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| | ==Explanation== | | ==Explanation== |
| − | [[File:Electric Flying Cars -- Advertisement, 1958 (51438281706).jpg|thumb|right|1958 poster advertising an electric future of freedom and horrible crashes]]
| + | {{incomplete|Open to editing, but perhaps a useful start.}} |
| | As each year turns (or other milestone dates, perhaps set out in popular fiction) it is common enough to remember that what is now the present was once considered ''the future!'' | | As each year turns (or other milestone dates, perhaps set out in popular fiction) it is common enough to remember that what is now the present was once considered ''the future!'' |
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| − | This [[:Category:New Year|New Year comic]], published just prior to the start of the {{w|New Year}}, 2016, aims to clarify a number of the things one might have expected by now. (Another New Year comic followed on New Year's Day: [[1624: 2016]], making it two in a row with titles beginning with 2016...) The classic target of personal futurology is the ability to levitate or fly, to varying degrees. This topic was discussed before in [[864: Flying Cars]], where [[Megan]] suggests that the real advances in futuristic technology are in computers and electronics, rather than methods of flying. | + | This comic, published just prior to the start of 2016, aims to clarify a number of the things one might have expected by now. |
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| − | ;Flying car
| + | The classic target of personal futurology is the ability to levitate or fly, to varying degrees. "Where's my {{w|jetpack}}?" is one of the [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/IWantMyJetPack memes] addressed here, and has actually been developed in a somewhat workable fashions and {{w|Astronaut propulsion unit|analogues}}, but is dismissed as being too personally dangerous to have a {{w|The_Jetsons|Jetson}}-like ubiquity. Similarly, various forms of {{w|Flying_car_(aircraft)|flying car}} have had varying {{w|AVE_Mizar|degrees}} of {{w|Moller_M400_Skycar|success}}, but here are ignored to point out that the regular {{w|helicopter}} is as close as most of us would ever get to this technology. The {{w|Hoverboard|levitating Hoverboard}} has been popularised by the {{w|Back_to_the_Future_Part_II|Back To The Future franchise}} of films, with several attempts to fully emulate such a device with air-blast or magnetic levitation, but the ''term'' Hoverboard has ended up being applied to a {{w|Segway}}-like {{w|Self-balancing_two-wheeled_board|personal transport system}} that has at least become a mass-produced device (albeit with a number of {{w|Self-balancing_two-wheeled_board#Safety|safety concerns}}). |
| − | Various forms of {{w|Flying_car_(aircraft)|flying car}} have had varying {{w|AVE_Mizar|degrees}} of {{w|Moller_M400_Skycar|success}} (although it's debatable whether these examples are actually cars or just small airplanes), but the comic points out that the regular {{w|helicopter}} is as close as most of us would ever get to levitating personal vehicles.
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| − | ;Jetpack
| + | (The very concept of the hoverboard, in particular, is predicted to be reduced mostly to arguments between opposing camps of opinions; and then, in the title-text, the conclusion that giving up and resorting to old-fashioned walking is inferior to ''any'' of the possible alternatives...) |
| − | "Where's my {{w|jet pack}}?" is one of the {{tvtropes|IWantMyJetPack|tropes}} addressed here, and has actually been developed in a somewhat workable fashions and {{w|Astronaut propulsion unit|analogues}}, but is dismissed as being too personally dangerous to have a {{w|The_Jetsons|Jetson}}-like ubiquity.
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| − | ;Moon colony
| + | A much bigger challenge in levitation is the 'sky city', with various forms from fiction (e.g. {{w|Bespin}}, {{w|Mortal Engines Quartet}}). In reality, this seems highly unlikely to ever come to pass when there is perfectly good ground to lay the buildings down upon, due to the sheer mass. (But never say never!) It might be considered more reasonable to build a {{w|Space:_1999|settlement of some kind}} on the Moon. The basic {{w|Apollo_program|engineering}} {{w|International Space Station|exists}}, but the comic blames financial pressures for it not yet having come into existence. (Arguably political pressures, or perhaps the lack of them, are also a factor.) |
| − | It might be considered more reasonable to build a {{w|Space:_1999|settlement of some kind}} on the Moon. The basic {{w|Apollo_program|engineering}} {{w|International Space Station|exists}}, but the comic blames financial pressures for it not yet having come into existence. Arguably political pressures, or perhaps the lack of them, are also a factor. | |
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| − | ;Self-driving car
| + | From the fields of automation, the {{w|Autonomous car|self-driving car}} has had a lot of recent development put into it, with many and varied protypes being tried out, and may actually end up featuring in our immediate future, even if not in 2016. Meanwhile the long-held science-fantasy aim to create a {{w|Robby the Robot|robot that can do odd tasks}} has been {{w|Roomba|limited}} or a {{w|Ask.com|differently implemented}} and the ''fully'' omnicapable version is probably almost as far out of reach as it always was considered to be. |
| − | Randall notes that these are "coming surprisingly soon." Self-driving cars have not become nearly as ubiquitous as was frequently predicted in 2016. As of 2024 (9 years after the release of this comic), there are various forms of self-driving with various degrees of advancement. The most impressive would be [https://www.tesla.com/support/autopilot Tesla's full self-driving beta], which is capable of performing acceptably in most situations, except for parking lot navigation. Other than Tesla, companies such as Google, Waabi, and Euler Motors are working on self-driving vehicles, though Tesla remains the [https://electrek.co/2023/07/13/tesla-most-wanted-car-brand-us-study/ most well-known amongst the general public]. All these vehicles still require a human driver present.
