Living Room of the Future (From 1979) | Hacker News Reader

Living Room of the Future (From 1979)

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9 pointsedw51912 comments

Aside from the robot to bring me beer, this is one of the best prediction-sets I've seen. I shop online at Peapod for groceries, and I'm scanning some docs to email to my accountant, so the "mail-slot" is about right too. Although, looks like they're predicting this for 1989, so they were a little optimistic. The funny thing is that this seemed wild and futuristic then, and now it's just mundane.

I try and maintain my sense of wonder...

Weren't faxes around in 1989? That's what the mailslot really is.

It mentions the mailslot displaying things on a "screen."

in japan they have a robot to bring you beer. http://www.ohgizmo.com/2006/01/26/asahis-beer-pouring-robots...

so everything is complete. job accomplished, now if only we had all of the things they predicted in the 80's that would be around by 2020, like robo-cop, and hoverboards.

http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48816

Anything related to technology is surprisingly accurate.

Anything realted to style or culture is hilarious (check out his outfit & the drink robot).

Agreed. Why is every future always depicted with us suddenly losing all fashion sense and running around in unitards with dorky boots? Its a problem that's plagued sci-fi and futurology since at least the 20's as far as I can tell.

My vision of the future is that we've enabled such accurate control of our environments and such precise manipulation of our genes that we are all naked, all of the time, and its OK.

"Agreed. Why is every future always depicted with us suddenly losing all fashion sense and running around in unitards with dorky boots?"

Is it that far off from everyone hanging out in jogging outfits or other "athletic" apparel, and overpriced sneakers, whether or not engaged in any actual athletic activity?

I figure about as far off as Bermuda shorts are from Speedos.

And dang it, where's my flying car?

Well, they did nail the cookie-cutter suburbs and perv catching his neighbours on video.

Are they wireless headphones I see as well? Genius.

1989

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