|
|
| |
Greetings, Quotaholics:
It is quite difficult to predict the future. However, that doesn’t usually
keep people from trying. We hope for a better tomorrow or we are sure
we are all doomed and need to forestall the apocalypse. Either way,
we have a vision of the future that is ever changing.
Smithsonian.com
presented a blog post about looking to the future. However, the article
isn’t what our future will be, but instead presented a look at an article
from the October 1944 issue of Science and Mechanics. As World
War II was bringing about new ideas for warfare, John Silence looked
at what the world might become after the war was over.
"Big Things Ahead - But Keep Your Shirt On" was the title
for this well thought out, and well reasoned piece. Rather than far-fetched
impossible worlds immediately around the corner, the author realized
that recovering from war takes time. And that a drained economy isn’t
going to just put things out there willy-nilly but instead capital would
be preserved by slowly offering what we might want.
That didn’t stop Silence from predicting, and in many ways correctly,
what was to happen.
He predicted that frozen foods would be ubiquitous. This seems to be
true as many TV dinners are now available in either heat and serve or
add a few ingredients while heating and serving. They come straight
from the many freezer aisles at my local grocery store. What he didn’t
see is the convenience of shopping when I want to, and envisioned freezer
trucks delivering food directly to my home. This was, of course, in
the days before so many women worked outside the home and so wouldn’t
be around when the delivery truck arrived.
Housing differences are a bit off. It seems that at the end of the war,
there was a fantasy that we could heat our homes just be having large
windows letting in the sunlight. No word on blizzard weeks, cold nights,
or how to cool off houses in the Arizona desert. Silence did note that
Mom wasn’t going to want all the neighbors peeking in her windows, which
is true. Today, I have far more window per wall than I ever dreamed
necessary, but that is because of fire codes and not for heating or
air conditioning methods. I do know that window treatments were ridiculously
expensive. This mom didn’t want everyone peeking in her windows.
Household appliances were available before the war and after the fighting
was over, they would be available again as soon as the manufacturers
could produce them. However, there would be many more than previously
available. The microwave is the one missing in Silence’s list.
When describing the communities, he was demure. Because of changing
populations and the vagaries of the "next big idea" he knew
better than to risk too much here. Someone fifty years before had suggested
that skyscrapers would have huge sections for hay and feed stores -
but the horse was soon outsourced as cars became the main means of transportation.
Speaking of cars, Silence saw that newer cars would be lighter and better
designed to be more fuel efficient. He thought we might be able to return
to a steam engine for cars, but of course, in this area he was completely
off base.
He saw radio and television fanning out in the exact way that these
things happened. Although there were already early computers, they were
massive and no one in their right mind would think they could be used
at home. A smart phone would amaze Silence, I’m sure.
What he saw as the most important, but probably the least praised was
medical advances. Penicillin came out during the war and made such a
difference. He is correct in his assessment. Advances in medicine have
affected our lives. Today, pneumonia isn’t usually a killer disease
and the treatments for cancer, stroke, and heart attacks have set Death
back, cooling his heels and waiting his turn.
It seems that people of the era all assumed we would be using personal
helicopters for our commutes and he thought otherwise. Again, Silence
was golden.
Included are some pictures of what people thought our present would
be like. There is also a picture of the magazine which sold for 15¢
- which is also rather amusing. Like the author of the blog, I am impressed
with Mr. Silence and his predictions. He didn’t try to get too futuristic
and he did a great job.
If you were going to make predictions for the next fifty years, what
would you predict? How do you see the future of education? What sorts
of work experiences do you think we should look forward to? What sort
of jobs will be available and how does that mesh with our current educational
process?
What will technology offer us? When will computers disappear and our
small handhelds be all we need? Will there still be a need for a large
screen? A keyboard? When do we get to adequate voice recognition? How
do you see transportation in the future?
Would you care to venture a guess?
