Technological Flights Of Fancy That Fizzled

prostoalex writes "MSNBC's Alan Boyle takes a look at seven futuristic dreams for the past that never managed to materialize into anything substantial in this 21st century. At the top of the list are flying cars, with personal jetpacks, passenger airships, supersonic commercial flights, space travel and colonies, with propulsion breakthroughs completing the list."

Comments

Jet Packs

[Infonaut]

Talk about heartbreak! I saw that ubiquitous footage of the US Navy jetpack test when I was a kid, and I thought it was the coolest thing ever. There have been many inventions that have changed my life since I saw that footage, but that's "The One That Got Away" for me.

It's funny how when you think about the past, you seldom think about your expectations at the time for the future. This article really made me think about how no invention becomes reality simply by virtue of some sort of inevitability. Money, the market, luck, and the tides of history all play a part in determining what will make it and what won't.

Somehow I don't think I'll ever get to use a Transporter either. Dammit!