# "Things Babies Born in 2011 Will Never Know" **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 18, 2011, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-babies-born-in-2011-will-never-know/568040 "2011-01-18T03:24:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Cluricaun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/bb73d2/32.png) [@Cluricaun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cluricaun)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2011, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-babies-born-in-2011-will-never-know/568040/61 "2011-01-19T03:09:20Z")
My first GPS cost well over $400 and it was clunky and slow. I didn’t mind because they’re amazing. They’re the culmination of every single scientific discovery ever made, and they can tell you where to drive your car. Four years later and they’re smaller, faster and nearly cheap enough to be sold in blister packs at gas stations. And after you buy the unit the service is free. Truly incredible stuff. By the time kids born this year are old enough to drive there will hardly be a car on the road without one, and could well assist in driving the car itself. ---
**Author:** ![Nobody](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/94ad74/32.png) [@Nobody](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nobody)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2011, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-babies-born-in-2011-will-never-know/568040/62 "2011-01-19T03:10:24Z")
> [@Martin\_Hyde](#): > > Phones these days either have legitimate GPS receivers in them, in which case they know all those things because the receiver is constantly updating its position via the satellite above and the software handles things like distance/speed/direction (just like for a dedicated GPS), or they have triangulation systems which try to do roughly the same thing via triangulating your position based on signals bouncing off of cellphone towers. > > My understanding is most newer smartphones use dedicated GPS radios while older and cheaper phones use triangulation because it doesn’t require any additional hardware in the device itself. I feel silly now. I always thought that GPSs were installed in the car and got their information (moving or still, speed, and direction) from it :smack:. ---
**Author:** ![Cluricaun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/bb73d2/32.png) [@Cluricaun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cluricaun)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2011, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-babies-born-in-2011-will-never-know/568040/63 "2011-01-19T03:11:40Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > You can do all of those things simultaneously with an Android phone. Hell, mine is the \*original \*Android phone (currently running v. 1.6) and can do that. And Google Maps Navigation never needs updating and the GPS locator is more accurate than any standalone GPS I’ve seen. Such is the life of an early adopter. Six more months and I can get a better phone than the iPhone I’m typing this on now. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2011, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-babies-born-in-2011-will-never-know/568040/64 "2011-01-19T03:14:20Z")
> [@Nobody](#): > > I feel silly now. I always thought that GPSs were installed in the car and got their information (moving or still, speed, and direction) from it :smack:. Inbuilt (factory-installed) GPS units sometimes do incorporate data from the onboard computer. It’s a redundant function, though; just keeps things vaguely accurate in the event of signal loss. Smartphone GPS applications do the same thing using an accelerometer and compass. ---
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2011, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-babies-born-in-2011-will-never-know/568040/65 "2011-01-19T04:21:56Z")
> [@Severynn](#): > > Funny, I came across this thread after watching this: [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gdSHeKfZG7c](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gdSHeKfZG7c) . It’s a cute video showing children’s reactions to older technology. I’m trying to avoid making a joke about the black kids being the ones that figured out how to “scratch” the record… ---
**Author:** ![Nobody](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/94ad74/32.png) [@Nobody](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nobody)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2011, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-babies-born-in-2011-will-never-know/568040/66 "2011-01-19T04:25:11Z")
OK, I typed something earlier that isn’t showing up. I hope that the hamsters just ate it instead of the alternative that I posted it in another thread. :o ETA: Looking around, I didn’t see it in other posts, so I guess the hamsters did eat it. No biggie, it was kind of a hijack anyway. Kind of like this post. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Onomatopoeia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/onomatopoeia/32/4145_2.png) [@Onomatopoeia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Onomatopoeia)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2011, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-babies-born-in-2011-will-never-know/568040/67 "2011-01-19T14:53:19Z")
