# 1993 AT&T "You Will" ads from AT&T
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1993-at-t-you-will-ads-from-at-t/520558
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
**Created:** [December 9, 2009, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1993-at-t-you-will-ads-from-at-t/520558 "2009-12-09T03:58:47Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Livardo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Livardo)
#### Post date: [December 9, 2009, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1993-at-t-you-will-ads-from-at-t/520558/1 "2009-12-09T03:58:47Z")
[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZb0avfQme8](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZb0avfQme8)
Fascinating to see what AT&T thought the future would be like. I think most everything in those commercials has come true.
Some comments about the predictions though:
- I think medical records are still pretty proprietary so you wouldn’t be carrying those in your wallet.
-“Sending a fax from the beach”. How the hell would I do that from my tablet through a Wifi connection? Hrmm… there are websites which offer fax services so I guess you could use those.
-Though the technology exists, seems like voice commands for common household tasks never really caught on.
I wonder what the “You Will” ad for 2009 would say?
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### Author:  [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)
#### Post date: [December 9, 2009, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1993-at-t-you-will-ads-from-at-t/520558/2 "2009-12-09T04:15:32Z")
> [@Livardo](#):
>
> Some comments about the predictions though:
>
> - I think medical records are still pretty proprietary so you wouldn’t be carrying those in your wallet.
[MedicTag](http://www.medictag.com/)
USB thumbdrive with emergency info/medical records.
Not sure how much it might help in the ER beyond allergies and conditions that would be on a MedicAlert tag.
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### Author:  [@Koxinga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Koxinga)
#### Post date: [December 9, 2009, 5:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1993-at-t-you-will-ads-from-at-t/520558/3 "2009-12-09T05:48:33Z")
> [@Livardo](#):
>
> - I think medical records are still pretty proprietary so you wouldn’t be carrying those in your wallet.
I carry my medical records in my wallet in the form of a government-issued IC card, as part of the National Health Insurance system.
Of course, I don’t live in the US. 😛
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### Author:  [@GameHat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GameHat)
#### Post date: [December 9, 2009, 6:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1993-at-t-you-will-ads-from-at-t/520558/4 "2009-12-09T06:23:22Z")
> [@Livardo](#):
>
> [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZb0avfQme8](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZb0avfQme8)
>
> Fascinating to see what AT&T thought the future would be like. I think most everything in those commercials has come true.
Ha! I remember these. Thanks for linking them, it’s fascinating to watch them again.
These are some of the better future predicitions I’ve ever seen. Most of what they claim has come true.
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### Author:  [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)
#### Post date: [December 9, 2009, 6:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1993-at-t-you-will-ads-from-at-t/520558/5 "2009-12-09T06:24:49Z")
Good god, I remember those commercials when they first aired. Has it really been almost 17 years?
While the predictions are close enough, some of them are pretty amusing in the representation. Like those huge CRT monitors. And a video phone booth? Who faxes anything anymore? I’m not so sure AT&T had much to do with some of those, either.
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### Author:  [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)
#### Post date: [December 9, 2009, 7:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1993-at-t-you-will-ads-from-at-t/520558/6 "2009-12-09T07:02:32Z")
:: video does not work on iPhone ::
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### Author:  [@Red\_Barchetta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Red_Barchetta)
#### Post date: [December 9, 2009, 7:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1993-at-t-you-will-ads-from-at-t/520558/7 "2009-12-09T07:27:26Z")
> [@Sunspace](#):
>
> :: video does not work on iPhone ::
Thanks AT&T!
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### Author:  [@picunurse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picunurse)
#### Post date: [December 9, 2009, 8:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1993-at-t-you-will-ads-from-at-t/520558/8 "2009-12-09T08:37:54Z")
WOW! I was in an AT&T commercial in 1990. I looked for it, but I guess it wasn’t interesting enough for You Tube.
I still have the tape they sent me. I was paid $47,000 over 2 years.
I wore a green sweater standing in front of a yellow building. My hair was red and short. I said, “I’ve always used AT&T because it’s always been easy.”
Does anyone remember me? 😃
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### Author:  [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)
#### Post date: [December 9, 2009, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1993-at-t-you-will-ads-from-at-t/520558/9 "2009-12-09T13:51:38Z")
I’ve just seen these again because I was watching episodes of MST3K that I’d taped back then. The Voice of Tom Selleck telling me what wonders the Phone Company is going to provide.
well, some of them were quite accurate. Too bad they couldn’t have predicted the future of the Phone Company itself with such accuracy. Since they made those ads Bell Labs in Holmdel, NJ has gone. And GTE Labs in Waltham, MA is now Verizon, and doesn’t do the research it used to.
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### Author:  [@Electric\_Warrior](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Electric_Warrior)
#### Post date: [December 9, 2009, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1993-at-t-you-will-ads-from-at-t/520558/10 "2009-12-09T15:02:12Z")
Video phones! I remember when I was a little kid in the 90’s, we were all certain these would be _everywhere_. Why didn’t they become the big thing everyone thought they would be? We definitely have the technology.
