# Experiments that failed in the late 60s **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 5, 2005, 9:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/experiments-that-failed-in-the-late-60s/302511 "2005-05-05T09:42:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ccwaterback](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@ccwaterback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ccwaterback)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2005, 9:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/experiments-that-failed-in-the-late-60s/302511/1 "2005-05-05T09:42:59Z")
There were lots of bizarre things going on in the late 60s. Can anyone remember things people did back then that just kind of fizzled out? ---
**Author:** ![ccwaterback](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@ccwaterback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ccwaterback)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2005, 9:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/experiments-that-failed-in-the-late-60s/302511/2 "2005-05-05T09:49:41Z")
Maybe the big “fro” hairdos? I remember guys (white and black) having “froes” that stuck out nearly 3 feet off their head in every direction. This was of little concern until they sat directly in front of you at a concert. :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Askance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/askance/32/8281_2.png) [@Askance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askance)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2005, 9:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/experiments-that-failed-in-the-late-60s/302511/3 "2005-05-05T09:59:30Z")
[The 'fro](http://www.nzherald.co.nz/index.cfm?c_id=29&ObjectID=10111584) will never die! ---
**Author:** ![jabiru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/bbce88/32.png) [@jabiru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jabiru)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2005, 10:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/experiments-that-failed-in-the-late-60s/302511/4 "2005-05-05T10:05:00Z")
You don’t see many people dancing the Twist these days. ---
**Author:** ![mamboman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecb155/32.png) [@mamboman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mamboman)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2005, 10:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/experiments-that-failed-in-the-late-60s/302511/5 "2005-05-05T10:07:58Z")
> [@ccwaterback](#): > > There were lots of bizarre things going on in the late 60s. Can anyone remember things people did back then that just kind of fizzled out? Didn’t they try peace and love in the late 60’s. That kinda fizzled out… 😉 Seriously, How about going to the moon? They don’t do that no more, either… Also, Communes have sorta got a bad rap in the last thrity years. But 1969-1973, seemes like everyone was heading down to Nimbin and Mullimbimby (I’m in Australia, so chose your own Hippy commune equivalent) to get it together away from the Man. Also, the concept of “The Revolution”. Back in '68,'69, there was always a Revolution coming down. I musta missed it. mm ---
**Author:** ![ccwaterback](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@ccwaterback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ccwaterback)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2005, 11:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/experiments-that-failed-in-the-late-60s/302511/6 "2005-05-05T11:44:23Z")
How about the way Arlo was talking at Woodstock? Like I was rapping to the fuzz, man, can you dig it? ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2005, 12:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/experiments-that-failed-in-the-late-60s/302511/7 "2005-05-05T12:04:05Z")
Maybe it just morphed into something more subtle, or got shifted right into the fringes, but the whole Flying-Car/Kitchen-Of-Tomorrow style of dreamy idealist futurism seemed to sort of fizzle out sometime in the 60s ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2005, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/experiments-that-failed-in-the-late-60s/302511/8 "2005-05-05T14:18:22Z")
Socialism. ---
**Author:** ![Terminus\_Est](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terminus_est/32/3087_2.png) [@Terminus\_Est](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terminus_Est)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2005, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/experiments-that-failed-in-the-late-60s/302511/9 "2005-05-05T14:28:55Z")
Exploring the Marianas Trench. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2005, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/experiments-that-failed-in-the-late-60s/302511/10 "2005-05-05T14:35:48Z")
> [@mamboman](#): > > Also, Communes have sorta got a bad rap in the last thrity years. But 1969-1973, seemes like everyone was heading down to Nimbin and Mullimbimby (I’m in Australia, so chose your own Hippy commune equivalent) to get it together away from the Man. There was an episode of _Veronica Mars_ where a high-school kid joined a commune. Everybody assumed it was a mind-controlling, drug-enhanced bad thing just waiting to explode, and it turns out it was just a bunch of peaceful, health- and sanity-oriented people living together with a common purpose. No drugs, no illegal activity, just a healthy, nurturing, growth-fostering place to live. It was really weird. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2005, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/experiments-that-failed-in-the-late-60s/302511/11 "2005-05-05T14:40:40Z")
