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It might be the names: A C64 was a PC (sensu latu) and the latest Dell/Compaq octo-core gaming rig is a PC, so same-same. Name hasn't changed, so the massive t
by cbd1984 12y ago
It might be the names:
A C64 was a PC (sensu latu) and the latest Dell/Compaq octo-core gaming rig is a PC, so same-same. Name hasn't changed, so the massive technical advance is hidden.
The BBS networks were networks and the Internet is a network, so they're the same. Never mind the fact BBS networks were lucky to get email across the country in a few days whereas Internet users can chat real-time with full voice and video around the world.
Cell phones existed in 1985. Cell phones exist now. Guess which devices can access global databases in a fraction of a second and which devices were bags which had handsets wired to them so people could make and receive phone calls from their cars!! Again, though, the name remains the same.
People in 1985 had cheap cameras. People in 2015 have... cell phones.
People in 1985 had little black books with phone numbers in them. People in 2015 have... cell phones.
People in 1985 had really nifty digital watches. People in 2015 have... cell phones.
(Really, though, the fact cell phones have kept the same name is pretty amazing, given how radically the devices themselves have changed.)
- dragonwriter 12y ago> People in 1985 had really nifty digital watches. People in 2015 have... cell phones. ...synced to really nifty digital watches.
- agumonkey 12y agoMy friend had a Casio watch that could control his VCR. To this day no wearable can control his VCR.
- derekp7 12y agoMaybe not his specific VCR, but I found out that Roku has a remote control app (controls it over wifi). But you just gave me a great product idea. Wifi accessible infra red remote controls that you'd mount in various rooms in the house that contain IR-remote controlled objects (TVs, ceiling fans, etc) along with an app to control them from your handheld.
- _djo_ 12y agoThe Pebble watch can control Plex, VLC, XBMC and the WDTV over WiFi: https://github.com/Skipstone/Skipstone https://github.com/Skipstone/Skipstone
- chipsy 12y agoCost makes all the difference. In the 1980's, a long-distance phone call was still a big expense. Being in a big city like New York gave you substantially more access to information than being in the rural USA. Knowledge of skills and techniques were siloed within big firms and academia, and sourcing goods would require the discovery of either local retail, or a phone or mail-order service. It's astounding that anything got done with such high costs of doing business. Now we think nothing of calling somewhere, as long as somewhere is "within civilization" - even if it's a materially poor, remote area. It's easy to find goods online, even relatively obscure ones. And if we have a question about a specialized field, we can usually find some online source that can point us in the right direction. What we haven't really done yet is reorganize the economy to make good use of all these new efficiencies. We still manufacture and market as before, just using some additional channels.