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### Author:  [@Livardo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Livardo)
#### Post date: [December 9, 2009, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1993-at-t-you-will-ads-from-at-t/520558/11 "2009-12-09T15:12:55Z")
> [@Electric\_Warrior](#):
>
> Video phones! I remember when I was a little kid in the 90’s, we were all certain these would be _everywhere_. Why didn’t they become the big thing everyone thought they would be? We definitely have the technology.
I think video phones are a nice concept but for the most part they’re not practical. For cell phones, people still want to be able to multitask while they’re having a phone conversation. When at home, you have the option of using your webcam to do the video thing.
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### Author:  [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)
#### Post date: [December 9, 2009, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1993-at-t-you-will-ads-from-at-t/520558/12 "2009-12-09T15:19:59Z")
I have a **Life** magazine from 1984 (\*The Beatles in America \*issue) that has a 2-page AT&T advertisement. It has the tag line “AT&T IS REACHING OUT IN NEW DIRECTIONS”. In the ad they brag about mass-producing the first 256K memory chip.
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### Author:  [@BellRungBookShut-CandleSnuffed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BellRungBookShut-CandleSnuffed)
#### Post date: [December 9, 2009, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1993-at-t-you-will-ads-from-at-t/520558/13 "2009-12-09T15:42:26Z")
> [@Livardo](#):
>
> I think video phones are a nice concept but for the most part they’re not practical. For cell phones, people still want to be able to multitask while they’re having a phone conversation. When at home, you have the option of using your webcam to do the video thing.
They have cell phones that make video calls. But I see your point.
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### Author:  [@Ellen\_Cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellen_Cherry)
#### Post date: [December 9, 2009, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1993-at-t-you-will-ads-from-at-t/520558/14 "2009-12-09T15:48:34Z")
> [@picunurse](#):
>
> WOW! I was in an AT&T commercial in 1990. I looked for it, but I guess it wasn’t interesting enough for You Tube.
>
> I still have the tape they sent me. I was paid $47,000 over 2 years.
>
> I wore a green sweater standing in front of a yellow building. My hair was red and short. I said, “I’ve always used AT&T because it’s always been easy.”
>
> Does anyone remember me? 😃
Put it on YouTube, woman!
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### Author:  [@picunurse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picunurse)
#### Post date: [December 9, 2009, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1993-at-t-you-will-ads-from-at-t/520558/15 "2009-12-09T16:38:16Z")
> [@Ellen\_Cherry](#):
>
> Put it on YouTube, woman!
I would but I don’t know how! ☹ Also, I don’t have the equipment to convert VHS to… whatever I’d have to convert it to. I’m old, and lucky I can get on the 'net.:rolleyes:
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### Author:  [@E-Sabbath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-Sabbath)
#### Post date: [December 9, 2009, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1993-at-t-you-will-ads-from-at-t/520558/16 "2009-12-09T17:02:22Z")
> [@Livardo](#):
>
> -“Sending a fax from the beach”. How the hell would I do that from my tablet through a Wifi connection? Hrmm… there are websites which offer fax services so I guess you could use those.
Actually set that up for someone this weekend. You can do it through a cellphone camera. (They’re a Riverkeeper.)
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### Author:  [@E-Sabbath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-Sabbath)
#### Post date: [December 9, 2009, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1993-at-t-you-will-ads-from-at-t/520558/17 "2009-12-09T17:04:06Z")
> [@picunurse](#):
>
> I wore a green sweater standing in front of a yellow building. My hair was red and short. I said, “I’ve always used AT&T because it’s always been easy.”
>
> Does anyone remember me? 😃
I think so. Because, er, if you’re female, we edited it to say ‘I’ve always been easy’.
Ah, high school humor.
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### Author:  [@RndmTaco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RndmTaco)
#### Post date: [December 9, 2009, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1993-at-t-you-will-ads-from-at-t/520558/18 "2009-12-09T17:14:51Z")
> [@cmyk](#):
>
> I’m not so sure AT&T had much to do with some of those, either.
That’s actually the first thing that came to my mind when I watched this! Besides the first thought of “AT&T can’t possibly do ALL of these things”, that’s almost scarily accurate of today’s world.
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### Author:  [@picunurse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picunurse)
#### Post date: [December 9, 2009, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1993-at-t-you-will-ads-from-at-t/520558/19 "2009-12-09T17:23:41Z")
> [@E-Sabbath](#):
>
> I think so. Because, er, if you’re female, we edited it to say ‘I’ve always been easy’.
>
> Ah, high school humor.
Hey, I grew up in the '60s 😃
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### Author:  [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)
#### Post date: [December 9, 2009, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1993-at-t-you-will-ads-from-at-t/520558/20 "2009-12-09T18:41:58Z")
> [@Livardo](#):
>
> I think video phones are a nice concept but for the most part they’re not practical. For cell phones, people still want to be able to multitask while they’re having a phone conversation. When at home, you have the option of using your webcam to do the video thing.
Videoconferencing can be useful - at work or school - but you have to set it up for multiple participants at each location as well as visuals.
The picturephone concept was always one-face-to-one-face, which was its major failure. Same with the early attempts at TV, although the phone people apparently didn’t know/care - perhaps _because_ Bell Labs had been involved in TV back then and wasn’t anxious to own up to it years later.
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