Futuristically,
Comment
On This Article |
| |
|
| Isn’t
it worth $1 a month to you to keep RGQ going? Please click the
link and direct your contribution to keep RGQ going.
|
| Today’s
Quotes |
There is a sort of charm in ugliness, if the person has some redeeming
qualities and is only ugly enough. - Josh Billings
When they start the game, they don’t yell, “Work ball.” They say, “Play
ball.” - Willie Stargell
|
| Today’s
Chuckle |
Girls Night Out
[Thanks Bonnie]
A group of 40 year
old girls discuss where they should meet for dinner. Finally, they agree
to meet at the Ocean View Restaurant because the waiters are cute and
buff.
10 years later, at 50 years of age, the group once again discuss where
they should meet for dinner. Finally, they agree to meet at the Ocean
View restaurant because the food is very good and the wine selection
is excellent.
10 years later at 60 years of age, the girls once again discuss where
they should meet for dinner. Finally they agree to meet at the Ocean
View restaurant because they can eat there in peace and quiet and the
restaurant has a beautiful view of the ocean.
10 years later, at 70 years of age, the group once again discuss where
they should meet for dinner. Finally they agree to meet at the Ocean
View restaurant because the restaurant is wheel chair accessible and
they even have an elevator.
10 years later, at 80 years of age, the girls once again discuss where
they should meet for dinner. Finally they agree to meet at the Ocean
View restaurant because they have never been there before.
|
|
| Life
Sentences |
Accursed be he that first invented war.
I count religion but a childish toy, and hold there is no sin but ignorance.
Money can’t buy love, but it improves your bargaining position. – all
from Christopher Marlowe, English playwright who died on this day in
1593
|
|
|
|
|
| Image’n
That! |
|
| |
| |
| My
Most Embarrassing Moment
My Scariest Moment |
|
| |
|
Speak right up!
|
| Cliff’s
Notes
|
Genetics
How many times have we been introduced to someone’s family member and
we said, “I would have known they were your [insert relationship here],
even in a crowd.”
Genetics is a simple thing. There are a limited number of chromosomes
in DNA that can passed along. There are 23 pairs of chromosomes, for
a total of 46. The 23 number is important simply because that’s how
many are passed along from each of the parents. In the fertilization
process, those 2 sets of 23 chromosomes merge to provide the needed
DNA map to create a brand new human being.
I say genetics is simple, and, for the most part it is. The inherited
DNA provides for the various traits that makes each of us unique. The
intricate details are so sophisticated and obscure, scientists are still
trying to figure them out, but the overall concept is fairly basic.
What brought this to mind was a very recent visit by my son and his
family. There are 4 in the family. My son, his wife, and two sons. We
don’t see them as often as we’d like, so when they visit, it is interesting
to see how they have grown. Yes, all 4.
Our grandsons are particularly interesting. They are well into elementary
school, and have developed mannerisms and characteristics of their own.
There are many similarities among the four of them, and, specifically,
between the two grandsons. There are also some unique aspects of each.
One grandson, for example, has the overall looks of his dad’s side of
the family, but his personality is very much similar to his mother’s.
Surprisingly, the other grandson looks like his mom’s side of the family,
but his personality is much like his dad’s. I have met other children
of whose parents I also knew. Often, they all look very similar but
have differing personalities.
Some would argue the “Nature vs. Nurture” aspect to personality development,
and they may be partially, or even completely correct. There have been
many studies on this topic. A recent study reflected how the personality
of the offspring can be affected by what the mother ingested during
pregnancy, especially during the first trimester. Certain nutrients
and chemicals affect how the brain develops and thusly how various parts
of the brain develop. Add in the kind and quantities of natural hormones
the mother has flowing through her body and their effect on the fetus
and there’s a lot of possibility of how the personality can be affected.
Of course, the predisposition of the genetic foundation has been given
the biggest nod as to how one’s personality will develop. Even with
similar factors to developing fetuses, the outcome can be quite different.
In the matter of maternal twins, both fetuses are genetically identical.
Both individuals may develop completely different personality types.
One may be shy and the other gregarious. One may become a “Type 1″ and
the other a “Type 4″. With 16 different personality types, there’s ample
potential differences.
Here’s your quiz:
Do you have family members that look very much alike, but are different
in personality?
Do you have family members that have similar personalities, but look
very different?
What is the most dramatic genetic aspect that is different in a close
relative of yours?
