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It depends on whether this is a time-travel question, or a 'when would you rather be born' question. You wouldn't miss things that you don't know exist.

NickPollard 16y ago
That doesn't seem relevant though - you have to judge 2011 against 1973 based on the conditions of the time. In 500 BC I wouldn't know about vaccines so I wouldn't miss them, but that doesn't change the fact that living in a world with vaccines is a hell of a lot nicer.
- jhamburger 16y ago
  That works for vaccines but what about smartphones? Do they really make the world a hell of a lot nicer, or are they just inextricably tied into our lifestyles?
  - yummyfajitas 16y ago
    I truly enjoy having a large library in my pocket. My commute is a lot better with it than without it.
orangecat 16y ago
You wouldn't miss things that you don't know exist. I "miss" not having a heads-up display in my glasses or contacts or optic nerve, and not being able to prevent my body and mind from failing due to aging. I'd choose middle class in 2049 over rich in 2011 for the same reasons that I'd choose 2011 over 1973.
- jhamburger 16y ago
  Yes but you're talking about life-altering technology...That's the author's whole point, most of that stuff already happened by 1973. That's why he'd take 1973 instead of 1900 or whenever. We mostly live the same way now as we did in 1973, just with more gadgets. If you said "I miss not having holographic phones and VR porn" that would be a better example.
  - colomon 16y ago
    All I can say is, your life must be a hell of a lot different than mine. My job (writing programs used by people around the world, all from my home office in small city Michigan) could not have existed in 1973. Indeed, my house probably has computing power equivalent to that of a good-sized university of the time. A sizable percentage of the food I eat was not available anywhere outside of a Chinatown then. My favorite genre of games, role-playing games, had not yet been invented. Nor had the high blood pressure pills I take. The surgery I had at new year's would have meant days rather than hours in the hospital. And my son could never have been born. Life-altering? Hell yes.
- deleted 16y ago
  [deleted]

NickPollard 16y ago

That doesn't seem relevant though - you have to judge 2011 against 1973 based on the conditions of the time. In 500 BC I wouldn't know about vaccines so I wouldn't miss them, but that doesn't change the fact that living in a world with vaccines is a hell of a lot nicer.

jhamburger 16y ago
That works for vaccines but what about smartphones? Do they really make the world a hell of a lot nicer, or are they just inextricably tied into our lifestyles?
- yummyfajitas 16y ago
  I truly enjoy having a large library in my pocket. My commute is a lot better with it than without it.

orangecat 16y ago

You wouldn't miss things that you don't know exist. I "miss" not having a heads-up display in my glasses or contacts or optic nerve, and not being able to prevent my body and mind from failing due to aging. I'd choose middle class in 2049 over rich in 2011 for the same reasons that I'd choose 2011 over 1973.

jhamburger 16y ago
Yes but you're talking about life-altering technology...That's the author's whole point, most of that stuff already happened by 1973. That's why he'd take 1973 instead of 1900 or whenever. We mostly live the same way now as we did in 1973, just with more gadgets. If you said "I miss not having holographic phones and VR porn" that would be a better example.
- colomon 16y ago
  All I can say is, your life must be a hell of a lot different than mine. My job (writing programs used by people around the world, all from my home office in small city Michigan) could not have existed in 1973. Indeed, my house probably has computing power equivalent to that of a good-sized university of the time. A sizable percentage of the food I eat was not available anywhere outside of a Chinatown then. My favorite genre of games, role-playing games, had not yet been invented. Nor had the high blood pressure pills I take. The surgery I had at new year's would have meant days rather than hours in the hospital. And my son could never have been born. Life-altering? Hell yes.
deleted 16y ago
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