> [@Cluricaun](#): > > Because if you can’t afford a GPS you probably don’t have a smarphone? :dubious: You have a point, I guess. Although I see a smart phone as more of a necessity than a luxury these days. > [@Cluricaun](#): > > I agree with you for sure, but the GPS feature on my iPhone is a battery killer, and having a dedicated GPS lets me yap on the phone or play music at the same time if need be, plus it’s mounted on my dash which is easier to see. I can listen to Music and take a call at the same time my GPS is running on my Droid X. I also have a dashboard mount for it, so I’m not holding the phone whether playing music, taking a call, or responding to the vocalized GPS navigation instructions. One thing I do find strange is if I’m listening to music and a call comes in, my Droid X automatically pauses the music, and resumes when I end the call, which is great. However, if I’m on a call, and the GPS in my phone comes to a location where a change in direction is required, it will vocalize the instruction (e.g., “turn left in 100 yards onto Main Street…now turn left”) as I’m speaking on the phone, which can be a little disconcerting. Yes, yes, I know I shouldn’t be on the phone while driving. ---
**Author:** ![Onomatopoeia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/onomatopoeia/32/4145_2.png) [@Onomatopoeia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Onomatopoeia)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2011, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-babies-born-in-2011-will-never-know/568040/68 "2011-01-19T15:04:27Z")
> [@VernWinterbottom](#): > > A printed map, though, can show you the locations of things your not specifically looking for, as well as showing you the geographical relationship between, say, the museum you’re visiting, groups of local shops and restaurants, the zoo and the beach. Paper maps do much more than get one from point A to point B. Google Navigation does this on my Droid X with something called Layers. It will show me restaurants, gas stations, ATMs/banks, and parking lots along my route if I choose to display them. It will even give me current traffic conditions, and suggest alternate routes, something a paper map cannot do. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2011, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-babies-born-in-2011-will-never-know/568040/69 "2011-01-19T15:52:01Z")
> [@Onomatopoeia](#): > > One thing I do find strange is if I’m listening to music and a call comes in, my Droid X automatically pauses the music, and resumes when I end the call, which is great. However, if I’m on a call, and the GPS in my phone comes to a location where a change in direction is required, it will vocalize the instruction (e.g., “turn left in 100 yards onto Main Street…now turn left”) as I’m speaking on the phone, which can be a little disconcerting. Yes, yes, I know I shouldn’t be on the phone while driving. Buried somewhere deep in the system settings (at least in v1.6) is a toggle that allows you to shut off all other speaker functions during a call. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2011, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-babies-born-in-2011-will-never-know/568040/70 "2011-01-19T17:03:50Z")
> [@Onomatopoeia](#): > > You have a point, I guess. Although I see a smart phone as more of a necessity than a luxury these days. Ha! You’re funny. ---
**Author:** ![Onomatopoeia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/onomatopoeia/32/4145_2.png) [@Onomatopoeia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Onomatopoeia)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2011, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-babies-born-in-2011-will-never-know/568040/71 "2011-01-19T17:06:34Z")
> [@saoirse](#): > > And bear in mid we’re talking about children born this year. Most of them won’t have their own smartphones until at least 2014. I laughed. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Onomatopoeia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/onomatopoeia/32/4145_2.png) [@Onomatopoeia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Onomatopoeia)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2011, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-babies-born-in-2011-will-never-know/568040/72 "2011-01-19T17:10:58Z")
> [@Justin\_Bailey](#): > > Ha! You’re funny. I’m a fogey but, believe me, I am absolutely hooked. I do everything but have sex with my Droid X. My wife is just as enamored with her Incredible. ---
**Author:** ![Bootis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e8c25b/32.png) [@Bootis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bootis)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2011, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-babies-born-in-2011-will-never-know/568040/73 "2011-01-19T17:20:49Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > 2-D hand drawn animated feature films. I predict these will make a comeback in like 20 years, people will get bored of perfect 3d and the analog warmth of hand drawn animation will be a welcomed retro trend for a while. ---
**Author:** ![Onomatopoeia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/onomatopoeia/32/4145_2.png) [@Onomatopoeia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Onomatopoeia)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2011, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-babies-born-in-2011-will-never-know/568040/74 "2011-01-19T17:25:26Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Buried somewhere deep in the system settings (at least in v1.6) is a toggle that allows you to shut off all other speaker functions during a call. According to the Droid forums, this is a known issue with the Droid X for which there is currently no resolution or, if there is one, no one seems to know it. Unrelated: I just noticed a setting in my phone that will cause it to auto answer when a call comes in. I love this! I will never have to touch my phone when I’m in the car again. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2011, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-babies-born-in-2011-will-never-know/568040/75 "2011-01-19T17:53:01Z")
Clearly, you don’t have a mother in law. ---
