Hovercars

It’s time to get over the hovercar. It’s not happening. You’re not getting one.


And for that matter, you’re not going to be flying to Mars or the moon or through the rings of Saturn in a spaceship. Not in your lifetime.

The biggest let-down of the 21st century is that humanity has proved pretty poor at inventing the flying technologies that we imagined would be jetting us to Mars or well, Coles, by now. But it’s time we got over that. Because our levitating-vehicle-filled imaginations of the future are holding us back from embracing the future that is already here. And it’s a future that’s far more remarkable than you would think. For instance: say hello to the Matrix.

Latest 2 of 95 comments

View all comments
 
  • Don says:

    04:00pm | 09/02/12

    They are not exactly portal guns but hand-held analysers for metals (in soils/alloys etc) are starting to change the game for various industries, mining amongst them. One thing I am not looking forward to is effective lie-detectors. When they start to come on line then Orwell’s prophetic 1984 will be… Read more »

  • Ob says:

    09:14am | 15/12/11

    I can’t verify this but I’m pretty sure Metropolis was the first time a “video-phone” was imagined. Of course it was a fixed display in the wall (which has been a staple of SF movies since) which has since been overtaken by the portable idea, but for being made in… Read more »

 

Facebook Recommendations

Read all about it

Punch live

Up to the minute Twitter chatter

David Penberthy

@GreenJ lady boy.

David Penberthy

@GreenJ how dare you even suggest such a thing. I'd love to blog from their traning session though about what a pack of toffs they are

Anthony Sharwood

RT @kellieconnolly: @penbo @antsharwood Not judging Hackett but to set the record straight again I had been asking 9 for a redundancy and left on good terms

David Penberthy

Feisty piece by @antsharwood leading http://t.co/5WsLF5Pf on how ch 9 can punt spiteri connolly rowe but not the delightful grant hackett

Recent posts

The latest and greatest

Is there a nicotine patch strong enough for this?

Is there a nicotine patch strong enough for this?

Ok. I am not a leading expert in world’s best practice on prisoner rehabilitation — my experience…

A great win by Webber, but it sure as hell wasn’t sport

A great win by Webber, but it sure as hell wasn’t sport

This morning I joined millions of other Australians in accelerating, braking, swearing and spilling coffee…

Fighting Assad one strongly worded statement at a time

Fighting Assad one strongly worded statement at a time

This weekend’s massacre in Houla, Syria, is one of those stories that invites but doesn’t…

Nosebleed Section

choice ringside rantings

From: They must pay for one’s bitter disappointments

Michael S says:

"A teacher at Geelong Grammar had criticised her for using words that were too long, which had left her confused and had made her doubt her ability to write essays. She became ''quite distressed'' when her English marks began to fall." I can sympathise. My scholastic mentors conveyed to me a causal relationship… [read more]

From: Welfare for breeders is a bonus for everyone

Change Up! says:

I have no problem paying my taxes. As a single, childless person on a very decent income, I can afford it and not have my life severely altered. Plus I understand that my taxes paying for things like schools, childcare and infrastructure is ultimately a good thing. A better community is better for me… [read more]

Gentle jabs to the ribs

They must pay for one’s bitter disappointments

They must pay for one’s bitter disappointments

A private school girl’s family is sueing her elite, extremely expensive private school for not… Read more

243 comments

Newsletter

Read all about it

Sign up to the free daily Punch newsletter