Editing 1623: 2016 Conversation Guide
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==Explanation== | ==Explanation== | ||
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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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;Self-driving car | ;Self-driving car | ||
− | Randall notes that these are "coming surprisingly soon." | + | Randall notes that these are "coming surprisingly soon." As of 2024 (9 years after the release of this comic), there are various forms of self-driving with various degrees of advancement. Perhaps the most well-known is [https://www.tesla.com/support/autopilotTesla's full self-driving beta], which is capable of performing acceptably in pretty much everything except for parking lot navigation (though still requires a human driver present). 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]. |
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;Floating sky city | ;Floating sky city | ||
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;Hoverboard | ;Hoverboard | ||
− | + | 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 is 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. | |
− | 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 | ||
;Robot butler | ;Robot butler | ||
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. | 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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+ | 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. | ||
==Transcript== | ==Transcript== |