Digital downloads will end the market for books, the internet is going to make us isolated and disconnected from the community, cellphones are going to privatize our communications to the point that we will all fabricate our own self-created universe, while facebook is going to mean an end to person-to-person friendship. Ok, all of these predictions have been made about new technology, but I had no idea that with the beginning of the car, lots of people said that it would be a disaster because we would all lose use of our legs: Here is Nock again from the 1920s:
When our whole population took to motoring, I remember, it was freely predicted that we would all lose the use of our legs –and actually, a great many never walked more than from the house to the garage. Now, however, even in villages, there is such a congestion of traffic that folks with errands to do park their cars and walk. It would not surprise me to find that on the average our population walks as much today as it did twenty years ago. Thus, the balance of natural habit gets restored, after a little shift one way or the other, and essentially we do not change much.
It turns out of course that a huge market developed in conveyor belts to install in our homes so that we can walk all we want.
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Actually Nock was spot-on, parking lots and avenues became bigger and bigger, so Americans became fatter and fatter, until I don’t think most of them could handle a 15-minute walk anymore.
Of course who was responsible for forcing parking lots and bigger avenues down everyone’s throat? The government.
Facebook is awesome. How dare anyone tread on my self created universe?
Now, however, even in villages, there is such a congestion of traffic that folks with errands to do park their cars and walk.
What a terrible problem! The government should do something about it–oh, wait a second, that’s how we GOT traffic congestion…
seems appropriate:
In the year 2525
If man is still alive
If woman can survive
They may find
In the year 3535
Ain’t gonna need to tell the truth, tell no lies
Everything you think, do, or say
Is in the pill you took today
In the year 4545
Ain’t gonna need your teeth, won’t need your eyes
You won’t find a thing to do
Nobody’s gonna look at you
In the year 5555
Your arms are hanging limp at your sides
Your legs not nothing to do
Some machine is doing that for you
In the year 6565
Ain’t gonna need no husband, won’t need no wife
You’ll pick your son, pick your daughter too
From the bottom of a long black tube
you are my life.you’re my one and only dream.i love you,and to you that i mean.together for always, i hope we will be.i’ll love you always. Alison Cunningham
http://www.t809.cn
hope you can find your love!
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