In his book **The Existential Pleasures of Engineering** , samuel C. Floram mentions **Fluidics** and **Corfam** , among others. Fluidics was an engineering discipline in which you used shaped conduits to control the flow of wate. It was analogous to electronics, and you could build oscillators and amplifiers, just as in electronics. There were books written about it. Until recently there was still a neat “hands-on” exhibit at the Boston Museum of Science about it. The field failed becasuse it was a lot slower than electronics, you couldn’t miniaturize it, and it had no obvious applications. Se here: [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fluidics](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fluidics) [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fluidic\_logic](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fluidic_logic) Corfam: [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corfam](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corfam) Kinda reminds you of the **Edsel** , but that was the 1950s ---
**Author:** ![kidchameleon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/898d66/32.png) [@kidchameleon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kidchameleon)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2005, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/experiments-that-failed-in-the-late-60s/302511/12 "2005-05-05T14:46:54Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > Kinda reminds you of the **Edsel** , but that was the 1950s WHen did they try to replace the steering wheel with two smaller wheels on armrests? Was that the 60s? I remember seeing a little ad about that. ---
**Author:** ![Labdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/439d5e/32.png) [@Labdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labdad)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2005, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/experiments-that-failed-in-the-late-60s/302511/13 "2005-05-05T15:06:44Z")
[4-track tape players!](http://www.8trackheaven.com/4track.html) ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2005, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/experiments-that-failed-in-the-late-60s/302511/14 "2005-05-05T16:25:55Z")
The Chrysler turbine engine Pushbutton automatic transmissions (I had one and I loved it – no idea why it didn’t catch on.) LSD as a theraputic drug Etiquette lessons – all those “dance lessons” our parents made us take were really designed to teach adolescents how to behave in polite society, not to teach us how to do the fox trot. Planned communities – although the idea seems to be making a comeback Cars that turned into airplanes, or boats or some other form of transportation Children’s clothes that were simply a smaller version of adult clothes Adult bicycles that were simply larger versions of children’s bikes Monorails and moving sidewalks – Yes, there are still a few around but they have disappeared into niche uses ---
**Author:** ![iamthewalrus\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/258eb7/32.png) [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2005, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/experiments-that-failed-in-the-late-60s/302511/15 "2005-05-05T17:05:39Z")
> [@Terminus Est](#): > > Exploring the Marianas Trench. That was in the _ **early** _ 60s. ---
**Author:** ![ccwaterback](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@ccwaterback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ccwaterback)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2005, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/experiments-that-failed-in-the-late-60s/302511/16 "2005-05-05T17:30:05Z")
> [@kidchameleon](#): > > WHen did they try to replace the steering wheel with two smaller wheels on armrests? Was that the 60s? I remember seeing a little ad about that. I don’t remember that, but I do remember the push-button shifter. Instead of a gear shift there were push buttons on the dash. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2005, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/experiments-that-failed-in-the-late-60s/302511/17 "2005-05-05T17:56:26Z")
The idea that nobody is responsible for their actions, because it’s always society’s fault. ---
**Author:** ![ccwaterback](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@ccwaterback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ccwaterback)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2005, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/experiments-that-failed-in-the-late-60s/302511/18 "2005-05-05T18:07:21Z")
Macrobiotics. Whole Earth Catalogue. Incense. Patches. Happenings and Ins. ---
**Author:** ![Terminus\_Est](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terminus_est/32/3087_2.png) [@Terminus\_Est](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terminus_Est)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2005, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/experiments-that-failed-in-the-late-60s/302511/19 "2005-05-05T20:42:53Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > The idea that nobody is responsible for their actions, because it’s always society’s fault. Seems to me that this has been quite successful. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2005, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/experiments-that-failed-in-the-late-60s/302511/20 "2005-05-05T20:47:44Z")
I used to drive a Punch-O-Matic. '65 Dodge Dart. Didn’t come standard with seat belts, either, so I guess we can add “attempting to breed a generation of people successful at being thrown clear in case of accident.” [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/experiments-that-failed-in-the-late-60s/302511.md?page=2)