I just saw an ad for this cute little robot that gives you reminders, takes videos and photos and orders your takeout. ( can't remember the name, but they're taking preorders now if you want to get in on the action, LOL!) I'm amazed that robots haven't taken over our life by now. There is the Roomba, and I'm sure certain science or space fields use huge expensive ones, but am just surprised we don't have everyday common robots to do our chores!

Whenever I am traveling any distance in my vehicle I wonder why there is not a system whereby I could input my destination into the onboard computer and my vehicle would automatically be controlled to drive at the speed limit to that destination. I could then sit comfortably and read a book and enjoy a cuppa! Since all vehicles on the highway would be controlled by the same system there would be no accidents. I seem to remember that this was theoretical decades ago.

I also remember that someone, decades ago, invented a closet where dirty clothes could be hung and cleaned by ultrasonic vibrations. There are jewelry cleaners that do this altho they are not without dangers to some jewels.

I'm still waiting for that scene from Woody Allen's movie "Sleeper" to come true where scientists have concluded that hot fudge sundaes are good for you and vegetables are not.

Oh beryl - that was so funny. Thanks for posting. It's my funny for the day.

Anitamo, are you talking about JIBO?

How can I carry a computer with all my finances, access to videos, and a host of decorating ideas (GW!) all over the house and on vacation to Hawaii (actually haven't done that but I could) but I still have to plug a lamp in 6' from where I need it?

Why dont ovens have built-in thermometer displays? Refrigerators, too? Without having to go high-end?

School buses STILL squeak (actually a good thing, serving as an early-warning system that it's time to dash out the door)

Magdalenalee...yes, that's the one. It's so cute and sleek!

Why do we still have so much non-biodegradeable stuff being sold? And I love saving on paper and the more sanitary idea of air dryers in restrooms, but I like to brush my teeth after a meal. A paper towel is nice to have in a restroom for my needs.

Annie, I so agree with you on the shoes! Why can't they be comfortable and cute! And the TP! Sheesh!

I would have thought we would be better in the engineering department, where we could have things (appliances for example) that couple efficiency with longevity. Granted, I believe it is possible but assume that it is not done in order to meet the needs of the companies and growth economy.

While treatments for type 1 diabetes have come a long way, I still wish there were better ways of calculating the body's response to carbs and the insulin dosing.

Well they predicted a world that was so polluted that we would live in domed cities or underground, if not space colonies.

I saw one set of predictions on a non-Sci Fi show that I remember from the 1980s and it was Hometime's House of the Future or some such title.

Among the things that the house had were liquid crystal windows that could be shut off for privacy (frosted when off, clear when current passed through) and a home computer.

At the end of those shows they said the one thing they did not see in the near future was the home computer--because while computers could be wired to communicate with each other in the house, there was not really a network for computers to communicate with other computers, to do things like ordering groceries or monitoring house systems remotely. They thought the glass would be common when the price came down.

Well the price of the glass has never come down enough to make it approachable for routine construction, although it does exist. And we know what happened with computers, just a few years later.

The ability to see the person on the other end when you are talking with them: We are definitely there! I thought when I was a kid this would be the coolest thing.

I also remember learning that computers would revolutionize our work and we would only work a 4-day week. Yes, computers have revolutionized our work BUT we work more than ever.

It's really amazing how far we have come in the last 20 years. this Super Bowl ad with Katie Couric and Bryant Gumble discussing what the Internet is

Shows just how far.

Unfortunately, all the communication has actually required us to be at least "prepared to work" almost 24 hours a day.

I will get emails late at night relating to something at work (which may or may not even be something important) and the next day a coworker will say "Well I sent you an email about it", instead of just telling me then.

My SO works per job, and it has to do with events and transportation so there will be passenger / client manifests and updates and endless emails that are "respond all" when they may or may not be meant for all, and texts that are addendums at 2, 3 or 4 am.

Virtually none of it is so important that it needs to be updated so frequently it's just updated multiple times simply because it Can be, instead of once a day.

I was involved in writing research extracts and paper and the principal investigator would end up having me do 20 + drafts: Draft 15 "Change this word". Draft 16: "Change this word" Draft 17" Change this word back" Draft 18: "Change this word". Draft 19: "Change this to a semi colon"

I guarantee you when he was doing this on a typewriter that didn't happen.

The ease of it all is making much more work for most people.

I'm still waiting for the ability to be "beamed up"! No more long travel times, no commutes.

Gscience & Pal- agreed, computers and cell phones have tied us to work ALL the time.

I'm still looking for the detergent like the one I see in commercials where the clothes come out all neatly folded and sorted.

When I was quite young there was a movie about the Russians using a nuclear bomb on the US. It was a made for tv movie during the cold war. It was terribly graphic. People were literally disintegrating as the bomb hit. I still cannot believe the images they showed in that movie. They are forever etched in my brain. I was certain that this was going to happen in my lifetime. It really scared the heck out of me. I suppose something such as that could still happen but not with the certainty I had in my mind at that time. I still can not believe my parents allowed me to watch that movie! I think it was called "The Day After", or something like that. Horrible.

