# We may not have flying cars, but technology is pretty damn incredible **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 16, 2011, 9:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-may-not-have-flying-cars-but-technology-is-pretty-damn-incredible/596504 "2011-09-16T09:50:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2011, 9:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-may-not-have-flying-cars-but-technology-is-pretty-damn-incredible/596504/1 "2011-09-16T09:50:14Z")
Dues to a combination of inertia, apathy and penury I came late to the smartphone party. I now have an iPhone (this is not meant to be an Apple fawning thread, BTW, I’m sure other smartphones are equally as whizzy), and wow, the future happened while I wasn’t looking! I can make a video phone call, that actually works and sounds like a proper phone call, while wandering around London. I can point my phone at a star in the night sky and see what it is, instantly (Jupiter, it turns out, not a star at all!). Or if I see an aeroplane flying over I can find out which flight it is, where it’s going, how high and how fast. I can cycle out into the woods and see precisely where I am on a large-scale Ordnance Survey map, as well as see the exact track I’ve taken. I can instantly access a folder of files, photos, videos etc that’s sitting on my PC at home. I can record an HD video of my baby daughter in hospital and email it to my mum in seconds. And of course I can wear my finger to a nub playing Fruit Ninja. I know none of this stuff is especially new, but if I haven’t seen it, it’s new to me. The human race is capable of being incredibly dumb but it sure can come up with some clever shit too! 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![Cicero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cicero/32/3594_2.png) [@Cicero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cicero)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2011, 9:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-may-not-have-flying-cars-but-technology-is-pretty-damn-incredible/596504/2 "2011-09-16T09:52:09Z")
You make it sound like I should trade in my steam powered model. It makes calls and texts and I think it has a camera. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2011, 9:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-may-not-have-flying-cars-but-technology-is-pretty-damn-incredible/596504/3 "2011-09-16T09:59:36Z")
Yeah, I agree. My iPhone never leaves my side. I surf the Dope and other sites with it. I use the camera to take quick snapshots and enhance the photos I take. I can use the map and compass to plan a trip and find my way around. I play Monopoly on it. It’s my main music player. I use it to wake me in the morning by playing MP3s from my playlists. I can watch on demand movies and TV shows on it. I almost feel like George Jetson. Oh, and I make phone calls on it. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Sudden\_Kestrel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecd19e/32.png) [@Sudden\_Kestrel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sudden_Kestrel)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2011, 10:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-may-not-have-flying-cars-but-technology-is-pretty-damn-incredible/596504/4 "2011-09-16T10:11:22Z")
I like the _idea_ of smart phones and I’d kind of like to see one in action someday, but I doubt I’ll live long enough for that. Same with actual high-speed internet access, dammit. Then again, I can grow corn in my front yard 🆒. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2011, 10:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-may-not-have-flying-cars-but-technology-is-pretty-damn-incredible/596504/5 "2011-09-16T10:26:21Z")
I sure would like a smartphone myself, alas, my finances do not allow it. It’s a luxury I can’t afford. Maybe one day I’ll have sufficient resources to join the 21st Century… ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2011, 10:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-may-not-have-flying-cars-but-technology-is-pretty-damn-incredible/596504/6 "2011-09-16T10:38:41Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > I sure would like a smartphone myself, alas, my finances do not allow it. It’s a luxury I can’t afford. > > Maybe one day I’ll have sufficient resources to join the 21st Century… I don’t know how the prices are in your area, but I was pleasantly surprised by how little I had to spend. The phone itself was “free” and the contract is only about £15 a month more than I was spending on my ancient phone, including 500MB of data usage. Sure, it’s a luxury, but I can find £15 a month to trim from other luxuries. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2011, 10:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-may-not-have-flying-cars-but-technology-is-pretty-damn-incredible/596504/7 "2011-09-16T10:59:31Z")
Unfortunately… I can’t. Even $15 dollars (which are currently less than your pounds) would be out of line. Well, not _this_ month, but I think back to earlier this year, January to March when I had no money coming in whatsoever… no, I don’t _need_ it, so it’s unreasonable. I can’t even afford what I truly need some months, so anything above needs… not reasonable. ---
**Author:** ![Indian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c0e974/32.png) [@Indian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indian)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2011, 11:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-may-not-have-flying-cars-but-technology-is-pretty-damn-incredible/596504/8 "2011-09-16T11:13:21Z")
\*\* [quote=“Colophon, post:1, topic:596504”] We may not have flying cars.\*\* [Flying cars set to hit market by 2012.](http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/109522/20110207/flying-cars-terrafugia.htm). Sorry about the hijack.😉 ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2011, 11:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-may-not-have-flying-cars-but-technology-is-pretty-damn-incredible/596504/9 "2011-09-16T11:24:04Z")
> [@indian](#): > > Flying cars set to hit market by 2012 That’s what I’m afraid of. I don’t _want_ them to hit the market. I want them to fly safely above the market, and then land gently on the market’s rooftop flying-car park. ---
**Author:** ![Indian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c0e974/32.png) [@Indian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indian)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2011, 11:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-may-not-have-flying-cars-but-technology-is-pretty-damn-incredible/596504/10 "2011-09-16T11:45:40Z")
> [@Colophon](#): > > That’s what I’m afraid of. I don’t _want_ them to hit the market. I want them to fly safely above the market, and then land gently on the market’s rooftop flying-car park. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![postcards](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8e8cbc/32.png) [@postcards](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/postcards)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2011, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-may-not-have-flying-cars-but-technology-is-pretty-damn-incredible/596504/11 "2011-09-16T13:15:17Z")
