was old in 1991.
- Israel and the Palestinans are still at it. It's good to see some things never change.
Quote from: alfred russel on August 05, 2011, 09:29:49 AM
They would of course be upset by the lack of flying cars. And also suprised that the US can't put people into space anymore, though the Russians can.
No kidding. Isn't Blade Runner set more or less in our times?
Quote from: Martim Silva on August 05, 2011, 10:23:25 AM
I was an adult in 1991.
What I find most amazing today is:
- The little things called 'smartphones', or their smaller brethren 'cellphones', which are like portable telephones, but much more, which allow people to phone each other, SEE each other, take MOVIES and PHOTOS of everything and send them instantly, and messaging everyone. You can be reached anywhere about anything by anyone. Which is a pain in the ass.
- We FINALLY have the Internet! Woot! It's close to what I imagined it to be in '91, though less immersive. But things have gone a long way. It's finally not a big thing to tell everyone that 'I got a letter from Britain!'. And we get to speak with people from all over the world all the time! Lots of different perspectives. And often in real time!
With this net, we can get anything from anywhere! I get to buy stuff abroad on a very regular basis! And it doesn't cost an arm and a leg! And argue with salespeople from the other side of the globe almost in real time.
People watch movies in gigantic monitors. And they look great. And games, music and videos can all be obtained for free. And there are places where we can put our own movies, which are easy to make with modern cameras and computers, and watch those of others. Or see for free and immediately all the series past and present that we want. Really.
- TVs have gone GIANT. I mean, really, really, HUGE. I never thought I'd see such a big image outsice of a cinema. And movies now come in little disks. With some called a 'Blu-Ray' having a GREAT image, really life-like. And households have many TVs. And high-scale sound systems, just like in movie theaters.
- As expected, computers have become even more AMAZING, even if they are still not able to render 100% life-like stuff. But consoles seem to have become even more popular. And they're great now, with cool images and lots of different games. We don't need to go to the Arcade to shoot plastic guns at a screen. And there are games where millions of people from all over the world play at the same time, together. Insane.
- Faxes have all but died. Weird. And floppy disks are gone. There are storage disks that take gigabytes of stuff, but the net allows for quick storage and transfer of information.
- Printers are dirt cheap now and can do lots of stuff, including scanning images to and from the computer.
- There are lots of pre-prepared foods in the supermarkets now that are just tasty. Microwave ovens are cheap, so single males can eat good food without getting married. Also, there are now machines that prepare delicious full meals as long as you dump the right ingredients in there.
- America was attacked by terrorists in 2001, and it was just INCREDIBLE. They rammed large commercial jets in the WTC, which went down like a deck of cards and the Pentagon got hit. Thousands died. I kid you not. New York was covered in smoke like if it had been bombed. You have to have seen it to believe it. There was a guy called Bin Laden that have a James Bond-like organization al-Qaeda that terrorised the planet and blew lots of stuff in London and Madrid. Inbelievable!
- Europe now has a single currency! YAY! Yeah, we all have the same money! I can't even believe it. But everyone get indebted to their eyeballs, and it seems like everybody will go bankrupt now.
- America elected a Black president! No, I won't pull the other one, it's TRUE! Stop laughting, it really is the truth!
- There has been inflation, but relative to wages most stuff is now way cheaper. Plane tickets are now very cheap. And thanks to the net, you can book your passage yourself in a few minutes, instead of putting up with a travel agency. And you just print the tickets and that's it. No more wait for them to arrive. And those cool movies - assuming you don't get them free in the web - are now cheap to buy, whereas the VHS tapes used to cost a bundle. Everybody now has many movies at home to watch. Computers are widespread.
- China GREW. I mean, it fucking GREW. No, more than that. It's the second largest economy now. And there's about a billion and a half chinamen now. They're everywhere. It seems that the 'Yellow Danger' was real after all.