**Author:** ![Philster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/13edae/32.png) [@Philster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philster)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2011, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-babies-born-in-2011-will-never-know/568040/76 "2011-01-19T19:51:56Z")
> [@Onomatopoeia](#): > > According to the Droid forums, this is a known issue with the Droid X for which there is currently no resolution or, if there is one, no one seems to know it. > > Unrelated: I just noticed a setting in my phone that will cause it to auto answer when a call comes in. I love this! I will never have to touch my phone when I’m in the car again. 🙂 Kids born today might never know this level of optimism and cheery attitude. . ---
**Author:** ![Onomatopoeia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/onomatopoeia/32/4145_2.png) [@Onomatopoeia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Onomatopoeia)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2011, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-babies-born-in-2011-will-never-know/568040/77 "2011-01-19T20:10:53Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Clearly, you don’t have a mother in law. I do, but it’s a challenge for her to point out my apparently endless list of faults from the grave. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Filbert](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/filbert/32/3433_2.png) [@Filbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Filbert)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2011, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-babies-born-in-2011-will-never-know/568040/78 "2011-01-19T20:11:45Z")
I really can’t see books going completely. Your kid is learning to read, which do you give them- an 8-page waterproof and chewable book you bought for a few bucks, or a kindle? I don’t have kids, but I don’t know any I’d trust under at least the age of 10 or so with something that valuable and potentially breakable. Plus, I just like books, they feel nice, they’re fun to browse, you can pass them on to other people, and second hand they’re certainly cheap enough! We’re still going to get out of touch with some people- not everyone will join social networks, and they’ll delete accounts- some of my friends have done so after nasty break-ups or just out of irritatation or to avoid people. We’re not going to change everyone’s personality in one generation. Hey, I’m sure everyone my age was supposed to have a TV in their room as a kid- but we didn’t have one in the house. Still don’t, and neither do my parents… 😃 ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2011, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-babies-born-in-2011-will-never-know/568040/79 "2011-01-20T02:53:51Z")
Must agree with my compatriot **KarlGrenze** that there is a presumption there that all those “2011 babies” are upper-middle-class industrial-world types. Advantage #1 of paper-based books, news/magazines, maps… heck, of wind-up watches: no battery, no problem. > [@panache45](#): > > Most kinds of invasive surgery will be obsolete. > > Dentures. > > Eyeglasses. > > Possibly obesity. Really? So soon that by the time someone born in 2011 reaches adulthood they’ll be as exotic to him/her as, say, rickets are to a 21 year-old American today? These sound more like things that Cohort 2011 may see fall off and go away in their lifetimes, that things “they will never know”, barring some major epochal development while they are still children. Obesity may be controlled and reduced by the time they grow up but they will know obese people growing up. There will still be conditions a generation from now for which you’ll have to go deep into a body and cut or zap or pinch or replace or repair something. Now, these may be _less-invasive_ methods so they don’t have to “cut you open” like a hog, so yes, most current methods will likely be obsolete, but it’s still invading your insides. Most of these kids may have good enough oral health to not get dentures or be familiar with their everyday use, but, some sort of full-dentition prosthetic appliance will always have to be available, not everyone will be able to have implants. This may be IMO the one that would most likely elicit a _“wait, they actually DO that?”_ response from the '11 generation of first-worlders. As for eyeglasses, my life expectancy barring catastrophic events goes at least to the late 2030s/early 2040s, so these babies born today will make it to 30 seeing the spectacles on my face and I’m only one of millions – many of the 2011 kids will themselves be wearing glasses before 2021. Again, not everyone is a suitable candidate for refractocorrective surgery or contacts. ---
**Author:** ![Kilmore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/a6a055/32.png) [@Kilmore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kilmore)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2011, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-babies-born-in-2011-will-never-know/568040/80 "2011-01-20T04:55:55Z")
How about gasoline engines for automobiles? They’ll know them as children, but for how long? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-babies-born-in-2011-will-never-know/568040.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-babies-born-in-2011-will-never-know/568040.md?page=5)