Genetics - A Blueprint That Creates A Bunch Of Colors
Cliff (the High-Tech Redneck who doesn’t rate a fancy ’signature pic’)
Comment
on this article |
Kirsten’s
Krazy Kaleidoscope |
Email Kirsten
“A rock pile ceases to be a rock
pile the moment a single man contemplates it, bearing within him the
image of a cathedral.”
~ Antoine de Saint-Exupéry ~
From my blog, Running For
Autism.
When James was about four, he got himself an imaginary friend. The friend’s
name is Albert and his age varies from 3 to 12, depending on the day.
According to James’ descriptions, Albert is a yellow monster with tall
hair. He stays at home and sleeps while James is at school, and he is
responsible for every single mess or piece of mischief-making that we
blame on James.
Although Albert the monster features less in James’ incessant chatter
these days, he still makes the occasional appearance – inasmuch as an
invisible, imaginary monster can make an appearance.
I have come to recognize that Albert has served an important dual purpose
in James’ life. First, James talks to him when he’s lying in bed at
night, using him to process the events of his day and work through any
conflicts he might be experiencing. And second, the monster fuels his
imagination. James makes up a staggering variety of monster stories,
and it is enormous fun to see where his mind takes him.
Monster hasn’t been around for a few days, but yesterday, someone else
showed up.
I was wasting time on the Internet, and James was dancing around, chattering
away to someone or something that only he could see. All of a sudden,
he was by my side, telling me about a giant pink rabbit that was bouncing
around in the kitchen.
“You should see it, Mommy!” said James, quivering with excitement. “Come
on, look at it!”
“But I can’t see it,” I said to him, raising my hands palm-side-up in
an I-don’t-know gesture.
Without missing a beat, James said, “Close your eyes and you’ll see
it.”
His words instantly infused me with a sense of that childlike magic
unique to six-year-olds who still know the true meaning of imagination.
As adults, we only see with our eyes. Most of us don’t take the time
to look beyond what is literally in front of us. Children know how to
see things with their minds. They can see possibilities of magic where
most of us don’t even know there’s anything there. They are the ones
who truly have vision.
I did what James suggested. I closed my eyes and really tried to look.
And sure enough, there was that giant pink rabbit, dancing around my
kitchen.
Kaleidoscopically yours,
Kirsten
Comment
On This Article |
| Poet-Tree |
Odds and Ends - Did you know that an ant always falls over on its right
side when intoxicated; that a catfish has over 27,000 taste buds, more
than any other animal; that a cockroach will live 9 days without its
head before it starves to death; that elephants are the only mammals
that cannot jump; that there are 293 ways to make change for a dollar;
that the national anthem of Greece has 158 verses; that rubber bands
last longer when refrigerated; that 11% of the world is left-handed;
that an ostrich’s eye is bigger than its brain; that starfish have no
brains; and that all polar bears are left handed? *blink* Polar bears
have hands?
Thanks
for your limericks! Try this one,
There once was a bar with no beer…
Hints:
Here’s a great new rhyming/composition tool. http://www.writerhymes.com/
There’s also a great rhyming dictionary at http://www.rhymezone.com/
Limerick rules. http://freespace.virgin.net/merrick.sheldon/limerickrules.htm
Submit
Opening Line
Submit
Limerick
I
once knew a man from Ken-Tuck—
who clearly didn’t give a fuck—
he looked really bad
like 10 drinks he’d had
and therefore was down on his luck.
- Cassandra in New York |
There
once was a man from Ken-tuck
who went out hunting a duck
He loaded his gun
the duck it did run
and the hunter did say, "darn, I missed!"
- Lucille
(Hmmm!
That’s not how I usually spell it, Lucille.) ldo |
I
once knew a man from Ken-tuck…..
Who had a horse that would buck…..
He tried time and again…..
But couldn’t break him in…..
So he just kept riding his truck.
- Skeeter |
I once knew
a man from Ken-tuck…..
Who had a very smart duck……
That could swim upside down…..
And acted the clown…..
Kinda acted like Tommy and Huck.
- Skeeter |
I
once knew a man from Ken-tuck…..
Who bought a new Chevy truck…..