- Lots of map changes. Yugoslavia is gone. And man, was that a messy affair. Slovenia, Croatia, Montenegro, Bosnia, Serbia and a bit of the South of that country are now all independent. Czechoslovakia is also gone the way of the dodo. But no bloodshed. Sudan broke in two. East Timor split from Indonesia.
- America ended up invading Iraq. Took them 12 years.
- Big revolutions in the Muslim world! Revolts everywhere! Regimes collapsing! Just like in the Warsaw Pact countries, but with more bullets!
- The price of Oil went from $9 to WAY over $100 per barrel. Insane. They used to say that would be the end of the world.
- Wall Street rose a LOT. People complain if the Dow falls to 'near' 10,000 points! WTF! It used to be a good day when it surpassed the 3,000 points!
- Gays are getting married legally. Double WTF!
- On the reverse side, women got even more rights, so it's madness to marry now. Divorces skyrocketed.
- We can't speak freely anymore. Anything we say is construed as 'offensive' by someone, and oddly you can get fined/arrested for it. Even if it was just a kind-hearted joke. Common expressions have become 'hate speech'. And don't even try to look at an underage girl in the street if you're male, you'll be thought of as a paedophile.
- People started to hate body hair and kids - as well as some adults from our time who should know better - shave EVERYTHING. I do mean EVERTTHING. And then they wonder about paedophilia...
- There is now an encouragement of couples black male-white female. They're all the rage these days.
- People got obsessed with Nazis the Holocaust. There seems to be a general hysteria about them, with daily articles in the news about stuff that was old in 1991.
- Israel and the Palestinans are still at it. It's good to see some things never change.
:lol:
Quote from: Faeelin on August 05, 2011, 09:32:45 AM
Quote from: Martinus on August 05, 2011, 08:34:09 AM
Btw, you ignorant Hungarin prole,
It's really cute seeing one slav call another ignorant. Bless your heart.
Uhm, Hungarians are not Slavs. :huh:
Quote from: Martinus on August 05, 2011, 10:42:16 AM
Quote from: Faeelin on August 05, 2011, 09:32:45 AM
Quote from: Martinus on August 05, 2011, 08:34:09 AM
Btw, you ignorant Hungarin prole,
It's really cute seeing one slav call another ignorant. Bless your heart.
Uhm, Hungarians are not Slavs. :huh:
As much as I'd like to disown them too, I'm afraid genetically they are. :(
Quote from: Barrister on August 05, 2011, 10:46:27 AM
Quote from: Martinus on August 05, 2011, 10:42:16 AM
Quote from: Faeelin on August 05, 2011, 09:32:45 AM
Quote from: Martinus on August 05, 2011, 08:34:09 AM
Btw, you ignorant Hungarin prole,
It's really cute seeing one slav call another ignorant. Bless your heart.
Uhm, Hungarians are not Slavs. :huh:
As much as I'd like to disown them too, I'm afraid genetically they are. :(
I thought they were related to Finns.
I think smartphones would surprise the 1991 visitor the most. The idea of some kind of international network with data and media flowing around I think conceptually was not so far out. To the visitor, it would look a bit like an interactive version of cable TV.
Whereas today's smartphones can do things no consumer PC could do back in 1991 and would have only really been imagined in science fiction.
Although, I do accept that a lot of what makes smartphones so useful and mind-bogglingly surprising to the 1991 time traveller is that they are hooked into global telecommunication networks.
Quote from: Martinus on August 05, 2011, 10:50:38 AM
Quote from: Barrister on August 05, 2011, 10:46:27 AM
Quote from: Martinus on August 05, 2011, 10:42:16 AM
Quote from: Faeelin on August 05, 2011, 09:32:45 AM
Quote from: Martinus on August 05, 2011, 08:34:09 AM
Btw, you ignorant Hungarin prole,
It's really cute seeing one slav call another ignorant. Bless your heart.
Uhm, Hungarians are not Slavs. :huh:
As much as I'd like to disown them too, I'm afraid genetically they are. :(
I thought they were related to Finns.
