Back in the day did you think the future would be better ?

[Mikey]

To be honest, I can't see China going against the Allies

They're kind of strange, but they're not stupid.

North Korea is a rogue country with basically no friends, even China is distancing themselves from them.

China just built a wall between N Korea and China (to keep the N Koreans out)

[saildog]

To be honest, I can't see China going against the Allies

They're kind of strange, but they're not stupid.

As long as they have North Korea, they can avoid direct confrontation until it becomes necessary (and it may never have to come to that). The more trouble North Korea makes for everyone else, the better it is for China.

That fence was built to block a possible influx of refugees as strong international sanctions have been enacted in response to Pyongyang's program to develop nuclear weapons. For its part, North Korea maintains their own fence....to keep their people in.

So, on one hand China encourages North Korea to give the West hell and on the other, they distance themselves for fear of North Korea going all rogue on China. It's a great strategy.

[Brazoo]

As long as they have North Korea, they can avoid direct confrontation until it becomes necessary (and it may never have to come to that). The more trouble North Korea makes for everyone else, the better it is for China.

That fence was built to block a possible influx of refugees as strong international sanctions have been enacted in response to Pyongyang's program to develop nuclear weapons. For its part, North Korea maintains their own fence....to keep their people in.

So, on one hand China encourages North Korea to give the West hell and on the other, they distance themselves for fear of North Korea going all rogue on China. It's a great strategy.

That's like, the most concise summary I've ever heard of that situation. Awesome.

[Bill]

When I was a kid the Jarvik Heart was the biggest medical breakthrough; now we're working on cybernetic prostheses.

[ctc]

>The EU, UK, US, Canada, Australia, Latin America and much of Asia will always be on the same side.

I dunno.... remember the “Coalition of the Willing?” I remember some bitterness towards Canada back then.... and “freedom fries.” Things can ALWAYS turn sour. Heck; look at the problems th EU is having with some of it’s more satellite members.... or the problems between certain US states and the rest of the country.

>no one even came close to predicting the really significant things that have shaped society now - like the internet

The web that time forgot - The New York Times

I think one of the problems we’ve run into is that technology gives us more of the same. Nobody’s had a really new idea for a LONG time. Even the internet didn’t give us anything NEW; just more of the old. Ebay used to be flea markets and yard sales, online comics were in the paper, blogs happened on break at work, and the archival websites were a library. Sure, there’s MORE of all these things now, and they’re more convenient.... but at their core they aren’t new.

The problem is that PEOPLE aren’t any different. Vast technology, and we use it for goofy stuff. Your computer probably has more computing power than the entire system that put a man on the moon; and what do we use it for? Downloading “Iron Man 2.” Most of the really utopian futures featured people who were different from us.... or any real people. They were more adjusted, more knowledgable, part of something bigger than themselves.... WE get into fights as to wether or not “Archie” is a more important part of comic book history than “Superman.” And Holee Smokes; watch the news and see what happens when a REAL issue comes up!

Don C.

[saildog]

I think one of the problems we’ve run into is that technology gives us more of the same. Nobody’s had a really new idea for a LONG time. Even the internet didn’t give us anything NEW; just more of the old. Ebay used to be flea markets and yard sales, online comics were in the paper, blogs happened on break at work, and the archival websites were a library. Sure, there’s MORE of all these things now, and they’re more convenient.... but at their core they aren’t new.

The problem is that PEOPLE aren’t any different. Vast technology, and we use it for goofy stuff. Your computer probably has more computing power than the entire system that put a man on the moon; and what do we use it for? Downloading “Iron Man 2.” Most of the really utopian futures featured people who were different from us.... or any real people. They were more adjusted, more knowledgable, part of something bigger than themselves.... WE get into fights as to wether or not “Archie” is a more important part of comic book history than “Superman.” And Holee Smokes; watch the news and see what happens when a REAL issue comes up!

Don C.

Where is the smiley indicating "you hit it on the nose"?

The theory of hypertext has existed since the 1940s. The internet was essentially operational in the late 1960s.

3G...4G....??? 1G was up and running in the late 1970s. Once that was established, the rest was just icing on the cake.

What has all of this given us?

Heck, two years ago, I made note of the fact that I was in a Mall filled with hundreds of people and every one of them seemed to be on the phone with someone outside of the place. Let one of them bump in to you and they will shout at you, the being that is occupying the same space and time, for having inconvenienced someone who is not even "present" when they themselves ran afoul of actual physical laws.

One of my best friends will spend 2/3 of his time in my presence on the phone with someone else. (All of our other friends have noticed this too, before you attribute it to me being boring. He just doesn't get the concept of a phone being for the convenience of the owner and if it is inconvenient for one to talk....you can be brief or call the other person back.)

[ctc]

>The theory of hypertext has existed since the 1940s. The internet was essentially operational in the late 1960s.

...and:

8 Online Fads You Didn't Know Were Invented Decades Ago | Cracked.com
11 Modern Technologies That Are Way Older Than You Think | Cracked.com

Don C.