> [@Sudden\_Kestrel](#): > > Then again, I can grow corn in my front yard 🆒. There’s an app for that. ---
**Author:** ![Silver\_Tyger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/fbc32d/32.png) [@Silver\_Tyger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silver_Tyger)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2011, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-may-not-have-flying-cars-but-technology-is-pretty-damn-incredible/596504/12 "2011-09-16T15:46:57Z")
> [@Cicero](#): > > You make it sound like I should trade in my steam powered model. It makes calls and texts and I think it has a camera. You got up to steam? Mine is still clockwork powered. It calls and texts if I’m willing to jab at it enough times (which I’m generally not). I’d like to get a smartphone, but since my parents pay for the plan, I’m not going to look a gift horse in the mouth. ---
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2011, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-may-not-have-flying-cars-but-technology-is-pretty-damn-incredible/596504/13 "2011-09-16T16:31:14Z")
My favorite “I live in the future” thing is when I’m out, and realize that I forgot to tell the Tivo to record something I want to watch. I just whip out the iPhone, pull up the Tivo app, and tell my Tivo to record it. Somehow, using one electronic minion to tell one of my other electronic minions what to do makes me inordinately happy. ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2011, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-may-not-have-flying-cars-but-technology-is-pretty-damn-incredible/596504/14 "2011-09-16T16:53:19Z")
> [@Athena](#): > > My favorite “I live in the future” thing is when I’m out, and realize that I forgot to tell the Tivo to record something I want to watch. I just whip out the iPhone, pull up the Tivo app, and tell my Tivo to record it. Somehow, using one electronic minion to tell one of my other electronic minions what to do makes me inordinately happy. Hmm, I don’t even have a Tivo (or equivalent), let alone a Tivo app. Now I feel backward again. On the other hand, I could watch the TV directly on the phone instead if I downloaded the [TVCatchup](http://www.tvcatchup.com/) app. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2011, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-may-not-have-flying-cars-but-technology-is-pretty-damn-incredible/596504/15 "2011-09-16T16:59:37Z")
We were sitting outside this past weekend, drinking beer and relaxing. My gf pointed up to the sky and said, “WTF!?”. Dozens of dragonflies, maybe hundreds. Never saw anything like that. I took out my phone and typed into Google “dragonfly s” which auto-completed to “dragonfly swarm”. And we had an answer. When I was a kid, I would have had to go to the public library and find an insect book… ---
**Author:** ![velvetjones](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/5f9b8f/32.png) [@velvetjones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/velvetjones)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2011, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-may-not-have-flying-cars-but-technology-is-pretty-damn-incredible/596504/16 "2011-09-16T17:05:14Z")
I feel like such a loser. I’ve had an Iphone for 2 years and didn’t realize that it did some of those things. Specifically - point at the sky and identify the star and access all the files on my home computer. I suppose there’s an app for both of those things but I could really use the second one. And the airplane thing, never heard of it. Wow, I have more technology that I thought I did. ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2011, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-may-not-have-flying-cars-but-technology-is-pretty-damn-incredible/596504/17 "2011-09-16T17:12:41Z")
> [@velvetjones](#): > > I suppose there’s an app for both of those things but I could really use the second one. And the airplane thing, never heard of it. [Dropbox](http://www.dropbox.com/) sorts you out for the file-sharing (free with 2GB of storage). I’m ashamed to say I hadn’t heard of this until invited to it by my 62-year-old mother! (She got me onto Skype, too.) Only caveat is that you do have to put the stuff you want to access in the specific Dropbox folder on your computer - it doesn’t let you “access all the files on your home computer”. And the aeroplane thing is the mobile version of [Flightradar24](http://www.flightradar24.com/), although as you’ll see from the map, coverage in the US is much less comprehensive than it is in Europe. Oh and [Star Walk](http://starwalk.mobi/) is the astronomy app. ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2011, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-may-not-have-flying-cars-but-technology-is-pretty-damn-incredible/596504/18 "2011-09-16T17:29:00Z")
I run the It department for a growing corporation. I have dozens of laptops and desktops in the field, any of which I can access remotely from my work computer. I support Blackberries and iPads for salespeople all over the country. I can sit at my desk at work and access my home computer. I can sit at my computer at home and access my work computer. Hell, I could sit at my computer at home and unlock the front door at work if I wanted to. But… I still carry a flip phone. I can make calls. I could text if I really wanted to. I don’t think I’ve ever used the camera. I can adapt to and use whatever I need professionally, but I can’t give up what’s comfortable and familiar in my personal life. 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2011, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-may-not-have-flying-cars-but-technology-is-pretty-damn-incredible/596504/19 "2011-09-16T17:46:58Z")
The bit that I still haven’t really adjusted to is the fact that I now, routinely and every day, carry a few dozen books around in my pocket. Yeah, I know that an e-reader app is relatively low-tech, and my device is far behind the curve (an early-model iPod Touch), but still, I already have it ingrained into my head what a book _is_, and I know on some deep-down level that fitting one in a pocket is difficult at best, much less a few dozen. ---
**Author:** ![JoelUpchurch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f05b48/32.png) [@JoelUpchurch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JoelUpchurch)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2011, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-may-not-have-flying-cars-but-technology-is-pretty-damn-incredible/596504/20 "2011-09-16T18:44:34Z")
I read Jerry Pournelle’s blog and he mentions that he had the idea for for the iPhone in 1974 in the novel, **The Mote in God’s Eye**. I’ve read the novel and except for the fact that his pocket computer use a stylus, it does seem a lot like a iPhone. Another good quote, “I always knew I’d live to see the first man on the moon, but I never thought I’d live to see the last one.” [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-may-not-have-flying-cars-but-technology-is-pretty-damn-incredible/596504.md?page=2)