Linguistically, yes. But the number of magyars was so small, and they have interbred with the surrounding population so well, that genetically they are indistinguishable from all other slavs.
Unfortunately. :(
Quote from: Barrister on August 05, 2011, 10:46:27 AM
Quote from: Martinus on August 05, 2011, 10:42:16 AM
Quote from: Faeelin on August 05, 2011, 09:32:45 AM
Quote from: Martinus on August 05, 2011, 08:34:09 AM
Btw, you ignorant Hungarin prole,
It's really cute seeing one slav call another ignorant. Bless your heart.
Uhm, Hungarians are not Slavs. :huh:
As much as I'd like to disown them too, I'm afraid genetically they are. :(
Linguistically they are not Slavic, and they don't consider themselves Slavs, and really that's as good a definition as any to be determined as an ethnic group.
Quote from: Martinus on August 05, 2011, 10:36:47 AM
Isn't Blade Runner set more or less in our times?
Depends on how you define "less". You retard.
Going with smart phones. You can do more game/computation wise on phones now then you could do on computers in 91. it also throws in the internet and video chatting. it;s 1991 science fiction shit. It's like if someone was transported from the 50's to the 70's and flying cars were actually real.
We had cell phones in 1991. Big ones - the size of a brick, but we had cell phones.
Modern smart phones are not all that remarkable compared to ancient cell phones - except for their ability to connect to the internet.
Quote from: Barrister on August 05, 2011, 11:35:50 AM
We had cell phones in 1991. Big ones - the size of a brick, but we had cell phones.
Modern smart phones are not all that remarkable compared to ancient cell phones - except for their ability to connect to the internet.
ya i remember the brick ones (saved by the bell :P ) the only reason i gave the bupm to smart phones is that they include internet.
Quote from: Ideologue on August 05, 2011, 11:27:12 AM
Quote from: CountDeMoney on August 05, 2011, 11:08:13 AM
Quote from: Martinus on August 05, 2011, 10:36:47 AM
Isn't Blade Runner set more or less in our times?
Depends on how you define "less". You retard.
:lol:
Seriously, I can't stop laughing at this.
I've got to get to the off-world colonies. A new life awaits.
If I visited directly from 1991 I would be surprised that everything was so fucked up. In 1991 all things seemed possible. The Cold War was over. Peace and prosperity were supposed to follow. Everyone was talking about the peace dividend.
And then somehow everything went wrong.
Quote from: crazy canuck on August 05, 2011, 12:27:22 PM
If I visited directly from 1991 I would be surprised that everything was so fucked up. In 1991 all things seemed possible. The Cold War was over. Peace and prosperity were supposed to follow. Everyone was talking about the peace dividend.
And then somehow everything went wrong.
The Soviet Union falls, and, subsequently, the world goes to hell? :hmm:
Quote from: Ideologue on August 05, 2011, 12:29:22 PM
Quote from: crazy canuck on August 05, 2011, 12:27:22 PM
If I visited directly from 1991 I would be surprised that everything was so fucked up. In 1991 all things seemed possible. The Cold War was over. Peace and prosperity were supposed to follow. Everyone was talking about the peace dividend.
And then somehow everything went wrong.
The Soviet Union falls, and, subsequently, the world goes to hell? :hmm:
Exactly WTF!
all things computer/internet related. I recall all sorts of crazy future predictions from that era.... most of them easily done and surpassed now. Except NO FLYING CARS! motherfucjker I want my flying car.
Quote from: crazy canuck on August 05, 2011, 12:32:04 PM
Quote from: Ideologue on August 05, 2011, 12:29:22 PM
Quote from: crazy canuck on August 05, 2011, 12:27:22 PM
If I visited directly from 1991 I would be surprised that everything was so fucked up. In 1991 all things seemed possible. The Cold War was over. Peace and prosperity were supposed to follow. Everyone was talking about the peace dividend.
And then somehow everything went wrong.