[saildog]

8 Online Fads You Didn't Know Were Invented Decades Ago | Cracked.com

From the article:

"What? Now you're going to tell us people sat around in some primitive chat room before World War II or some ****? Oh Cracked, your rampaging alcoholism makes for the cutest factual errors. I shall take to the message boards to insult you from a distance without any repercussions."

[Mr.Krusher]

NOT my type of music, but this is for YOU Mikey and Cat -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r1SCu9yiBlo

Is this how YOU feel Mikey?

[Adam West]

I guess it is really widely adopted use of the technology rather than the technology itself.

Intel always has chips available with processing speeds that are 2 or 3 generations ahead the fastest computers commercially available. They don't bother releasing them instead squeezing every dime out of their current chip and allowing time for other technologies to catch up.

[Adam West]

As long as they have North Korea, they can avoid direct confrontation until it becomes necessary (and it may never have to come to that). The more trouble North Korea makes for everyone else, the better it is for China.

That fence was built to block a possible influx of refugees as strong international sanctions have been enacted in response to Pyongyang's program to develop nuclear weapons. For its part, North Korea maintains their own fence....to keep their people in.

So, on one hand China encourages North Korea to give the West hell and on the other, they distance themselves for fear of North Korea going all rogue on China. It's a great strategy.

Actually, the U.S. is probably glued to China's hip and vice versa than any other country. They own most of our debt at almost zero percent interest rates and we in turn are by far China's largest consumer of China imports. If China wanted to ruin us; they wouldn't have to do anything more than stop purchasing our debt and dump our T-bills on the world market. This would cause an economic collapse never witnessed in the history of the world. It is a bit of an economic cold war. Even though the thought is pretty scary; they would also cause the economic collapse of their country as well. I don't really think they care about North Korea other than just trying to maintain peace. At the end of the day, they would probably either step aside or assist us if war broke out again between North and South Korea.

[MIB41]

Debt wise, we are to China today what Germany was to the US after WWII. It's fairly sad.

[Brazoo]

I guess it is really widely adopted use of the technology rather than the technology itself.

Totally, and that's the significant thing when it comes down to it. The way the technology is used is the important thing, and that's not always fully realized.

Otlet anticipated one aspect of the internet, but the internet didn't even really take off for that reason. Even the people who guessed that the internet would be big didn't guess why it would be big.

The social and entertainment aspects of the internet - which actually fulfilled the long held belief that 'every home would have a computer' just evolved that way. That's why all the big companies were trumped by start ups in the 90s.

I think one of the problems we’ve run into is that technology gives us more of the same. Nobody’s had a really new idea for a LONG time. Even the internet didn’t give us anything NEW; just more of the old. Ebay used to be flea markets and yard sales, online comics were in the paper, blogs happened on break at work, and the archival websites were a library. Sure, there’s MORE of all these things now, and they’re more convenient.... but at their core they aren’t new.

The problem is that PEOPLE aren’t any different. Vast technology, and we use it for goofy stuff. Your computer probably has more computing power than the entire system that put a man on the moon; and what do we use it for? Downloading “Iron Man 2.” Most of the really utopian futures featured people who were different from us.... or any real people. They were more adjusted, more knowledgable, part of something bigger than themselves.... WE get into fights as to wether or not “Archie” is a more important part of comic book history than “Superman.” And Holee Smokes; watch the news and see what happens when a REAL issue comes up!

Don C.

I really believe that the Internet Age is as important to shaping society as the Industrial Age was.

How has it made me different?

I haven't even talked to 50% of my clients on the phone, and only met a few face to face. Most of the work I do now is related to advertising online. The expansion of social networks allowed my brother to meet the woman he married. I keep in contact with family and friends who live around the planet. I have social groups and online friends who I talk to almost daily, but have never met in the old-world sense. I'm privy to concepts and philosophies totally outside my cultural boundaries all the time now... The list goes on.

Sure communication isn't a new thing - but I'd argue that our concept of communication is totally alien to what it was 25 years ago.

[ctc]

>I'd argue that our concept of communication is totally alien to what it was 25 years ago.

I dunno, considering how much of online communication isn't full communication. We miss a lot of cues, and don't form a lot of connection online like we would in person. Plus; a lot of them relationships tend to be "all business," interaction of a limited sort. Like we would have with folks waiting in line at the checkout, or at the bus stop. We THINK we're connected, but we really aren't.

7 Reasons the 21st Century is Making You Miserable | Cracked.com

Don C.

[saildog]

Sure communication isn't a new thing - but I'd argue that our concept of communication is totally alien to what it was 25 years ago.

I think the key word is information and the ease at which it can be gathered or exchanged.

Information is asymmetrical. It was overwhelmingly in the hands of the experts and they could always use it to their advantage... from politics to life insurance policies (among many other things).

Information is still asymmetrical, but it is a lot less so across a broad range of things. If one is willing to wade through it all, much of it is at our fingertips now and we can educate ourselves about things like real estate markets, used car history, the best rate available for a loan, shady businesses, etc. Heck, on a daily basis, members come to this board and ask, "Has anyone every purchased from (fill in the blank)?" or "What is the best service for (fill in the blank)?".

Having information so readily available has created a very different economy and, for the time being, has shifted a lot information from the hands of the haves to the have nots.