The Future is Now

May 29, 1959, Appleton Post-Crescent

While such predictions were only once the scope of Popular Mechanics and science fiction journals, it is interesting to note how many of this man's predictions have come true.  While he didn't foresee the rise of the personal computer and the internet, he somehow predicted the smartphone (sort of) when he talked about the communications device "about the size of a pack of cigarettes."  That was right on.  But then the focus for the time was on transistors and miniaturizing everything, so in his mind, it probably was a radio of some sort.

The media might have varied from his predictions, but we all take for granted now that we can remotely operate our security systems for our homes from our smartphones or watch television on a flat screen.  The satellite post offices idea was a bit awkward, but then he didn't anticipate the rise of email.  And the supersonic travel, well, that's Jetsons stuff, to this day.  I wonder what the Twin City leaders thought of his speech.