The Soviet Union falls, and, subsequently, the world goes to hell? :hmm:
Exactly WTF!
World always needs a boogyman. Nothing changes.
Quote from: BuddhaRhubarb on August 05, 2011, 12:36:40 PM
all things computer/internet related. I recall all sorts of crazy future predictions from that era.... most of them easily done and surpassed now. Except NO FLYING CARS! motherfucjker I want my flying car.
Personally i want a robot butler.
Quote from: HVC on August 05, 2011, 12:51:36 PM
Quote from: BuddhaRhubarb on August 05, 2011, 12:36:40 PM
all things computer/internet related. I recall all sorts of crazy future predictions from that era.... most of them easily done and surpassed now. Except NO FLYING CARS! motherfucjker I want my flying car.
Personally i want a robot butler.
How about a Roomba, for a robot maid? ;)
Quote from: Malthus on August 05, 2011, 12:53:59 PM
Quote from: HVC on August 05, 2011, 12:51:36 PM
Quote from: BuddhaRhubarb on August 05, 2011, 12:36:40 PM
all things computer/internet related. I recall all sorts of crazy future predictions from that era.... most of them easily done and surpassed now. Except NO FLYING CARS! motherfucjker I want my flying car.
Personally i want a robot butler.
How about a Roomba, for a robot maid? ;)
not the same without the sassy back talk.
Quote from: HVC on August 05, 2011, 12:54:50 PM
Quote from: Malthus on August 05, 2011, 12:53:59 PM
Quote from: HVC on August 05, 2011, 12:51:36 PM
Quote from: BuddhaRhubarb on August 05, 2011, 12:36:40 PM
all things computer/internet related. I recall all sorts of crazy future predictions from that era.... most of them easily done and surpassed now. Except NO FLYING CARS! motherfucjker I want my flying car.
Personally i want a robot butler.
How about a Roomba, for a robot maid? ;)
not the same without the sassy back talk.
And dressing a Roomba in a sexy french maid outfit is a bit of a fail. :(
Quote from: HVC on August 05, 2011, 12:51:07 PM
Quote from: crazy canuck on August 05, 2011, 12:32:04 PM
Quote from: Ideologue on August 05, 2011, 12:29:22 PM
Quote from: crazy canuck on August 05, 2011, 12:27:22 PM
If I visited directly from 1991 I would be surprised that everything was so fucked up. In 1991 all things seemed possible. The Cold War was over. Peace and prosperity were supposed to follow. Everyone was talking about the peace dividend.
And then somehow everything went wrong.
The Soviet Union falls, and, subsequently, the world goes to hell? :hmm:
Exactly WTF!
World always needs a boogyman. Nothing changes.
Two billion Muslims and PRChinese can't make up for a hundred fifty million Russians? That's racist, dude.
Quote from: crazy canuck on August 05, 2011, 12:32:04 PM
Quote from: Ideologue on August 05, 2011, 12:29:22 PM
Quote from: crazy canuck on August 05, 2011, 12:27:22 PM
If I visited directly from 1991 I would be surprised that everything was so fucked up. In 1991 all things seemed possible. The Cold War was over. Peace and prosperity were supposed to follow. Everyone was talking about the peace dividend.
And then somehow everything went wrong.
The Soviet Union falls, and, subsequently, the world goes to hell? :hmm:
Exactly WTF!
Aren't a lot of our current ills also attributed to unrestrained capitalism? :shifty:
This makes me realize that while only twenty years have passed here in the US sixty or seventy years have passed in Portugal.
I'll throw one out there: smoking. The price of cigarettes, the crazy warning labels, the smoking bans, and general prohibitionist attitude towards tobacco these days. All of this was definitely underway in 1991, but I think the speed and severity of changes across the world in the last 20 years would have to be kind of surprising. 1991 was hardly the 50s for obliviousness to tobacco danger, but I remember sitting in a cloud of cigarette, cigar, and pipe smoke at all the Jewish holidays, with matching ashtrays set out on the table.