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| − | Self-driving cars has become a [[:Category:Self-driving cars|recurring topic]] on xkcd and they were mentioned again already in the title text of [[1625: Substitutions 2]] just two comics after this one.
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| − | ;Floating sky city
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| − | A much bigger challenge in levitation is the 'sky city', with various forms from fiction (e.g. {{w|Bespin}}, {{w|Mortal Engines Quartet}}). In reality, this seems highly unlikely to ever come to pass while there is perfectly good ground to lay the buildings down upon, due to the sheer mass.
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| − | ;Hoverboard
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| − | [[File:Red self-balancing two-wheeled board with a person standing on it.png|thumb|right|A self-balancing scooter, marketed as a "hoverboard"]]
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| − | The {{w|Hoverboard|levitating Hoverboard}} has been popularised by the {{w|Back_to_the_Future_Part_II|''Back To The Future'' franchise}} of films, with several attempts to fully emulate such a device with air-blast or magnetic levitation, but the ''term'' "Hoverboard" has ended up being applied to a {{w|Segway}}-like {{w|Self-balancing_two-wheeled_board|personal transport system}} that has at least become a mass-produced device (albeit with a number of {{w|Self-balancing_two-wheeled_board#Safety|safety concerns}}) even if it doesn't fly or levitate. The very concept of the hoverboard was therefore predicted to be reduced mostly to arguments between opposing camps of opinions; and then, in the title-text, the conclusion that giving up and resorting to old-fashioned walking is inferior to ''any'' of the possible alternatives.
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| − | ;Robot butler
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| − | Meanwhile, the long-held science-fantasy aim to create a robot that can do odd tasks, like {{w|Robby the Robot}} or {{w|List_of_The_Jetsons_characters#Rosie|Rosie}} from ''The Jetsons'' has been {{w|Roomba|limited}} or {{w|Amazon Alexa|differently implemented}}. The ''fully'' [http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Omnicapable omnicapable] version is probably almost as far out of reach as it always was considered to be. "Jeeves" as a less than superb robot butler presumably refers to the early search site {{w|Ask Jeeves}}, and may be a reference to the robot of that name that can be "built" by characters in the popular {{w|Massively multiplayer online role-playing game}} {{w|World of Warcraft}}. "Jeeves" as a stereotyped butler name goes back to {{w|P.G. Wodehouse}} in 1915. | |
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| | ==Transcript== | | ==Transcript== |
| − | :[A chart with three columns of text with only one entry to the left - which is written in the middle of the panel. Then there is one line going right from this text but soon it splits into seven lines going either up (3), almost straight (2) or down (2) ending in arrows that points to the next column with seven entries for different possible future inventions. From each of these entries a horizontal arrow continues to the last column at the right with seven more entries commenting on these inventions.]
| + | It's 2016 - Where's my... |
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| − | :It's 2016 – Where's my...
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| − | ::Flying car → They're called "helicopters"
| + | :Flying car --> They're called "Helicopters" |
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| − | ::Jetpack → Turns out people are huge wimps about crashing
| + | :Jetpack --> Turns out people are huge wimps about crashing |
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| − | ::Moon colony → No one has put up the cash
| + | :Moon colony --> No one has put up the cash |
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| − | ::Self-driving car → Coming surprisingly soon
| + | :Self-driving car --> Coming surprisingly soon |
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| − | ::Floating sky city → Turns out cities are heavy
| + | :Floating sky city --> Turns out cities are heavy |
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| − | ::Hoverboard → This question is now ambiguous thanks to a new scooter thing (and will lead to an argument about the meaning of "hoverboard" which is way less interesting than either kind of hoverboard)
| + | :Hoverboard --> This question is now ambiguous thanks to a new scooter thing |
| | + | ::::: (and will lead to an argument about the meaning of "Hoverboard" |
| | + | ::::: which is way less interesting than either kind of hoverboard) |
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| − | ::Robot butler → He was called "Jeeves" and he wasn't that great
| + | :Robot butler --> He was called "Jeeves" and he wasn't that great |
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| | {{comic discussion}} | | {{comic discussion}} |
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| − | [[Category:New Year]]
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| | [[Category:Charts]] | | [[Category:Charts]] |
| | [[Category:Robots]] | | [[Category:Robots]] |
| − | [[Category:Self-driving cars]]
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| − | [[Category:Back to the Future]]
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