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Community => General Discussion => Topic started by: Pugnate on Sunday, November 11, 2007, 11:17:57 PM

Title: Predictions that didn't come true.
Post by: Pugnate on Sunday, November 11, 2007, 11:17:57 PM
http://www.2spare.com/item_50221.aspx

To be fair, some of those didn't come true till many years later.
Title: Re: Predictions that didn't come true.
Post by: Ghandi on Sunday, November 11, 2007, 11:38:43 PM
Interesting list!

I disagree with this one, though, by Darwin -"I see no good reasons why the views given in this volume should shock the religious sensibilities of anyone." Despite the fact that religious sensibilities may have been shocked, there's no reason to assume that Darwin may have thought them good reasons. :)
Title: Re: Predictions that didn't come true.
Post by: idolminds on Sunday, November 11, 2007, 11:54:53 PM
Quote
«Dear Mr. President: The canal system of this country is being threatened by a new form of transportation known as 'railroads' ... As you may well know, Mr. President, 'railroad' carriages are pulled at the enormous speed of 15 miles per hour by 'engines' which, in addition to endangering life and limb of passengers, roar and snort their way through the countryside, setting fire to crops, scaring the livestock and frightening women and children. The Almighty certainly never intended that people should travel at such breakneck speed.»
Martin Van Buren, Governor of New York, 1830(?).
Oh man, thats awesome.
Title: Re: Predictions that didn't come true.
Post by: Quemaqua on Monday, November 12, 2007, 01:27:37 AM
That's the best thing I've ever read.
Title: Re: Predictions that didn't come true.
Post by: WindAndConfusion on Monday, November 12, 2007, 01:28:57 AM
Several of those quotations I know to be wrong. The rest, I suspect are wrong.
Title: Re: Predictions that didn't come true.
Post by: Quemaqua on Monday, November 12, 2007, 01:33:17 AM
Several of my quotations I know to be wrong. The rest, I suspect are wrong.
Title: Re: Predictions that didn't come true.
Post by: NatchDan on Monday, November 12, 2007, 02:05:43 AM
Read most of those before, but fun nonetheless.
Title: Re: Predictions that didn't come true.
Post by: Cobra951 on Monday, November 12, 2007, 10:17:36 AM
Quote
«This antitrust thing will blow over.»
Bill Gates, founder of Microsoft.

What's so wrong about that one?  I think it's right on the money, literally.  Microsoft was never broken up or sanctioned in any meaningful way.

Edit:
Quote
«There is no reason anyone would want a computer in their home.»
Ken Olson, president, chairman and founder of Digital Equipment Corp. (DEC), maker of big business mainframe computers, arguing against the PC in 1977.

That's simply pathetic.  The Radio Shack TRS-80 came out during that time frame, and it was a toy every geek wanted at Ohio State U.

Edit 2:  A complete OT tangent caused by the above, I had this mechanical computer (http://www.oldcomputermuseum.com/digicomp_1.html) as a kid.  It was a plastic kit you put together.  It's a mechanical digital computer with a 3-digit readout (also mechanical, 000-111, or 0-7 decimal).  You are the "CPU" clock.  You move a lever left and right until the thing stops changing states.  It was programmed with plastic rods on pegs.  I ended up destroying this thing stupidly.  I wish I still had it.

Much-better picture (http://www.retrothing.com/2006/02/build_your_own_.html), although I think this is a reproduction.

LOL!  Yeah, that's a high-quality reproduction that sells for $49 in kit form.  I think I may want to track it down.