Then said, "I made a mistake O Lord"…..
I should have bought a Ford…..
Oh! why do I have such bad luck?
- Skeeter |
I once knew
a man from Ken-tuck…..
Got that thing mired in the muck…..
All the way to the hub…..
And his chin he did rub…..
Figuring a way to get unstuck.
- Skeeter |
|
|
Reader Comments |
| |
Re: Traffic Monotoring
YES
there are these cameras i have a problem what if you have to run the
light to get out of an emergency vehicle way? - dEE
Re:
Photography
I grew up with
a pro darkroom in the house, and was helping with the printing instead
of going to daycare. Now, I have some nice 35mm gear, but have not
used it for years. A pocket e-camera is a lot more fun. I miss the
optical viewfinder of my first one, and I’d like more of many popular
features except more pixels. With image stabilization, we can push
the macro and the tele ranges further without a tripod. If I was developing
a new camera, it would be like a wildlife recorder, but tweaked for
observing vandalism and not getting stolen in the process. I tend
to think of that a lot around the third or fourth time I fix a political
sign at a problem location during an election. - Bob of the North
My cell phone came equipped with a camera that I learned how to operate
for kicks. So far, I have taken pictures of some friends of mine at
the courthouse. One from the top of the head to the ceiling, and the
other vertically, right down the middle. It’s more fun than a barrel
of monkeys, and I reckon a monkey could take better pictures. - Lucille
Cameras I own go back a
good ways! Nikon, Olympus, Kodak, all old style where you could select
your settings and take really crisp photos to digital point-and-shoot
that takes everything balanced and lots of stuff far from detailed.
I worked as a reporter who did her own camera work and then went back
to the office and developed them - black and white photos - the hardest
pictures to do. Light and shadow were very important when a picture
was to be printed. I did a few I was proud of. I look at color sports
photos in today’s newspapers and find bland - no rippling muscles
in wrestlers, no facial expressions on football players, nothing to
indicate a person’s effort, sweat or achievement. Digital took all
that away, mostly, I believe, because of how the flash works on them.
I had learned to adjust my flash unit so it gave me extra light that
highlighted the subject. Ever bounce a light off a ceiling to get
the right result? Stop action with a digital camera is good. I’ll
give it that. If you’re wondering, yes, I was a sports reporter back
then. Among the first females doing such coverage. - Nancy L in Ohio
Re:
Dry Counties
I’ve
always wondered if restricting booze sales to carry out, combined
with strict open container laws wouldn’t be more to the purpose. I
don’t think it’s so much a matter of whether people are going to get
drunk, it’s more a function of where they do it. Of course, there’s
always the old vodka in the orange drink cup. Cab service is probably
the best answer, no matter whether your high is more directed at an
overworked liver or lungs. - Lucille
With all of the white lightening
and home brew floating I’m surprised anyone needs to leave their house
to get anything - dEE
|
| |
Disclaimer- All quotes printed in this publication are believed to be
accurately attributed, but no guarantees are made that some incorrectly
attributed, or even outright false quotes won’t get in here from time
to time. I assure readers that I will do my best to weed out incorrect
quotes, and will print a retraction as soon as I become aware of any errors.
|
Click here to see the archives of past issues, or go to http://groups.yahoo.com/group/reallygoodquotes/messages.
If you run across something really outstanding when perusing the archives,
I’d appreciate it if you’d mail me at TheBestOfRGQ@yahoo.com
and point it out to me. I’m in the process of compiling an e-book
called, not surprisingly, The Best of RGQ, and I’d like to hear from you
which pieces impacted you the most.
|
|
Questions? Comments? Want to contribute a joke or a quote or an image?
Feel free to e-mail
at reallygoodquotes@gmail.com.
We’d love to hear from you! We’ll even publish your comments, if they
make any sense! 
If
you’d like to receive RGQ by email, please send a blank e-mail
to reallygoodquotes-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
We
can’t imagine why you’d want to, but if you choose to unsubscribe, please
send a blank e-mail to reallygoodquotes-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com.
Should you choose to unsubscribe, please e-mail
us and tell us why. We listen to what people say, even if they’re
leaving us.
|