Sorry, did not mean to change this thread into something dark. It is just what immediately came to my mind.

A Dick Tracy two-way wrist radio. I guess that one has happened. Still waiting for x-ray glasses. Also waiting for the paperless office. Ha. We are drowning in more paper than ever, it seems to me.

Aktillery, glad we never needed those bomb shelters or the the lessons we learned in air raid drills (at least in the US) However, Chernobyl did happen and there was Agent Orange.

Back to happier topics. I want the self driving car, too! I wish someone would invent a dust free house. I wish I could wiggle my nose like Samantha and make things happen. I wish there a cure for the common cold.

I'm glad we are not eating meals in pill form.

I am so enjoying everyone's comments here. I hope others are as well. The Ellen video was too funny! Exactly! About the CD cases as well....though I understand those are passé now too.

There is something creepy about JIBO. It starts to lean a little Hal IYKWIM. I suppose there will be much more to come like that though.

I worked for a CIO who was always looking for the next best greatest. But the gender gap was enormous. He thought having a single source for controlling all the light switches, door locks and shades in the house would be the best in an automated house. I looked at him like he had 3 heads and said, I am perfectly capable of flipping a switch or pulling a shade. I want an automated house to vacuum itself, dust itself, make beds and especially clean the fume hood over the cooktop!

While they don't have total nutrition in a pill, they are working on soylent. (Not to be confused with soylent green, the movie.)

Pal, your draft comment reminded me of a fellow at work who had a number of versions of a report running through the typing center (if you remember things like people sitting at magcard machines) and in one version one gal was taking the bullets out, and the next she was adding them back in!

X-ray glasses, not yet, thank goodness. But with google glass, it is a step closer to "Probe" if anyone remembers that TV show.

Yeah, appliances that don't need replacing every couple of years...you'd think they'd get that knocked already....especially since they used to last 20-30 years no problem. But then again a Rosie doing laundry would be the best for sure! But if they can't keep a dryer spinning, how many points of failure do you suppose a Rosie would have?

Paperless.

It's only paperless for the people or businesses who used to have to provide it and now pawn it off on you. At my work, I used to get forms that I needed to fill out and return. Now I get emails to links of things I have to print out myself on my own paper and printer and return. The cost is deferred from the top and put on the person at the bottom.

For my SO's work it can be even worse. The event company used to hand out the signage, the passenger manifests etc., to the employees doing these particular jobs. Now they email PDFs and the employee has to print it out, sometimes Laminate it and pay for that all themselves. And they have no particular motivation to condense a 10-page manifest that must be printed in color down to two pages like it could be because they, as the employer are no longer paying for it. The cost is displaced to the employee.

Google has been working on the self driving car.

They've had versions of the self driving car since the early sixties at least, though. I think there must be some underlying fear here, regarding yet another thing that would no longer be completely under personal control. I am sure there are a lot of people whose ability to drive as fast and as recklessly as they want being taken away by automation would be seen as just another big brother attack on personal freedoms.

The concept of self driving vehicles has existed for some time. Many, many companies are working on the vision of "autonomous driving" and Google, as noted, is in trials in the Bay Area. It's still a challenging task and most industry players don't believe it will happen until after 2020. Today, you can get cars that will parallel park for you, in mainstream models. Robotics is also rapidly improving. I think we can all welcome that advance.

Self driving car? I thought that's what dogs were for! :)

Atkillery, I remember The Day After. Was that maybe 25 years ago or so? (Wow, talk about dating myself.... :) ) I spent the new few weeks convinced World War 3 was going to break out at any second. I suppose Armageddon scenarios are not a new thing, but yes, that movie left a lasting impression on me back then too.

I'm still waiting for one of those fuel packs I can strap to my back and travel by air! I was always fascinated by that and hoped it would happen in my life time.

Jet pack:

http://www.martinjetpack.com/

Pat, after talking about it, I looked it up. It was made in 1983. Crazy huh? It was terrifying.

Interesting topic. I would love a self-driving car. What a luxury
it would be to spend time in traffic being productive or being
entertained. It would give a great deal of independence to those who
are unable to drive for whatever reason. For so many cities,
traditional mass transit will never make sense because of urban and
suburban sprawl.

One of the items that I would love to see in
my lifetime is a more efficient and affordable storage method for energy
so that solar and/or wind energy would make better sense in a retrofit.

A dust free house is my dream house! I actually would have
less dust if I closed all of my windows and used my electrostatic air
filter, but what a waste of electricity.

Lastly, comfortable, supportive, attractive shoes would be wonderful. I have problems with my feet and wear the ugliest shoes you can imagine. I yearn for the days when I could wear cute shoes or go barefoot.

Yes Fun! I would love something that would keep my house dust and fur free. For now that will just have to be me working hard, all of the time, to make it happen.

There is this...

Road surfacing material that doesn't dissolve into potholes every. darn. winter. If we can put a man on the moon ...