Quote from: Malthus on August 05, 2011, 12:56:06 PM
And dressing a Roomba in a sexy french maid outfit is a bit of a fail. :(
Like this?
(https://languish.org/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Frobotanime.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2010%2F11%2FJETSONS-COLOR-6.jpg&hash=9b89a4701c93d3a397655416bc9200ea4c7116c4)
Pervert.
Quote from: Capetan Mihali on August 05, 2011, 01:11:08 PM
I'll throw one out there: smoking. The price of cigarettes, the crazy warning labels, the smoking bans, and general prohibitionist attitude towards tobacco these days. All of this was definitely underway in 1991, but I think the speed and severity of changes across the world in the last 20 years would have to be kind of surprising. 1991 was hardly the 50s for obliviousness to tobacco danger, but I remember sitting in a cloud of cigarette, cigar, and pipe smoke at all the Jewish holidays, with matching ashtrays set out on the table.
That was already underway, though. The change over the last 20 years isn't
nearly as significant as the 20 years before that (1971-1991). In the 70s, people still smoked damn near everywhere - there were ashtrays in elevators. No longer in the 90s (at least, not here).
Yeah on old photos they're smoking away in the NPP control rooms. Not in 91.
Quote from: Malthus on August 05, 2011, 01:21:50 PM
In the 70s, people still smoked damn near everywhere - there were ashtrays in elevators.
:mmm:
Quote from: DGuller on August 05, 2011, 02:19:01 PM
Quote from: Malthus on August 05, 2011, 01:21:50 PM
In the 70s, people still smoked damn near everywhere - there were ashtrays in elevators.
:mmm:
C'mon I know Russian food is bad, but you people didn't eat out of ashtrays.
Quote from: Malthus on August 05, 2011, 01:21:50 PM
there were ashtrays in elevators.
So your ancestors could get to the top floor? :)
Quote from: The Brain on August 05, 2011, 02:23:25 PM
Quote from: Malthus on August 05, 2011, 01:21:50 PM
there were ashtrays in elevators.
So your ancestors could get to the top floor? :)
:pinch: :pinch: :pinch:
Quote from: Ideologue on August 05, 2011, 01:00:54 PM
Quote from: crazy canuck on August 05, 2011, 12:32:04 PM
Quote from: Ideologue on August 05, 2011, 12:29:22 PM
Quote from: crazy canuck on August 05, 2011, 12:27:22 PM
If I visited directly from 1991 I would be surprised that everything was so fucked up. In 1991 all things seemed possible. The Cold War was over. Peace and prosperity were supposed to follow. Everyone was talking about the peace dividend.
And then somehow everything went wrong.
The Soviet Union falls, and, subsequently, the world goes to hell? :hmm:
Exactly WTF!
Aren't a lot of our current ills also attributed to unrestrained capitalism? :shifty:
Yes, it's a common but mistaken attributation.
Quote from: dps on August 05, 2011, 03:30:20 PM
Yes, it's a common but mistaken attributation.
Not so mistaken at all, IMO. I think we would be a lot better off had we not switched most our focus in the last few decades to making money from money. In the end, we created a giant financial industry, the large part of which is a casino that serves to enrich a select few (mostly casino operators), and bring the world economy to the brink of disaster for the rest of us.
Quote from: DGuller on August 05, 2011, 03:46:22 PM
Quote from: dps on August 05, 2011, 03:30:20 PM
Yes, it's a common but mistaken attributation.
Not so mistaken at all, IMO. I think we would be a lot better off had we not switched most our focus in the last few decades to making money from money. In the end, we created a giant financial industry, the large part of which is a casino that serves to enrich a select few (mostly casino operators), and bring the world economy to the brink of disaster for the rest of us.
I don't really disagree with that, but it's badly mistaken to call what we had before the downturn (and by-and-large, still have) "unrestrained capitalism. And I still maintain my position that the problem wasn't lack of regulation, but the wrong types of regulation.
It was unrestrained in ways that mattered. Large part of the problem was that capitalists found a way to bypass regulation, and thus repeated the mistakes that originally brough forth the regulation in the first place. Another large part was that the biggest regulator was an Ayn Rand student who didn't believe in regulation, and enjoyed the acclaim he got for not doing his job.
I think that it would surprise them that Dick Clark is still alive. :huh:
Quote from: dps on August 05, 2011, 03:55:35 PM
I don't really disagree with that, but it's badly mistaken to call what we had before the downturn (and by-and-large, still have) "unrestrained capitalism. And I still maintain my position that the problem wasn't lack of regulation, but the wrong types of regulation.
I hear this excuse all the time when a deregulation scheme fails. It reminds me of the communists who claimed the reason the Soviet Union failed was because it wasn't true communism, which saves them from admitting to themselves the problem might lie in the under lying ideology rather then it's execution. The problem is the ideology that you should remove all the regulations you can get away with.
Quote from: Princesca on August 05, 2011, 06:56:10 PM
I think that it would surprise them that Dick Clark is still alive. :huh:
That surprises this visitor from 2011! :lol:
Quote from: Razgovory on August 05, 2011, 07:19:52 PM
I hear this excuse all the time when a deregulation scheme fails. It reminds me of the communists who claimed the reason the Soviet Union failed was because it wasn't true communism, which saves them from admitting to themselves the problem might lie in the under lying ideology rather then it's execution. The problem is the ideology that you should remove all the regulations you can get away with.
The solution is the ideology that any regulation, just so long as it's regulation, is the cure.
Quote from: Admiral Yi on August 05, 2011, 07:42:00 PM
Quote from: Razgovory on August 05, 2011, 07:19:52 PM
I hear this excuse all the time when a deregulation scheme fails. It reminds me of the communists who claimed the reason the Soviet Union failed was because it wasn't true communism, which saves them from admitting to themselves the problem might lie in the under lying ideology rather then it's execution. The problem is the ideology that you should remove all the regulations you can get away with.
The solution is the ideology that any regulation, just so long as it's regulation, is the cure.
:)
:D
More regulations means more jobs for J.D.s, right?
Quote from: Malthus on August 05, 2011, 12:53:59 PM
Quote from: HVC on August 05, 2011, 12:51:36 PM
Quote from: BuddhaRhubarb on August 05, 2011, 12:36:40 PM
all things computer/internet related. I recall all sorts of crazy future predictions from that era.... most of them easily done and surpassed now. Except NO FLYING CARS! motherfucjker I want my flying car.
Personally i want a robot butler.
How about a Roomba, for a robot maid? ;)
Like this?
(https://languish.org/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fdesignyoutrust.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2010%2F12%2Ffemale-sexy-robot-16-600x480.jpg&hash=ebbbab20daf5440fcb57cbac68f3101b47a45ea9)
Quote from: Martinus on August 05, 2011, 08:58:54 AM
I wonder what percentage of people would be unable to function if internet suddenly disappeared. I still remember the time when you would do a research at a library. I suspect most of the people who are now in their early 20s don't.
That depends on what other activities are available.
On related news my router melt down last Friday and the boredom was such that I might or might not have finally resorted to piggybacking on some idiot's Wifi.
Who Kaisar Sosaytz turned out to be.
I'm surprised Siege doesn't find those robots too old and too fat.
Quote from: Peter Wiggin on August 07, 2011, 07:32:56 PM
I'm surprised Siege doesn't find those robots too old and too fat.
They're just robo-maids for cleaning and housework. What -are- you thinking, good sir?
Quote from: Tonitrus on August 07, 2011, 08:00:29 PM
Quote from: Peter Wiggin on August 07, 2011, 07:32:56 PM
I'm surprised Siege doesn't find those robots too old and too fat.
They're just robo-maids for cleaning and housework. What -are- you thinking, good sir?
Are they kosher/halal?